February 8, 2018

EPIC Community Meetiing Minutes 02-08-2018


2-8-2018, 6:30 – 8:50
Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center, 2307 17th Ave S.
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) -280-8418

Board Roster:, Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Tom Harris, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Linda Vermillion, Marc Trius
Board Members Present: Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Marc Trius, Linda Vermillion
Board Members Not Present:, Tom Harris,
Members: Brad Pass
Guests: Shirley Heyer, Cassandra Meyer, Kameron Lindsey

6:30     Social Time/ Greetings and Introductions


6:50     Approval of Proposed Agenda: CS, LD, Approved.
Approval of December 14th General Membership Draft Minutes: BP, RC, approved.

7:10     Announcements:

·       Next EPIC Board Meeting, Saturday, March 3rd, 10:00 am-noon, EPIC’s office 2433 Bloomington Ave. S.

·       Next EPIC Community Meeting, Thursday, March 8th,  6:30 - 8:45, East Phillips Park

  • Annual Meeting will be April 28, 2018
  • SummerFest will be June 24, 2018
  • Midtown Phillips Annual Meeting Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 (5:00 meeting) at the Midtown Global Market
  • Phillips West Winter Social Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 (5:00 Social) at Lutheran Center for Changing Lives
  • Green Zones is meeting monthly for 8 months. There is a citizen’s board that meets the 4th Tuesday of the month. You can find their sustainability project with CPED. Their meeting calendar is on the City website.
  • VW Meeting. CH is working to reserve the EPPCCC community room, to meet with Ned Brooks and neighbors to discuss the VW money and opportunities to garner funds to reduce pollution related to the Roof Depot and neighboring sites. Note: we have learned that individual companies can apply for funds. Ask for Ned Brooks to provide all grants available with deadlines for filing.

7:15     Q&A about where the Roof Depot and Indoor Urban Farm has arrived at present. Bench mar

Presented a history of  EPIC’s efforts to reduced and eliminate pollution and develop a vision for a better use of this site for residents of East Phillips. Showed a PowerPoint presentation from 2014 showing how studies have tied PAHS emissions to ADHD in children. Discussed the city’s purchase of the property, EPIC’s efforts to have a voice in the future of the site, the failure of the city to follow its policy of engaging residents in decision-making, the history of EPIC planning leading to a vision for building an indoor urban farm, legislative funding of the EPNI collaboration, and its work to date. The large community meeting held to present the city’s plan, and the EPIC plan, resulted in a nearly unanimous vote in favor of the EPIC project. Public Works had informed residents they planned to take down the Roof Depot building and be “in the ground” in Spring, 2018. Since then, the City decided they had to take a 2-year hiatus. Our work stopped the Public Works project for two years. EPIC will now be working on a business plan for the overall concept and the individual businesses that will operate in the property will be creating their own business (sustainability) plans, and all will begin the capital campaign…raising money to further fund this project.

7:45     Pollution Problem

Cassandra works for MPCA, long history in South Mpls. She has been personally affected by the health problems that result from pollution. Trying to address this, she studied engineering and sustainable design.               
Discussion of various permit requirements, testing standards, etc. related to permitting Bituminous Roadways and neighboring sites.

8:00      Swimming Program Financing

The situation: The Swimming pool will open soon. Let’s build a program so that we are not pushed out of access to this new amenity in our community. Large pool will open in spring, small pool will open this summer. Funding has come in from public schools and Augsburg. Scheduling for the pool has been turned over to the Park Board and these large donors are already promised large chunks of accessibility. EPIC needs to find partners and funding for an East Phillips Swim Program NOW if we don’t want to miss the boat. LL has done some research.”
                       
Previous Board MOTION: EPIC will guarantee that East Phillips children have access to the pool for which we have already invested $75,000, therefore, EPIC will set aside a minimum of $10,000 for an East Phillips
Children and Youth swim program. LL, MT. Approved.

MOTION changed the amount at GMM on Jan 11th: EPIC will allocate $20,000 of the new youth programming money of  $51,970.04 toward beginning a swimming program for Phillips youth at the new pool. MG, RC, approved. Requires a second vote. Quorum was present.

NEW MOTION 2nd Vote: EPIC will allocate $20,000 of the new youth programming money of  $51,970.04 toward beginning a swimming program for Phillips youth at the new pool. LL, LD, Approved.

8:30     Crime and Safety – Bus Shelter Report

EPIC wants to change the direction of the bus shelter on Lake St. and 17th to face the street. The city responded that this is impossible because of accessibility issues. The design is also intended to shield from cars spraying pedestrians with water, etc. Additional research is needed, as RC noted a shelter already on Lake St. that is facing the street. EPIC will continue to work on this, but we seem to need a different solution.

8:40     Committee Chair Positions Open

If you want to make something happen on your own, you can propose a committee to work on specific projects, etc. The opportunity to serve the EPIC neighborhood does not stop with the board.

8:50     Adjourn