February
9th, 2019, 10:00 am
East Phillips Office, 2433 Bloomington Ave
S.
EPIC web
address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2433 Bloomington Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 280-8418
Board Roster: Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Tom Harris, Cassandra
Holmes, Linda Leonard, Abah Mohamed, Carol
Pass, Linda Vermillion.
Board Members Present: Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Linda Leonard, Carol
Pass.
Board Members Not Present: Rosie Cruz, Tom Harris, Cassandra Holmes (E), Abah Mohamed, Linda Vermillion.
EPIC Members: Brad Pass, Sarah
Santiago
Guests:
No Quorum: Meeting as a
committee of the whole.
10:00 Introductions:
· Greetings and Introductions
· Approval of Agenda, MG, LD, approved as amended.
· Approval of Board Minutes from Jan. 5th,
2019, MG, LD, approved.
10:10 Announcements:
· General Membership Meeting, Feb.14th, Thursday, at East Phillips Park,
6:30 to 8:45 pm
· Next EPIC Board Meeting, March 2nd at the EPIC office,
10 AM Saturday morning
· Valentine's
Day (Feb. 14, EPIC General Membership Meeting)
· Annual
Meeting- April 27th
· Garden
meetings begin on Saturday, March 2nd and March 9th.
(Abah will attend)
o
Steering committee at EPIC office 9 am March 2nd
Saturday morning
o
Garden Membership meeting at EPPCCC at 9 am March 9th
Saturday morning
10:15 Update on East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm:
Meeting with
Mark Ruff, head of finance for city of Minneapolis. Feb. 4, 2019
Re Cano’s
staff direction: Words of Staff Directive:
#6 –
increase the size so EPIC can put some stuff in there
#7 – pilot
project
#8 –
demolition of the building
All
decisions on these items are made by City people, and not EPIC members. The
City engagement policy requires more than just allowing citizens to “present”
ideas. Mark has said that there is “no room for any non-municipal uses.” This
is just a power play. The city did the same thing with the East Phillips Park
plan, with the power lines, and more. We have been down this road before. If we
are defeated, this will be our first. We don’t intend to be defeated.
We will be
making signs “Stop the Waterworks” – “No More Diesel” – “Stop the Pollution” –
and we will be posting them all around the neighborhood. We have to embarrass
the city into following its own policies.
We will go
back to our original plan to purchase the site in whole.
Environmental
Assessment Worksheet (EAW) – we can petition to have this completed, which is
required to obtain an injunction.
East
Phillips should consult an attorney to assist with research to do the EAW for EPIC/EPNI.
MOTION:
Given the city’s unwillingness to
abide by its Community Engagement mandate, and given the statement by Mark Ruff
that there will be “no non-municipal use of the Roof Depot site”, EPIC will
return to its initial position that the wateryard be located elsewhere and the
Roof Depot site be sold to further the de-industrialization of East Phillips
and support the East Phillips indoor urban farm project at the Roof Depot site.
MG, LD, approved.
11:05 Additional Consolidation of NRP dollars under
newer, broader contracts
Discussion of the current Phase II funding report and
how to move funds into categories as needed. Will bring a motion to the General
Membership Meeting. The city seems to limit easy redirection of funds to about
$25,000 at a time. Otherwise a huge neighborhood process is required. EPIC
needs additional Admin funds. The EPNI/State Funding for the Indoor Urban
Agriculture project is on a reimbursement basis.
11:57 Contents of Annual Report
· Document the big battle with the city over the
water yard.
· EPNI work; feature the programs coming out of it
· Dedicated, loyal board
· Clean Sweep
· Park programming
· Swim program
· Summer youth programming
· Memorial park
· Peacemaker training (NYC)
12:05 Planning for the Annual Meeting and Board Vacancy
We will accept nominations for board vacancies to be filled
at the annual meeting. All nominees wishing to serve must complete an
application and eligibility must be verified before the annual meeting
election.
Letters will go out to Tom and Linda V.
12:10 Adjourn
Whereas the EPNI Founding Member organizations and the EPIC Community have worked for three decades to end over-industrialization in a densely populated residential neighborhood and end the resultant health damaging pollution resulting in asthma, ADHD and cancer in the East Phillips neighborhood, and
Whereas the Minneapolis City Council Action fails to adequately address the needs of the community for a positive economic and environmental future,
Therefore, EPNI Board and Community offers the following required amendments to the 12/7/2018 Hiawatha Maintenance Facility Council action and CM Cano’s Staff Direction
