SNO Meeting Minutes, May 20, 2002
Opening Business:
New SNO president, John Akre, called the May 20th, 2002 meeting to order. All board members were present. Meeting attendees introduced themselves and new SNO secretary, Dawn Rae Davis, read the minutes. Tom Taylor moved to accept the minutes as read. Seaen McKay seconded the motion. The minutes were passed. New SNO treasurer, Seaen McKay, gave the treasurer's report.
John Akre introduced the new officers of the board: John Akre, President, Tom Taylor, Vice-president, Dawn Rae Davis, Secretary, and Seaen McKay, treasurer.
Announcements:
Jenny Fortman announced that Eastside Coop is having their plant sale another week, May 25th.
Eeris Fritz announced the annual SNO Big Deal picnic, gave the date and described some of the activities planned for the event and offered flyers. Eeris also announced that Mayor Rybeck is coming to Northeast May 31st at 7:30 AM.
Susan Kohlsted, with the Minnesota Health Dept. Abestos Study announced the EPA deadline for requesting inspection of yards for absestos contamination is June 1st, 2002. She passed out hand-outs with EPA contact information and encouraged everyone to tell their neighbors. The EPA will be back in the neighborhood in mid-June to do inspections and to do clean up of properties. Susan shared information about news breaking from the mine in Libby, Montana. She said the EPA has a data base and they're evaluating health concerns in Libby and watching developments in this neighborhood related to absestos exposure. Eeris Fritz asked for a web site address for study information. It is MN.mdh. Tom Taylor encouraged all to have their properties inspected, not only for health reasons but to make these studies meaningful .
Patrick Greffin asked about the samples and about how to identify vermiculate insulation.
Chuck Sullivan said it was often poured into existing walls and attics. John Akre asked if an EPA representataive could come to our next meeting and give us more info about vermiculate. Red asked if MN MDH provided resources for lung x-rays.
Chuck Sullivan announced he sold his building.
Mike Roman reported from messages left on the SNO message machine.
Open Mic
Eeris Fritz said that she was reading thru the NE real estate journal handed out before the meeting. She ís concerned that the person, mentioned in the article, who owns homes, may not know what is reported in the article. She recommends contacting the house owner, perhaps contacting Ross Pfeffercorn. John Akre suggested perhaps he could be contacted prior to the June meeting.
Trish Schilling said that Heather Beal at RSP architects is the person to call with questions.
Seaen McKay showed an article in the Business Journal Arts and Entertainment Section and said it was a really nice article that included Northeast's Art-a-Whirl.
Chuck Sullivan announced that at the May 9th meeting of the Upper Mississippi Citizens Advisory Committee, it was decided that all the members of the committee would be taking 40 hrs. of training. There should be about 90 people at these training sessions.
Agenda Items:
Mary from Eastside Neighborhood Services officially welcomed SNO to the building and announced a fundraiser. She invited SNO members to take a walk-through of the building and to ask any questions we might have about services or anything else. Eastside Neighborhood Services wants to do a one day musical festival event on August 25th from approximately 1-11 PM, and she said they hoped to book a nationally known musical group to be the headliner. Wayne McFarlane will be involved as well as some other local musicians. Eastside Neighborhood Services hopes to increase their non-profit umbrella, for example, to include Habitat for Humanity. Tom Taylor asked what size crowd they were anticipating for the August event. She said approximately 200 people. Tom Taylor recommended the importance of Eastside clearing the event with their neighbors. Red asked if they had parking arrangements. Mary said there will be parking at Grayco and shuttle buses to try to keep parking off the residential streets. Susan Kohlsted asked about potential collaborations between Eastside and SNO regarding outreach and SNO goals to increase diversity within its membership related to the neighborhood's immigrant community. Trish Schilling said that the SNO News would be coming out in a timely way with regard to Eastside's planned fundraiser.
Manuel Retamoza, intern pastor from Central Lutheran Church, described his goal to have a Lutheran church affiliated youth outreach center at 165 13th Ave. (Micheal Landers is purchasing the building on 13th Avenue and Second.) Manuel and his organization are planning to add windows to face the sidewalk, a gallery, and a coffee-house for the SE corner of 165 13th Ave. He hopes to be director of the project for at least 2 or 3 years. The coffee shop will be open every day. He anticipates that Landers will close the property purchase by June 1st.
Trish Schilling talked about a NEMAA survey/study. NEMAA's goal is to promote and sustain artist communities, which becomes increasingly difficult corresponding to property development. She handed out surveys from NEMAA to SNO meeting attendees.
John Akre described the Ritz Theatre update presented to the SNO double board meeting two weeks ago by George Sutton of Sutton and Associates. Sutton presented plans for the Sheridan School parking lot (it will be a playground by day and parking lot by night). The Early Learning Center is also involved and pleased with the plan. Sutton and Associates have put together a budget and spreadsheet for this development work and have identified some other performance organizations that would be using the space. The second check of our monetary promise to the Ballet of the Dolls went out to them for $21,854.67. They have another approx. $28,000 to spend of SNO's original allocation.
Committee Reports:
Events Committee.
Trish Schilling, Events Comm Chair. gave the Events Committee report. The SNO Big Deal picnic will be June 15th. The committee is looking at adding a generator to the budget for this year and a Moonwalk, for a cost of approx. $200. Trish asked to entertain a motion for spending a maximum of $1,400 for SNO Big Deal and a motion to print more SNO t-shirts for sale at the picnic. (Eastside said they have youth volunteers who will flyer the neighborhood for the SNO Big Deal.) There was some discussion about details pertaining to advertising, outreach, and budget for the picnic. Eeris Fritz made a motion that we allocate up to $1,400 for SNO Big Deal. Tom Taylor seconded the motion. The motion passed. Tom moved that the t-shirts be prizes. Eeris seconded it. The motion carried.
Trish also passed around a volunteer sheet for SNO Big Deal.
Eeris asked if she could donate something to the picnic for a raffle.
SNO News.
Trish Schilling announced a volunteer opportunity to look up addresses for approx. 7 businesses. The next SNO news will be coming out late in August.
Business Committee. No report.
Outreach Committee.
Tom Taylor, Outreach Committee Chair, gave the report. He announced that the phone tree is losing a branch with the departure of Andy Nederval. He announced a volunteer opportunity to take over Andy's branch of the tree. Susan Kohlsted volunteered to take over Andy's branch. Tom said he'd like to reach out to more neighbors and think about ways to use the SNO Big Deal for outreach.
NRP Committee.
John Akre gave the report. He said the NRP committee met a week before the SNO annual meeting in April and composed a survey for the purpose of evaluating which NRP programs and resources were most important to Sheridan neighbors. The survey was handed out to SNO annual meeting attendees. At the next NRP committee meeting (June 17th at 7 PM), they will discuss and evaluate the surveys. He also gave an update on the Fix and Paint Program, saying it looks like the applications from the lottery winners will use up all the available loan monies for the program this year.
Chris O'Malley described the results of the survey given at the SNO annual meeting. There were 36 total responses. The highest ranked was to extend the Fix and Paint lottery.
2nd highest were the bike routes on the greenway.
3rd- ornamental street lighting for 13th ave.
4th- business front improvements
5th east side coop
6th speed bumps
7th more NRP money for increased police
The NRP Committee hopes to present some recommendations to the SNO Board in a couple of months.
Jenny Fortman reported that a business owner told her that NRP loans were not available at the time this particular business owner inquired about the 0% loan program.
John Akre also reported on a meeting of the Marshall Street Plan held a few weeks ago where Cunningham & Assoc. Architects showed some preliminary plans. John will post the plans on the SNO website soon. It's a development issue that involves St. Anthony, Bottineau, and Sheridan as well as all of MEND.
Tom Taylor moved we adjourn. Seaen seconded. The meeting was adjourned.