EPIC Community Meeting Minutes 11 - 10

November 10th, 2016, 6:30 p.m. – 8:50 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

Phone: (612) -280-8418

Board Roster: Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass. Margarita Ortega, Kristin Hanks, Jenny Bjorgo, Mary Gonsior

Board Members Present: Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass. Margarita Ortega, Mary Gonsior

Board Members Not Present: Jenny Bjorgo (E), Kristin Hanks (A)

Members: Brad Pass, Troy Benjerde, Kim Hayden, Margaret Kirkpatrick
Guests: Shirley Heyer, Adam Arvidson, Carrie  Aspinwal

6:30     Social Time/ Greetings and Introductions

6:55     Approval of Proposed November 10^th Agenda (CP, RC, approved)

Approval of October 13^th General Membership Draft Minutes (MG, BP, approved with correction to the Clean Sweep report; gave away 400 T-shirts, not 100.

7:00     Announcements:

• Taste of Minneapolis – visit Minneapolis Parks website.
• Waite House is doing it’s “Thanks” dinner next week.
• Public Hearing for Cedar Avenue Bridge-Tuesday, November 29, 2016, at 4:30 pm in Room 317 City Hall, 350 South 5th St. The Heritage Preservation Commission will make a determination after the hearing based on legal findings of fact. If you have questions about the project, please contact Hilary Dvorak at 612.673.2639 or email Hilary.Dvorak@minneapolismn.gov.

·       Next EPIC Board Meeting will be December 3rd, Saturday at the Park 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.

• Next EPIC Community meeting will be December 8th, Thursday at the Park 6:30 to 8:45 pm.

In the interest of Public Safety, please consider the following:

• Alert: ALL RESIDENTS – FOR THE COMMUNITY AND YOUR SAFETY – PLEASE TURN ON YOUR   OUTSIDE LIGHTS AT DUSK
• Alert: Are any of your street lights out? Feel Safer and call the following numbers.
• If the poles are wooden call Excel Energy at 1-800-960-6235 or http://www.exelenergy.com/ODL/OUTAGEREPORT:
• If the poles are metal, call City of Minneapolis 311

7:10   Nominations for the Board: Members of East Phillips seeking election to the Board of Directors, whether nominated by themselves or another, should pick up the eligibility papers, sign them and turn them in to an EPIC Board member in the next few weeks. (See applications on the EPIC website at www.eastphillips-epic.com. Click on "about EPIC" to find nomination materials.) Assuming we have an eligible candidate or more, we can proceed to the election process at the next board meeting and at the next community meeting, otherwise we can wait to the following set of meetings. 

Questions and Answers.

No questions.

Bylaws Update

Bylaws have been posted on the website. There is a “red-line” version on the website. The board was not able to present a process for reviewing and approving changes, and will meet on Thursday, Nov. 17^th to discuss the bylaws and will finalize the community process at their next board meeting on Dec. 3^rd.

7:25   Proposed Renovation to Cedar Field - Adam Arvidson from MPRB, Community Engagement Plan

The Park is working on a community-supported “master plan”. With the help of Cano’s office and Little Earth.

1. Phase I engagement. General visioning for design process.
2. Draw up some options for discussion; further refine the vision to create a preferred option.
3. Prepare a preferred option.

EPIC was asked to provide comments and feedback on boards; add general comments on list.

Process going forward

• Two meetings with the MUID committee at Little Earth.
• Event on National Night Out was held at Little Earth.
• A big open house on Monday, Nov. 14^th, 5-6:30 pm, at Little Earth Residents Association (building that faces the park.) The neighborhood is invited.
• Community Safety Champions will flyer all around (Little Earth and neighbors).
• Boards will remain available for two weeks for additional comments.
• December – open house sort of event – present the “options”
• January – open house sort of event – present the preferred option.
• Goal to have an adopted master plan by springtime.

New funding types from the city ($250,000) available; to some degree these funds will be directed to crime and safety issues related to the community, and the park, although the funds are not limited to crime and safety.

Questions and Answers. 

• What is the role of programming for this type of park?
• If this is important, we need to discuss it.

Hennepin Youth Sports Grant Program – application for Longfellow Park. The signer is out of town and the deadline is Monday. Park Board asked us to sign it.

MOTION: EPIC will assist Longfellow Neighborhood Association in receiving a grant from Hennepin County for Youth Sport Program by signing the application for the Hennepin County Youth Sports Grant Program grant. This does not impact any future effort to request similar funding on the part East Phillips. Part official promised to help push oour future project requests. CP, LD, approved (board members only voted.)

7:55   Community Engagement Process for the City’s reconstruction of the Roof Depot site.

Email from Alondra Cano. NCR and David Rubedor are putting together a community engagement plan for the reconstruction of the Roof Depot site. Plan is to be approved by Nov. 29^th. EPIC has been invited to participate in creating that plan. Original plan was to have the design firm put together the “engagement plan”. Instead, NCR wants to pull out a set aside for community engagement to ensure that Facilities Management and Public Works have not made clear whether any of the building will be left, or how much. This affects the design process.

Discussion included Q&A, and comments:

• Can we ask the City to consider that EPIC has been doing the engagement on this site; can the City support EPIC in continuing to carry forward the engagement?
• Does the City have its own timeline? Is it considering the needs of the community in achieving real “engagement”?
• EPIC is the “community engagement organization”…why is NCR “leading” this process? (The city needs to create this work, and has been tasked with creating a plan.)
• All of EPIC”s past communication have been ignored.
• Will the city take it seriously if there is a budget assigned to EPIC to lead a community process and report on the urban farm plan?
• Design firm is RSP Architects.
• The community tried, Alondra tried on our behalf, to have the city put something in the budget/plan to ensure there would be inclusion of EPIC and neighborhood residents; this is why the city council asked David to get these answers.
• EPIC would prefer to hire DJR to help engage and lead the design process.
• EPIC should write a proposal for the engagement process.

MOTION: EPIC will create a proposal to apply for funds from the City to conduct community engagement for the design of the roof depot site. CP, RC, Approved.

MOTION: EPIC will offer up to $15,000 to DJR Architect to advise and consult with EPIC on responding to EPIC’s interests and representing the needs and interests of EPIC with regard to the roof depot design project. CP, LD, Approve: 5 in favor, 1 opposed, 3 abstained. (Motion requires a 2^nd approval at a general membership meeting.)

8:59    Adjournment