October
18th, 2012, 6:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center
2307 17th Ave S.
2307 17th Ave S.
EPIC
web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office:
2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
EPIC Members: Kevin Lieder, Hannah Lieder, Margaret Kirkpatrick, Karen Clark, Joanie Essenburg, Margaret Weaver, Lauretta Towns
Board Members Present: Carol Pass, JoseLuis Villasenior, Steve Struthers, Linda
Leonard, Chiffon Williams
Board Members Not Present: Mary Gonsior, Jennie
Bjorgo, Earl Simms, Rosie Cruz
Guests: Laura Chica, Doug
Wise, Fausto Ortiz,
Margaret Kirkpatrick was asked to chair.
6:45 Introductions:
· Greetings and Introductions
· Approval of Agenda -
BP Moved CP Seconded - Passed
· Approval of Minutes from EPIC 9/13/2012 General Membership
Meeting – Add to EPIC Members present Brad Pass, Pat Fleetham. Add Steve
Struthers and Chiffon Williams and Earl Simms to Board Members Present BP
Moved, CW seconded - Passed
6:55 Announcements
BP:
Ø
EPIC Community Garden Harvest Party,
October 20th, 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
7:10 Housing Foreclosure Contract with PRG
Finished – Doug Wise
presenting,
Doug gave
a recap of Board actions and the few changes recommended in the contract by the
board are shown in RED. The Foreclosure Prevention Fund is the only
one contracted separately with PRG. The others are contracted with CEE.
Carol explained that these programs (Rehab Loan, Home Buyer
Assistance, Emergency Repair & Foreclosure Prevention Fund) will require
EPIC to flyer & door knock to make sure that everyone in the community has
the information necessary to apply.
Board
recommended MOTION.
MOTION:
EPIC approves the contract with PRG to carry out our Foreclosure
Assistance Program. Passed
7:25 Update on the Pool and Mpls. Swims: Park Board Endorsement,
approval of $350,000 Hennepin Youth Sports Grant. including the addition of a second shallow warm water teaching
pool. Park Board recommended approval.
EPIC Board recommended Motion: EPIC approves contract for $1,000 with Duane Proell, U of M Aquatic Center Facilities Director for 23 yrs. currently an Aquatic Consultant with Issacc Sports Group, which provides business plans for facilities like this.
Hannah:
The Park Board, at their Oct. 3rd meeting passed the motion supporting
acceptance of the Hennepin County Youth Sports Grant which provides necessary
matching funds for the State Legislature’s Phillips Community Center Pool renovation.
EPIC Motion is not necessary, because an anonymous donor wrote a check to Mpls. Swims to
pay for the Business Plan so the vote tonight for $1,000 for the plan is not
necessary.
She read
a letter from Bruce Chamberlain commending Mpls. Swims and pledging MPRB
support for the Pool project.
7:30 We acquired a quorum
and endorsed the actions of the committee of the whole including approval of
the 10/18/12 Agenda and 9/13/12 GMM Minutes.
7:55 Partnering with A-POD, A Partnership of Diabetics to provide
for our resident’s wellness.
EPIC and APOD created a collaborative agreement to bring this program to our Latino
residents.
CP introduced the APOD / Allina matching grant.
The money will be used to provide a Spanish language component to APOD. The
match will help EPIC in their relationship with Allina, it will help provide
support for diabetic Spanish-speaking East Phillips residents and will expand
the reach of the EPIC organization. EPIC’s role will be to help with outreach
and EPIC will be recognized as a collaborating funder.
EPIC
recommended MOTION:
MOTION: to
approve $2,500 to match with Allina to facilitate a program for
Spanish-speaking residents
with health challenges. BP Moved, JoseLuis
Seconded
Discussion:
-JLV
expressed the importance of Diabetes awareness in the Hispanic community. He
pointed out the
amount of chronic illness of this sort among Latinos since they have come to
this country, especially
in older and very young people and that this is a much needed effort.
-Joani
Essenburg stated she is not opposed to this, but asked how other neighborhood organizations
such as Mpls. Swims, Banyan & etc. can get in line for EPIC money. She
asked to
amend the motion to support A-POD to include a pathway for other organizations
to apply for funding.
BP, maker of the motion, declined to accept this as a friendly amendment
suggesting it be
proposed as a separate motion.
-Linda Leonard explained that the City
guidelines for spending neighborhood money are very stringent and that
neighborhood organizations operate as non-profits and not foundations, which
pass funding to 501©(3)s.
-Carol Pass tried to explain that EPIC’s funding
is essentially for EPIC’s operation and administration as an outreach of the
city for citizen participation.
She also stated that such a motion calling for a general RFP is an
action only appropriate for a foundation and not a Public Charity, a 501©(3)
such as EPIC, She stated that she had checked with downtown staff repeatedly
and they confirmed that such a motion as was being suggested was illegal. This
was not acknowledged.
A
Motion to call the question was made and passed.
The
board recommended Motion to support A-POD then passed
After
the motion passed, the required quorum was lost with the departure of JLV. No
request was made
to continue as a committee of the whole. The meeting became somewhat chaotic.
The following motion was proposed by Joani E.
MOTION: EPIC
make available an RFP process to apply for neighborhood funding. Moved by Joani and seconded by Hannah.
Discussion:
SS
spoke in favor to formalize an RFP process to hand out EPIC funding to the
neighborhood.
CP
pointed out again that under City guidelines, it is inappropriate and actually
illegal for neighborhood
organizations, which are Public Charities, to act as foundations offering open
RFPs in that
fashion and that we would lose our IRS status as a 501©(3) if we did that. She
stated again
that EPIC
had repeatedly checked with city staff regarding this question. Hannah weighed
in that the neighborhoods
had never helped her and that she had struggled for two years with no money. CP
stated that EPIC had provided the pool project with $25,000. Hannah pointed out
that that money
was not for her.
CP
insisted that this was not a legal motion because it conflicts with IRS law on
nonprofits. LL pointed
out that there was no quorum and that the motion could not be made under those circumstances.
Makers of the motion did not consider these statements and demanded the motion go
forward. Substitute chair did not intervene, may not have heard LL or CP in the
commotion.
JE
& SS insisted on a vote. A voice vote proceeded and a claim was made by JE
that the motion passed.
No count was made. There was no quorum and no request for a ‘committee of the
whole’.
8:40 What should happen to the Waite House Building??–Report on
first and second meeting. Discussion
and idea sharing.
The
Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Association received a request from the MPRB to
oversee the
process of how to dispose of the Waite House property in June.
-CP
gave a report on two meetings that were held for this purpose and expressed
concern that no one
beyond a few people in Midtown had been informed of this process for almost
three months after
this was announced by the MPRB, that the Midtown
process was not an open and fair one, pointed
out that there was limited diversity, a that
the only Latinos there walked out of the second
meeting stating that the process had gone too far down the road without their
participation so
that there was no point in their attendance, which they did not experience as
welcome. They had
stated that they had wanted time to consider and put forward the needs and
desires of their communities
and that they had not known the process was even going on.
-Fausto
O: has lived near Waite House for
15 years. Banyan relieved his fears of the neighborhood
and would like Banyan to be able to purchase the building. He likes the many Banyan
programs.
-Laura
C; Has lived in the neighborhood
for many years. The neighborhood was very unsafe. Her son
joined Banyan and she likes the safety and support Banyan provides. She would
support Banyan’s
effort to purchase the building. Another guest speaker supports Banyan.
-Chiffon
Williams: The neighborhood has changed. Many African Americans have left. Her house
is the home of her effort to support unsupported youth that are currently left
out. She called her Safe House.
-BP
stated that the disposition of the former Waite House Building is out of EPIC’s
hands because
of the decisions of the MPRB and our participation has not been sought or
facilitated. It is
being handled by the Park Board consultant and a small number of people on the board of Midtown
Phillips. Those of us who expressed additional interest have not been invited
or informed
of additional meetings.
-CP
pointed out that EPIC had passed a motion last month in response to various
ethnic groups’ complaints
to withdraw and restart the process or lengthen it to be more inclusive. She
also stated that
a critical statement requiring Midtown to include representatives of all
various constituencies to
be part of the decision making process was stripped out of the final RFP. CP
also pointed out that
EPIC’s motion was not aimed at any one organization wanting to acquire the
Waite House property,
but is a statement only about the fairness of the process, that this property
was funded with
Federal taxpayers’ monies and should be responsive to a wider more diverse
population’s interests.
MOTION: Joani E. moved: EPIC supports the
Midtown process as it stands.
-LL
pointed out that there was no quorum and the building was closing.
-CP
pointed out that this motion was contrary to the previous EPIC motion of the
last month’s community
meeting and the other would have to be rescinded for this to be put forward. People started
leaving and it appeared people were not listening.
Motion
failed for lack of a second and lack of a quorum.
8:40 Land
Use and Development Update: Updates were not discussed for lack of time.
Ø Alliance Housing, 2600 17th Ave. Meeting was
scheduled with Alliance Housing.
Ø 2830 Cedar – Daycare Center, Contractor
issues
Ø Greenway Heights Apts. 2845 Bloomington
Progress so far.
