March 8th, Monday – 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.,
Holy Rosary Church Board Room, 24th
and 17th Ave S
6:30 Introduction:
Board
Members
Carol pass, Mary Gonsior, Aden Awil, Earl Simms, Rosie Cruz, Linda Leonard.
Members: Kevin Lieder, Alfonso Cruz, Shoui Tsai,
Walter Nugru, Maria Perez Gali; Andrew Fahlstrom; Brad Pass, Margaret
Kirkpatrick
Guests:Shirley
Heyer , Bob Albee, Joseph Spangler
·
Approval of Agenda--approved as amended
·
Minutes from February 8th, 2010--approved
Brad
Pass made a motion and Linda leonard seconded it to accept the committee of the
whole motions made last month about the G4 site. Carol suggested that we modify that with a friendly
amendment by Carol Pass. to strike the first sentence of that particular
motion. PASSED
Further discussion about a southern bike connection ensued. Shirley said
she is opposed. Joseph asked if he is going to present. Carol said she'll
contact him. People can call Shaun at 612 333-2450 and ask for information.
Linda made a motion and Carol seconded it that we read the announcements
silently for three minutes before any discussion. Passed.
6:45 Announcements
·
Xcel
High Voltage Transmission Lines, PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ends March 10th,
GET COMMENTS IN!! We
need to show our concern and opposition, especially to the overhead lines. SEND
TO: Bill Storm, Minnesota Dept. of Commerce, 85 7th Place # 500, St. Paul, MN, 55101-2198 or
Brad and Carol reported that the
House Energy and Environment Committee passed the Housefile 1633 requiring
them to do a study that might take up to a year. Mark Soulander and Brad found
minutes from power
organizations that show this is part of a twelve mile project from 62 where it
crosses 35w through Phillips
across Seward across the river to where 280 joins 94. So the presentation
included this information that
shows how it goes down 35 W and it ends up being all the way to Penn. It's a
continuous route and they are
trying to avoid a certificate of need. This process might slow the construction
down long enough for Clark
to introduce legislation to prevent overhead lines. Great River Energy/ Excel
and NSP had this in their two
year plan.
·
PUBLIC HEARING concerning the proposed route alternatives will be
held before Administrative Law Judge Beverly Jones Heydinger in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, on April 5 and April 6, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.,
at Plaza Verde, 1516 East Lake Street.
·
PUBLIC
COMMENTS concerning the proposed route alternatives may also be submitted
in writing to the Administrative Law Judge and must be received by 4:30 p.m. on
May 11, 2010. Public comments may be sent by United States Mail or by e-mail.
The e-mail address is: routecomments.oah@state.mn.us.
The mailing address is:Beverly Jones Heydinger,
Administrative Law Judge
P.O. Box 64620
600 North Robert Street
Saint Paul, MN 55164-0620.
· Garden Steering Committee Meeting Saturday
April 3rd at 9:00 A.M. - Welna Break Room.
a. EPIC must
appoint Jenny Bjorgo or another Board Member as Garden Steering Committee
Member
b.
EPIC must
appoint a Board Member as Garden Steering Committee alternate to replace
Chiffon Williams.
·
Garden General Membership
Meeting Saturday April 10th at 9:00 A.M. in the Garden.
·
EPIC ANNUAL MEETING, Saturday, April 17th, 9:30 am,
Oliver Church, 27th St. & Bloomington
·
Shirley
heyer mentioned an announcement about a grant for lead abatement. She and Carol
Pass will meet to see if they should submit a proposal.
·
Carol
and Shirley wrote a planning grant to get $50,000 for Great Streets.
Bloomington Ave and an intersection from 29th to 24th could be tied in to the
Village Project, Bike routes, and a bridge from the park over to the light
rail. Local people could do the
interviews and run meetings. Bloomington and E 25th is now a commercial node.
Shirley received a call that the grant was
submitted on time but without the required 5 copies. However the city will
consider it anyway. We could have a decision in 30-60 days.
At 7:15 Circulo de Amigos Day Care Center
Motion to move the day care presentation up
in the agenda . RC, BP – Motion Approved.
Maria
Perez Gali is planning to open a day care that is Spanish immersion. They just
purchased the building and are involving an architect. Ms. Perez-Gali’s current
daycare has many demand for placement and is out of space. More parents are
asking for expansion. The plan is to serve 80 children. Joseph suggested
strengthening the drop off space. They intend to hire licensed teachers and
aides. She currently offers home cooked meals and has high ratings with
families. Further info at
www.circulodeamigoscildcare.com.
MOTION: EPIC aupports the new daycare at
2830 Cedar and will write letters of support RC,BP passed
7:30 Phillips Community Parks Initiative:
Planning for a unified response to use of all
Phillips Park Facilities.
Bob
Albee and Brad Pass, presenters.
Bob
Albee gave a history of the building and noted that the building has been
underutilized since the Boys and
Girls Club left. It is the largest park building in the system. There were only
60 kids a day. Bob has been talking with
clinics about food prep and diet education; adult exercise; etc. for wellness
and health issues. He sees doing this in
tandem with the East Phillips Park Community Center.
Motion
made by Brad pass and seconded by Rosie Cruz:
Move that EPIC support efforts by Robert Albee to lead the
Phillips Community Parks Initiative in efforts to re-define and re-open the
Phillips Community Center (formerly the Boys and Girls Club) in a manner
compatible with the diverse interests of the residents and stakeholders of the
Phillips Community.
Further move that EPIC’s Carol and Brad Pass
continue to work closely with Ventura Village’s Secretary, Robert Albee to lead
the Mr. Albee and representatives from Midtown Phillips Neighborhood
Association and Phillips West Neighborhood Association in efforts to ensure
that a sustainable set of programs be developed to serve residents of all ages
in this important community facility. In this capacity, verbal and written
monthly progress reports to EPIC will be presented.
We further move that every effort be made to
ensure that the existing swimming pool inside the facility be maintained as a
pool and that benefactors be found who will support the pool’s reconstruction
to serve current and future residents.
Discussion:Joseph asked about the Park Board's stance on the building.
Bob said Dick Mammon reports that they are reroofing and replumbing with money
from the city. Joseph referred to
a big plan and Shirley explained that it was a big proposal for the stimulus
money but it didn't go anywhere. Based on a survey during December last year
the Superintendent collected data to push his own agenda.
Point of information is that there is a youth leadership group forming at
Stewart park under Steve's leadership and these youth leaders will be making
recommendations about programming.
Point of information from City Pages reported by Rosie Cruz about the
Park Board and taxes for concessions or about space rental.
Carol and Brad both spoke about the importance of the four neighborhoods
sticking together on these issues or the Park Board will "divide and
conquer".
Kevin Lieder said that Hannah could be contacted about the pool and she
would be glad to advocate.
PASSED
7:30
Circulo de Amigos Daycare- Maria Perez Gali: (Was moved up on the agenda) Announcing
a new daycare center in East Phillips.
8:00 PM
Shaun's presentation about the bike connection. He distributed maps
involving Bloomington Ave and 18th Ave. It came from a 2001 city master bike
plan.
Joseph said his review of
plans suggest that these were not major plans, but they might be contingent on
funds available. Mary said she hadn't heard about any master plan. Joseph
questioned the involvement of neighborhoods at the time.......and doubts that
many folks were involved in the past.
Shaun suggested that if
plans were made by the City without much community involvement and a comprehensive
approach, then we should we do the best thing we can now. He doesn't know the
history.
NOTE THE APPENDED
PRESENTATION NOTES
THE 21ST IS A PRACTICE
RIDE ON THE ROUTES
Comments
Brad ... What are the
laws about that you are required to do as an auto driver with bikes? You must
give them 3 feet.
Linda noted the amount of
diverted traffic when there are accidents and emergency vehicles on Cedar; the number of accidents on
18th in hit/run/police chases; we have cultural issues of "attitude"
so bikes and pedestrians defy drivers
Earl : we need bike
police.
Kevin: He thinks 17th
would work well; It might be good to have cameras on the street where there are
bikes.
Aden: 17th is wider for
two blocks and it is narrow in many places; there is a block on E 25th St to
keep people from cutting around the stop light;
People leaving Little
Earth turn north on 17th to get to 24th and out of the neighborhood.
There is lots of traffic
around the church on Sundays.
Margaret is on 17th and
would have no objection. Thinks Bloomington isn't a good idea.
Andrew: As a biker he
took Bloomington to get there faster........traffic is something he was used
to. Potholes were the danger! He thinks Bloomington would make more sense to a
biker.
Shaun said they have ways
to mark busy streets like Bloomington work. There would be bike lanes on both
sides of the streets.
Carol
Spoke about a round about
that had been planned for 16th in the past. Crime against bikers is more likely
on the residential streets and less so on Bloomington or cedar. No clear
preference, but maybe 16th would work if we could close the street.
Carol spoke about a
bike/pedestrian bridge from the park over to the light rail.
Mary seconds the Village
in Phillips plan for 16th and 25th. They will get it for Shaun.
7:40 Parking
and zoning.........Joseph
Report on Today’s XCEL POWER LINES PUBLIC HEARING - Rep.
Clark’s Bill: Carol & Brad Pass & others
Notes under announcements
8:00 NRP
Report: Review of Phase 1 – Phase 2
planning Parameters, Amount of funding, Planning Process
8:45 Carol reviewed our
projects and spending. We have to resolve what to do with the property along
the greenway. We could easily lose control because we have no developer. The
costs of raising a building is lower now because of competition. The next round
of funding requires 70% to be spent on housing. We need a group to offer
options about housing to the neighborhood. We also have to do a review of phase
one but ours could easily be written from documents we already have.
We could do a survey at
the annual meeting. Do we want to preserve our Greenway/Bloomington Ave.
investment? Or do we want another home renovation grant program.
8:15 Housing and Redevelopment:
VIP Refocus, Board Recommendation. See Hand out.
8:20
EPIC
ANNUAL MEETING: Mary Gonsior, Plans…Want to help???
People asked for an update in April about whether or not to
correspond with the judge about the Xcel power line.
Survey on Table for future - phase 2. Dot-mocracy on the past. Focus
Group meetings after Annual Meeting.
8:30 Adjournment
