District 16 Planning Council/
Summit Hill Association
Board of Directors
Thursday, Sept. 14, 2006
Linwood Community Recreation Center
Members Present: Barrera, Breymeier, Clapp-Smith, Dobson, Fervoy, Flahaven, Haas, Hedberg, Lein, Lucke, Skally, Sutherland, Wefel, Wichman, Winsor
Members Absent: Kost, Krogstad, Odman, Ramberg, Rathman, Smith
Others Present: Roy
Meeting called to order at 7:10 pm by President Barrera.
Additions to the agenda: Explanation of Grand Ave. apartment fire by Alisa Lein. Discussion of presentation request from Jerry Trooien re: “The Bridges” development
Approval of August Board Minutes: Dobson moved to approve. Winsor seconded. No discussion. Passed unanimously.
President’s Report:
· Grand Old Day Committee: Monday 9/18/2006 is the first meeting of the Grand Old Day Committee. Purpose of committee is to identify issues associated with Grand Old Days and how to better plan and respond.
· Barrera reminded Board members to return their Executive Director evaluation forms by Monday 9/18.
· Barrera asked if there were questions or comments about other updates included in the Board packet. Dobson asked if the three Grand Ave Parking Task Force options referenced in the notes were available for review by Board members. Roy responded that the task force wants to try to combine the three options as much as possible, before bringing them for Board review and comment.
Old Business:
· 2006-07 Officer Nominations – Barrera invited nominations from the 2007 SHA Board Officers. He noted that Breymeier offered to continue as Treasurer in 2007. No other nominations followed. Barrera asked Board members to consider the matter and contact him with nominations.
· Barrera said that Rick Smith is working on a proposed 2006-7 SHA Workplan, which will be sent out for review. Todd Wichman noted that it should be a “2007-08” workplan. All agreed.
New Business:
· Bridges Reconsideration Request from JLT – Jerry Trooien and company sent a letter to SHA Board, among others, requesting that each organization that voted last Spring in support of District 3 – WSCO’s resolution opposing The Bridges development (as then proposed), allow a presentation by JLT and reconsideration of the prior vote of SHA. This request generated a significant amount of debate by Board members. It was noted that in fall 2005, WSCO requested to present to SHA Board their opposition to The Bridges project. WSCO then asked if SHA Board would vote to support the WSCO resolution opposing the project. The SHA Board invited WSCO to present, and after hearing the presentation, the Board discussed it and then voted to oppose The Bridges project as proposed at that time. At the time, some Board members were not happy that a vote was taken without a counter presentation by JLT.
Now, in fall 2006, JLT is asking to present their case. Some Board members thought this a fair request, others didn’t think it would change their mind or was worth it, given the extensive coverage of the issue in the press. Most agreed that if JLT does present, it would be wise not to vote on the evening of the JLT presentation, but to instead give Board members a chance to do additional research. After more discussion, Wichman made a motion to invite JLT to present The Bridges proposal at the November 2006 SHA Board mtg. Skally seconded. Dobson offered a friendly amendment that WSCO be invited to follow with a presentation at the Jan. 2007 SHA Board mtg. Wichman accepted the amendment. Motion passed unanimously.
§ Annual Meeting Planning – Good Neighbor Award ballots were handed out to Board members, and each member was asked to vote for one of the three nominees. Clapp-Smith requested that her name be stricken from the ballot, as she felt the Board’s prior recognition of her work with the Neighborhood Honor Roll Award was flattering and more than sufficient. After count of the completed ballots, Barrera announced that Charlie Hardy would be the 2006 Good Neighbor Award winner. Hardy will be invited to the SHA Annual meeting in October to receive the award. Flahaven suggested that SHA host a 64A candidate forum as part of the annual meeting in October, as a service to the community and a good draw for the meeting. The Board agreed and Flahaven and Clapp-Smith volunteered to invite the three candidates and organize it.
· District Council Collaborative – A resolution from the District Council Collaborative (DCC) on the Central Corridor was included in the Board packet. The DCC resolution asks that three community members be included in the composition of the soon to be appointed Central Corridor Management Committee. Wefel made a motion that the SHA Board supports the DCC resolution. Dobson seconded. Approved unanimously.
· City of St. Paul Comprehensive Plan Task Forces – Roy stated that the City of St. Paul and the Planning Commission are requesting community representatives to serve on the Comprehensive Plan Update task forces. The task forces are: Land Use, Transportation, Environment, Housing, and Parks. Roy asked for volunteers from the Board. Roy noted that Charles Evans, 250 S. Milton St., had already volunteered to be on Parks. Barrera volunteered for Housing and Dobson volunteered for Transportation. Skally made a motion to approve the three nominations. Flahaven seconded. Passed unanimously.
· Grand Ave Fire – Lein reported on a roof fire that occurred in one of the apartment buildings she manages (908 Grand Ave), on August 31, 2006 at 5:30pm. The fire resulted from roofing repair work being done. The fire department acted quickly and did their best to minimize damage to the building. There were no injuries, but a few of the top floor units were damaged and require repair.
· Solar Panels at Dale and Grand – Skally reported that he recently had solar panels installed on the roof of the apartment building he manages on the SW corner of Grand and Dale. He expects the reduced energy bills will pay for the installation of the solar panels within 10 years.
GABA Report:
· Next Meet and Greet is Sept. 28, 2006
· GABA is hosting a Commercial and Retail Leasing Seminar on October 24, 2006
· Boo Bash is October 28, 2006
· Shop by Candlelight is November 17, 2006
· Grand Meander is December 2, 2006. This year will feature window performances from the Christmas Carol and an evening party on the west end of Grand.
Treasurer’s Report:
Breymeier said the budget is looking good. She noted that strong House Tour sales are always vital to the organization’s continued financial health. She is working on a 2007- 08 budget to be voted on by the Board in the next couple of months.
Committee Reports:
· Communications Committee – no update
· Development Committee – House Tour planning going well. Brochures and tickets are at the printer. 5,000 postcards are being mailed next week. People can purchase tickets on the SHA website. Board members were requested to sign up for a volunteer spot and asked to put lawn signs up advertising the event.
· Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Calming Committee – A handout with updates was passed out. A Safe Routes to School grant proposal is being prepared. On Thursday, Sept 28, 2006, there will be a public meeting with City staff to provide feedback on how the RSVP project went.
· Zoning and Land Use – no update
Adjourn: Flahaven made a motion to adjourn. Wichman seconded.
Minutes submitted by Merritt Clapp-Smith, Acting Secretary