Neighborhood Planning Council 4 - Northeast

NORTHEAST PLANNING COUNCIL #4 Meeting Minutes – Wednesday, June 18, 2013 – Neighborhoods, Inc. 1. Call to Order & Welcome: The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by Kaytee Faris, Vice Chair. 2. Attendance: Members Present: Kaytee Faris, Dave Salerno, David Nielsen, Andy Helmbolt, Marcia Austin, Mary Conklin, John Hennink, John Whittaker, Jonna Siano, Kim Yarger, Chuck Yarger, & Nathan Grajek; Absent: Sherry Sofia, Helen Van Valkenburg, Mark Jones, John Walton, Rick Harrison, Dean Newsome, Charitable Union, Daniel Rall, & Laurie Sullivan; Guests: Laura Adams, Jim Baldwin, Dawn Wilkerson (NIBC), Bill Phillips (NIBC), Chris Lussier (City of Battle Creek), Officer Ryan Thayer, Officer Kurt Roth, Terris Todd (County Commissioner), Sam Gray (NPC #2 Chair), Jim Haadsma (County Commissioner), & Todd Nowicki (Code Compliance). 3. Introduction of Guests/Members: Kaytee Faris thanked Terris Todd & Jim Haasdma for taking time out of their schedules to attend the NPC #4 meeting. 4. Additions or deletions to the Agenda: Kaytee Faris added Bill Phillips, CEO of Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, to the agenda under “Program/Speaker Topic.” 5. Approval of Previous Minutes: Motion to approve the meeting minutes from May 21, 2014, was made by David Nielsen. Seconded by Andy Helmbolt. Motion Carried. 6. Monthly Member Award: N/A 7. Chair Notes/Announcements/Correspondence: 8. Program/Speaker Topic: Bill Phillips presented NPC #4 with data that was collected in 2013, through the Community Impact Measurement (CIM) project. He also provided three handouts to the attendees at NPC 4. There were a total of six surveys that were completed: three property condition surveys & three face‐to‐face surveys. There was also a survey regarding the perception of the neighborhood provided to the residents as well. This project will be conducted every two years in order to get a consensus of the neighborhoods we service. If anyone is interested in the surveys, we encourage individuals to contact our office, which NIBC will provide copies of the surveys. 9. Old Business ‐ 255 Cherry – Chris Lussier, reported that the Battle Creek City Attorney’s office is currently working on the situation. Chris also encouraged residents to continue to call if they see any activity on the property. ‐ Neighborhood Clean Ups – Members of NPC #4 agreed to facilitate two neighborhood clean‐ups a year: spring & fall. There needs to be better communication with the residents  in the neighborhood in order to collaborate a neighborhood cleaning. The NPC may also consider reaching out to the local youth in order to assist with the neighborhood clean‐up. 10. New Business ‐ Location for Park Party on August 2, 2014 – Motion to host the Park Party at Quaker Park was made by Andy Helmbolt. Seconded by David Nielsen. Motion Carried. ‐ NPC Name Change – John Hennink brought to light the name change as residents do not identify themselves with McKinley as the school is closed. The proposed name change would be as follows: Northeast Planning Council. Motion for the proposed name change and recommendation to the City of Battle Creek would be as follows: Northeast Planning Council was made by David Nielsen. Seconded by Andy Helmbolt. Motion Carried. ‐ Review Logo for NPC – Kaytee Faris brought forward the topic of a new logo, as the NPC is in the process of changing their name. However, this topic has been tabled. 11. Action Items/Introductions: The City has held discussions regarding the number of members that are required for a quorum. The current NPC meeting quorum is 7 members. Motion to keep meeting quorum at 7 was made by David Nielsen. Seconded by John Hennink. Motion Carried. The City also held discussions regarding changing the NPC boundaries to match the Ward boundaries. Motion to keep the current NPC boundaries was made by Andy Helmbolt. Seconded by Nathan Grajek. Motion Carried. There was discussion regarding a possibility of the new logo. Andy Helmbolt has graciously assisted the NPC in preparing our new logo. 12. City Staff & Committee Reports: a. City Commission Report – Andy Helmbolt reported the City Manager search is going well. There is a police chief reception scheduled on June 26, at 6:00 p.m., the DPW Building on Kendall. Fireworks allowed July 3, 4, and 5th. Residents are encouraged to call the City regarding grass that is 9” or taller. Andy Helmbolt expressed frustration among residents regarding the challenge to get to and from work out to Fort Custer. b. Police Department – Officer Ryan Thayer stated the City is in the process of upgrading their program; therefore, hopefully there will be a more accurate report available soon. c. Neighborhood Services – Chris Lussier provided the City’s report – He was happy to gather people’s concerns and share them with the appropriate party at the City. d. Code Compliance – Todd Nowicki reported they are still in the process of conducting property surveys in the neighborhood. They hope to have the surveys completed by the second week of August.  e. County Commissioners Report – Terris Todd & Jim Haadsma were in attendance. Jim thanked Terris Todd for attending as well as staying for the entire meeting – dedication. Calhoun County is in the process of hiring a new medical examiner at the county level. The Art Center has a fundraiser scheduled June 20, between 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. downtown. f. Beautiful Battle Creek Award Nominations – We would like to acknowledge that First Congregational Church was awarded the Beautiful Battle Creek award at the last City Commission. We would like to nominate OT’s, 69 Central, 243 Central, and 82 Calhoun. Kaytee would like to explore 243 Central in order to make an appropriate recommendation for the Beautiful Battle Creek nomination. g. Membership – Please spread the word to encourage residents to become involved with their neighborhood planning council. h. Planning & Zoning Committee – Planning & Zoning meetings were cancelled. i. Code & Ordinance Enforcement Committee – N/A j. Public Relations Committee – N/A 13. Member/Public Comments: Chris Lussier encourages residents to come out and visit the Fremont Garden, it is a great place to meet your neighbors as well as assist in the community garden. Bill Phillips encouraged the NPC #4 to attend the Neighborhood Training Institute (NTI) in August or December. Also, Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek is providing each NPC with a $1,000, as a level of support. John Hennink thanked Laura Adams for attending the meeting. John also, thanked Dawn Wilkerson with assisting in taking the meeting minutes. 14. Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 7:00 pm at First Congregational Church 145 Capital Avenue NE in the Court Yard. 15. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm.