October 9th, 2014, 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
Board Roster: Jenny
Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz, Mary Gonsior, Jean Howard, Linda Leonard, Ali Micalin, Carol Pass, Cesar
Prado, Earl Simms
Board Members Present: Carol Pass, Mary Gonsior, Linda Leonard, Jenny Bjorgo,
Rosie Cruz
Board Members Not Present: Earl Simms (Family emergency), Cesar Prado (work), Ali
Micalin (event) Jean Howard
EPIC
Members: Brad Pass, Laura Dale, Maggie Ewing,
Kyla Sisson, Margaret Kirkpatrick, Michael Green,
Guests: Karen
Notsch (MPD),
6:35 Introductions:
· Greetings and Introductions
· Approval of Agenda (MG, KS; approved with corrections.)
· Approval of September 11th, 2014 minutes (MG, LD) with
corrections: review and update names under attendance, based on sign-in sheet.;
with addition of Louise’s comment added to 7:15 Motion… “Some members who
opposed this plan stated that the plan didn’t reflect the survey results.” And
change “diverse person” to “person”.
7:00 Neighborhood Update on Crime
(moved up from 7:10)
East
Phillips stats: What we’ve seen since 9/1, 11 robberies, 1 was aggravated (used
a weapon. The things wanted the most were cell phones and cash. 5 burglaries,
including 1 business, 3 at night. Larcenies – 19 (theft) including 5 motor
vehicles. Narcotics – 9 reports; prostitution – 3; disorderly conduct – 53. The
crime is showing up around the edges of EPIC, but no patterns appeared.
Code
4 areas include Bloomington & Lake, and Chicago & Lake. Cert Unit has
done multiple things along Lake St. and surrounding blocks, and making
prostitution and john arrests, car to car transactions, tagging for loitering
with intent, etc.
Christine
McPhereson, 911 supervisor, regarding non-English speaking crime reporting. CP
followed up and made a request that the “language request” get moved up to the
top of the menu.
MOTION: (MK, CP,
Approved) EPIC will send a letter to 911 supervisor to make the first option on
the menu, do you want to have another language, such as Spanish, Somali.)
MOTION:
(MG,
JB, Approved) EPIC will meet as a committee of the whole.
Probation
officer reported that most of her subjects are from West Phillips.
7:15 Parking
and Crime issues on 2800 blocks 16th Ave.
(Moved up from 7:45)
Michael Green presented that there is a parking problem on
the 2800 block of 16th Ave. A transit handicapped space was placed
many years ago where a resident is no longer residing. City has said they
can’t remove the space, but the police don’t actually
enforce it. There is an auto repair facility on the street that regularly parks
vehicles on the street, on the bridge; construction crews are parking in the
street; there are over-occupied properties; there are now no-parking signs
along 29th Street; the no-parking sign on the bridge has
disappeared; the Greenway Heights building presents an additional source of
cars on this street. Some residents are interested in critical parking
(residents receive permits to park on the street.) MGreen intends to work with
neighbors to pursue this type of parking; MGreen also wants to address the
missing signs problem.
See tape for discussion, questions, etc.
MOTION: (MG, JB, Approved
with 1 opposed.) EPIC will write a letter asking, if parking is illegal, and if
it is unwise to park on the bridge, and the neighborhood is complaining about
parking on the bridge, will the City please replace the no parking signs on the
bridge?
7:00 Announcements:
· CLEAN
SWEEP! This Saturday, 9:00 am, Welna Hardware Parking Lot, 24 Bloomington Ave. Get your
FREE T-shirts, gloves, bags, Coffee, Donuts, Orange Juice and clean Phillips with your
neighbors!
· EPIC
Garden Harvest Party: Next Saturday, October 18th, 4:00 pm at the Garden,
Music, Food,
Roast Marshmallows over the Fire, Meet neighbors.
· Financial
Statement distributed; please take home and there will be a presentation on
finances next month.
7:20 Implementation
of NPP Crime Strategy:
· Ambassador
Program Start Up: Meeting, Progress Report, Packets, Vests, Walkie-
Talkies, Volunteer
LL reported that there was one meeting with 6 people present.
The vests presented last month are being printed with the EPIC logo and the
group that met had a presentation from Don Greeley (completed training), and CP
ordered a resource book for ambassadors that can help with resident
communications. If anyone wants to be part of the Ambassador program, Jenny and
Will are co-chairing this group.
CP noted that the Ambassador program is not the same as a
crime patrol (which some EPIC residents will participate in. Safety officer
commented that crime patrols should alsways notify police when they will be out
on patrol Noted that Lt. May is
probably the point person.
· Progress
on 25th Street Beautification Barrier
The
16th Ave block club are in favor of keeping the barrier and want to
participate in some way; they are willing to help keep up a barrier. Doug
Vander is the coordinating this for the block club.
CP
went to 10th & Lake St. and took photos of a “berm” that was
constructed – this is a permanent barrier and it looks really nice. It is
probably no more expensive than purchasing planters. Proposed that we ask for
what we REALLY want
QUORUM
ACHIEVED: Rosie Cruz arrived. 8:00 PM. Motions previously passed are approved.
7:35 EPIC
Home Loan Program must move – from Center for Energy
and Environment (CEE) which is closing their Lending Center in November, to
Greater Metro Housing Corp (GMHC), which has offices near by for loan
processing.
MOTION: (CP, MG, Approved.) EPIC will move their
home loan program dollars from CEE to GMHC.
8:05 Final
Vote for the Pool: (Moved above 7:45 Parking)
Needed
to receive match from Mdewakanton Sioux.
The other Phillips neighborhoods will also be kicking in the same amount.
EPIC voted on these funds in July, but a second, confirming vote was delayed
due to other urgent matters, and by NCR putting a hold on EPIC funds. We have received letter from Daavid Rubedor confirming the availabilityof this money and we have
been now informed that these funds are already in an appropriate fund in our
NRP Phase I moneys (Parks & Recreation.)
MOTION: (CP, MK. Approved unanimously.) EPIC will
designate $50,000 from Phase I NRP dollars as a matching fund, to fund the
renovation of the Pool at the Phillips Community Center. the Minneapolis Park
Board for the East Phillips Pool.
7:45 Parking and Crime issues on 2900 blocks 16th Ave. Moved after
8:05 item by membership’s consensus.
·
Parking, crime, properties.
o
2930 16th Avenue, property has
multiple problems.
o
2908 16th Avenue, many
prostitutes using this property as a business.
o
Problem addresses – Karen Notsch (MPD) believes that these properties are
being worked on. Morning, children catching buses; need more police presence
(6:30 – 9 am) 29th St.
·
Remove benches on 16th and
Lake, full of prostitutes using these benches. (Lake St. Council doesn’t want
these removed. The old City Inc building – will remove the benches, and cutting
off the electricity. He is checking into getting more lighting on this spot.
·
Parking lot of salvation army – folks are
bringing mattresses and camping out. (it wouldn’t hurt to send a letter – if they are not making
changes that are needed. Ask Salvation Army to close the parking lot at night.
Manager is resistance to previous requests.
·
Another parking lot – abandoned vehicles.
Suggestions
·
Contact the board for The Salvation Army.
·
Speed bumps (16th, 17th, Bloomington) –
cost about $12,000; another solution might be to do Murals on the Street, slows
traffic down and calms things in other neighborhoods.
·
$1 houses – rehab and increase home ownership, rental units.
·
Fill vacant lots on these blocks.
·
Citizen’s patrol.
·
Survey homeownership on these blocks and try to analyze if
this is impacting long term issues.
·
Engage the people who live there – have focus groups on these
blocks, invite residents to attend EPIC meetings.
o
Ambassadors could maybe door knock.
Contact EPIC if you
are interested in participating in any of these suggested activities.
Willing to discuss the
bigger problem of incorporating rental issues into conversation in EPIC.
8:15 Preparations
for Clean Sweep- For those
of you not familiar with Clean Sweep,
this is the one event
all the 4 Phillips Neighborhoods do together. We have been doing this for over
10 years.
Distributed
flyers, please invite and organize your neighbors and friends to participate.
MK: after
clean sweep, join patrons at the Franklin Library to celebrate 100th
anniversary.
SH: after
clean sweep, indigenous people’s garden is having an event.
8:30 Roof
Depot Building and Land Sale: City wants to
buy for Relocation of Public Works Water Distribution
Center. What do we want in that very transit heavy site. More heavy industry? Neighborhood
Response?? Tour of current existing Site?
CP
presented that the East Phillips plan for this area going back many years shows
this area to be completely residential. This is a high transit area and this
should be apartment buildings or other residential property near the highest
transit intersections in the city. Parents have asked EPIC for help in getting
rid of these industries here, as they are dispersing pollution in our
neighborhood.
8:45
An Office for EPIC
We have been seeking an office for some time; we want a
building that is not hard to see/find. It looks like Mark Welna is ready to
restore the building across the street (not the OLD hardware store), and rent
to EPIC. There will be two units eventually on the first floor. CP is working
on bringing a lease agreement to EPIC’s board for approval.
8:50 Adjourned
