Neighborhood Planning Council 1 - Post-Franklin

POST/FRANKLIN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL Doris Hale Facility 100 Green Street Thursday, October 3, 2024 @ 7:00 PM James Moreno called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm at the Doris Hale Facility. Attendance: Members Present: Mary Fields, Cindy Fritz, Pamela Geleff, Andre Hoaglin-Jackson, James Moreno, Kjersten Sullivan, Yvonne Powell, Pat Shellenberger, Faye Washington Members Excused: Ryan Hoaglin-Jackson, LaMarr Mingle, City Staff/Commissioners: Eric Haines, BCFD, Rebecca Fleury, City Manager, Jenasia Morris, Ward 2 Commissioner, Tommy Engels, Code Compliance, Helen Guzzo, Director Community Development, Cpl. Shea O’Bryant, BCPD, Patrick O’Donnell, Ward 3 Commissioner Guests and Visitors: John Kenefick, Quinton Hay, CCLB, Amy R Robinson, CCLB, Krista Trout-Edwards, Executive Director CCLB Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: None Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes: Motion to approve the September 5, 2024, minutes was made by Cindy Fritz, seconded by Andre Hoaglin-Jackson. Motion carried. Correspondence and Announcements: Land Reuse Strategy work with the Land Bank continues before the start of our normal monthly meetings at 6pm. Next meeting is 11/7 at 6 pm. Doris Hale is officially our regular meeting location. Committee and Staff Reports Code: Tommy Engels distributed the code compliance. Since we are neighbors with Emmitt Township, he shared the number for their code compliance officer, 269-968-0241 ex. 8. Two addresses on Lathrop were raised as needing attention, one for junk cars and another for hazardous trees; addresses given to Tommy for follow up. There was a conversation about evictions taking place on the day after trash pickup, leading to trash left on the curb for a week. It was clarified that the court determines eviction dates, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Concern about the Franklin area, houses and sidewalks are in very bad shape. Yay Tommy! Thanks for doing a great job on Lathrop! Police Report: Cpl. O’Bryant filled in while Cpl. Leach was on vacation. Cpl. O’Bryant distributed the crime analysis report, which was much appreciated. She reminded us that it is important to call dispatch to report problems so that there can be a history on record. She clarified concerns regarding type 1 and 2 crimes reported. She was thanked for bringing and distributing report to each member. Upcoming Faith and Blue events include Oct. 9 at Second Missionary Baptist, Oct. 19 at St. Mark CME on Illinois Street, and Oct. 24 at Trinity Lutheran Church on Cliff Street. Beautiful Battle Creek: 236 Lathrop - made by Mary Fields, seconded by Pamela Geleff. Motion carried. Membership: Remember to invite your neighbors, we’re always looking for new members. Commissioner Comments: Jenasia Morris, Ward 2 Commissioner, gave an update on Ride Calhoun, the rebranded name for the Transportation Authority of Calhoun County (TACC). Information on Ride Calhoun can be found at their website, www.ridecalhoun.org. A study of transit in Calhoun County found multiple providers and no coordination across the county, so there is a need to streamline services. In Battle Creek, bus service stops at 3pm and doesn’t run on weekends. After the pilot BC Go system exceeded its ability to provide transportation, it s clearly demonstrated there was an unmet need. Ride Calhoun has a ballot proposal for 2.66 mileage on the November ballot to pay for the proposed countywide system. All the townships opted out, remaining in are the cities of Battle Creek, Springfield, Marshall, and Albion. With the townships opting out, there was questions of why BC should stay in. Commissioner Morris shared that if BC opts out and the rest of the county goes ahead with it, BC will not be eligible for state or federal funding for transit and would be on our own. Drivers under BC Transit would be picked up by this new initiative. TACC meets in Marshall because it is centrally located for the county, and their meetings are open to the public. Old Business: Fire Station Workshop The fire station counterproposal was discussed at the fire station workshop. Resolution 560 was approved at the October 1st City Commission meeting; which allows the planning and discussion work to proceed on fire station improvements/modifications. Discussion on the changes are ongoing and per City Manager and Commission, it is not a done deal. New Business: Nominating committee: Pat Shellenberger, Cindy Fritz, and Yvonne Powell agreed to serve as the nominating committee. A motion to approve the nominating committee was made by Andre Hoaglin-Jackson, second by Pamela Geleff. Motion approved. Member Comments: Thank you everyone for being here Public Comment: Eric Haines from the fire department shared there have been many changes in the Fire Department recently and Chief Bagley wants us to know that they continue to be active. Next week is Fire Prevention Week. There is an open house at the fire station on Saturday, and the department is visiting schools as part of the Fire Prevention Week. The Fire Department once again has a grant to install smoke detectors, three per home. They are doing neighborhood blitzes, but you can also request a visit. Call 966-3519 to schedule with the Fire Department. Helen Guzzo from Community Services shared that the city is beginning work on the Consolidated Plan, she will be back in November to discuss further. Also, the Upholdings project is waiting on the next round of funding approval; this will determine if the project moved forward. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:24pm. Next Scheduled Meeting: Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 7 pm, Doris Hale Facility. Land Bank Land Reuse Strategy Meeting at 6pm. Respectfully submitted, Kjersten Sullivan