EPIC Board Meeting Minutes
November 9th, 2019, 10am
– 12pm
EPIC web
address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2433 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) -280-8418
Board Roster: Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes,
Shontal Lajeunesse, Abah Mohamed, Carol Pass, Steve Sandberg, Sarah
Santiago.
Board Members Present: Mary
Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, Shontal Lajeunesse, Carol Pass, Steve Sandberg,
Sarah Santiago, Laura Dale, Abah Mohamed
Board Members Not Present: Rosie Cruz (E)
Members:
Peggy
Clark
Guests: Shirley Heyer, Karen Moe, Ethrophic Burnett
10:21 Agenda Approval, amended (moved application review to beginning of
agenda), approved.
10:22 Application
review – Karen Moe and Ethrophic
Burnett
·
Four of the six people working for the city providing
support services to neighborhoods have left in a short period of time,
Ethrophic Burnett is our new Neighborhood Support Specialist
·
We received 33 applications totaling $1.1 million! $175,000
is available
·
Timeline:
o
11/9 – EPIC board meeting – review applications,
recommend projects
o
11/14 – EPIC community meeting #1 – vote on
recommendations
o
11/14-12/11 – review period
o
12/12 – EPIC community meeting #2 – 2nd
vote on projects
· Considerations for applications
o
CPP guidelines
o
EPIC priorities (city wants to emphasize public
safety)
o
January – December 2020 timeline – needs to fall in
this timeline
o
Impact on East Phillips neighborhood
o
Collaborate with EPIC – is there something exciting
here?
o
Equity – impact/work with all EPIC residents
o
Budget considerations – administrative budget not
allowed for partnering organizations; some organizations willing to alter their
budget if needed
·
The EPIC Board was very appreciative of the
number of applications received in the short window of time for submissions.
·
Unfortunately the
timeline imposed by the City required us only one meeting( our Sat. 11/9 Board
Mtg.) to evaluate proposals and make selections. We asked to have an additional
meeting before the 11/12 EPIC Community Meeting, but the City said no. If we
didn’t make choices on Saturday, they would make them without us.
·
Therefore the choices
made reflect the board’s inability to consider such things as partially funding
some projects, or working with applicants to amend their proposals to
fit the guidelines. Guidelines for what was eligible were not clearly
stated the application. All of this being due to the severely constricted
timeline.
·
The City will help us
write responses to the each of the applicants explaining their/our decision,
and suggesting ways that they may apply to receive funding from other sources,
or from EPIC in the future.
·
The list of proposals
that we agreed together with the City to bring to the November 12th EPIC
Community meeting are:
o
Little Earth – Native Youth Art
o
AICDC
o
Semilla
o
NACDI
o
African Community Services
o
Voices of Phillips (KRSM radio)
o
Women’s Environment Institute
o
Southside Harm Reduction
o
Indigenous Peoples Task Force
1:50 Announcements
·
Next
Community meeting will be: Thursday
November 14th at 6:30 at East Phillips Park
·
Next
Board Meeting will be: Saturday, December 7th at 10am at the EPIC
office (2433 Bloomington Avenue)
o
Board
meetings are open to the public
·
Next
Executive Committee meeting is Thursday, November 21st from 7-8pm at
the EPIC office
o
Executive
Committee meetings have been changed to the third Thursday of every month
o
Executive
Committee meetings are open to the public
o
Board
members please send agenda items (for both community meetings and board
meetings) to Sarah before executive meetings each month (November 21st)
1:51 Approve Minutes, CP, StS, approved
1:52 Logistics
·
Mailbox
is installed – Brad will make a flap so water doesn’t get in
·
Money:
o
$76,200
in CPP funds running through December 31, 2019
§
contract
authorizes a $10,000 advance payment
§
have
we requested the advanced payment - yes
o
amendment
to the Youth Programming Partnership Initiatives NRP Funding Agreement
(#43476). The amendment adds $17,000 to the agreement for additional
partnerships.
·
Public
Review Notice to neighborhood groups
o
City
council is considering amendments to the City’s Unified Housing Policy and Revenue Loss Offset Assistance Policy in connection with development of a permanent Inclusionary Zoning Policy. Inclusionary zoning is
intended to advance the City’s housing goals by ensuring that affordable
housing is provided in new residential or mixed-use developments (see ‘public
review notice for neighborhood groups’ separate sheet for more info) – discussion
item for general membership
·
Tabled
items from October’s board meeting:
o
Agenda
request form (see ‘EPIC Agenda Request Form’) and funding request form
o
Insurance
§
Appoint
someone to take responsibility for insurance i.e. payments etc.
o
Minutes
– make sure that people are checking for certain things (i.e. if something
shouldn’t be made public etc.) when you are sent a draft agenda via email
because if nobody responds with edits that is the version that goes online
o
Board
members please send agenda items (for both community meetings and board
meetings) to Sarah before executive meetings each month
§
Any
requests for November’s community meeting?
2:06 Website
·
contacted Amy Pass – the
redesigned website is up and running – has some holes in it that Amy will work
with Carol to fill in i.e. events etc.; what is the bill? – “The site as it exists currently is something we
would typically have charged around $500 to do. We are not asking for that, as
East Phillips is our neighborhood, too, and this is one way for us to contribute.
Unfortunately, we also cannot do significant development or maintenance free of
charge on an ongoing basis, which is why we asked if EPIC has a budget for such
things. Right now, I am willing to put in a few more free hours posting content
to get the information that you really want up on the site.” We requested that Amy submit a proposal for website redesign
including maintenance and security etc.-Amy
and Gabe will work on getting a proposal to us ASAP, likely later this weekend.
o
ASK
AMY FOR REFERENCES
·
one option is to use CPP
outreach reserve – we have $159,000
·
See ‘website – Tim
proposal’ separate sheet
o
ASK CASSIE TO GET
REFERENCES
·
add email as part of
this – often grouped in with this service
·
create web manager job
description
o
go over proposals in
executive committee
2:09 Alley
post/newsletter
·
Consider hiring Shirley
to do Alley post – offer her $1,200/year
o
Request for bids
§
Put it in e-mail blast
for November community meeting – contact Steve
·
Executive Committee
wants 5 minutes in each board meeting agenda to create list of what we need on
Alley half page – what do we want on next month’s half page?
·
Does EPIC want to put
together a newsletter?
2:15 Housing Program
·
Look
at ‘East Phillips: Housing Programs – Guidelines Summary’ and
‘HUD income limits’
·
Executive
Committee’s proposal:
o
115% AMI for both home buyer and rehab loans
· Today’s board meeting changes:
o
Move dollars
from 1.1.1 Emergency Home
Repair Loans to 1.4.1 Home Buyer Assistance ($27,665 + $34, 454 or $62,119)
o
Increase loan amount: Up to $10,000
o
Change Income limit: At or below 115% Area Median Income
o
Combine Deferred Rehab Loans and Emergency Deferred
Loans: for $56,253.00
o
Change to Deferred Rehab and Emergency Loans
o
Add: Funds may be used to remedy conditions that makes a house
uninhabitable, extremely dangerous to the occupants, or is capable of causing
severe health problems.
o
Change Income limit: At or below 115% Area Median Income
MOTION: We
accept the guidelines as amended. SS, CH, approved
2:30 Bike On Program – requesting $999
No
proposal
2:35 Violence Prevention
Grant
·
On October 30, after
many phone messages and emails, Steve received word from Josh Peterson from the
Health department that by the time that EPIC’s liability insurance was
reinstated on 9/3/19, there was not sufficient time left in the granting period
to either complete the activities of the grant, or to rework it.
·
I have now spoken with
Ken Smith, who helps with contracting for the City. I was referred to him for
questions about the insurance requirements. From our conversation I gathered
that there was a way to do it treating people being paid as employees, which
would involve withholding for workman’s comp insurance, etcetera, or a way to
do it treating the people being paid as subcontractors. If and when we apply
for a similar grant, the City will help us through this process.
·
Senior Health
Specialist Josh Peterson liked our application, wants to work with us in the
future, and encourages us to ask him questions and consult with him at any
time.
·
It was suggested to
revisit elements of this grant proposal with two of the groups applying for
funds; Native Wellbriety, and African Immigrant Community Services, to see if
we can work together on a proposal.
·
Steve is also keeping
Frank Afflitto, Men Against Rape Culture updated
2:41 Should EPIC write an
impact letter to the city about the situation on 25th and
Bloomington?
·
Send it to the county,
state etc. – Carol will write the letter
·
Carol thinks they don’t
listen to our letters, need to do something else
·
Mike Goze is buying
property providing food through and case workers. People can stay in houses
getting homeless people off of the streets, can come and go as you please, can
come under the influence, but can’t bring drugs or alcohol into the houses.
Sign lease for 3 months, pay rent if you have income otherwise you don’t –
Cassie will invite Mike to EPIC meeting
2:54 Updates (3 minutes each) – for community
meeting
Roof Depot and delisting – Steve or
Brad
Development
at Lake Street - Steve
Violence
Prevention - Steve
--Public
Works Jobs – has anyone received notice of these jobs? –add to newsletter and
website: where to look for jobs and training – invite to write to legislature
and city council about the failure to inform East Phillips about jobs at Public
Works
3:07 Motion to Adjourn, CH, StS, Approved
