Board of Directors Meeting
Summit Hill Association
January 8, 2009
Members Present: Bayliss, Dillin, Dobson, Erickson, Hill, Haas, Lindner, McFadden,
McGann,Pearce, Pramas, Sutherland, White, Winsor, Zambreno
Members Absent: Lucke, Muller, Ramberg, Schaal,
Also Present: Diane Hilden, Melissa Sutherland, David Regan, Jeff Roy, Chad Skally, Diane Wanner
President Haas called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.
1. Additions to the Agenda:
The appointment of McLean Donnelly to a vacant seat on the board was added to the agenda.
2. Approval of Past Minutes (November meeting):
Approved by unanimous voice vote.
3. President’s Report:
1. The appointments of Annmarie Dillin and McLean Donnelly to the SHA Board were approved by unanimous voice votes.
2. The Annual Affirmation of SHA Policies was discussed. It was moved that the words “board member” be included on page 3, section VIII, lines 4 and 5 after the words
“or officer.” The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. The affirmation of the SHA policies as amended was approved by unanimous voice vote.
3. The list pairing seasoned board members with new board members was reviewed. Dillin was paired with Pramas and a mentor will also be chosen for Donnelly.
4. Executive Director’s Report:
Roy provided a written report of his activities in an e-mail sent to board members prior to the meeting and reviewed highlights of the report, including information on the upcoming Neighborhood Honor Roll event, the status of The Summit newsletter, information on a city-wide district-sponsored Leadership Training Series, review of old zoning plans relevant to Summit Hill, and review and revision of the 1983 Amended Grand Avenue Sign Plan.
5. CPC/AA Report:
Hilden provided a January update to her crime prevention and other SHA project activities in an e-mail sent to board members prior to the meeting. She reviewed highlights of that report. She noted that the Wild Onion had had some problems in December, and that she was continuing to work with the block leader on that block to address the situation.
6. New Business:
1. District Council Board and Staff Training Series – Diane Wanner, spoke to the board about the upcoming District Council Leadership Training Series. She went over the schedule of courses and noted that the courses were free of charge. If board members wish to register, they should contact Roy.
2. Grand Avenue Bike Rack SHA/GABA project – $1,000 proposal – The proposal for the SHA to contribute $1,000 towards a project to install bike racks on Grand Avenue was discussed. Chad Skally reviewed information that had been sent via e-mail to board members before the meeting and answered board members’ questions. It was noted that the contribution would go towards funding 80 bike hitches/160 bike spaces, that Skally had worked with the city to determine the optimal placement of the racks, that the bicycle rack purchase would be eligible for the maximum discount available from the rack vendor, and that the city will maintain bike racks once they are installed. The city will cover half of the $14,000 expense of the bike racks, it was proposed that both the SHA and Mac Groveland contribute $1,000 each to the project, and that GABA and private business would cover the remainder of the expense. It was expected that SHA would need to release funds for this project in May or June of this year. It was observed that this project would be a positive example of SHA and GABA working together. It was moved that the SHA contribute $1,000 towards the bike rack project. The motion was passed by unanimous voice vote.
It was moved that the $1,000 expense toward the bike rack project be inserted as a line item in the budget under the Environmental Committee. The motion was passed by unanimous voice vote.
3. Proposed SHA Appointments to City Community Improvement Budget Task Forces It was moved that the following board members be appointed to CIB Task forces:
-Community Facility Task Force: McFadden; White as alternate
-Streets and Utilities Task Force: Dobson; Winsor as alternate
-Residential & Economic Development Task Force: Hill; Erickson as alternate
The motion was passed by unanimous voice vote.
It was noted that the deadline for CIB project proposals was Monday, January 12th. If any board member has any ideas for a CIB project, they should contact Dobson immediately. Dobson will meet with Regan to discuss crosswalks as an option for a CIB project.
7. Old Business:
Board members were reminded of the upcoming citywide Neighborhood Honor Roll event on January 23rd, 2009.
8. GABA Report:
Regan updated the board on GABA activities including the upcoming “Grand Goes Red” promotion to create awareness of women and heart disease and a new “Respect 21” program that many Grand Avenue restaurants and bars are signed up to participate in (including the Wild Onion). The “Respect 21” program is well established, highly regarded and shown to be very effective. The GABA annual meeting is on Thursday, March 12 – unfortunately the same day as the next SHA Board Meeting. It was noted that the SHA is working on getting a rep for the GABA board.
9. Treasurer’s Report:
Pearce presented the monthly financial information for the SHA. It was noted the SHA is in good financial standing due to lower than expected expenses and higher than expected revenue, but that it was still prudent to be conservative.
10. Committee Reports:
Communications Committee – It was noted that the new Neighborhood Booklets had been delivered.
Development Committee – McGann reported on the Development Committee activities including the SHA Cookbook and the status of the SHA Fundraiser to date. As of January 6th, 2009, $4,895 had been donated from 103 donors, with an average of $47.50 per donor. This compared with last year’s fundraiser totals (as of January 6th, 2008) of $6,210 donated from 111 donors, with an average donation of approximately $56.00. Haas reported on the status of the History Book and passed around an excerpt from the book. McGann reminded board members of the next Development Committee meeting to be held Tuesday, January 13 at 7 pm at Amore Coffee.
D16 Implementation Committee – Pramas reported on the status of the D16 implementation Committee and expects a committee meeting soon.
District Council Collaborative (DCC) on Central Corridor – Melissa Sutherland discussed the DCC bylaws changes and the Memo of Understanding (provided via e-mail to board members prior to the meeting). It was reported that the DCC would be changing its relationship and would no longer be sponsored by University United but would become a separate non-profit entity itself. The DCC would continue to do what it has always done and would still include neighborhoods in Central Corridor and LRT planning. It was noted that membership in the DCC is voluntary and that the SHA can always withdraw if desired. It was moved that the SHA Board approve the DCC bylaws changes and Memo of Understanding. The motion passed with 2 nay votes, 1 abstention, and 12 aye votes.
Environment Committee – Pearce reminded board members of the upcoming Energy Workshop at Linwood Rec Center on January 13th. A representative from Xcel Energy will be coming to discuss saving energy.
Pedestrian Safety and Calming Committee – (Now Inactive – no report).
Zoning and Land Use Committee
1. Zambreno reported on the Palm Beach Tan/Anytime Fitness health/sports club license application and related parking issue. He noted that the Zoning and Land Use Committee supports the application if Anytime Fitness has the proper number of parking spaces as per city code.
2. Zambreno also updated the board on the Bonfire valet parking issue. He noted that the city did not feel that it could stipulate what Bonfire could charge for the proposed valet parking service, but would stipulate that non-customers not be charged any more than Bonfire customers were charged. The SHA Board had previously agreed to support the valet parking on a trial basis only if the valet parking service was free to all.
Because of this change, Dobson moved that the SHA Board send a letter to St. Paul City councilperson Dave Thune noting that the memo of understanding with the city and Bonfire was not in keeping with what the SHA Board had approved and that the city council should reject Bonfire’s application for valet parking. It was discussed that the SHA board has no jurisdiction in this matter and that the board was consulted as a matter of courtesy only. The motion was defeated with a vote of 9 nay votes, 4 aye votes, and 2 abstentions. However, SHA staff, with Zoning and Land Use Committee input, will strongly encourage city staff to reconsider and support the original understanding. An e-mail of this message will be copied to councilperson Dave Thune.
11. Announcements / Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
Submitted by Lisa McGann