November 6, 2010, 10:00 am
Welna Hardware
Directors Present:
Carol
Pass, Mary Gonsior, Jenny Bjorgo, Linda Leonard, Earl Simms, Rosie Cruz
Guests: Brad Pass
10:00 Introduction
· Approval of Agenda -
Aprroved
· Minutes from EPIC
General Membership Meeting 10/11/2010 - Approved
· Motion Meet as a committee of the whole. Motion
passed. (Quorum achieved at 10:45)
10:10 Announcements
· EPIC General Membership Meeting, November
8th
· Tentative grand opening of the East Phillips
Park Cultural and Community Center - Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011
10:15 East Phillips Park
Cultural and Community Center: Update, Floor Colors, Kitchen Money, Rain Gardens,
final excavation. We need to be alert for vandalism in progress
Tentative GRAND OPENING - Saturday,
Jan. 22, 2011 from Noon to 6:00 PM.
Disaster was averted by the Park Board when
they realized that everything would be postponed until Spring, unless the
parking lot was addressed immediately. Announcements for the grand opening will
not be advertised until successful completion is assured. Plans for the grand
opening are underway, however. Seeking diversity of local talent to participate
in the celebration. Contact Brad to submit suggestions for the program. Still
need $30,000 for commercial kitchen range, vent hood, fire suppression and
makeup air systems. Final excavation for parking lot and rain garden are going
on right now. Plantings will be completed in the Spring. A slightly smaller
than "professional" sized soccer field and baseball field are
planned, with community supporting this plan. It will take one year to
establish the sod for these fields. A tennis court and outdoor half-court
basketball will also be retained.
Funds for the kitchen would be available
from EPIC's NRP Phase II, however, progress on the process has been stalled due
to Xcel power lines and other neighborhood concerns.
10:30 Phillips Community Center: New Floor Plan,
Pool Proposal
The four neighborhoods have been collaborating for
over a year to save the Phillips Pool & Gym and ensure that the building
remains accessible to the neighborhood for local programming. A larger group
developed to figure out how to pay for the operations of the facility and
programs. This resulted in a partnership, with a Memorandum of Understanding
representing the potential tenants, stakeholders and resident organizations
that are working together as a group to restore community use of the PCC.
The process over the past year produced a series of
floor plans, and multiple groups submitted proposals to the Park Board. The
Memorandum and current floor plan was presented to the Park Board on Thurs.
Nov. 4, 2010 including (Francisco for PWH, Bob Albee for Wellness Consortium,
Running Wolf for Native American Community Clinic; Hannah for Mpls. Swims,
Carol for 4 Neighborhoods, Mahamed Cali for Somali American Community.)
Mpls. Swims (Hannah) contracted the money for the
feasability study and the resulting report concluded that it would take
$250,000 to get to pool in shape to fill it with water and use the pool.
Additional improvements (windows, individual showers, etc.) would bring the
renovation cost as high as $650,000. Concept drawings were provided by DJR
Architecture, Inc.
MOTION EPIC commends
Hannah, Brad and Carol for their hard work on saving the Phillips Community
Center - Pool. Passed unanimously.
10:45 2600-2606 17th Ave. PROPOSAL FOR
APARTMENT of 20 UNITS of HOMELESS
HOUSING by Alliance of
the Streets. Issues with Alliance
Carol
wrote a response to an accusing letter from Kris complaining that EPIC is not
dealing fairly with Alliance. Brad, Linda and Jenny will also write responses
to Kris' accusation that no one from the neighborhood helped a family that was
victimized near the AHI building. Copies of these letters will be sent to the
Met Council to provide additional perspective on claims being made by AHI
regarding EPIC and this project.
MOTION: EPIC disputes the asserted facts contained
in Kris Brogan's email dated Oct 11, 2010; the board authorizes and endorses
the board President's response to the email in total, to all appropriate
parties; the board encourages the neighbors who were present to participate in
clarifying their individual responses to the incident that occurred on 26th and
16/17th Avenue.
11:00 NRP & NCEC Guidelines
& NRP Electors: Phillips Allocation
The new NCEC will
apparently be giving us $50,000 per year (based on a formula.) We don't know
when this will begin. We do know that the CDGB money we've been using will end
at the end of this year. EPIC needs an elector to vote Carol onto the final NRP
board that will be phased out. Two individuals MUST attend. The meeting is in
two weeks.
MOTION: the board authorizes two delegates to
attend this election meeting, to be appointed by Carol, and ratified by the
board at our next meeting. (MG, CP) approved.
11: 05 Xcel
Energy, Legal Ruling
Xcel
rejected all recommendations from the Law Judge. They asked for exceptons on
everything and asked the PUC to not require them to do any of this. The comment
period has been extended. EPIC will begin a campaign to oppose Xcel's rejection
of the recommendations.
11: 15 Reconfiguring
22nd Street: See diagram. Motion?
There
doesn't seem to be a consensus of opinion regarding this change. EPIC will
continue to follow planning and gather input from residents.
11: 32 Adjournment
