EPIC Board Meeting Minutes
March 7th,
2020, 10am – 12pm
EPIC web
address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2433 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) -280-8418
Board Roster: Rosie Cruz,
Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, Shontal Lajeunesse, Abah
Mohamed, Carol Pass, Steve Sandberg, Sarah Santiago.
Board Members Present: Laura
Dale, Mary Gonsior, Carol Pass, Steve Sandberg, Sarah Santiago, Rosie Cruz
Board Members Not Present: Cassandra Holmes (E), Shontal Lajeunesse (U)
Members: Gabriel Maraveles
Guests:
10:19 Agenda Approval, Amended, LD, StS, Approved
Minutes Approval, Approved
Special board meeting minutes approval, StS, LD,
Approved
10:05 Announcements
· EPIC’s Annual Meeting will be Saturday April 18th
o EPIC has 4 directors up for re-election
o Primary qualifications for becoming an EPIC board of
director:
§ Must be 18 years of age and have attended one previous EPIC
General Membership Meeting in the previous 12 months.
§ Must reside or own property in East Phillips, OR be
designated as the voting representative of an organization or business in East
Phillips
§ Go to EPICs website for nomination forms
·
Next
Community Meeting will be: March
12th at 6:30 at East Phillips Park
·
Next
Board Meeting will be: April 4th at 10am at the EPIC office (2433
Bloomington Avenue)
o
Board
Meetings are open to the public
·
Next
Executive Committee meeting will be: March 19th at the EPIC office (2433
Bloomington Avenue)
o
Executive
Committee meetings are open to the public
o
Board
members please send agenda items (for both community meetings and board
meetings) to Sarah before executive meetings each month
·
Next
Southside Green Zone meeting is Monday, March 23rd from 6-8pm in the
Phillips Community Center (2323 11th Ave. S)
·
South
Minneapolis Safety Council March 11th 3-4:30 at the Salvation Army
on Lake Street
·
Increased
bus service is coming to Chicago and Lake. Metro Transit wants to test a mobility
Hub where people can connect with other transportation modes in a safe,
comfortable and accessible place. Join one of four community listening session
to tell them what will help you connect to transit at Chicago and Lake – all events
will be held at the Midtown Global Market, Ziadi Event space:
o
Monday
March 23rd 5:30-7:30pm – Kick off event (food and refreshment will
be provided)
o
Tuesday
March 24th 5:30-7pm
o
Wednesday
March 25th 5:30-7pm
o
Friday
March 27th
§
noon-1pm:
Final community presentation
§
1-5pm:
community open house
·
Proposed
resurfacing project in East Phillips on all the streets from 26th
Street East to Lake Street and Longfellow Ave to Bloomington except Cedar,
Bloomington, 26th and Lake Street
o
Informational
meeting is on Tuesday March 10th at 6:30pm at Steward Recreation
Center (2700 12th Ave)
o
Public
hearing is March 17th at 10am at Room 317 in City Hall (350 South 5th
Street)
·
Roof Depot report:
o
Picketing has begun: this Friday, March 13th, 5PM at 28th and Longfellow
o
Support letters have been written on our behalf
by Sen. Jeff Hayden, Sen Patricia Torres Ray, and endorsed by the entire
Minneapolis Delegation; Dibble, Hornstein, Champion, Hassan, Gomez, Wagenius,
Long, Davnie
o
MPCA Commissioner Craig McDonnell and Greta
Gaultier will meet with EPNI Monday 3/9/20 at the Minnesota Senate Building
arranged by Sen. Torres Ray
o
South Side Green Zone Council has also passed a
resolution in support of the Community Plan; Clyde
Bellecourt has written a letter to
Attorney General Keith Ellison in support
Attorney General Keith Ellison in support
o
Please write and thank these supporters! Please
show up for picketing on Friday
·
The City of Minneapolis is
preparing the 2020 Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) Program Policies and
Procedures and Request for Proposals. The Program’s purpose is to help
finance the production, preservation, or stabilization of affordable rental
housing in Minneapolis. There are a number of changes proposed this year, the
public review is now open, comments must be submitted by 4pm on Monday April 20th
to Amy Geisler amy.geisler@minneapolismn.gov
o
Changes
include new language limiting rent increases to once annually; new language for
sustainability requirement; updated policy guidance for Minneapolis 2040 and
Renter Protections
10:36 Gabe M. about
garden tax exempt status
·
Garden
qualifies for tax exemption
·
Property
tax is the largest budgetary expense and is something that we don’t need to pay
if we are tax exempt
·
We
need the charter certifying that EPIC is a non-profit
·
Gabe
will contact someone at Hennepin county to work with us on this and send what
he needs from EPIC
10:42 Emrys request for case by case decision to
exempt her from owner-occupied because she needs a co-signer
·
Not
able to have a non-occupant co-signer
·
CEE
needs that decision sent to them on EPIC letter head
MOTION: EPIC authorizes support letter for Emrys if
needed, StS, CP, approved
10:20 Approve Annual
Report
MOTION: EPICs
executive committee meeting is bringing forward a motion to approve the
annual report, CP, SaS, approved
10:50 Neighborhoods
2020 program guidelines – see handout being passed around
·
East Phillips future funding:
o
2021: $20,000 – Network Fund
+ $44,598 (up
to) – Equitable Engagement Fund (see page 18 for details)
=$64,598
o
2022: $15,000 – Network Fund
+47,460 (up
to) – Equitable Engagement Fund
=$62,460
o
2023-ongoing: $10,000 – Network Fund
+$51,514 (up to) – Equitable Engagement
Fund
=$61,514
·
Concerned
with why EPIC isn’t getting more funding compared to surrounding areas i.e.
West Phillips and Midtown Phillips
§
Ask what their formula is to
determine fund amounts
§
Carol will find out what is
happening with Powderhorn
·
The
official public comment period will be held from February 28 to April 17, 2020.
·
Space
where residents can submit public comments. Current meeting dates include:
o
March 9: Urban Research
and Outreach Engagement Center (UROC) - 6:00-8:00p.m.- 2001 Plymouth Avenue N.
Minneapolis, MN 55411
o
April 2: Northeast Park
and Recreation Center - 6:00-8:00p.m. - 1530 Johnson Street NE, Minneapolis, MN
55418
11:11 Updates:
·
KALY
Radio update
o
Carol
will rearrange the budget and send it out to the whole board
o
KALY
Radio will give us the reports for the outreach done and the financial report
of how the money was spent
o
From
the 2019 budget: take $2,700 from occupancy + $1,000 from translation,
interpretation and ADA support + $1,000 from other services (line item 13) + $2,300
from staff expenses
MOTION:
Move the following funds in the 2019 budget and add it to line item 7: $2,700
from occupancy; $1,000 from translation, interpretation and ADA support; $1,000
from other services (line item 13); $2,300 from staff expenses, CP, RC, approved.
·
Contract
to amend previous contract of 2017-2019
o
Contract
is signed – and increased from $76,200 to $152,400
·
Review
draft policies and procedures for CPP probation
o
Two
items:
§
Reviewed
current financial policies and procedures
§
Reviewed
draft of new financial policies including authority, responsibilities, financial
transaction with insiders, gift acceptance, asset protection. Adopted as
amended, StS, RC, approved
·
Invoice
for utility bill for 2 months (December 2019 and January 2020) for $128.08
submitted
· We need to carry automobile
insurance – new requirement from Bob Cooper
o
Carol called our insurance company and they will get
us a quote
o
Garden committee would like to confirm that the
Garden is covered on EPICs insurance policy
o Need to ensure that liability
insurance includes sexual harassment and assault that occurs on our site or in our
programs.
·
How
is planning for annual meeting going?
o
Annual Meeting board
elections
§
2019: Steve Sandburg,
Shontal Lajeunesse and Sarah Santiago elected; Mary Gonsior and Cassandra
Holmes re-elected
§
2020: Directors up for re-election: Rosie Cruz; Laura Dale; Abah
Mohammed; Carol Pass
§ Which
board members will run for re-election or continue their term?
·
Laura Dale is
considering not running; Carol is not sure (not president for sure); Rosie will
run again
§ If
there are open seats, are there people we would like to invite?
· Brad
will contact Gabe M. to see if he is interested
· Mary
will contact Henry
o
Brad
and Carol will hire someone to distribute flyers and submit reimbursement
o
Brad
will talk to Welna about doorprizes
o
Brad
will do sound system
o
Brad
will create and print ballot, EPIC trifold/info sheets and housing program
brocuhre
o
Mary,
Cassie (?) and Sarah will create agenda and housing program brochure and update
EPIC trifold/info sheets
o
Sarah
will print sign in sheet (for 100), agenda (60)
o
Carol
will create annual report and print
o
Brad
will purchase food (pancake mix, syrup etc.), paper products and beverages
o
Alfonso
will coordinate set up, serving food, working sign-in table and clean up
o
Rosie
will contact volunteers for servers
o
Sherzad
will cook
o
Info
tables: swimming program, EPNI, standing solid cheer team (Rosie will contact)
·
Liga
Hispana request for $999 for Park and Recreation Board rental of the fields
MOTION:
EPIC approves payment of up to $1,000 for Liga Hispana to go to the Minneapolis
Park and Recreation Board for the rental of the baseball fields for 2019, MG,
StS,
·
Update
on Roof Depot site - TABLED
·
Southside
Greenzone update - TABLED
o Greenzone passed motion supporting
the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm
· The city is seeking input on a
new Low Barrier Housing Initiative to support creative, community-led,
short-term housing solutions that are cost-effective, culturally appropriate,
leverage other public, non-profit and/or philanthropic funding and can be
implemented within a one year period. Funds will be deployed quickly to respond
to urgent needs. Comments on this proposal will be accepted until 4pm on April
20 2020. Send comments to carrie.goldberg@minneapolismn.gov
TABLED
11:40 Logistics:
·
Board
member at every garden meeting – sign up sheet TABLED
·
What
do we want to put in EPICs Alley post?
o
Feature
the annual meeting
o
Sarah
will contact Cassie to see if she will still work on this
·
We
have a 2020 Clean Sweep packet with applications
o
The city
is promoting the Adopt-A-Litter Container, Adopt-An-Ash Receptacle and other
Clean City Opportunities to focus on the need to control litter within our
neighborhoods all year round.
·
Additions to community meeting draft
agenda
