[bwna] retreat minutes, 4/29/02

[bwna@bwna.org]

See you tonight at the board meeting!

Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association
board retreat
29 April 2002

In attendance: Willie Nolan, Debra Kennedy, Margaret Davis, Helen Koba, Heidi Blischke, Jose Escobar, Dale Griggs, Bill Markwart, Dave Whitaker, Patrick Sweeney, Ted Perkins, Melissa Ritter, Mario Caoile

Absences: Jeanne Federovitch (excused), Jim Karlock (excused), Janet Baker (excused), Roger Meyer

Debra Kennedy called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m.

Current projects: 

Small home tour: Jose Escobar reported that the small home tour has been postponed, possibly until this fall. He said that some homeowners said they might participate next year, but only 8 houses and 4 gardens had been recruited. The goal would be to have about 15 houses, survey them, and then make a final cut for the tour itself. 

Fremont Fest: Margaret Davis will again chair the committee responsible for BWNA’s presence at the event. It is Saturday, August 3.

Picnic: Jose said he and Baer Charlton will co-chair the committee. The picnic is August 6, a Tuesday.

Bulky Waste Project: Willie Nolan said the new date would be sometime this fall. He attended the CNN meeting about the project.

Newsletter: Helen Koba said that she and Mario Caoile are always looking for ideas for stories and new writers. Jose encouraged people to help deliver the newsletter. Captains are also needed to distribute the newsletters to the deliverers. Jeanne Federovitch will be out in July and will need help getting that newsletter out.

Debra mentioned that we should think of a way to honor those who deliver the newsletter, perhaps with certificates of appreciation at the neighborhood picnic.

Jose asked about including real estate activity information in the newsletter. He said the data was very easy to put together. The board talked about putting the info up on the Web site and referencing it in the newsletter.

Helen said ad revenue was healthy. The cost to print 3,000-3,100 issues is $750. If we run 24 ads, we break even.

Web site: Helen reported on the Web site committee. She said they welcomed ideas and suggestions for new features. Bill Markwart talked about increasing access to the site, mainly helping residents to know that it’s out there. More promotion could happen via the newsletter and the Internet.

Ted Perkins mentioned the trove of photos at the Oregon Historical Society for an old-photo feature for the Web site.

Debra wondered if a question about the Web site should be on the survey. Bill agreed and mentioned the usefulness of the newsletter archive on the Web site.

Survey: Debra asked about the feasibility of mailing it to every resident in the neighborhood. Others asked if it should be inserted in the newsletter and mentioned setting up drop-off boxes at local businesses. Next newsletter comes out first weekend in June. Residents could return/submit the survey in the following ways: bring to July meeting, drop off at boxes at neighborhood businesses, fill out online survey, or mail it in.

New Neighbor Packets: Liz Johnston and Jennifer Schramm are taking over the project. Debra will invite Liz to the next board meeting.

Crime Prevention and Public Safety: Bill talked about the Melissa Bittler case. He will continue to develop an e-mail alert list and talked about the phone tree list (which still works for the neighborhood, especially the elderly). Police will call a block of residents if there’s something to alert them about. Debra suggested Bill write about the activities in the newsletter.

Debra also stressed the importance of having our neighborhood liaison officer attend the neighborhood meetings. Debra asked Bill to remind the officer of the meetings. If the officer is not available, then we should invite the crime prevention specialist from CNN. She said it was helpful to get data about crime and advice about crime trends and awareness.

Bill mentioned ongoing problems with drinking and late-night activity in Wilshire Park. Car break-ins are common, he said. Jose asked about the regular crime prevention report that we used to see.

Bill will continue as chair of the crime prevention and safety committee. He attends one or two meetings a month with police.

Litter: Patrick Sweeney talked about a stretch of Northeast Beech Street that gets lots of garbage and what can be done with the local convenience store and a gaggle of customers. He also mentioned incidents of public urination. Debra suggested calling the police right away on the latter issue and dealing one-on-one with the store owner and the people littering.

Graffiti: Diane and Baer Charlton have agreed to continue work on the issue.

Bylaws: Debra mentioned that we have two too many at-large board members. She recommended that others go through the bylaws to suggest any other changes that should be made. Jose and Dale Griggs volunteered to help review the bylaws. Suggested changes will be presented at the next board meeting.

Land Use Project: Debra suggested the need to follow up on the work done by the PSU study group. A committee should also address transportation needs and send a representative to the CNN meetings. Heidi Blischke, Melissa Ritter and David Whitaker want to help out, and Patrick will head up the committee. Willie explained the need for a design overlay so we could help shape coming development in the neighborhood.

City Council/Metro: Debra suggested that we form a government committee to build a presence in city and regional government. She’ll bring up the topic with CNN first.

Schools: Debra suggested we work more closely with Beaumont Middle School to see what help they might need. Help could, for example, come in the form of scholarship money or a fund-raiser for school supplies. Bill mentioned inviting principals to our meetings. New principal at Beaumont is coming in the fall.

Seniors: Jose talked about services for seniors. He talked about assembling a list of services/resources that could be distributed to seniors in the neighborhood. He will continue to work on the issue.

Neighborhood Emergency Teams: Jose talked about the six-week training program to become a certified team member. Liz, the BWNA contact for NET, will be invited to talk about NET at the next board meeting as well. Bill talked about a meeting on the 16th to check out Bethany Lutheran Church as a disaster meeting area.

Beaumont Business Association: Jose will continue to go to the meetings, and Willie will act as a substitute. Helen asked for an update on neighborhood banners. Jose said permitting may have been an issue.

Bike Parking: Margaret Davis will research what’s involved in getting an artful rack installed. Beaumont Hardware was cited as a potential location.

Melissa said committees should be promoted in the newsletter to give neighborhood residents a chance to participate.

Retreat was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

Projects:

Bylaws: Debra, Jose, Dale, Ted
Land Use/Transportation: Melissa, David, Heidi, Patrick
Fremont Fest: David, Lisa Chiba, Willie, Jose, Hiedi?, Margaret (chair)
Picnic: Dale, Lisa Chiba, Willie, Jose and Baer Charlton (co-chairs)
Bulky Waste: Willie
Web Site: Helen, Bill, Ted
School Projects: Melissa, Heidi, Ted
Seniors: Dale, Ted, Willie, Jose
Small Homes Tour: Jose, Margaret, Melissa (chair)
BWNA Business Association: Jose, Willie
Crime Prevention: Bill