Neighborhood Planning Council 11 - Lakeview east

Meeting Minutes Minges Brook/Riverside Neighborhood Planning Council (NPC) #11 Central Christian Church Community Room 713 Riverside Drive Battle Creek, MI 49015 Wednesday, April 25, 2018 1. 7:00 PM – Welcome and opening – Randall Champlin 2. Attendance sheet: Coleen Jewell, Dan Dave Hawks, Fran O’Neil, Frank Egland, Jan Frantz, Leah Ortiz, Linda Phelps, Nola Baker, Randall Champlin, Rudy Barda, Sally Goss, Talia Champlin, Tate Trujillo, Tim Martinovich, Tina Yost, City Rep: Yolanda Johnson, Battle Creek Police Department Rep: Officer S. O’Bryant, County Commissioner Jake Smith, City Commissioners Chris Simmons, Mayor Mark Behnke, Joan Grieger, Dawn Hawks, Eric Campbell, City of Battle Creek, Don Bradstreet 3. Additions or deletions to this agenda: None 4. Approval of the previous month’s meeting’s minutes. Tina Yost moved to approve and Leah Ortiz supported the motion. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Correspondence sent/received – Some information was received regarding the proposed Chicken Ordinance that would be shared later in the meeting. 6. City staff reports: City staff reports and Commissioner Comments:  County Commissioners’ reports: Commissioner Jake Smith reported that the County’s top priority is finding the right person to head the transportation department. An interview committee has been formed, and the person needs to be able to manage the new $18 million road improvement allocation, put a contract in place for road workers, and oversee the procurement of appropriate garage space for newly-purchased equipment. Commissioner Smith will be running for re-election, and hopes he is known for being honest and transparent, and he never misses a meeting, and he holds coffee hours. He hopes he has served well, and hopes to carry on.  City Commissioners’ reports: Mayor Behnke and Commissioner Simmons were both in attendance. Commission Simmons reported that the City approved $1.8million for city street resurfacing. Compliments to the DPW who, with minimum resources, have done a great job with innovative treatments such as chip sealing, allowing them to preserve many more lane miles than would otherwise be possible. He lamented that potholes are usually in State-maintained roads, but this prevents the City from getting the high grades on road maintenance that he feels they deserve. Question about safety of chip sealing for pets and bare feet. Two different applications – the first can be walked on it immediately; the second coat, liquid asphalt binder, needs about two hours to dry. Comment regarding strips of asphalt that were put in cracks, but then peeled back up in ribbons by snow plows and thrown in people’s yards. Comment regarding manhole covers not being level with road. City Manager now has the resolution of this issue in her performance objectives. Manholes spin slightly every time they are hit, and gradually are  displaced. City has been experimenting with a new type of manhole cover, and their performance seems promising. Comment regarding the fact that these are very old problems, and there should be processes in place to avoid repetitive problems. City should provide more incentives for incoming businesses. In response to these concerns, commission has set up incentives for the City Manager to address these issues.  Police Department Report: Officer O’Bryant reported that we do not yet have a drone, as research continues on the right equipment. The speed measurement device has been put out in two areas in our NPC – one on Golden and one on Capital. The written report provided indicates that speed on the streets is not excessive (although definitely higher than the limit.) Only 11 Part 1 crimes occurred in our NPC in February. Part 2 crimes – only 9 in February. The report also showed 53 foot patrols and 15 traffic stops in the area. It is documented that police presence deters crime, so foot patrols have been ramped up because of the increased larceny in the areas. Question regarding level of mail theft. Officer O’Bryant believes the offender has been caught. Suggestion that mailboxes be moved closer to houses. Post Office is run by the Federal Government, and City does not have any authority in this area. Thanks expressed to the Police Department for help with traffic at Riverside Elementary – things are much better. Question regarding homeless under overpass by 94 and Beckley, gentleman camping out at Capital and Mason. Comment regarding panhandlers typically at Columbia and Capital were seen drinking after their “shift”. Suggestion that people not give panhandlers money. They are not breaking the laws when they beg on public streets or drink on private property, but giving them money perpetuates the behaviors.  City Representative Report: Yolanda Johnson handed out a report on code violations along with a community service newsletter. Recreational vehicles in front of the house must be parked on improved surfaces – concrete or asphalt – as opposed to the grass. Vehicles may be parked on any surface in back yard. She thinks the newsletter offers answers to many often-asked questions. Question regarding the condition of yards in the neighborhood. You can always call Yolanda and she will issue citations without disclosing who called in the complaint. If the property is not owner-occupied, she cites the tenant and informs the owner of record. DPW, Room 117, has free bags for wrapping mattresses. Question regarding the maintenance of back yards. Ordinance covers front and back yards. 7. Committee reports:  Beautiful Battle Creek Award Nominations – Dave Hawks has nominated Chris and Lori Barton, 476 East Hamilton Lane, 269-967-2545. House has been refurbished and they are working on the yard.  Neighborhoods and Land Use – John Godfrey – No new agenda items, so meeting was canceled.   NPC 11 Programs – Open Position  Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee update - Randall Champlin / John Godfrey – This committee is working on changes to the City Charter. Election of mayor and vice mayor – preliminary preference is for direct election of mayor and vice mayor. Consensus is that we would keep 9 commissioners, but 7 would be ward commissioners and only mayor and vice mayor would be at-large. No staggering of terms. Responsibilities of mayor and vice mayor would stay the same. Committee’s work may be done as early as this coming month, and then the report will go to the Commission. Comment that changing the wards didn’t seem like a good idea. Comment regarding disenfranchising voters – right now each voter votes on a total of 5 commissioners and the new method would only allow each voter a say in the election of 3 commissioners. Feedback can be given to the City by Survey Monkey on line or by filling in a paper survey provided in your water bill. 8. Old business:  2018/2019 NPC 11 Officer Nominations - Nominating Committee: Tina Yost and Leah Ortiz gave the following recommendations:  Nominees for Chair – Leah Ortiz and Tate Trujillo;  Vice Chair – Tina Yost and James Hamlin..  Position of Secretary is open. Minutes do NOT need to be anywhere near as detailed as Talia does them, and she encouraged someone to step up to the position.  June, July, Aug NPC 11 Meetings. Discussion on whether one summer meeting should be designated as an alternative such as a project or social event/picnic. There was enthusiasm for a social event to help neighbors know each other on a more personal level. Sally Goss volunteered to set it a social gathering, suggested Chapel Hill location, and proposed everyone would bring a dish to pass. Comment regarding the fun and benefits of neighborhood gatherings. Comment that the NPC might be too large an area to build those relationships. Suggestion that each member bring a neighbor who doesn’t normally come to NPCs. Eric Campbell will help with reservation of space. 9. New business:  Monthly informational Program: Eric Campbell, City Civil Engineer reported on upcoming street improvements in the NPC 11 area. Budget concerns have restricted the number of projects this year. Last year, Eric had the contractor experiment with several types of stone used in the chip sealing process, and has chosen a particularly successful product. Work in our NPC will take place May 15 – July 30. Crack fill starts May 7, but only on roads that are going to get chip sealing. 2-3 lane miles can be chip sealed for every 1 lane mile that needs a complete resurfacing. Eric laid out exact procedures, and has asked us to report deviations from the process outlined. He gave us a map of streets that will addressed this season. Weeks Ave is getting a complete resurface. There is an unresolved leaking problem, and the department will be putting in a 12” main, along with new base and 3 layers of asphalt. A piece of Cascade Drive will be resurfaced. Door hangers are placed on doors 24 hours before work begins to alert residents so they can plan accordingly. Question on who we should call regarding  potholes NOT on the streets to be resurfaced. Call 966-3343, ask for one of the Todds, and report location. Question regarding the surfacing in Europe – cheaper and better – but the technology isn’t here yet. Suggestion that contractors should be asked to give references of projects 10-15 years old to evaluate the longevity of their work. New treatment being tried in NPC 3, similar to runways, liquid emulsion that is sprayed over the road, and then a sand emulsion to keep it from being slippery. Suggestion that the work actually be viewed, and contractors or processors not be adopted just because they are recommended. Jan and Tina offered to go to Europe for due diligence research on road surfaces.  City’s Animal Ordinance: At the City Commission’s regular meeting on Tuesday, May 2, changes to the city’s animal ordinance will be introduced for public comment, and possibly for a vote. The draft language would allow for the raising of rabbits, hens, goats or bees in urban areas, given that enough land is available. Joan Grieger complimented John Godfrey and Mark Jones on a great job in getting the marijuana variance defeated. The meeting during which the Farm Ordinance will be introduced is 7pm on May 1. Opinion is that the number of people in attendance is not as important as having people who know what they are talking about. Fran O’Neill went door-to-door in the area and found 28 residents against the concept of urban farming, 4 in support, 2 where the family was split. She found the All Species Kinship Report on City’s website very helpful. Comment that enforcement capacity is deficient and unprepared for the additional challenges and workload. No environmental impact study has been done. Chicken waste attracts parasites. Chickens attract predators such as foxes and feral cats. In defense of the ordinance, Commissioner Simmons said only 20 permits will be issued as an experiment to see how it would work. Reminder that residents can’t have chickens in a neighborhood with a home owner’s association unless the association allows them. Allowing urban farming may signal a more progressive environment. Chicago, Grand Rapids, and most other major municipalities allow chickens. Comment that the expense doesn’t usually justify the efforts. We can’t take care of our dogs and cats; how will we take care of our chickens? Question regarding what benefits accrue to homeowners.  Motion by Fran O’Neill that NPC 11 notify the City that NPC 11 is in opposition to the proposed ordinance. Coleen Jewell seconded.  Discussion: Comment that the NPC is too diverse a population and our attendance is too small to speak for the whole NPC.  Emphasis that this is just a pilot program.  Motion carried with 11 in favor, 5 opposed and 1 abstention. 10. Public comments: None 11. Member Comments: None 12. Next Month’s Meeting: 7:00PM Wednesday, May 23, at Central Christian Church, 713 Riverside Drive. Program: TBD 13. Adjournment: There being no further business, Randall Champlin adjourned the meeting at 8:48pm.