EPIC Board Meeting Minutes 9-4

EPIC Board Meeting Minutes

September 4, 2021, 10am – 11am

EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com

Email: epic.ssantiago@gmail.com

Office: 2433 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404

Phone: (608) 513-5107

 

Board Roster: Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, David Ingold, Shontal Lajeunesse, Steve Sandberg, Earl Simms, Karen Townsend, Nikolas Winter-Simat

Board Members Present: Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Nikolas Winter-Simat, Karen Townsend, Steve Sandberg, Shontal Lajeunesse, David Ingold, Cassie Holmes

Board Members Not Present: Earl Simms (U)

Members: Tim Springer, Brad Pass, Carol Pass, Emrys

Guests:

 

10:00   Review vision and mission

Welcome guests/intros

Approve agenda, NWS, LD, Approved

Approve minutes, Approved

Reminders/announcements:

●      Next Community Meeting will be: Thursday,  September 9 from 6:30 to 7:30 at the lot on 27th and Cedar and online (link to join meeting can be found at eastphillips.org)

●      Next Board Meeting will be: Saturday, October 2 from 10am to 11am TBD  and online (link to join meeting can be found at eastphillips.org)

o   Board Meetings are open to the public

●      Pickle Off and Ward 9 Candidate Event

o   Both on Tuesday, September 21

o   Pickle off is 12-3

o   Ward 9 Candidate Event starts at 3

o   Both events are at Ogema Pl and EM Stately Street

●      Clean Sweep will be Saturday October 9

●      Received formal notification of a variance request being made in part of a potential project on scottie hall’s property as a general use application requirement of a variance request being made in part of a potential project on Scottie’s property

1.     Description of the project - The project is the addition of a 16 by 24 Accessory dwelling unit to be place in the back south side of Scottie’s property where a current existing garage sits.  This is one level ADU with a peaked roof and siding which will match the current aesthetic of the home.

2.     We are currently aware that this application requires a land use application and a building permit.  We are also aware that there is a request for 2 variances that accompany the land use application.

3.     Property address for which zoning approval is being sought- is 2827 18^th Avenue South Mpls MN

4.     Applicant’s Name:  Scottie Hall, address: 2827 18^th Avenue South Mpls, phone number: 1 (415) 640-2116, email address: hall.scottie@gmail.com

10:05   Report/Update from Executive Coordinator

1)     Work with our Outreach consultants has ended

■      3,450 doors - 5 passes for no homes, refusals etc

■      392 completed surveys

■      337 phone numbers

■      230 emails collected

■      150 people who scanned the barcode

●      Sarah will be compiling the data to share key takeaways

●      You all received the report from Knock Knock in your email

2)     LERA Urban Farm Infrastructure Project - funding through city

●      The project has been approved - NCR and City Council

○      $15,000 for tables, benches, chairs, pizza oven, sun shade, farm manager ($1,200) and indirect admin costs

○      Since this is NRP money there are restrictions on it and the contract will be through EPIC, but the city emphasized that this is still very much a LERA project

■      Reimbursement requests will go through EPIC

3)     Equitable Engagement Plan

●      Infrastructure for green spaces is included in the plan - however the board has not determined whether that is the route they want to go - can be taken out - wanted to put it in to see whether it is something that can be covered with this funding

●      If you haven’t looked it over yet please do so - it is important as it outlines how we will use the majority of our money for 2022-2023

4)     Update on safety and drug use discussion

●      Met on Thursday as a continuation of the August community meeting discussion

●      Group decided to pursue a safe use site

5)     Gardeners approved of installing a syringe disposal box at the garden

●      Gardeners are doorknocking surrounding neighbors to get feedback and hear any concerns before proceeding with the installation

●      In the past EPIC has approved money for the garden, however we do not currently have anything in the organizational budget for this

○      Sarah proposes the following motion to cover things such as fixing the fence and getting the fruit trees treated by an arborist

MOTION: The EPIC board approves of adding $1,000 to the line item ‘community gardens,’ DI, NWS, Approved

Seward grant - a few thousand dollars left - MG supports leaving this money for youth stipends

6)     Sarah applied, interviewed for and was accepted into the Neighborhoods Now course through CURA at the University of Minnesota

●      Course will run from September 27 to October 1 from 11am to 3pm

Report from Departments

●      Legal and Finance Department:

○      We have a new bank account with Woodlands National Bank! Thanks David!

○      Mary and Carol will be needed to close down Wells Fargo account

○      Certify Woodlands as depository:

MOTION: The EPIC board authorizes Woodlands National Bank as the depository, DI, LD, Approved

MOTION: EPIC board approves of Carol and Mary closing the Wells Fargo account, DI, LD, Approved

●      Add Mary as a signer (Nikolas and David already are authorized)

MOTION:The EPIC board authorizes Mary Gonsior as an additional check signer, DI, SL, Approved

●      Approve Chart of Accounts

MOTION: The EPIC board approves the Chart of Accounts, DI, MG, Approved.

 

10:35   New business and delegate to proper spaces (work group, department etc.)

●      Midtown Greenway light emitting sculpture

○      Goals:

■      Area has been a dark area for real and perceived safety improvements and decrease crashes between

■      Beautiful artwork

■      Wayfinding - finding access to Greenway

○      Advisory team for the project

■      Tim, scottie hall, Lauren Evans, Jocelyn, Abdi

■      Advisory team recommends

●      The sculpture be installed on public land

●      Be solar powered

○      Hoping to raise $10,000 to launch an artist competition

■      Majority of money will go to winning artist (chosen through advisory team screening and community voting)

●      $8,000 to be paid to an artist to create a detailed design for the sculpture

●      $1,000 would go to the Midtown Greenway Coalition for project management

●      $1,000 contingency for other project direct costs

■       Project Advisory Team will pre-select three artist sketches from those that are submitted to make sure they are feasible and meet project objectives and the artist has the capacity to deliver the project. Then community members will vote for their favorite from among those three.

○      Board member question:

■      Wayfinding - does Midtown Greenway have hours - does not close

●      Will it be wayfinding during the day? - yes that is the plan - the plan is that it will be very large

■      Environmental impact and light impact

●      Not was lumens, or shed light pollution

○      Does EPIC want to contribute to this project?

■      If we contribute to the artist competition, the city would contract through us or the Midtown Greenway. It would be relatively straightforward, will need a scope and budget

■      If so, how much?

●      We have $5,766.00 in our NRP Positive Street Identity strategy

●      NWS suggests $2-3,000 as seed money for the project

●      MG suggests $3,000

MOTION: EPIC recommends using $3,000 of our NRP Positive Street Identity strategy, MG, NWS, Approved

●      CEE

○      Community member request:

■      Approve request to apply since she and her father are preparing to make a cash offer as a last resort after being unable to secure traditional financing. Either they, or the structure of the house, or the condition of the house block them from qualifying for any of the low income first time homebuyer programs and mortgages, including the land trust, mn housing, fha and 203k.

○      CEE would need EPIC to approve of waiving the following guideline requirements for the below items in writing

1) Underwriting is not subject to approval or guidelines of a 1st mortgage lender

2) We do not need to collect a copy of the 1st mortgage pre-approval/commitment letter

3) We do not need to collect a copy of the 1st mortgage preliminary Loan Estimate or Closing Disclosure

4) Funds would not be required to be disbursed to a Closing Agent/Title Company

■      The community member would still need to get title, provide a purchase agreement, income qualify, verify proof of funds for purchase and any other guideline requirements

■      CEE wouldn't release the funds unless they have the signed Deed or something transferring the property. 

■      There isn't much risk to waiving the guidelines other than if they can't keep the property and goes into foreclosure EPIC would lose the funds

MOTION: The EPIC approves exception to CEE to waive mortgage related requirements and steps per agenda, DI, StS, Approved

 

11:12   Discussion of whether to purchase EPIC office, lot at 27th and Cedar etc.

●      Money we have:

○      $105,000 of CPP money is earmarked for building or other infrastructure project in our organizational budget - can be transferred over to Equitable Engagement Fund

○      $50,000 in NRP funds could be used

●      Purchase building option:

○      Mark Welna will sell at $175,000 if within the year, he is not planning to sell anytime soon otherwise

○      Will likely want to have Land Trust come talk to us

Extend an extra 10 minutes to 11:25

●      Cedar and 27th lot

○      Several options:

■      Buy

■      Lease - put money into developing the space

■      Use once in a while

●      Next steps:

○      Set up a meeting with Community Land Trust

○      Continue exploring Cedar and 27th Ave

 

11:36   Adjourn