Neighborhood Planning Council 5 - Urbandale

Urbandale Neighborhood Planning Council #5 Council Minutes – September 14, 2015 Meeting at Christ United Methodist Church 65 North Bedford Road Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM by Robert Whitfield, chair. Attendance: Robert Whitfield, Rebecca Runyon; Sara Schmanske; Paula Scarbrough; Paul Sajtar; Freeman Thomas; Curtis Roberts; Deb Owens; David Moore; Walt McIlroy; Hal Longman; Pat Graw; Joshua Fausey; Kathy Antaya. A quorum of at least seven members was present. ** Members please call 963-7148 for “excused absence” (leave message) ** Excused absences: Johnny Vick; Fred Bachman Guests included: Catherine LaValley; Terry Lancaster (also is city staff); Todd Woodley, Steven Andrus City staff included: Dennis McKinley; Officer Mike Zieglar NOTE: Steven Andrus, Beverly Case, Terry Lancaster, and Catherine LaValley have been nominated for membership and are awaiting City Commission approval/appointment. (-Not for the minutes -) Their contact info: Terry Lancaster 284 W. Morgan Ave, BC 49037, 269-579-5751 (no email) Catherine LaValley 154 Prudence Lane, BC 49037, 269-578-3557 (cathlavally@yahoo.com) Chair Announcements/Correspondence: A reminder that the Historic Commission meets at 4pm on the second Monday of each month. Previous Minutes: Minutes from August mtg were approved by voice vote. (Have not received official copy of July mtg minutes.) Police Report: Officer Mike Ziegler provided an oral presentation, and handouts, on “The Hazards of Clandestine Meth Labs.” This topic was requested at a prior NPC meeting.  Meth labs are an increasing problem in all counties of Michigan. It is becoming quite a problem in the north end of Urbandale.  “Meth” is a powerfully addictive stimulant. Most (small) meth labs are created to supply the “cooks,” not typically as a means of making meth for distribution.  The newest cooking technique is called a “one pot” method, and takes 4-5 hours per batch.  These household items are commonly left behind as evidence of meth cooking: black lithium strips from Energizer E2 batteries; Gatorade/Powerade/Mt Dew 2 liter bottles, sometimes wrapped in duct tape; muriatic acid; Draino; rocksalt; fishtank tubing, sometimes inserted in bottle cap; Coleman fuel; lye; Sudafed; wooden matches; instant cold pads, especially broken open to access the white beads inside; the odor of ammonia (or “cat pee”).  Meth cooking poses an immediate hazard to people and property within the structure (house, garage, car, barn, etc.). The process also contaminates the cook room, and moves through the building via the doors and windows and HVAC system.  Usually, a building that is a known meth lab (or evidence indicates meth was cooked there) is condemned by the Health Dept. Re-occupancy is forbidden until the property has been inspected and approved by a Certified Technician.   Cleaning the property is a complicated task. Proper cleaning solutions must be used. Rags and mops, etc., may become contaminated and require special disposal. All soft goods (clothing, stuffed toys, bedding, curtains, etc.) must be removed and destroyed. With proper information and tutoring, an individual might be able to accomplish the task in 6-8 weeks. The Health Dept and police generally recommend hiring a specially trained cleaning contractor to do the work. Guest Speaker: Rebecca Fleury, BC City Manager, has been on the job almost one year, appointed by the City Commissioners after an extensive and robust search process. She is a graduate of Gull Lake HS and was raised on a farm. Fleury gave kudos to the BC City Staff for their dedication and hard work. She said this first year was all about “listening” – hearing citizens, staff, business people, etc., and their opinions and concerns. When asked for her job description, she simply answered: “to make our residents’ lives better.” She is responsible for day to day operations of city government. Fleury indicated one of her goals is to remove barriers for residents and businesses. School Report: Catherine LaValley is our new school liaison.  Al Leibert was recently honored at Northwestern Middle School. They named the gymnasium in his honor, for his many years of dedication as a coach and teacher.  On Oct 6, Alvin White III will be saluted at the regular City Commission meeting. This honor is for his design of the Urbandale business banners. These razor banners were purchased by our NPC, with grant dollars from Neighborhoods, Inc.  BC Board of Education (usually) meets the 3rd Monday of the month, 3rd floor of Willard Library. Next meeting: Sept 21. Code Report: Dennis McKinley provided a written report of code violations, and also answered questions from the group.  There were many “trash” and “junk” issues this past month.  “weed & grass” enforcement period ends Oct 31.  Last week of November is the end of the curb-side, yard waste collection period.  Several members thanked McKinley, and the Code Dept, for quick response to their complaints, and for assistance with problems.  BC Minor Home Repair Program. This program provides grant funds for eligible, low-income homeowners to fix exterior code compliance issues. He urged us to utilize this program and to pass along the info to our neighbors. Call Matt Flanders, 269-966-3387, for more details. Membership: none Beautiful Battle Creek Award: none Old Business: none New Business: none Nominating Committee: none Public Service Comments from Commissioner: From Commissioner (Mayor) Owens:  BC Commission is hosting a Liquor License workshop on Sept 15.  BC Commission is hosting a Rental workshop on Sept 17; focus on government assistance for renters and landlords.The new/updated NPC Charter was approved at the last City Commission meeting.  Mayor Owens provided a handout on the topic of Introduction to Police Work. Next Meeting: October 12, 2015 Adjournment: 8:21 P.M. Respectfully submitted by: Kathy Antaya