EPIC
Board Meeting Draft Agenda
September 4, 2021, 10am – 11am
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Email: epic.ssantiago@gmail.com
Office: 2433 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55404
Phone: (608) 513-5107
Board Roster:
Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, David Ingold, Shontal Lajeunesse,
Steve Sandberg, Earl Simms, Karen Townsend, Nikolas Winter-Simat
Board Members Present:
Board Members Not Present:
Members:
Guests:
10:00 Review vision and mission
Welcome guests/intros
Approve agenda,
Approve minutes,
Reminders/announcements:
●
Next
Community Meeting will be: Thursday, September 9 from 6:30 to 7:30 at
the lot on 27th and Cedar and online (link to join meeting can be found
at eastphillips.org)
●
Next
Board Meeting will be: Saturday, October 2 from 10am to 11am TBD and
online (link to join meeting can be found at eastphillips.org)
o
Board
Meetings are open to the public
●
Pickle Off and Ward 9 Candidate Event
o Both on Tuesday, September 21
o Pickle off is 12-3
o Ward 9 Candidate Event starts at 3
o Both events are at Ogema Pl and EM Stately
Street
●
Clean Sweep will be Saturday October 9
●
Received formal notification of a variance request being made in
part of a potential project on scottie hall’s property as a general use
application requirement of a variance request being made in part of a potential
project on Scottie’s property.
1. Description of the project- The project is the addition of a 16 by 24
Accessory dwelling unit to be place in the back south side of Scottie’s
property where a current existing garage sits.
This is one level ADU with a peaked roof and siding which will match the
current aesthetic of the home.
2. We are currently aware that this application
requires a land use application and a building permit. We are also aware that there is a request for
2 variances that accompany the land use application.
3. Property address for which zoning approval is
being sought- is 2827 18th Avenue South Mpls MN
4. Applicant’s Name: Scottie Hall, address: 2827 18th
Avenue South Mpls, phone number: 1 (415) 640-2116, email address: hall.scottie@gmail.com
10:05 Report/Update
from Executive Coordinator
1) Work with our Outreach
consultants has ended
■
3,450 doors - 5 passes for no homes, refusals etc
■
392 completed surveys
■
337 phone numbers
■
230 emails collected
■
150 people who scanned the barcode
● Sarah will be compiling the data to
share key takeaways
● You all received the report from
Knock Knock in your email
2) LERA Urban Farm
Infrastructure Project - funding through city
● The project has been approved - NCR
and City Council
○ $15,000 for tables, benches, chairs,
pizza oven, sun shade, farm manager ($1,200) and indirect admin costs
○ Since this is NRP money there are
restrictions on it and the contract will be through EPIC, but the city
emphasized that this is still very much a LERA project
■ Reimbursement requests will go
through EPIC
● Infrastructure for green spaces is
included in the plan - however the board has not determined whether that is the
route they want to go - can be taken out - wanted to put it in to see whether
it is something that can be covered with this funding
● If you haven’t looked it over yet
please do so - it is important as it outlines how we will use the majority of
our money for 2022-2023
4) Update on safety and drug use
discussion
● Met on Thursday as a continuation of
the August community meeting discussion
● Group decided to pursue a safe use
site
5) Gardeners approved of installing a
syringe disposal box at the garden
● Gardeners are doorknocking
surrounding neighbors to get feedback and hear any concerns before proceeding
with the installation
● In the past EPIC has approved money
for the garden, however we do not currently have anything in the organizational
budget for this
○ Sarah proposes the following motion
to cover things such as fixing the fence and getting the fruit trees treated by
an arborist
MOTION: The EPIC board approves of adding $1,000 to the line item
‘community gardens’
6) Sarah applied,
interviewed for and was accepted into the Neighborhoods Now course through CURA
at the University of Minnesota
●
Course will run from September 27 to
October 1 from 11am to 3pm
Report from Departments
● Legal and Finance
Department:
○
We have a new bank account with Woodlands
National Bank! Thanks David!
○
Certify Woodlands as depository:
MOTION: The EPIC board authorizes Woodlands National Bank as the
depository,
●
Add
Mary as a signer (Nikolas and David already are authorized)
MOTION:The
EPIC board authorizes Mary Gonsior as an additional check signer,
●
Approve
Chart of Accounts
MOTION: The EPIC board approves the Chart of
Accounts
10:35 New business and delegate to proper spaces
(work group, department etc.)
●
Midtown
Greenway light emitting sculpture
○
Advisory
team for the project is recommending
■
The
sculpture be installed on public land
■
Be
solar powered
○
Hoping
to raise $10,000 to launch an artist competition
■
Majority
of money will go to winning artist (chosen through advisory team screening and
community voting)
●
$8,000 to be
paid to an artist to create a detailed design for the sculpture
●
$1,000 would
go to the Midtown Greenway Coalition for project management
●
$1,000
contingency for other project direct costs
■ Project
Advisory Team will pre-select three artist sketches from those that are
submitted to make sure they are feasible and meet project objectives and the
artist has the capacity to deliver the project. Then community members will
vote for their favorite from among those three.
○
Does
EPIC want to contribute to this project?
■
If
we contribute to the artist competition, the city would contract through us or
the Midtown Greenway. It would be relatively straightforward, will need a scope
and budget
■
If
so, how much?
●
We
have $5,766.00 in our NRP Positive Street Identity strategy
●
CEE
○
Community
member request:
■
Approve
request to
apply since she and her father are preparing to make a cash offer as a last
resort after being unable to secure traditional financing. Either they, or the
structure of the house, or the condition of the house block them from
qualifying for any of the low income first time homebuyer programs and
mortgages, including the land trust, mn housing, fha and 203k.
○
CEE would need EPIC to
approve of waiving the following guideline requirements for the below items in
writing
1)
Underwriting is not subject to approval or guidelines of a 1st mortgage lender
2) We do
not need to collect a copy of the 1st mortgage pre-approval/commitment letter
3) We do
not need to collect a copy of the 1st mortgage preliminary Loan Estimate or
Closing Disclosure
4) Funds
would not be required to be disbursed to a Closing Agent/Title Company
■
The community member would
still need to get title, provide a purchase agreement, income qualify, verify
proof of funds for purchase and any other guideline requirements
■
CEE wouldn't release the
funds unless they have the signed Deed or something transferring the
property.
■
There isn't much risk to
waiving the guidelines other than if they can't keep the property and goes into
foreclosure EPIC would lose the funds
10:50 Discussion of whether to purchase EPIC
office, lot at 27th and Cedar etc.
●
$105,000
of CPP money is earmarked for building or other infrastructure project in our
organizational budget
●
$50,000
in NRP funds could be used
11:00 Adjourn
