November 14, 2013, 2013, 6:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
East
Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center, 2307 17th Ave S.
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
“The world needs dreamers and the world
needs doers,
but most of all the world needs
dreamers who do.”
Board Members Present: Jenny Bjorgo, Carol Pass, Mary Gonsior, Ali Micali, Linda
Leonard
Board Members Not Present: Earl Simms, Sherdl Kordian, Aisha Gomez, Rosie Cruz
EPIC Members: Pat
Fleetham, Brad Pass, Laura Dale, Carol Hill-Kennedy, George Kennedy, Naomi
Mohamed, Kim Hayden, Kevin Lieder, Hannah Lieder, Julie Graves, Kathryn Sumaras
Guests: Lt. Mike
Taylor, Glen Goldsby, Dean Dovolis, Shirley Heyer,
6:45 Introductions:
· Greetings and Introduction
· Approval of Agenda (CP, JB) passed.
· Approval of October Minutes (JB, BP) Approved.
MOTION: Meet as a Committee
of the Whole – (JB, LD) passed
6:55 Announcements:
· Open House Monday Nov. 18th at Verdant Tea at 2111
Franklin Ave., 6:30-8:00 to present new vendor space on East Franklin under the
bridge.
· Public hearing on Street car design Nov. 20 and Nov. 21. One
of these meetings will be in the Greenway at Colin Powell Center. We need a
Bloomington/Lake stop. This is the final public Meeting. The Bloomington
station has been removed from the plan.
· No parking signs will be installed on 24th St. It
is illegal to park semi’s, commercial trucks, buses – on 24th
Street.
7:00 SWIMMING
POOL UPDATE: Dean Dovolis, DJR Architects
On behalf
of the board of Minneapolis Swims, Dean wants to thank the neighborhood for all
their help with this project. The Phillips Aquatic Center proposal to Mpls.
Public Schools went out this month and looks very good. Minneapolis Swims still
needs support from neighborhoods for financial support for the organization’s
operations, So far, all the funds that EPIC has provided has gone toward
capital expenses. They need funds for fundraising, attending meetings, creating
brochures, and more. The pool has gone from a dream to a project and will be a
great asset to the EPIC community.
A
separate proposal is coming forward as a possible partner program to the
Aquatics program, that will help the building become a real health center, so
the neighborhood can have a wellness center.
MOTION: Quorum achieved.
Meet as a quorum. (BP, JB). Passed.
MOTION:
EPIC will provide funding of $10,000 to Minneapolis Swims organization for the
purpose of facilitating the development of the Phillips Aquatic Center (CP, JB)
Passed.
Discussion:
Kevin: MS
will also be asking for money from Midtown; have 8 months to raise millions of
dollars. Need this money to move forward. We are at a tipping point. What we
have in the next few months to raise funds, will be reflected in the results.
Hannah: We would not be where we are right now, if it was not for EPIC and CP. Karen Clark was asked to write a bill from the legislature. EPIC put the first $25,000 into this project. Without these funds we would not have had the conceptual design. EPIC has led the way all throughout this project. MS is an all volunteer organization. This is now a facility that is bigger than EPIC, bigger than MS. We need everyone in EPIC to help, join the fundraising campaign, volunteer – we need this facility.
Shirley:
Will these funds go toward salary for staff? Hannah: salaries are not on the
horizon…these funds will be for basic needs.
Hannah
will be interviewed on TV for ½ hour to talk about Swimming, Nov. 27 on a local
station. Karen Clark is drafting a bill to require that all children receive
swimming lessons in school. Hoping to get the Dept. of Health to support this
too. This would make MN the first state in the nation to require learning to
swim in school.
MOTION: Accept the actions
of the committee of the whole (PF, JB). Passed.
7:15 Solar
Garden Participation
Glen
Goldsby presented a powerpoint discussion of how solar gardens can contribute
to neighborhood well-being. Members of the community can come together to
purchase together, parts of a solar garden. The power generated from the Solar
Garden can benefit non-profit organizations like EPIC. EPIC could receive cash
donations, or option for electric offset. Investors would recover their
investment in estimated 6-8 years. What happens if people move, or pass away,
there is an option to sell along with your property, or take it with you if you
are moving to an adjacent property. What liability would EPIC have as a partner
or sponsor in this project? Looking at writing a non-binding agreement to look
at a possible partnership. EPIC would be one of multiple partners. While rates
and other factors are being negotiated, this could take a while. Could happen
as soon as January, but more likely about six months. So far, we have been told
there would be no financial responsibility on EPIC’s part.
7:35 Public
Safety, Lt. Mike Taylor.
Since the
beginning of the year our number one focus area has been Chicago and Franklin.
Another one the past two months is the Lake Street Corridor. A third are further
south has experienced a larger number of burglaries than other areas, and we
are focusing patrols there now. We try to utilize all of our resources, using
squads, bikes, horses, foot patrols, etc. We are doing these things, but we
don’t “advertise”. Depends on availability and staffing. Staffing is tough, and
we try to utilize our staff strategically. Our crime prevention specialists do
additional work including door knocking, meeting with various groups, receiving
feedback. We also have problem property officers, we get these complaints and
these officers go investigate. They will board properties, and deal with the
problems, looking for strategies and solutions to eliminate the problem with
these properties. We have undercover, plainclothes officers working around
prostitution and drugs, and you won’t see them at all. We are the only precinct
this year to have a steady reduction of crime in the city. Everyone else has
experienced an increase. We credit this to our relationship with the community.
LT. Taylor works the day shift and receives a lot of communication from the
community about crime. Lt. Taylor’s desk phone: 612-673-5787. The police are
very thankful for the partnership with the community.
For
further discussion: Buyback hours;
Problems:
2909
Bloomington, serious crime – residents are “preyed on.” The management company
needs to put in cameras and lighting. Start with Don Greeley and get problem
properties involved. Residents are afraid to call the police, would like the
police to be more proactive.
Reported
that Nepali residents exiting buses on Cedar are being mugged/attacked. They
want to know what are the safest routes to get home from the bus, and what
precautions they can take. TIPS: Don’t look at a book, your phone, the
headphones, etc. Pay attention to what is going on around you. iPhones are one
of the biggest items stolen like this. If it doesn’t feel right, follow your
instincts. Take your phone out and dial 911. It is difficult for immigrants to
give descriptions and locations. Police (Officer Alice White) want to work with
neighborhoods to put together education piece to train elders, and they can
work this down through cultural groups. Sometimes new immigrants don’t know the
signs of trouble.
Immigrants
are brought into our neighborhood all the time and given support for 3-6
months, but there is a lot of education that is left out. Can the Police help
us? There are a couple Somali officers in this precinct. There is one downtown
and another in the 2nd Precinct – that’s about it. There are only
about 15 per training class, and we can’t keep up.
Pat said
there is a county program to help immigrants assimilate. Linda pointed out that
many immigrant children don’t know how to cross a busy street safely. Police
will begin calling Counties and find out what resources already exist.
Encourage EPIC to look there also.
Real
problem blocks: request a lighting survey on the block (2900 block of 16th,
for example.)
8:30 Phillips
People’s well-being;
Running
Wolf fitness center may be leaving the Philips Community Center and so a
multi-neighborhood organization is forming to incorporate in order facilitate
formation of a corporation (nonprofit) to ensure the future of a Phillips
Fitness Center. Advantages include all the investment into the rental unit that
was made to facilitate a fitness center; it would be a shame to lose this
investment to a day care center.
8:45 New
construction to fill vacant lots
Need some
focus groups for Priority Plans
There are
houses that could use rehabs; there aren’t foreclosures happening right now, so
if you know people struggling with that let EPIC know about it. If there are
vacant lots, we may be able to infill houses for about $15,000.
8:53 EPIC
home loans
EPIC is
looking into additional fees that applicants need to pay including $145 fee for
closing the loan, $10 credit application and other fees as well. We will review
the agreement we have with CEE.
8:55 Adjournment
