Category Archives: Minutes

September 25, 2019 eNews

September 17, 2019 Meeting Recap

  • The ANA discussed its draft plan to reallocate remaining, unspent neighborhood funds to keep programs and community services going for approximately the next 4+ years should there be a gap or significant decrease in City funding. Bob Cooper and Aryca Meyers from the City of Minneapolis were in attendance to answer questions on ANA’s remaining funds and draft plan.
    • More information will be shared starting October 15 for community members to give feedback on the draft plan through the ANA’s fall print newsletter, on armatage.org, in the eNews, on social media, as well as at outreach events (Halloween at the Park, a Washburn Tot Lot pop-up play date, and the November 18 neighborhood meeting where a final vote will take place) .
  • The board approved funding to wrap lights on two trees in Armatage Park next to the skating rink again this year, for warm drinks at the Green Team’s upcoming Litter Be Gone clean-up on October 5, to increase the budget for Neighborhood Happy Hours (including tip) due to increased attendance at the events, and for new shelving in the ANA office.

Armatage Litter Be Gone Clean-up

Saturday, October 5
9:00-11:00am

Meet at Book Club (5411 Penn Ave S)

Join the Armatage Green Team to help clean up our neighborhood streets and sidewalks as part of the citywide Litter Be Gone events! This is a perfect volunteer opportunity for children, teens and adults! Plus all volunteers will get 50% off food thanks to the generous folks at Book Club Restaurant after the event!

Learn more and sign up at https://forms.gle/2JR9BvkLATXobqrw9  Huge thanks to Book Club for their support!  Rain date: October 12.


Funding for Neighborhood Organizations Expires in 2020

We need your help! Funding for neighborhood organizations is set to expire in 2020 and Minneapolis City Council is planning to vote soon on whether or not to continue funding neighborhood organizations, who provide many services to their communities including summer festivals, rain garden grants, micro grants, security rebates and more.

If you find value in these or other services provided by your neighborhood organization and would like funding to continue, please let City Council know with the sample letter at armatage.org/n2020



Last Southwest Parks Master Plan Meeting

At its final meeting, the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will finalize recommendations for each park (including Armatage Park, the Washburn Tot Lot and the 58th & Oliver Triangle). All meetings are open to community members. For more information on the project, visit www.minneapolisparks.org/sw

Community Advisory Committee Meeting #16 – Final Recommendations
Monday, Oct. 7, 5:30 – 8:30 pm (note the longer duration than previous meetings)
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center, 4055 Nicollet Ave S
Light dinner and passive children’s activities provided.


The 10th annual Washburn Games

A non-competitive sports sampler for kids ages 4 – 12 to support the Washburn Center for Children
Sunday, September 29
1:30 – 4:30 pm
Bryn Mawr Meadows in Minneapolis
Register online at:
www.washburngames.org

Kids + 3 hours of recess + giving back to the community = The fun-filled Washburn Games ! Kids ages 4 – 12 can try a variety of sports like soccer, volleyball, lacrosse and more, along with crafts, music and fun! Participants can discover their favorite sport (before you sign them up for a season they don’t like) and give back to support their peers through the Washburn Center for Children, Minnesota’s leading nonprofit children’s mental health center.

All participants receive a t-shirt, medal, goodie bag & the joy of helping others. $10 minimum donation per child in advance ($15 day of event). Register today for the September 29 event: www.washburngames.org



Posters for Parks

Saturday, September 28, 2019
4:00 – 9:00 pm
This year’s event will feature 41 artists showcasing their parks-inspired prints, available for just $45 each. Just like in years past, 50% of all sales will go toward People for Parks’ efforts to support community-driven projects and ideas in Minneapolis public parks. The other 50% of each sale will go to the artist. Artist previews – sneak peeks – event information and more on Facebook!


Change Matters – Sleep Matters

The Wedge and Linden Hills Co-ops have chosen My Very Own Bed as their October Change Matters partner. Change Matters is a register round-up program that promotes the work of local non-profits and invites shoppers to provide critical funding by rounding up their purchases.

My Very Own Bed provides new beds and linens to children in our community who would otherwise be sleeping on the floor or sharing a bed with a parent or sibling. We focus on beds for kids because of the amazing power of sleep to help kids thrive. Healthy sleep helps children fight off illness, enhances growth, improves self-regulation and stress control, and aids learning. We also believe that all children deserve at least a small, comfortable place to call their own.

In October, shoppers at the Wedge Co-op, Wedge Table, and Linden Hills Co-op will be asked to round up their purchases to support My Very Own Bed. Each $200 raised will provide front-door delivery of a new bed and dream kit (new, twin-sized sheets, blanket, mattress pad, pillow, and stuffed animal) to another child. The stores will also collect these dream kit items.

Questions? Reach out to info@myveryownbed.org.

June 25, 2019 eNews

June 18 Meeting Highlights:

  • The ANA held Officer Elections for President, Treasurer, and Secretary:
    • President (2 year term) – Joel Federer
    • Treasurer (2 year term) – Judy Vecere
    • Secretary (1 year term) – Rotating among board members
  • The board voted to approve funds for each of the following:
    • Supplies for the Movie in the Park
    • ANA’s summer ads in the SW Journal.
    • Neighborhood lawn signs and digital marketing for Summer Festival.
    • Printing and mailing Armatage News in July.
  • Summer Festival is under two months away!  The deadline to apply to sponsor, table at or as a food vendor is July 11.
  • 5th Precinct Inspector Amelia Huffman & Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Waisanen from the Minneapolis Police Department gave an overview of recent crime activity in the neighborhood.

***
Upcoming meetings/events
Jul 9 – Neighborhood Happy Hour (7:00 – 9:00 pm)
Jul 16 – Monthly Neighborhood Meeting (6:30 – 8:00 pm)
Jul 17 – NCEC Elections (6:00 pm, Crown Roller Mill – 105 5th Avenue South)
Aug 6 – National Night Out
Aug 11 – Summer Festival (4:00 – 7:00 pm)



Sign up for the Armatage Summer Festival

Sunday, August 11
4:00 – 7:00pm

The ANA is looking for neighborhood businesses, food vendors, artists/makers, and community organizations to participate in this year’s Summer Festival. Sign up by July 11 to sponsor the event, table, serve food, or donate a raffle prize.

The Summer Festival is a great way to connect with attendees, highlight your work, and get lots of recognition for making this much-loved event possible. Our 2018 Summer Festival brought out tons of neighbors to enjoy music, great food vendors, an awesome car show, raffles, and fun and games for kids of all ages.

Interested in sponsoring the event? Sponsors are featured in neighborhood communications that reach every address in Armatage, in advertising for the event, on our website, through our social media channels and the eNews, and are recognized at the event through a banner or lawn sign (attendance ranges from 500 – 1,500). To sponsor the Summer Festival, visit our website at https://armatage.org/events/summer-festival/ or contact our Coordinator at anacoordinator@armatage.org.


Feedback Needed on Southwest Park Designs

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board is in the midst of discussing updated concept designs for parks and park-owned properties in Southwest Minneapolis.

The plan for Armatage Park will be discussed at the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting tonight (Tuesday, June 25)! Snacks, refreshments and passive children’s activities are provided. Please contact Cindy Anderson at 612-230-6472 or canderson@minneapolisparks.org to request language, access or interpretation accommodations.

Lynnhurst Subcommittee Meeting #2
Tuesday, June 25, 2019, 5-6 pm
Fuller Recreation Center, 4802 Grand Ave. S
Focused on Lynnhurst Park & Minnehaha Creek Plans

CAC Meeting #10
Tuesday, June 25, 2019, 6-8 pm
Fuller Recreation Center, 4802 Grand Ave. S

CAC Meeting #11 *if needed
Thursday, July 11 2019, 6-8 pm
Lynnhurst Recreation Center, 1345 W Minnehaha Parkway

CAC Meeting #12 *if needed
Thursday, July 25, 2019, 6-8 pm
Pershing Recreation Center, 3523 W 48th St.

Can’t make it?

Minnehaha Creek Master Plan

New concept designs are also available for the Minnehaha Creek Master Plan. Follow the link above for more information on that project.


Local 4th of July Celebrations

Staying in town for the 4th? The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board put together a great list of celebrations and event in the parks and around Minneapolis!


Join the Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission (NCEC)

Representatives of Minneapolis neighborhood and cultural communities sit on the NCEC and advise the Mayor and City Council on a wide range of community engagement issues. Armatage is in District 2, and our area is in need of someone to represent our district! Learn more about the NCEC and apply to run by June 30. Elections are July 17 at 6:00pm at Crown Roller Mill, 105 5th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55401.


Southdale Library Building Project

The Hennepin County Board authorized staff to negotiate a lease agreement to relocate Hennepin County Library – Southdale to the nearby Southdale Center mall last week.

Under the current proposal, mall developer Simon Property Group will demolish the former Herberger’s building and construct a new building that would house the library. Construction will start in 2020 with completion anticipated in 2022.

In 2015, due to the age of the building and projected cost, the county determined that renovations to the nearly 50-year-old library building would not be prudent. As a result, Hennepin County developed a strategy to relocate services housed at the library. The service center relocated to Southdale Center in 2016. District Court functions also moved out of the building in 2019.

Building the library at the Southdale Center allows for seamless library services, as the library won’t have to close during construction. The new location, accessible by public transit, may also attract new library patrons. Sign up for updates on the project here.


National Night Out

Tuesday, August 6

Learn more about NNO and register your block today! Register by July 23 and your permit to close your street for National Night Out is free!

July 16, 2019 Minutes

Meeting Minutes

Date: July 16, 2019

Called to Order: 6:34PM

Presided by: Joel Federer (President)

Note taker: Sara Fulton-Koerbling

Board members in attendance: Tyler Mulcahey, Sara Fulton-Koerbling, Donte Mearon, Patty Grabski, Brett Anderson, Ryan Antkowiak, Lauren Anderson (Coordinator) Adam Miller, Michael Kootsikas, Adriana Dobrzycka

Others in attendance: Rachel Ireland-Henry (Accountant), Ira Jourdain, MPS Board member, Nikki Fredericks (Park director), Stephanie Vigen
Board members absent: Judy Vecere

July 16, 2019 Agenda 

6:30pm     Welcome & Introductions

6:35pm        Guest: Ira Jourdain, Minneapolis Public Schools Board Member – MPS Comprehensive District Design

  • Transportation
    • Driver shortage/recruiting
    • Real time transit app
  • Referendum-$30 million
    • $18 million: General fund allotment—staffing, curriculum, health care coverage
    • $12 million: Technology fund
  • State Budget Funding
    • General Fund 2% State Funding Increase, $176 increase per student across the district, a little over $10 million overall
    • Math Development/Fund Balance
      • New math curriculum, last updated in 2007
        • Call for parents to review curriculum will be uploaded to the district website
  • Comprehensive District Design
    • Overview school pathways, current plan options, programming
      • Tire mulch 95% replaced across the school pathways, Armatage to be finished by end of 2019
      • Children in district 6, 85-95% of students attend their assigned district.
        • Working on student counts, class sizes, and integration
        • Potential change in attendance boundaries—information coming jan/feb 2020
        • start times will be adjusted in SY 2021
        • Washburn high school CTE move to Minn North HS
    • option 1-no changes
    • option 2-divide the city into two sections—more school choice
    • option 3-divide the city into four quadrants-fewer transportation issues
    • Community engagement and timeline
      • Board meetings, last Thursday of the month at the Davis center
      • Will be attending community events throughout the summer

7:05pm     Park Update:

  • Sports registration open—soccer and flag football increased age levels increased
  • Ice skate request: enough funds to acquire 2 pairs of each size of skates, repair and sharpen existing skates.
  • Pickle ball lines put in at Kenny and started a pickle ball league. Two courts: $425 for installing lines.

7:15pm     Summer Festival Final Details

  • Screen printing
    • Single design running on two screens
      • Tote bags and pricing for byo shirts
      • Motion for the board to purchase screen printing paint, extra screen, and tote bags for $400. Motion approved.
  • Event volunteer schedule
    • Two shifts during event. 3:45-5, 5-7:15, not including set up and tear down.
    • Two ANA tables
  • Board t-shirts
    • Outsource printing or print inhouse during training. Deadline to order is this week
    • Motion for the shirt to include the logo and ‘armatage’ on the front, up to $14/shirt. Motion carries
    • Motion for the shirt to not include the logo, but text of armatage. Motion fails.
    • Motion for the board members to wear personal shirts with ANA board buttons in lieu of printing shirts. Motion carries, and overrides previous motion to print shirts.
  • Zero waste (Green Team)
    • 3 zero waste stations, 2 volunteers per station, 2 different shifts. Extending call for volunteers from Green Team and Next door to fill spots.
  • Tables and raffles
  • 21 18×24 lawn signs at freeway exits, high traffic areas, Patty and Tara C. to install on 8/1
  • Set up and take down
  • Lawn games-locate: frisbee toss, giant jenga, baggo, bocce,
  • Face painters confirmed, 5 food trucks confirmed.

8:00     Other Business

  • Move to spend $750 on PHP upgrade for ANA website. Motion carries.

8:10pm        President’s Report

  • Updated park plan is out. Provide feedback to Lauren if you haven’t already
  • Neighborhoods 2020 neighborhood boilerplate language. Motion to approve language submitted and post publicly so residents can contact their representatives. Motion approved.
  • Board Potluck Celebration-two dates, August 25th or August 18th. Final date announced by Friday

8:10 pm     Minutes – approved via email

Treasurer Report – financials emailed

8:15 pm     Committee Updates

  • Green Team:
    • Save the date for Mpls Litter Be Gone Clean-up – Oct 5 Mark your calendars
  • Mini Grants:
    • Approve 2019 Grant Recipients
        • Three proposals, with recommendation to approve two
            • Thermo-camera to complete energy audits
            • Mural with community participation, with mural location confirmed.
        • Motion to fund thermo-camera mini grant at $594. Motion carries.
        • Motion to fund $1000 for mural mini-grant pending approved location in Armatage. Motion carries.

8:25 pm        Coordinator Update

  • Business facade grant application: 2211-2215 54th street. Environmental review completed. Estimated $11k,
  • Washburn Tot Lot Celebration date & volunteers August 22nd 5:30-7:30
    • Motion to approve up to $250 for Popsicles and bubbles, compostable cups and water. Motion carries.
  • NCEC Elections
  • No ANA meeting in August
  • Lauren out of town 7/16-7/23

Meeting adjourned at 8:37 pm

June 18, 2019 Minutes

Meeting Minutes

Date: June 18th, 2019

Called to Order: 6:32PM

Presided by: Joel Federer (President)

Note taker: Tyler Mulcahey (Secretary)

Board members in attendance: Tyler Mulcahey, Sara Fulton-Koerbling, Donte Mearon, Judy Vecere, Patty Grabski, Brett Anderson, Ryan Antkowiak, Lauren Anderson (Coordinator)

Others in attendance: Rachel Ireland-Henry (Accountant)
Board members absent: Adam Miller, Adriana Dobrzycka

Officer Elections for President, Treasurer, and Secretary

  • Elected President (2 year term) – Joel Federer
  • Elected Treasurer (2 year term) – Judy Vecere
  • Elected Secretary (1 year term) – Rotating amongst board members

Officer Reports

  • President’s Report
    • Thank you to everyone for helping out at the annual neighborhood meeting last month!
    • Discussion around blanket statement to respond to neighbor e-mails, messages, etc. in favor of neighborhood funding. This will also be good to include in the next newsletter. Joel will draft this up and bring it to the July meeting.
    • Discussion around a board get-together – maybe a grill out after the summer festival at Joel’s place or a park?
  • Secretary Report – April minutes approved via e-mail. No May minutes due to annual neighborhood meeting.
  • Treasurer Report – financials e-mailed

Park Update

  • Movie in the Park – Motion for the board to cover $20 for lemonade and $40 for bug spray for a total of $60. Motion approved.
  • $500 request for skate purchasing & refurbishing – Motion to table this request until Nikki can provide a more detailed list of items needed (i.e. costs).

Summer Festival Planning

    • Entertainment activities – ArtStart, Magic by Bruce,  KidZone, 3rd Lair
    • Food vendors – KCM Eggrolls, Red Wagon, Sonny’s Ice Cream.
    • Sponsor update – Eli Johnson is sponsoring Magic by Bruce. Kelly O’Neil is likely sponsoring car show. Will have lawn signs for each sponsor.
    • TapMpls (booked)
    • Facepainting search
    • Car show – We are using the full parking lot this year. Ryan Antkowiak will be the board member volunteering to help.
    • Sponsor/exhibitor recruitment volunteers  – Table costs $50 for non-profits, $75 for politicians/people running for reelection, and $100 for businesses.
    • Summer marketing & communications
      • SW Journal
        • Motion to add $130 to existing SW Journal ad spend allocation. Motion approved.
      • Summer newsletter – Motion to approve $1,400 for summer newsletter. Motion approved.
      • eNews –
      • Social media (timing and budget?) – Should do about $100 in Facebook ads
      • Armatage Park signs – $12.75 per lawn sign x 10 = $127.50

Motion to approve $250 for advertising budget for the summer festival. These funds are to be used for lawn signs and Facebook advertising. Motion approved.

NPR Phase II Contract Closeout

Motion to transfer the following NRP Phase II funds through a Plan Modification:

  • $6,356.77 from Housing Coordinator (Housing 1.1.1., Home Improvement Program) to Neighborhood Newsletter (Community Life 1.3.2)
  • $1,377.62 from Housing Coordinator (Housing 1.1.1, Home Improvement Program) to Implementation (Community Life 2.1.1)
  • $2,350 from Pedestrian Scale Lighting and Neighborhood Identity Banners to Home Improvement Program
  • $2,350 from Home Improvement Program Income to Pedestrian Scale Lighting and Neighborhood Identity Banners

Motion approved.

Other New Business

No new business

Guest: Jennifer Waisanen & Inspector Amelia Huffman, Minneapolis Police Station 5th Precinct

  • Amelia Huffman introduced herself as the new 5th Precinct Inspector. 25th year with the Minneapolis Police Department. Update on Fulton neighborhood break ins – no suspects.
  • Jennifer Waisanen went over the Armatage Crime Report from 01/01/2019 through 06/17/2019

Committee Updates

  • Community Engagement:
    • July happy hour – July 9th from 7-9pm at Red Wagon Pizza
    • Movie in the Park: Princess Bridge. Thanks to Donte, Sara, & Patty for volunteering!
  • Green Team:
    • Rain & native garden program – all slots full and 10 people on waiting list
    • 6/1 Rain & Native Garden Tour – had a good list of folks who allowed neighbors to come view their rain & native garden tours
  • Mini Grants
    • Application update – We have 3 applications in so far
    • Process after application deadline (June 15)

Coordinator Update

  • Selection of NCEC Elector & Alternate Elector (Date of election now 07/17/2019) – These spots are available if anyone from ANA wants to run for them
  • Kenny/Armatage Neighborhood Garage Sale update – We had 66 signed up. There was no registration fee this year.

Meeting adjourned at 8:01pm

April 16, 2019 Minutes

Date: April 16th, 2019

Called to Order: 6:35PM

Presided by: Joel Federer

Note taker: Lara Bergman

Board members in attendance: Stephanie Vigen, Michael Kootsikas, Brett Anderson, Judy Vecere, Lauren Anderson (Coordinator)

Others in attendance: Rachel Ireland-Henry (Accountant)

Board members absent: Tyler Mulcahey, Ryan Antkowiak, Tara Brown

Park Update- Nikki Fredich

  • Summer registration underway
  • 150 kids at egg hunt, 450 total, continue event moving forward
  • Movies in the Park: June 19th Princess Bride @ Armatage, Aug. 7th Into the Spiderverse at Kenny
  • 30 tables max in storage, 5-10 new tables? Mighty lite 8” banquet tables ~370
  • Park equipment needs: 5-10 new Mighty Lite Banquet Tables ( ~$370/ea), folding chairs, Nikki to follow up with Tara about skates
  • Tot lot celebration- this will not be a formal opening, but a neighborhood supported event in June.

Annual Meeting Planning- Joel

  • Agenda:
    • Welcome/pizza: candidates give a short speech, 7 seats- 3 open, 4 re-election
    • Election- Dennis will tally votes
    • Linea Palmisano (15 minutes)
    • Overview- Joel
    • Mini grants- Stephanie (10 minutes)
    • Rain gardens- Green Team/ Lauren
    • Safety rebate program- Joel
    • Penn & 54th Safety- Ryan
    • Summer festival- Michael
    • Neighborhoods 2020- Brett
    • Q/A  (20 minutes)
    • Election results/ wrap around 8pm
  • Each person presenting at the meeting should prepare no longer than a 2 minute explanation and 1-2 powerpoint slides per topic. Lauren will send out a template.
  • Microphone & Projector to be located
  • Red Wagon pizza, cookies from Costco and Flowers from Wagners as in past years
  • Up to 5 gift cards to raffle off at the event- Lauren to ask Red Wagon, Lara to as Settergrens, Lola, etc

Motion to approve $500 for event food. Approved by the board.

Summer Festival Planning

  • Will be looking into sponsorship opportunities for tent, magician, car show, etc
  • We will hold a raffle with pre-sale tickets available and a board member will walk around selling tickets to drum up interest
  • Kidzone will be more expensive due to full day ($295) but no band this year
  • SW journal, Facebook, Nextdoor to advertise
  • Increasing wristband prices to $6/ea or $18 family maximum

Selection of NCEC Elector & Alternate Elector

  • Moved to June meeting. We will need two people to attend the June 20th election downtown

NRP Phase II Contract Closeout

  • This is ANA’s official 30 day notice. The new ANA board can vote in June.

Other New Business

  • none

President’s Report-

  • none

Secretary Report – minutes approved via email

Treasurer Report – financials emailed

Committee Updates

Green Team

  • Donation drive– constant flow of people, nextdoor worked, VA got the bulk, clothing, good quality. 117 boxes/bags. 12 orgs. Consider doing a focused one seasonally. Great job, green team!
  • Rain Garden Tour– June 1st

Mini Grants

  • One question, no applicants yet, big push at Annual meeting

Coordinator Update

  • Website update complete.
  • Lauren’s summary of monthly tasks was so board the board could see how hours are used
  • Rain gardens- 20 people already applied, all homeowners. Laurent to target ads to renters.
  • Garage sale- 4 people signed up,  it will be Fri/Sat this year
  • Nate Gotlieb from SW Journal wants to do an article on Tot lot. Lauren to connect him to Tara.

Motion to renew web hosting for $270. Approved by the board.

Final notes from Joel: Please submit candidate bio for the board to Lauren ahead of time.

Meeting adjourned 8:10pm

Next Meeting May 21, 2019 (Annual Meeting)

 

March 19, 2019 Minutes

Date: March 19th, 2019

Called to Order: 6:35PM

Presided by: Tyler Mulcahey (Secretary)

Note taker: Lara Bergman

Board members in attendance: Tyler Mulcahey, Stephanie Vigen, Adriana Dobrzycka, Michael Kootsikas, Brett Anderson, Judy Vecere, Lara Bergman, Lauren Anderson (Coordinator)

Others in attendance: Rachel Ireland-Henry (Accountant), Stacy Sorenson (City of Minneapolis NCR), Nikki Fredich, Tara Carson (green team), 3 community members, SW Journal reporter Nate Gotlieb

Board members absent: Joel Federer, Ryan Antkowiak, Tara Brown

Park Update- Nikki Fredich

  • Crews are making their way around to take down hockey boards
  • Please stay off the fields until dried up
  • Sports programs have begun, younger ages are growing in popularity
  • In need for head track and field coach (2 assistant coaches returning): May- mid June, Mondays & Thursdays
  • New at Armatage: Pickle Ball (already at Kenny)- do we want to add lines to tennis court here?
  • Egg Hunt April 13th: egg hunt, bunnies, character artists, arts and crafts, refreshments, need help handing out prizes 11am-12pm

Committee Updates

Mini Grants- Adriana Dobrzycka, Stephanie Vigen

  • Review of program for community members present:
    • Main goal: engaging the neighborhood
    • Individuals, businesses, school are eligible
    • ANA will serve as a resource, technical assistance, application assistance
    • First year for learning, other neighborhoods with programs have offered to act as a resource for ANA
    • Could ask for letters of support for accountability
  • Communication efforts: website, promote annual meeting q & a, Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor
  • Board members should promote program to neighbors

Green Team- Tara Carson, Lauren Anderson

  • Fix-it Clinic Recap: great turn out, 49 people, 66 items, 30 volunteers, Tara and daughter handed out cocoa
  • Donation Drive – April 6: need volunteers to sort
    • Advertise through social media- Lauren will use Facebook funds to boost event
    • Possible to post at Settergrens, Red Wagon, community boards- Starbucks and Sparrow, at the Park

Rain Gardens- Lauren

  • There was a lot of interest last year and the reason some gardens were not installed was because of timing conflicts and because some homes were not eligible for a rain garden and residents opted out of having a native garden instead. A community member from the town homes on 58th has offered to have people come see her native garden and rain garden, which was installed with help from Metro Blooms. There is discussion of whether or not to host a garden tour to promote the program in conjunction with the Garage Sales. Other promotions include possibly doing a wrap around the utility box on 58th. Lauren will follow up on that inquiry.
  • This year Metro Blooms will be more upfront about timing so that residents have a better idea of when to expect the work to be done. There will be spots reserved for renters, with Green Team members offering weeding assistance. Also, it was proposed to include 5- $100 grants for residents who meet income requirements.

Plan Modification- Stacey Sorenson

  • ANA can move up to $25,000 at a time (more requires more community input)
  • Funds are from the return from home improvement loans, which can be reinvested into other projects
  • There is approximately $135,000 in loan returns so if our projects are a success, then we can request more funds in future months

Motion to request $25000 from home loan repayment with funds not to exceed $14000 (17 gardens) for Metro Blooms and funds not to exceed $11000 for mini grants. Approved by the board.

Neighborhoods 2020- Brett Anderson

Brett will draft a letter and share it with the board for feedback. The deadline for the comment period is the end of the month.

SW Parks & Minnehaha Parkway Master Plan

        Motion to submit feedback letter for submission. Approved by the board.

Other New Business

        -none

Secretary Report – minutes approved via email

Treasurer Report – financials emailed

Coordinator Update

  • Garage Sale: Lauren will let the board know when Kenny confirms the date, which is proposed as May 31 and June 1, 2019. This year participants will submit via a google form and there will be no fee.
  • Shredding Event: May 11, 10am-noon, sponsored by Kelly O’Neil
  • Will include Jim’s board spot at the May meeting, listed as 1 year term
  • Spring Newsletter

Motion to approve $1400 for publication of spring newsletter. Approved by the board.

  • Summer Festival: The planning team met to discuss layout and entertainment options. Discussion of whether to rent a tent for dining/ vendors. Thinking of ways to generate funds. Lauren will send out a doodle poll for next meeting.
  • Lauren requested $300 for technical support for website/email. Motion for $300 to be used in technical support. Approved by the board.

Meeting adjourned 8:30pm

Next Meeting: April 16th • 6:30pm

February 19, 2019 Minutes

Date: February 19th, 2019

Called to Order: 6:30PM

Presided by: Joel Federer (President)

Note taker: Tyler Mulcahey (Secretary)

Board members in attendance: Joel Federer, Tyler Mulcahey, Stephanie Vigen, Ryan Antkowiak, Adriana Dobrzycka, Michael Kootsikas, Brett Anderson, Tara Brown, Lauren Anderson (Coordinator)

Others in attendance: Various neighborhood residents (5 total?)

Board members absent: Jim Hoch, Judy Vecere, Lara Bergman

Southwest Parks & Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plans

  • Madeline Hudek, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board
    • Brought two boards showing Concept A and Concept B for Armatage. Looking for people’s thoughts on the concepts. Collecting input through March 31st.
    • Concerns brought up by board members and present residents:
      • Potential loss of baseball/softball fields for soccer fields
      • Smaller parking lot in both concepts – parking is hard to come by currently
      • Lighting of the parking lot (which is very dim currently) and paving issues should be addressed at the same time
      • Will artificial turf be part of the park concepts? (Yes, currently envisioned in some park’s concepts)
      • Dog park (closer than Lake of the Isles) would be nice
  • Mike Jischke, Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Citizen Advisory Committee
    • Seeking feedback for Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail concept/plan

Park Update, Nikki Friederich —

  • Washburn Tot Lot celebration: Planning celebration in late May or early June. Lauren will see if the Park Board is willing to cover food, drinks, etc.
  • Egg hunt: Bounce house, egg hunt, face painting, caricatures, etc. Will take place on Saturday, April 13th from 10am-11:30am. $5/child registration. Park Board is requesting $250 from the board to support the event. Motion approved for board to cover $250 for the event.
  • Water bottle refilling station: The board had previously allocated $1,800 for this and other park improvements. Lauren is wondering if the board still wants to keep this money allocated for this or not.
  • Fire & Ice recap: It was FREEZING (sub zero temps). Event was moved inside, but still a great success!

Guest Speaker – Linea Palmisano (City Council Member)

  • Good way to reach /engage with neighborhood renters is using Nextdoor. East Harriet has implemented a community garden, where they’ve found it helped increase their neighborhood’s renter engagement.
  • Plugged her upcoming Ward 13 Summit for neighborhood board members – taking place on February 27th from 6:30-8:30pm at the Bakken Museum (Volta Room, 3537 Zenith Ave S).

  • 2018 Annual Report — Lauren had a few items for clarification to finish this:
    Did the board conduct one or more focus groups? Answer: Yes
    How many households did the board reach through door knocking in 2018? Answer: 170 total
  • Did we send out any post cards in 2018? Answer: No
    How many households did the board reach through flyering in 2018? Answer: 250 total

Motion to approve the Armatage 2018 annual report. Approved by the board.

Neighborhoods 2020 — Currently in draft mode. A lot of moving parts and question marks about how funding will be associated with this and how it will work. At some point in the future, the board will need to discuss how we are going to approach this and how we will go about engaging with residents to fulfill the Neighborhoods 2020 diversity rules.

Some similar cities, such as Portland & Seattle, have defunded their neighborhood associations.

SW coordinators (including Lauren) recently met with each other and NCR to discuss strategy.

Starting in 2020, funding of neighborhoods will be done through the general budget and will be reviewed on an annual basis. There is a push for a 3-year funding cycle.

Other New Business

Ice skates needed for Armatage warming house: Motion for $150 for the board to buy some gently used skates or skates on clearance. Tara will take the lead on finding a good deal. Should be able to buy 5-10 pairs of skates. Motion approved.

Facebook Ad for Neighborhood 2020 Feedback: Motion for $100 for Facebook ad through the end of March surrounding Neighborhoods 2020. Motion approved by the board.

President’s Report — Our website currently does not have a SSL certificate. It would take 2-3 hours to implement an SSL to our website, which would then allow the board to add forms for residents to communicate with us (i.e. microgrants, etc.). The board previously purchased (in 2016) 5 hours of web development service from a company to complete this – with 3 hours remaining to use up.

Motion to use up 2-3 out of the remaining 3 hours to install the SSL certificate. Motion approved by the board.

Secretary Report –– January minutes approved via e-mail

Treasurer Report –– Financials e-mailed

Committee Updates —

  • Green team – Recently and discussed zero waste at the upcoming summer festival, setting aside a few rain garden slots for renters (with property owner approval), amongst other things. Please reach out to Lara, Brett, or Lauren if you’d like to get involved.
  • Micro-grant program – Sent out 2-page document on February 11th that contained the guidelines for the micro-grants, as well as a draft application for the micro-grants. Discussion on feedback received from the board thus far surrounding selection criteria. If you have other criteria that you think should be included, please let Adriana & Stephanie know. :: What are our goals as a board for this program? What does success of this program look like? :: When it comes time for advertising for the micro-grant program and getting the word out, we’ll want to ensure we provide examples of grants that were approved by other neighborhood organizations. :: Need to discuss when these cycles will begin and end. Discussion was had to change this verbiage to application period (and include dates for each application period during the spring and fall) :: Add verbiage that we will grant up to 4 micro-grants during each period. Motion to approve the micro-grant program with the amendments the board recommended this evening. Approved by the board.

Coordinator Update —

  • Summer festival Would like to schedule a planning meeting. Nothing is written down and it would be more efficient. Lauren will send out a doodle poll to find a few dates that work well for the board.
  • Annual meeting initial planning — Micro-grant Q&A will take place. Other suggestions or speakers we’d like to have? Please let Lauren know. Some suggestions brought up: Neighborhoods 2020, Park Staff, Safety Rebate Program, Rain Gardens, etc.

Meeting Adjourned: 8:52PM

Next Meeting: March 19th • 6:30pm

January 15, 2019 Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes

Date: January 15th, 2019

Called to Order: 6:30PM

Presided by: Joel Federer (President)

Note taker: Tyler Mulcahey (Secretary)

Board members in attendance: Joel Federer, Tyler Mulcahey, Lara Bergman, Brett Anderson, Adriana Dobrzycka, Ryan Antokwiak, Judy Vecere, Tara Brown, Michael Kootsikas, Stephanie Vigen, Lauren Anderson (Coordinator)

Others in attendance: Rachel Ireland, Meg Hobday

Board members absent: Jim Hoch

Guest / Donation Request — Meg Hobday, My Very Own Bed (www.myveryownbed.org)
:: Goal for 2019 is to deliver 600 beds; Beds are sourced from Medallion Sleep Products; Cost of each bed is around $120 ($100 for mattress & boxspring and $20 for metal frame). There is a $60 “dream kit” delivered along with the bed, but those costs are typically covered by personal and corporate donors.
:: No beds were donated last year to kids in Armatage. ~34% of beds were donated to kids in Minneapolis. Kids are chosen for beds via “referrals” from community groups, etc. Kids have to be older than age 2 since the beds provided do not come with safety rails.
:: Growth of the program in years to come will come from more funding, more referral partners, and more awareness
:: Other ways to get involved – Volunteering, donation drives, fleece tie blanket drive
:: Board discussed donating to My Very Own Bed…  Motion for board to postpone decision until February board meeting. Board wants to put together criteria for donations & microgrants before making a decision. Motion approved.

Park Update, Nikki Friederich —

  • Fire on Ice Skating Party – Friday, January 25th from 6:30-8:30pm… Little campfire, hot cocoa, s’mores, popcorn, and a DJ with music
  • Ice rinks are still open. Hours and locations can be found here: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/winter_activities/ice_rinks/
    Ice rinks will be closing around February 18th.
  • Thinking of movie ideas for Movies in the Park for Armatage & Kenny neighborhoods… Send any movie suggestions you have to Nikki, preferably a kid movie, PG or PG13
  • SW Parks Plan Initial Concept Workshops – Earliest one is coming up on January 31st from 6-8pm, open house style, refreshments, kids activities
  • Washburn Tot Lot – Launch/official open party this spring, ANA board to plan

Pedestrian Safety Follow-up — Board to compile list of changes we would like to see. Grassroots effort may be needed. Safety committee to be created for accountability. Joel to finalize and distribute “please use the crosswalks” signs to businesses.

Red Wagon Pizza Company Liquor License Application — Board decided to remain neutral on this matter. Lauren to write a letter stating some concerns that some may have (i.e. expectations of liquor training, responsible serving, etc.) to prevent another accident from having like the one that happened at 54th & Penn.

Summer Festival 2019 — Discussion on this postponed to February board meeting. Lauren to follow up with Nikki (previous Coordinator) for more information regarding the planning of this event. All board members are expected to make it to the Summer Festival if they are able to. Summer Festival to take place on Sunday, August 11th.

President’s Report — Welcome Brett Anderson & Lara Bergman to the board! Brett & Lara to send Joel a 3rd-person bio for the website. The rest of the board should review their bios and update, as needed. Please have this to Joel by the next board meeting in February.

As a reminder, a motion was approved by the board to continue Rachel Ireland’s account contract.

Secretary Report –– December minutes approved via e-mail

Treasurer Report –– Financials e-mailed

Committee Updates —

  • Community Engagement – Next Armatage Neighborhood Happy Hour on March 12th; Put out a tip jar at the next happy hour and encourage attendees to tip for pizza provided by the board.
  • Micro-grant program – Discussion around the application process – we’ll need to make it easy for people. Need to get the word out via multiple channels. Reach out to people who we think could benefit from the micro-grant program and encourage them to apply. Need to look into funding source. Need to put together criteria for selection/eligibility.
    Examples of grants done by other neighborhoods – Community activities, activities in the park, movie in the park, advocacy event (i.e. safety)
    Adriana & Stephanie to provide an outline of what their thoughts are on all of this via e-mail for the board to look over.
  • Green team – Laurel was the chair of the green team, but is no longer on the board. Tara Brown isn’t on the green team either. If anyone would like to chair this committee or be a part of it, let Tara know ASAP. Otherwise, Tara will motion at the next board meeting to dissolve this committee.
    • Next Fix It Clinic is taking place on March 9th from 12-4pm

Coordinator Update —

  • Newsletter update – Instead of using a graphic designer and paying $1,200/year to hire that person, proposal to use and pay for the following computer programs so Lauren can create newsletters, etc. herself. Motion to approve $350 towards the computer programs below. Motion approved by the board.
    • Adobe Creative Cloud – $245 for the first year
    • QuickBooks for Mac – $50/year
    • Acrobat Pro – $55/year
  • Neighborhoods 2020 – It sounds like there will be some basic funding cuts that neighborhoods get. Our budget could be smaller in the future.
  • Social media – Looking at social media streams over last couple months. Not getting a lot of visibility on Facebook. Would like to potentially do a $30 Facebook ad later this year to get more page likes to increase our engagement. Lauren also asked the board to engage, like, comment, share posts, provide ideas/content for social posts, to get more engagement. Tara brought up boosting Facebook events instead of the Facebook page itself.
  • Community Connections Conference – Saturday, February 2nd – Provided by NCR. Free event.
  • Upcoming Ward 13 Summit with Linnea Palmisano – To take place late February – 2040 Comp Plan (next steps of implementation) and Neighborhoods 2020 will be on the agenda
  • CPP Report – Bringing to the next board meeting.
  • Will be printing less agendas at the next board meetings; Board members can use their phones to look at the agenda to save on paper

New Business — None

Meeting Adjourned: 8:49PM

Next Meeting: February 19th • 6:30pm

September 18, 2018 Minutes

Meeting Minutes

Date: September 18, 2018

Called to Order: 6:33PM

Presided by: Joel Federer (President)

Note taker: Tyler Mulcahey, Secretary

In attendance: Joel Federer, Tyler Mulcahey, Ryan Antkowiak, Nikki Lindberg, Jim Hoch, Tara Brown, Kelly Falsani, Judy Vecere, Stephanie Vigen, Adriana Dobrzycka, Michael Kootsikas
Other attendees: Rachel Ireland-Henry, John Reude, Madeline Hudek

Absent: Laurel Luxenberg (Excused)

Guests:

 

  • SWBA – Matt: Gave out “Help Us Spread the Word, Vote Yes on 1 MPLS” handout. The City Charter Commission voted unanimously that it’s the right of Minneapolis to decide to clean up this outdated 7 acre rule and the City of Minneapolis’ Business Licensing Department supports the measure. A group founded by independent Minneapolis neighborhood restaurant owners and other local residents called Citizens for a Modern Minneapolis formed to educate voters to support the ballot measure. Yes on 1 Mpls is a ballot initiative in the City of Minneapolis. A “yes” vote means modernizing cumbersome and outdated regulations controlling availability of liquor licenses. Many neighborhood restaurants outside of downtown cannot service cocktails because of the city charter regulation that requires them to be within 7 contiguous commercial acres, the “7 acre rule.” Citizens for Modern Minneapolis want laws that make sense for a modern Minneapolis, offer more choices to diners, and make it easier for residents to support their favorite neighborhood spots.

    Peter & Jackie Campbell (owners of Red Wagon Pizza) gave their insight on this issue. If they wanted to serve liquor at their restaurant, they’d have to go through a very lengthy approval process through the state before being able to do so – when a business across the street can. They don’t believe the bill passing will turn smaller, mom and pop restaurants into cocktail lounges – simply will be giving more choices to their diners.

    Matt asked the ANA board if they’ll pass a resolution to show support for the bill. Joel Federer asked if there is a local Armatage neighborhood restaurant desire/need for this bill to pass. Matt of SWBA believes restaurants want a choice and will not be forced to serve liquor/cocktails. Tara Brown mentioned she thinks we should throw this out to the neighborhood to get resident feedback before motioning/approving a resolution. With the limited amount of time before early voting starts, Matt & Judy believe we as a board can make a motion to approve the resolution and then put the word out to residents about the bill so they make an informed decision when they go to vote. Motion for the board to approve the Yes on 1 MPLS resolution presented by Matt. Motion approved by the board.

 

 

 

  • City Council Update – John Reude: Second draft of 2040 Comprehensive Plan should come out at the end of this month. Will be a several hundred page document. There will be a red line version that will show what changed from draft one to draft two. Council hasn’t seen a copy of this draft yet. StarTribune supposedly got their hands on a long-range planning document discussing that zoning will be reduced from allowing 4-plexes to only allowing tri-plexes, but this has not been confirmed, since the draft hasn’t been released. Other dates to keep in mind:
    – Planning Commission Meeting – October 29th (evening time)
    – Public Hearing – November 13th (evening time)
    – Final Vote to adopt/not adopt plan – December 7th (likely in the morning, 9am)
    Early voting starts this Friday, September 21st at the early voting center downtown Minneapolis. Additional early voting centers will open up on October 29th – locations TBD.
    Other 2 referendums on the ballot- (1) Raise the current levy for the school board for operating expenses (2) New levy to fund technology for the school.
    Upcoming meeting called “Palmisano Presents: City Budget” will take place on Monday, September 24th

  • Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan & SW Service Area Master Plan project updates – Medeline Hudek: Madeline works for the Minneapolis Park Board.
  • Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan – It will set a 30 year vision for improvements to the Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail. It will guide how construction funds are spent on new facilities, reconstructing facilities, and rehabilitation. There’s a general online survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/minnehaha_parkway_community_input) for residents to engage and give feedback on what to include along the parkway. You can see comments people have made so far. Next community advisory meeting will take place on October 4th. During this meeting, there will be a big general discussion and then breakout into four smaller groups to allow people to discuss certain segments of the parkway. Plan to have master plan wrapped up by Q2 of 2019. Gave out postcards and flyers with more information.

 

    • SW Service Area Master Plan project update – They’ve done a bunch of community engagement this summer. Wrapping up phase 1 of engagement and will have a “data jam” at next Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on October 16th at Kenwood Community Center from 6-8pm. Will have a design week from November 13-16, 2018. During the earlier part of this week, there will be another community meeting. Later in the week, there will be open house where folks can see the designs that were created.

President’s Report – No major updates. Still getting acclimated to the role. Has some ideas to enhance bylaws, but will discuss at a later time.

 

Secretary Report – Tyler motioned to approve July minutes via e-mail on 7/17. Seconded by Judy Vecere. Approved by the board.

Treasurer Report – Latest financials emailed to the board. Let Judy know if you have questions.

Park Update, Nikki Friederich –  

  • Free pumpkin giveaway by the Kelly O’Neill real estate team on October 13th @ 10am at Sunnyside Gardens.
  • Halloween Party – Friday, October 26th, 6-8:30pm – DJ booked; bouncy house; mini donuts and coffee. Asking the board to cover the expense for the horse & wagon ride of $900. Motion approved by the board.
  • Sports update — Have 15 flag football teams this year and range from 2nd-7th graders. Teamed up with USA Football – kids are wearing Vikings jerseys. Will be out on the field this Saturday wearing their purple. Have 19 soccer teams. Kindergarten to 8th grade. There are 50 volunteer coaches this year – amazing! Basketball will begin November 7th.
  • Teamed up with Community Education – offering adult gentle yoga class – Tuesday mornings starting October 2nd from 10-11am.

 

Plan Modification Vote to approve the following:

ANA proposes reallocating a total of $20,247.83 of Program from Phase I home improvement program strategy (Housing 1.A.2). Funds would be reallocated as follows:

$20,000 to our Phase II Community Safety strategy (Safety 1.2.1.) for the purpose of establishing a safety rebate program for home and business owners, and

$247.83 to our Improve Park Facilities Neighborhood Priority (Neighborhood Priorities 2.1.8.) to support the renovation of the Washburn Tot Lot.
Additionally, ANA is requesting access to $16,752.17 of Neighborhood Priority Reserve funds for use in the previously approved Improve Park Facilities Neighborhood Priority for the Washburn Tot Lot.

Motion to approve the plan modification above. Motion approved by the board.

 

Homeowner Variance Requests:
Discussion of most recent fence variance request we received as a board via e-mail. It was thought that the resident requesting this recent fence variance is being proactive and trying to get ANA’s support – compared to the previous variance request where the resident was asking for the fence variance after the fence was constructed, which the board didn’t take a stance on. However, Ariana made mention that this fence has already been built, as well – similar to the last case. Joel mentioned that the variance request is asking for the current fence to be extended (the yard is not fully enclosed / fence not all the way up to the house). The board agrees that we shouldn’t take a stance or get involved in this. Nikki will draft up a letter to give residences stating that we don’t take a stance on variance matters, while also giving them direction or advice (i.e. letters of support from neighbors, etc.).

 

Committee Updates —

  • Community Engagement —
    • Washburn Park Update – Construction starting soon
    • Happy Hour at Red Wagon – Last happy hour on 9/11 went well. Attendance has been great. Cleaned up rental agreement – just now a straight $200. We can perhaps do a better job of tipping the waiters/waitresses. Having name tags would be good for the next happy hour.
      Motion to move next happy hour from November 6th to November 13th (7-9PM) due to Voting Day occurring on November 6th this year. Approved by the board.
    • Welcome Bags – All is good. Stuff came in. New residents are liking them.  
  • Green Team —
    • A dozen rain gardens were installed this year.
    • Late August installation timing seems to have affected people’s interest of installing a rain garden on their property
    • Send Tara Brown any recommendations or feedback on rain gardens and she will bring it to the Green Team to discuss and come up with a proposal/game plan for this for next year.
  • Summer Festival —
    • Went well, but was super hot!
    • Cost us the ANA $500-1000 to host the event this year
    • No carnival games this year — no complaints on that. Discussion of not having them next year.
    • May have had too many volunteers this year.
    • Complaints on lack of shade.
    • Need to tighten up square footage of the festival – too spread out. Discussion on moving food trucks onto the field and the car show up the parking lot to where the food trucks were this year.
    • Discussion on the location of the stage. Consideration of moving the stage next year so people can hear and the acts can engage with festival go-ers and the kids.
    • Discussion on the cost-effectiveness and interest of the musicians. May be cheaper to bring in a DJ next year.
    • Some neighbors think it’s just a kids festival. Doing some more adult-related activities, such as a softball tournament, would engage those without kids. Ryan brought up maybe doing a “theme” each year, such as a 80’s theme, 90’s theme, etc.
    • One of the residents had a situation/conversation with a vendor who felt the vendor racially discriminated against them. Went on social media to discuss the situation.
  • Safety —
    • Rebate program update – Program is getting good traction. Will put a blurb about the program in the next newsletter. A few safety updates residents did and got reimbursed for: security locks, smoke detectors, steel doors, security systems, cameras, motion sensor lights, etc. Discussion of including Settergrens when sharing the program with the community.
  • Micro-Grant Program —
    • Adriana and Stephanie will be getting together to summarize the ideas that were presented by residents earlier this spring. Will put the ideas into five different categories.

 

Coordinator Update

  • New ANA number is 612-466-0296; forwards to Nikki’s cell phone
    Will put the new number in the next newsletter
  • October 2040 Meeting – Discussion to see if want to have a neighborhood discussion of the 2040 Plan after our October ANA meeting. Would be joint with the Kenny Neighborhood Association.
  • Bylaws – Received bylaws from the city, but some changes need to be made. Nikki will send out a doodle to the ANA so we can put together a time to go through the bylaws and discuss what changes need to be made.
  • November charity event and tree lighting — Discussion if we should do a tree lighting again this year. If we’re doing it, Nikki would like to promote it in the October newsletter. Seems to be a successful event each year, so the board agreed to replicate what we did last year.
    Motion to approve the amount needed (same amount approved last year) for the tree lighting this year. Motion approved by the board.
  • October newsletter – Featured ANA board member this time will be Adriana Dobrzycka.
  • Nice Ride parking zone request — Discussion on where the Nice Ride zone should be in the neighborhood, if we even want one. Armatage Park would be a good spot.
  • 2020 Work Groups update

New Business – None

Meeting Adjourned: 8:35PM

Next Meeting: October 16th  • 6:30pm

 

July 17, 2018 Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes

Date: July 17, 2018
Called to Order: 6:35PM
Presided by: Joel Federer (President)
Note taker: Tyler Mulcahey, Secretary

In attendance: Joel Federer, Tyler Mulcahey, Stephanie Vigen, Judy Vecere, Michael Kootsikas, Adriana Dobrzycka,

Other attendees: Rachel Ireland-Henry, Eli Johnson

Absent: Nikki Lindberg (Excused) Ryan Antkowiak (Excused), Jim Hoch (Excused), Laurel Luxenberg (Excused), Kelly Falsani, Tara Brown

East Phillips – N/A, Rep wasn’t in attendance

President’s Report – Thank you for electing me. Welcome to board, Adriana & Tyler! Will continue the same style of running the board as the previous President. Would like the board to be welcoming so everyone feels they can bring up ideas and concerns to the board. As a member of the board, per Robert’s Rules, the President is allowed to vote and the president intends to exercise those rights. However, the president will try to avoid making and seconding motions, except perhaps, for motions that are important to him.

Want to use social media more to promote events, initiatives, garage sale, etc. to residents.  Tyler to help with Nextdoor posts. Joel is helping to promote events more on Facebook. Joel requests the help of other board members to spread the word through social sharing and making suggestions for future posts.

Michael brought up that it may be a good idea to boost posts or pay for ads to get more exposure on Facebook for our events. Joel not sure how expensive or beneficial it would be to do so – something to look into.

Bios on the ANA website for some board members may be outdated, so if anyone would like to update their bios, send updated bio to Adriana for edits/proof who will then send to Nikki/Joel to add to the website. Please write your bios in Third Person for consistency.

Secretary Report – Laurel Luxenberg motioned to approve June minutes via e-mail on 7/16. Seconded by Judy Vecere. Approved by the board.

Treasurer Report – Latest financials emailed to the board. Let Judy know if you have any questions

  • 990 – Sent out via e-mail for the board to review. No one had edits or changes as of today, but if you see any changes that need to be made, please let Judy know ASAP.
  • How can we start utilizing or bucketing the extra money we have for future use? How broad of a category can we have to allocate the money? Are we able to get the ideas that were generated from the community during May’s meeting? (Adriana will request these ideas from Nikki, as Nikki previously put these ideas into categories). Judy’s personal suggestion is to have one of the monthly meetings dedicated to talking about this, or set up a separate meeting, because we cannot resolve this in the normal allotted time for the Treasurer Report.
    • May need to form a subcommittee to go through ideas and bring them to the board

Park Update, Nikki Friederich –  

  • Movie Night (July 9th) Mighty Ducks Close to 300 people in attendance. People went all out and brought blow up beds. Was done by 11PM and didn’t go super late. Great movie.
  • Next movie is in Kenny Park on Thursday, August 16th – Movie: Coco (Disney movie)
  • Falls sports registration open
    • Expanded flag football program. Taking program into city-wide effort with traveling league – new this year.
  • Submitted food permit for the ANA Festival today. Once she gets confirmation, she will forward it on.

Committee Updates

Community Engagement

  • Washburn Park Update – No update
  • Happy Hour at Red Wagon – Last happy hour had a good turn out – one of the best in our history of hosting happy hours.
    • Motion to move next happy hour from Sept 4th to Sept 11th (7-9PM) due to Labor Day occurring on Sept 3rd this year. Approved by the board.
  • Welcome Bags – Got Book Club to give postcards to add to the bags.
    • Previously got $450 during previous meeting to purchase frisbees, post-it notes, and magnets. Motion for additional money – up to $100 (for total of $550) — to buy approximately 200 frisbees, 250 post-it notes, 250 magnets all with ANA logo on it, which should cover 2 years’ worth of items needed for the bags. With a larger quantity per order, the lower price per item. We can get more bang for our buck. Motion approved by the board.

 Green Team

  • Rain Garden installation delay (July 30-August 1) – There might be a few spots open due to some residents dropping out with the changes in the date. Green team / Laurel would have the list.

Summer Festival (August 12th)

  • ANA, tickets, & volunteer check-in – Still looking for some volunteers for tickets and volunteer check-ins, so if you know anyone that may be willing to help out, let Nikkie (ANA Coordinator) know.
    • Adriana to help with tickets
    • Eli Johnson willing to volunteer an hour or two of his time, as well
  • ArtStart coming to allow kids to make take and go wearable crafts. They will have people there to help with this.

Safety

  • Rebate programs – Information on the program will be going out to the neighborhood via the monthly newsletter in the next week or so. Tyler to post about the program on Nextdoor and Joel will post about the program on Facebook.
  • Micro-grant program – Nothing to discuss right now, but something to think about and bring up in the future.
    • Nikki sent out example micro-grant program from Whittier neighborhood via e-mail to look over.
    • Adriana is interested in discussing this further

New Business

  •  Joel received an e-mail today from NCR that they’ve extended the application period for the NCEC District 2 seat to August 31st. Please apply and/or help get the word out to residents about the position. Need help filling this position.
    • Judy & Adriana thought that Denis had expressed interest in filling the spot and had his board term exception granted. This position appears to be a second seat other than the one Denis filled.
    • The board would like clear understanding of what the seat responsibilities are
  • Discussion was had about whether or not the Board should have a stance on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Many on the Board believe that we should be here for guidance or to direct residents to the appropriate parties, but should not have a stance on the issue. We should also assist with getting information out to residents so they are aware of how to provide their input and/or know how to find out more information.
    • Nextdoor would be a great way to provide residents with more information on the 2040 Plan. Joel will send Tyler info and a link to post to Nextdoor.

Meeting Adjourned: 7:31PM

Next Meeting: September 18 • 6:30pm