Neighborhood Planning Council 5 - Urbandale

Urbandale Neighborhood Planning Council #5 Council Minutes – November 11, 2014 Meeting at Christ United Methodist Church 65 North Bedford Road Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM by Robert Whitfield, chair. Attendance: Robert Whitfield, Chair; Johnny Vick; Dale Stratton; Sara Schmanske; Paul Sajtar; Deb Owens; David Moore; Pat Graw; Joshua Fausey; Stan Beckwith; Barbara Beckwith; Fred Bachman; Kathy Antaya. Excused absences: Hal Longman, Carl Brockman. A quorum of at least seven members was present. ** Please call 269-963-7148 for “excused absence” (leave message) ** Guests included: Joe Britvec; Walt McIlroy; Charles Rose; Michelle Frank (Kingman Museum) City staff included: Dennis McKinley; Sgt. Todd Madsen; Officer J. Barrons Previous Minutes: October 13, 2014 minutes were approved by voice vote. Correspondence: Chair Whitfield noted that NPC member Hal Longman is recovering at home. Police Report: Officer Jordon Barrons provided a written report for police activity in Urbandale in Oct. He said there have been approximately 83 “breaking and entering” reports in 2014 (about the same as 2013). Police urge residents to “document your stuff” to help identify stolen goods and help locate owners when goods are recovered. For example, write down and keep serial numbers for weapons, electronics, etc. Also, police depend on us being observant neighbors and calling in reports of suspicious activity. The area of the intersection of Presidential and Mason has seen a lot of recent vandalism activity - mailboxes, telephone/cable junction boxes. Suspects are likely juveniles, based on the type of damage. Please report suspicious activity. Guest Speaker: Michelle Frank, Kingman Museum Board President, encouraged us to “Experience Kingman,” and gave a brief update on the facility. She reminded us that Kingman began as a Natural History museum, and is now proud to focus on STEAM – science, technology, engineering, arts, math. Frank brought along numerous artifacts and asked each NPC attendee to select their favorite. She then used each selected item to describe a different aspect of the museum’s displays or programming, such as the interpretive exhibit of Native American cultural artifacts. To keeps displays fresh and topics timely, the museum adopts a new, over-all theme every few months. The current theme, “Wonderful World of Water,” is wrapping up. The building is also seeing some new interior and exterior updates, such as paint and landscaping. The Executive Director, Kelly VanRyswyk, is pleased to announce winter hours, noon-4pm, for Saturday and Sunday. Plus, special Winter Break hours on M, Tu, F between Dec. 20 and Jan. 4. Commissioner’s Report: Commissioner Owens was congratulated on her recent election as Battle Creek City Mayor. Commissioner Lynn Ward-Gray is the new Vice Mayor. Mayor Owens seeks greater transparency and communication, and better information flow to AND from city government. She intends to provide a weekly Mayor’s Report to citizens on WBCK, and for every biweekly commission meeting. Mayor Owens also intends to keep office hours in the Mayors Office in City Hall. Owens reported on new or ongoing City activities: • BC meeting Thurs, Nov 20 about regional economic development.  • The city’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan has been drafted, with significant resident input. In January, discussions will begin on implementation actions. • Commissioners have heard some criticism of city processes from business owners and potential-business owners. They will be looking into ways to make BC more business friendly. • Road resurfacing work on Michigan Ave. will probably begin in May 2015. It appears to include surface work and handicap ramp-curbs on designated intersections. No drains or general curbing. • The International Festival of Lights Committee and BC Community Foundation will host an opening celebration at Burnham Brook, Sat., Nov. 22, 3-5 pm. The Holiday Parade follows at 6pm. • Due to the challenging nature of this year’s mayorial selection process, a workshop will be held Dec 9 on options for electing a mayor and the logistical issues involved. School Report: Urbandale NPC is in need of a representative from the Urbandale “school system.” Ideally, this would be a parent, teacher or Board member that lives in our area. However, anyone with a sincere interest in our schools is qualified! We only ask a willingness to provide a monthly report of school activities and issues to the NPC. Antaya volunteered to ask her neighbor Art McClenney, BCPS Board member, to join us. Code Report: Dennis McKinley distributed a written report. He reported a house demolition on W. Michigan Ave, near Leila Arboretum. The garage was not demolished because Leila has plans to renovate and utilize the block building. McKinley noted seasonal yard waste pick up will continue through the end of Nov. He also fielded questions from the group. Membership: Chairman Whitfield requests: remove members Jill Sajtar and Ed Scheindfeld from NPC member status. Ensure Paul Sajtar is recorded as a member. Also, Walt McIlroy had been previously removed as a member (1-2 years ago) but now wishes to return as a member. Please ensure McIlroy is recorded as a member once again. The following Urbandale NPC members’ terms are due to expire 12/4/14, and everyone has requested to remain a member: Carl Brockman, David Moore, Deb Owens, Robert Whitfield, Kathy Antaya, Patricia Graw, Curtis Roberts, Paul Sajtar. Urbandale NPC is in need of a representative from the Urbandale “school system.” Beautiful Battle Creek Award: 396 Taylor as nominated by Dale Stratton Old Business: New Business: Elections for Executive Committee for NPC #5. See Nominating Committee for full report. Nominating Committee: Nominations were reopened but none were offered. Nominations closed. A motion was made and passed to accept nominations and elect the individuals by voice vote. The following individuals were elected to these positions: Robert Whitfield for Chair, Hal Longman for Vice Chair, Kathy Antaya for Secretary. Public Comment: none Member Comment: Compliments were given to the city subcontractor who did the demo work described in the Code Report, above. The contractor’s equipment operators did an excellent job and went beyond expectations with site clean up and grading. And they were pleasant and polite to nosy neighbors. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 P.M. Respectfully submitted by: Kathy Antaya