Neighborhood Planning Council 2 - North Central

Monday, the 14th of April, 2025 Meeting Minutes NORTHCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #2 Washington Heights – Hub of Hope, 153 N. Wood St. *Please note there was not a quorum at this meeting. 1. Call to Order & Welcome: 6:04 pm Pastor French. Welcomes. Introductions and one thing to celebrate today. 2. Attendance: NPC 2 Members (E = Excused - notified an officer/member, X = Present, O = Absent): E Mary Bourgeois E Church of Scientology (Jeff Breedlove – Secretary) O Frank Drury O Faith Temple COGIC (Joe Hooper) X Dr. Monique French - Chair O Grace Health (Eric Gestring ) O Samuel Gray X Larz Martin-Bey - Vice Chair X Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek/NIBC (Whitney Wardell) O Bettie Robertson O Gary McKinley O Ron Sweet O Prentice Thompson O Karen Todd X Cynthia Wyatt O Andre Robinson O Debra Evans X Shanay Settles O Rodney Beckham Guests: X Jim Moreno X Bernard Gladney X Valerie English X Domonic Sparks X Gale Canales City Representation: X Cpl. O’Bryant X Brian Gandy – Code Compliance Officer X TR Stevens BC schools 3. Adoption of the Agenda: If everyone take a minute and look over the agenda, this will be the agenda that we have before us. We won't vote on the agenda, so we'll just move through it. If there are any additions from any of the voting members, if you'd like to add any additions, we'll just ask that if you would do that when we get to the old or the new business, if you'd like to speak to that at that time. So looking at the agenda, we can't vote on it, but we can note that the agenda is adopted if we can just do it by verbal agreement. All those in favor, any opposed, say the same. Thank you. So the minutes, if you had an opportunity, you should have received a copy of the minutes. They should have been with the agenda before you. So you can take a minute and look at the agenda and the minutes should have received a copy of those. Everybody receive a copy of the minutes. 4. Approval / Amendment of Minutes: Jim Moreno’s name was spelled wrong. And he had that spelled in the minutes. Okay, so we'll have a good we'll have a correction. All right, thank you. 5. Correspondence (sent/received) & Announcements: Pastor French: The correspondence that we have received, I'll share the following with you. Helen guzzle from the city of Battle Creek. She reached out they will be having a public hearing on tomorrow at the City Commission meeting. So I'm asking that if you are able, if you would please attend that public hearing meeting, because they'll be talking about the housing and community development needs for 2025 and 2026 and I printed out the information that I received because their proposed budget for 2025 Mailing Address: City Hall, 10 N. Division St., Room 104, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Phone: (269) 966-3315 Fax: (269) 441-0380 Web: www.battlecreekmi.gov  Monday, the 14th of April, 2025 Meeting Minutes NORTHCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #2 Washington Heights – Hub of Hope, 153 N. Wood St. the Community Development Block Grant program they're proposing for general administration $122,000 for neighborhood planning administration, which will be 10% at $122,000 now I circled this, and I wanted to share this with NPC too, because, you know, when I see something I like to share with you, it says the city function. This particular portion of the grant will function to provide the necessary management to conduct specific studies for planning and development of the Consolidated Plan, including support for neighborhood planning councils and other community boards, commissions and committees. This function also covers environmental review and fair housing activities, so it'll be important for you all if you can to show up so that you can hear if you have any questions, you'll be able to address at the public hearing. Also in that budget, they have a neighborhood code compliance, which is at $250,000 they have housing rehabilitation for minor home repairs, that is 439 $110,000 and then they have housing rehab, minor repair activities, delivery cost at $115,000 and I could pass this around, if you just want to take a quick look at it, but I just asked that, if you please, we could give that back to me. Um, public service grants, up to $180,000 that's the CDBG allocations. Um, so this particular portion of the estimated budget will be over a million dollars, proposed use of funds program here 2025, home Investment Partnerships, again, General Administration, 10% that would be $26,500 Cotto set aside at 15% that's $143,000 tenant based rental assistance, that's $98,000 so that particular portion of the partnership budget is estimated at $267,500 and then the home Investment Partnerships reallocation funds from previous years. And so that total is infield housing development. That's $489,357 and then down payment assistance at $200,000 so that portion will come to 689, 357 so I just passed that around real quickly. If you have opportunity and you want to learn more about that, please show up to the public hearing so that you can learn. And if you can address at that time, yes, and they're asking that you please show up. Okay, also, there will be a community development proclamation that will be presented during the regular commission meeting, City Commission meeting, so that will be presented at that time tomorrow, I will not be here to be in attendance, because tomorrow the county commission actually, we're having our meeting on a Tuesday, as opposed to a Thursday. We're having our equalization session. So I'll be at the county commission meeting on tomorrow. So I'm asking that please show up to the City Commission meeting and learn and let your voice be heard also, I had received correspondence from Lieutenant Martin. He was doing a project where he had to do a presentation. He asked for me to be here, to be there. I wasn't able to be there, because when he had that, I was scheduled to be at another meeting, in a conference. So I did reach out to Jeff so that MPC two could be represented. Jeff was present, and then also Jim Moreno was present. From MPC one, they heard the presentation. What they're looking to do is to use drones as part of the first responders program. It will be housed at the police station, and they'll just, they'll send it out when they're looking at two locations. Um, that call for 911, calls. Um, so he will do a full presentation at a later time. Um, this was something they were going over, and I know questions were brought up about people's privacy and stuff like that. So he went into um depth, and he covered um, how they'll be respectful of people's privacy is not what that's used for, but it will be used for 911 I'm in response to 911 so this is something that the presentation that he presented, and he shared that he'll do a full presentation at a later time. So those were the correspondence. We did make sure that we had coverage. I did reach out to Lars and make sure that we will have representation at the City Commission meeting tomorrow, because meeting everywhere, but we still will have representation. So we're asking you all to please show up and support that as well. (Please submit all correspondence/announcements in writing whenever possible) 6. Committee & City Staff Reports: a. Police Department/Fire Department: 1. Corp O’Bryant: gave you a copy of the stats from last month, but I created this sheet. I did this last year, and I was looking for it. I have a title. So I wanted you to be able to see your stats from 2024 until 2025 it's this sheet right here. Okay, so we're going to skip down to part one crimes, part one crimes, FBI label as your serious, more serious crimes. Okay, we had zero robberies this year, last month, burglaries, three larceny, retail fraud. And I apologize for not separating those two, I want to say those are all larcenies. Uda that's stolen vehicles to aggravated assaults, to CSC, those are Mailing Address: City Hall, 10 N. Division St., Room 104, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Phone: (269) 966-3315 Fax: (269) 441-0380 Web: www.battlecreekmi.gov  Monday, the 14th of April, 2025 Meeting Minutes NORTHCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #2 Washington Heights – Hub of Hope, 153 N. Wood St. sex crimes. Sexual criminal, criminal, sexual conduct and arson zero, I believe I the personal crimes, MV, O, P's. You can see here's four, obstruction police, obstructing justice. Obstructing police, obstructing justice. Somebody had a warrant, had a ticket, didn't pay the ticket, go to court, turns into a warrant. Get a warrant, don't show up for court. That's what obstructing justice is instructing the police is exactly what it is, juvenile crimes, non aggravated assaults. What is that? It's a simple assault, basic assault, bcsa, violation of controlled substance act, illegal drugs. There were six last month. Fraud, one. I added fleeing and where you see dw, LS, hit and run and flee, zero. Animal crimes, intimidation. I don't know why we have an uptick of intimidation. People are intimidating people. That intimidation can be based on a relationship that has broken up, and they're calling them, they're sending them threatening text message or social media doing threatening things, showing up at people's job, or it can be a racial thing. Last month, there were five abuse and neglect. Those are the families where a child is abused or neglected. And there was one, and then I mistyped that one at the bottom, it says conversation. That should be conservation. Unknown 23:42 When is that somebody is legal hunting or fishing without a license in our neighborhood? DNR, what would that be like? The deers? All the deers are running around down there at the water. Corp O’Bryant Okay, I don't know who wants something. And then at the top are the basic things we do, basic foot patrols. What did catch my eye is look at all of the traffic stops, right? You know, look at all of the traffic stops. So when I flip on the pie chart, on your chart back here, I can tell you the page, I apologize. I'm looking forward to you see you said patrols and traffic stops, probably the second to the last chart. So start at the beach at the back of your package, and it should be the third page says foot patrols and traffic stops. Out of all the neighborhoods we're like tied for two. If you want to know where Central is, Central is, we call that District F I know you guys don't know that is where K Mart used to be, all the way up to southwest capital beef Meacham, all the way over to Carl, all the Way back to Riverside. You see what I'm saying? That area that's a very busy area. They have been the highest in crime stats for a while, and it looks like we're tied with NPC four. What is four for the Coronavirus neighborhood? Monique French Okay, yeah, we went from four to two. Yeah, that's in traffic stops and foot patrols. And we really didn't have that many foot patrols, did we? Corp O’Bryant No, we just had four last month. Do not know. Cannot tell you why. What I can say is, for the past few years, we've been hiring a lot of officers, right? So part of them in their training is to do traffic stops. And how do you learn how to do a proper traffic stop? You just have to keep doing it. Okay? Unknown So is this area that they come to when they when they like this, this they practice. Is this the practice area? Corp O’Bryant Yeah, um, that's a good question, and I will take that back, or I will press appoint to ask those questions to to the sergeants or even the lieutenants in the area and say, Why are, why are our traffic stops so much more right? Because if we look at arrest, there's another chart, this chart, if we look at arrest, we are number we kind of tie for number three with post crank length. Usually post crank length, which is, you guys, the post edition. We're usually neck and neck. Okay? Right? But then you look at the I'm sorry, I'm about to take you to another chart. Then you look at your fourth chart, fourth page. It's the fourth page from the front. It's part one, part two, primes, and we are 1234, we're number four, where post Franklin is just above us, but three, MPC three, which is Mailing Address: City Hall, 10 N. Division St., Room 104, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Phone: (269) 966-3315 Fax: (269) 441-0380 Web: www.battlecreekmi.gov  Monday, the 14th of April, 2025 Meeting Minutes NORTHCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #2 Washington Heights – Hub of Hope, 153 N. Wood St. where Kmart used to be, that's still number one. And then four, which is Verona, is always above us. We can ask that. That's a good question to ask. Why are there so many more traffic stops in this area? Corp O’Bryant Not complaining because they do need to stop speed. And I know that's something that we have been bringing to this MPC for for a while to try to get especially down Greenwood, that was a lot of complaints, and we were getting calls about that. Could be it okay? When you guys get calls and you call the police department, they will say, we've gotten some complaints about people speeding. I when I'm working, it's usually eight to four. I sit at that I stopped like three people running that stop sign, literally running that stop sign at Parkway and Hubbard. I sit there. I live in I'm not hiding. I'm in plain sight. They literally just blow through that stop sign. If I pull you over, I usually give you a ticket, because if I got to waste my time to stop my car and get out my car, however, but when people complain, the officers, the road, sergeants on down, from the lieutenant on down, They will do it. That could be it, because we do get complaints. We've gotten a lot of complaints about loud music. You guys have any questions about the stats? No, I Unknown was going to ask with a traffic stop, was it? Does that mean a ticket was issued, or does that mean just a stop? Those are traffic stops. Okay? A lot of them could be warnings. A lot of officers give warnings. Because Unknown 29:45 I was going to ask, like, what are they being stopped? Like, what is the cause? Is it speeding? I just didn't know if it was. Corp O’Bryant That would be too big of a database for to do that, right? So we don't have those specifically got it. I'll let housing speak about that. But let me say this homeless encampments. I usually I didn't get to today, but I will tomorrow, the beginning of my shift every Monday, and then at the end of it, Thursday or Friday, whatever the last day of the week I worked, I write around to those places that homeless people had been utilizing as their space I had. Thank you. I have not seen them, but what I'm saying is, we don't have any leaves on the trees right now or on the bushes, so they're coming. If you see people walking back in a wooded area more times than not, when these leaves come, they're at a camp, they will be encamping. Need it reported. Don’t care if it’s public or private. If people let there animals get out and run loose, please call us. . b. Elected Officials: c. Neighborhood Services: Spring upon us. Looking at home repairs and painting. Believe city still has a paint program, you can get your paint. Has to be owner occupied. Going to start clean ups. d. Beautiful battle creek awards. None e. Membership: Names to nominate: Mailing Address: City Hall, 10 N. Division St., Room 104, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Phone: (269) 966-3315 Fax: (269) 441-0380 Web: www.battlecreekmi.gov  Monday, the 14th of April, 2025 Meeting Minutes NORTHCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #2 Washington Heights – Hub of Hope, 153 N. Wood St. f. Committees: none. g. Battle Creek Public Schools Looking for support on may 6th. Zero increase in bond. Will support us in maintenance. h. NIBC: Will be holding next home buyer information class in June. Will get information. i. Landbank. Home buyer opportunity. With Habitat. Hubbard and Manchester. And another lot. Selling Habitat two lots. First come first serve. j. Washington Heights: first built. Will have open house in next 3-4 weeks. Second house will start. Looking to do 17 houses. If you are interested contact office at Washington Heights. NPC 2 has been supporting this project. Thank you for your feedback and support. We have really been listening. Mixed income housing options. It will provide a great opportunity for the people in the community. Excited about all the buzz. Another house on Rosevelt that was gutted and redone. Looking beautiful. Just to see the different activity, I want to applaud those of Washington Heights. k. Grace Health none 7. Presentation: 8. Old Business: 9. New Business. 10. Public Comments/Member Comments: Unknown: legal to burn in BC?. There is man who burns and doesn’t have container. Corp O’Bryant: He cannot do that. You can have a fire pit. You cannot burn leaves and trees. Have to put it in curb. Or drop off at Riverside. Can’t burn garbage or leaves or anything like that. Unknown: hail storm. Had hard time with insurance because it wasn’t reported in area. Unknown: How long will drive through Northside Dr? Pastor French: Working on Goodale. Until finished work. Jim Moreno: Jenashia Morris. Has she attended meetings? Pastor French: She has attended meetings. Jim Moreno: Commissioners can join on Phone. 11. Next Meeting: May 12th at 6pm 12. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at approximately 7 pm Minutes recorded and submitted by: Jeff Breedlove NPC2 Secretary Mailing Address: City Hall, 10 N. Division St., Room 104, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Phone: (269) 966-3315 Fax: (269) 441-0380 Web: www.battlecreekmi.gov  Monday, the 14th of April, 2025 Meeting Minutes NORTHCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #2 Washington Heights – Hub of Hope, 153 N. Wood St. NPC 2 Mission: To improve the quality of life by listening and engaging residents. NPC 2 Vision: A safe, friendly, family-driven neighborhood where everyone wants to live. The City of Battle Creek will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired and audiotapes of printed materials being considered in the meeting upon reasonable notice to the City of Battle Creek. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact the City of Battle Creek by writing or calling the following: City Clerk Office (269) 966-3348/TDD Mailing Address: City Hall, 10 N. Division St., Room 104, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Phone: (269) 966-3315 Fax: (269) 441-0380 Web: www.battlecreekmi.gov  Monday, the 14th of April, 2025 Meeting Minutes NORTHCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #2 Washington Heights – Hub of Hope, 153 N. Wood St. Mailing Address: City Hall, 10 N. Division St., Room 104, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Phone: (269) 966-3315 Fax: (269) 441-0380 Web: www.battlecreekmi.gov