05-11-2017, 6:30 – 8:55 pm.
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: Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Tom Harris,
Linda Vermillion, Cassandra Holmes.
Board Members Present: Laura
Dale,
Mary Gonsior, Linda Leonard, Carol
Pass, Tom Harris, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Vermillion, Rosie Cruz.
Board Members Not Present: Jenny Bjorgo,
Members: Brad Pass, Steve
Sandberg, Kathy Strobel , Margaret Kirkpatrick, Alfonso Cruz, Mahamed Cali, Tina
Alston, Harvey Winje
Guests: Shirley Heyer, Park Chief Jason Ohotto, Brett Nyman, Adam Arvidson
6:30 Social Time/ Greetings and Introductions
6:45 Approval
of Proposed May 11th Agenda: LD, SS,
approved.
Approval of General
Membership Draft Minutes from April 13th , SS, CH, Approved.
6:55 Announcements:
o Third Garden Meeting of the Year. Gardening will be starting a month earlier this year. Next meeting is Saturday, May 13th. 9:00 am at the Community Center. Come if you want to garden. Some open plots; there are 33 plots total. See Brad Pass for more information.
o Little Earth Mother’s Day PowWow on May 13 (Saturday) from 1-9 pm. Everyone is welcome. Celebration will be held at Cedar Field on 18th Ave.
o Barrier Discussion Meeting, May 22nd, East Phillips Park, 5:30 to 7:00. Let your ideas be known. What to do about the barriers at 25th Street between Bloomington Ave and 16th Ave. Calming traffic and reducing crime.
o Summer Festival, Sunday, June 25, 2017. Planning meeting on Tuesday, April 25th, at the Park, at 11:30 am. Lunch is served.
o Woonerf design May 25th, 10 am – 1 pm. Midway Greenway Coalition office. A steering committee will meet to discuss the design. EPIC participants are sought for participation on this committee. Design will impact cars, pedestrians, and livability based on Dutch concepts. Along 29th St between Bloomington and 18th Aves. If you are interested in serving on the steering committee, contact Midtown Greenway Coalition, soren@midtowngreenway.org.
7:05 Introducing EPIC's new
board members.
- Cassandra Holmes. Resident of Little Earth, serves on the LERA board, attends college.
- Tom Harris, 16th Ave S. 30 year EPIC resident, just opened a business about 2 years ago. Personal goals are to help neighbors, and to expand the business. Business works with Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana. Also works with several churches.
- Linda Vermillion. Resident of Little Earth (meet her tomorrow at the Little Earth Mother’s Day Pow Wow.)
7:20 Considering proposed changes to Cedar Field Park: Adam
Arvidson. Next to last design will be available for comments until Tuesday, May
16th at EPPCCC (Survey form at Park.)
Began with listening sessions; designed two rough concepts and solicited feedback; created a “preferred concept” which was presented today. Has also been posted at EPPCCC and Little Earth for the past couple of weeks. Feedback is still possible, but the next design will go to the Park Board for approval.
The design is exploring non-sand surfaces, and while some of the “crumb rubber” product in the news lately is used mostly in schools, the Park Board does use this product in athletic fields, and both the schools and the Park Board are re-examining this in light of recent reports. In this design, if a rubber surface would be used, there would be a “crumb rubber” product serving as a “bedding material” that would be completely covered by a “new synthetic rubber” surface.
The design also includes a full-court basketball, a small volleyball court, a seating area with a nearby water feature, and a skateboarding sidewalk. Picnic tables are located on the Cedar Ave. side of the park to move them closer to “eyes” on the area and to distance tables from crime potentially occurring on 18th Ave.
Questions and concerns:
·
Concerns
were expressed about the location of picnic tables.
·
Separate
play areas for different age children.
·
What about
a fence on 18th Ave?
·
What about
lighting and cameras? (The master plan doesn’t usually get into specifics such
as lighting, or cameras.)
·
Parking – working
with the city/traffic.
·
Work with
Crime Prevention officer to address crime concerns in the park.
7:45 Alley Newspaper Future Youth – Kathy
Strobel (Chair of Alley News Board of Directors.)
All-volunteer run newspaper. All of the information that is in the news,
is contributed by East Phillips residents. Editor, Harvey Winje is retiring in
September, and so the paper is seeking a new path forward. The paper is
interested in looking at alternate models (cooperative, for example). If you
have an interest in seeing the publication continue, call Kathy Strobel at
612-387-7679 or email to editor@alleynews.org.
The mission of the Alley Newspaper is to give voice to neighborhood
residents and the paper has been a useful tool for the neighborhood to voice
concerns and organize together on many causes in the past. The mission of the
newspaper is to give voice to neighborhood residents.
·
Since 1887 there has been a separate distinct police
department for the parks.
o 35 licensed officers with over 200 parks across the city.
o Mission: to make these parks a safe place.
·
9 independently elected park commissioners that are
responsible for the parks, and are not part of the city council and don’t
answer to the mayor.
·
Responsible to acquire, develop, and maintain parks.
·
2 years ago, all Minneapolis police officers wear
body cameras. (Worn in the center of their chest, about 4”x4”.)
·
The MN legislature recently made law changes that
impact the data privacy act.
·
5 years ago, there were not any body cameras in
Minneapolis.
·
The Park Police Dept. included body cameras in their
2017 budget.
·
Before implementing, there must be a public comment
period (ends June 20th). There is a survey available online. There
is a public hearing coming up on June 7th (at Park Board HQ/Broadway
and West River Rd) – usually start at 6:30 pm. Officers are visiting various
neighborhood centers and groups.
·
Model policy was distributed (also available online:
https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset/d84ptm/draft_body_worn_camera_policy.pdf
·
Please read and submit your comments through the
online survey (handout distributed.) Left some paper copies of the survey also.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bodyworn
Questions and Concerns:
1. Privacy; footage from a body camera could include people in bathing
suits, etc.
2. What do the officers think about this? (Officers have found that in most
cases, the recordings from car cameras actually validate the officer’s
reporting and are very useful in prosecuting crime.) Another advantage is that every
officer will be wearing one of these.
3. Public record? In general, no. By law, established by the State.
4. When officer is recording, will they tell you? They may, depending on the
situation.
5. Citizen’s also have the right to record everything that happens in a
public space.
6. Victims of crime may ask the officer to turn off the camera.
Again, please read the Model Policy online (https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset/d84ptm/draft_body_worn_camera_policy.pdf) and submit your comments through the online survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bodyworn).
8:25 EPIC Infrastructure….
Traffic, Updates, etc.
a)
What is happening on 24th and 18th?
a.
No one is telling us what is happening
b.
Other changes are happening all along 24th
St.
c.
Calling 311 didn’t help
d.
Called Alondra Cano’s office
b)
Cedar Bridge closing (Issues??)
a.
Posted online that this work is expected to go until
December.
c) Discuss the
barrier on 25th St. and possible solutions to bring the special meeting on May
22nd, at 5:30 at East Phillips Park.
d) Other places
needing speed bumps-2500 block (Cedar Field Park), 2800 block of 16th
Ave.
e) Possible loss of
Greenway Bridges, removal from the CLIC budget.
(Possible motion)
a. CLIC (Capital
Long Range Improvement Commission) – advisory only
b. They are looking
at a budget that only addresses the Portland and Cedar bridges.
MOTION: EPIC supports the restoration and preservation of
all the greenway bridges of Phillips. MG, LL, Approved.
f)
Green Zone Project Location
a.
East Phillips & Midtown
b.
Ventura Village
c.
Not clear what the project will be but there will be
some funds spent in these areas.
d.
EPIC would like
to see an indoor urban agriculture project providing healthy food, and local
employment
g) Roof Depot
Update
a. The building
will not sustain the trucks and things they want there.
b. The city will
remove the Roof Depot building.
i. Some EPIC
residents have been able to get on the advisory committee, which is run by Greg
Goeke (who wrote a grant to get $$ to do a solar array, in a low-income
neighborhood.)
8:44 Crime Committee- Identifying Problem Property Owners….Start
one? Volunteers? Projects?
Our Crime
Prevention Specialist, Brett Nyman (612.673.3482) brett.nyman@minneapolismn.gov
Issues reported on E. 29th
Street and 17th Avenue
- People shooting up on the street in front of homes
- Dealers park and wait for their drug customers
Meetings that you can attend:
- Banyon Community – monthly breakfast for block clubs (training), 18th AM, 13th Ave at E. 26th St.
- Block club training, coming soon.
- Safety Center at Chicago and Lake or office at 3rd Precinct
Other ideas?
- Hold a separate monthly crime meeting
- Ventura Village and Midtown Phillips each hold regular separate crime meetings
8:45 Adjourn
