EPIC
Board Meeting Draft Minutes
May 7, 2022, 10am – 11am
EPIC web address: eastphillips.org
Email: sarah@eastphillips.org
Office: 2433 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55404
Phone: (612)
354-6802
Board Roster: Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, David Ingold, Shontal Lajeunesse, Steve Sandberg, Schuyler Sellars, Karen Townsend, Nikolas Winter-Simat, LR Young
Board Members Present: Mary Gonsior, Steve Sandberg, Karen Townsend, Schuyler Sellars, Nikolas Winter-Simat
Board Members Not Present: David Ingold (E), Cassandra Holmes (E), LR Young (E), Shontal Lajeunesse
Members:
Guests:
Elizabeth Day
10:00 Review vision and mission
Welcome guests/intros
Approve agenda,
Approve minutes,
Reminders:
●
Next
Community Meeting will be: Thursday, May 12 from 6:30 to 7:30 at East Phillips
Park (outdoors if it is warm enough, otherwise in the community room)
o
view
online (link to join meeting can be found at eastphillips.org)
●
Next
Board Meeting will be: Saturday, June 4 from 10am to 11am at the EPIC office
and online (link to join meeting can be found at eastphillips.org)
o
Board
Meetings are open to the public - join online
●
East Phillips Carnival is Saturday June
25 at noon at Cedar Field (rain plan is East Phillips Park)
●
All
board members must sign a conflict of interest statement annually
o
If
you haven’t signed yet, please do so ASAP
●
Board
received the Quarterly Financial Report via email
●
Motions
passed via email since last meeting:
o
MOTION: The
EPIC board of directors approve the 2021 Attorney General Report.
o
MOTION: The EPIC
board approves of a plan modification to expand the language of the Phase 2 Home Buyer Assistance (New
Construction) strategy to allow funds to be used to support other home
improvement and home buyer programs for both new and existing homes.
o
MOTION: The $58,053.17 between
the two existing home programs will be allocated as follows: $20,000 towards
the Home Buyer Assistance Deferred Loan program and $38,053.17 towards the
Deferred and Emergency Deferred. Additionally, both programs will modify the
due-on sale forgivable loan term from 10 years to 15 years. The income criteria
for the Home Buyer Assistance Deferred Loan program will be 80% AMI, and the
Deferred and Emergency Deferred program will be 60% AMI.
●
May 22nd East Phillips Park - EPNI event
10:05 Report/Update
from Executive Coordinator
1) Letters of Support
signed since last board meeting
a) EPNI letter of support
for their Partnership Fund application to do a community survey
2) Update on Safety and
Wellness Resource Fair
a) Goal:
highlight the work that community is doing to keep us all safe and healthy
b) Saturday,
June 11 from 1-4pm
c)
PPNA is lead, other Ward 9
orgs are helping with promotion, recruitment
of tablers, tabling at the event
3) Equitable
Engagement update
a) Community Gathering infrastructure - NACDI
partnership proposal
i)
This is in our Equitable Engagement plan
(1) Other funding for this: $25,000 from Midtown Community Works and $5,000 from the
Minneapolis Foundation
MOTION: The board approves the use of $35,000
towards the NACDI/4 Sisters Community Gathering Infrastructure Project, NWS, StS, Approved
**If approved this will
go to the community meeting for a vote - 21 day notice and feedback from at
least 25 residents is required - the majority will need to be in favor
b) Larger Community Meetings - July 14 and
September 8 - focus on healing, grieving, celebrating - include food, music,
art and healing services
i)
Was working with Reviving Roots Therapy
and Wellness, however due to issues with brick and mortar building falling
through and staffing issues they are no longer able to partner
ii)
Sarah is talking with Lauren Evans - she
is passing it along to her network
iii)
Let Sarah know if you have connections to
others that might be interested!
c)
New Neighbor Welcome
Bags
i)
Board approved the purchase of EPIC swag
(tote, dishtowel, notebook and resource guide)
ii)
Swag in process with local Yarborough
Print shop
d) Spanish speaking outreach worker has been hired and has
started! Our Somali speaking outreach worker had to step down due to travel and
not being able to commit
e) Microgrant Program: $30k total. $15k is
in our Equitable Engagement Plan already
i)
Cleaning Captains: $15,000 (will need a
Community Meeting vote). Contract with neighbors to organize, publicize and
implement community clean ups. $21/hour for between 4 and 12 hours per month from
May to October.
MOTION: The EPIC board approves the use of
$15,000 of Equitable Engagement Funds towards the Cleaning Captains microgrant
program, NWS, MG, Approved
**If approved this will
go to the community meeting for a vote
ii)
Public Art: $10,000. Help to
beautify the neighborhood and address the graffiti problem. Contract with
artists to bring together neighbors, hear what they would like to see for the
Public Art Project and create something that reflects the desires of neighbors.
EPIC will compensate the artists for this program and provide an honorarium for
people who volunteer their property for the program. Approximately 4 public art
projects, artists will be paid $2,400 per public art project and property
owners will receive a $100 honorarium.
MOTION: The EPIC board approves the use of
$10,000 of Equitable Engagement Funds towards the Public Art microgrant
program, NWS, MG, Approved
**If
approved this will go to the community meeting for a vote
iii)
Skill Shares: $5,000. granting
money to neighbors to run events and projects to bring neighbors together to
connect around sharing skills. Reimbursement basis, up to $1,000 per skill
share event.
MOTION: The EPIC board approves the use of
$5,000 of Equitable Engagement Funds towards the Skill Share microgrant
program, NWS, MG, Approved
(1) Board members
interested in being on the EPIC Grant Review Committee?
4) Continue to discuss use
of the undesignated EEF funds
(approximately $120k)
a) Find the
proposal here - based on meeting with Schuyler,
Nikolas, Karen, Steve and LR, also touched base with Ariah from the City
MOTION: The EPIC board recommends the programs
and projects outlined in the proposal for the use of EPIC’s undesignated money
for the Equitable Engagement Fund, NWS,
MG, Approved
5) Fencing at Little Earth
Neighborhood Early Learning Center (NELC)
a) EPIC Board and members
approved funding for this in fall of 2019, it fell through with COVID
b) Residents who share
alley on 17th Ave reached out with serious concerns about harassment from
people misusing the playground
c)
Getting
bid on concrete wall - 8ft tall; steel fencing on sides - 203 feet total
-no gate, only access through
building
d) David recommends the
following
MOTION: The EPIC board
approves the use of $6,000 of NRP Phase II funds towards fencing at the NELC
playground to contribute to the safety of the children at the center as well as
the surrounding neighbors, moving $5500 from the employment readiness program
to the assure safety in public spaces, MG,
StS, Approved
Requires
21 day notice to community, will reaffirm vote via email after 21 day period
Add
to CM agenda to announce and follow up email
6) Safety survey results -
planning to report on at Thursday’s CM - wanted to make sure Board saw first
a) All data
c) Presentation (share at Community
Meeting and add to EPIC website)
d) Proposal based on
feedback:
i)
Create safety group
(1) Use input from survey
to help form group agreements, set the tone for what the values are, how the
meetings are run and who to involve
ii)
Publish safety information in EPIC e-news
iii)
Invite CPS on either quarterly basis OR
as needed basis
(1) When invited use input from
survey as a grounding and expectation for CPS and for community - what
residents would like to see from a space talking about safety
10:53 Report
from Departments
1) New board members
choose their department
a) Legal/finance
-strengths: small
detail oriented
-David, Mary, Schuyler
a.
Vision Development
-vision and mission
-how are we meeting
needs?
-strengths:big picture
Nikolas, Karen, LR
c.
Relational-community and board connections
-personnel and community relations
-board retreat
-events
-how to
engage people – flyering, banners etc
-strengths:
relationships
-Steve, Cassie, Shontal
MOTION: The
Finance Committee consists of David Ingold, Schuler Sellars and Mary Gonsior, NWS, StS, Approved
10:55 New business
1) Appoint a petty cash
custodian
2) Determine the petty
cash level
MOTION: The EPIC board appoints David Ingold as the Petty Cash
Custodian. The petty cash level is $200, NWS,
MG, Approved
11:00 Adjourn
