Neighborhood Planning Council 5 - Urbandale

NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL #5 (Christ United Methodist Church, 65 Bedford Rd.) Monday March 17, 2017 e-mail: lordstrong84@gmail.com Phone 269-245-9708 MINUTES 1. Chairman Robert Whitfield opened with a moment of silence and words of welcome at 7:03 p.m. 2. Attendance; Robert Whitfield, Freeman Thomas, Brian Steele, Sara Schmanske, Curtis Roberts, Deborah Owens, David Moore, Walt McIlroy, Catherine LaValley, Terry Lancaster, Patricia Graw, Joshua Fausey, Fred Bachman, Kathy Antaya. Also, Gloria Zanotti. A quorum of at least seven members was present. Excused: Beverly Case, Hal Longman, Paula Scarbrough Staff: Officer J. S. Chapman, BCPD Guests: Niaka Dunbar, BCPS; Commissioner Susan Baldwin; Bernadette Llewellyn; Roger Ballard MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE: For an excused absence from a scheduled meeting, please call the number or email listed above. 3. Chair Announcements: - Cancellation of the zoning commission mtg in March. - BC Vision asked for input regarding our NPC. How might they incorporate our neighborhood vision with their primary focus on Job training, School readiness and Quality of life. And, how can they help us move this vision forward? 4. Additions to the Agenda Added the topic Urbandale Fall Fest to New Business 5. February minutes were approved by the members present. 6. Police Report: Officer Joshua Chatman is new to the area and to Battle Creek and gave a report and took concerns and questions from members. A note was made that a vehicle has been sitting at a local street for several months. - The officer conducts two foot patrols per night and is happy to take suggestions as to where to focus his effort. 7. Guest Speaker: Niaka Dunbar from BCPS Reading Buddy Program. Ms. Dunbar explained that last year there were more than 300 Reading Buddies. This year there are less than 100. Their ultimate goal is to have 1,000 Reading Buddies. March is Reading Month, so sign up now!  8. (A) School Report – Catherine LaValley reported. Next School Board mtg, Mar 20 at Willard Library. A recent education study spells out the action steps that need to be taken by our school districts. The study was commissioned by the Kellogg Foundation. It was intended to get the community’s thoughts and questions. The Enquirer has a link on their web site to the full report. This will propel the districts to take some actions for our Battle Creek students. LaValley answered questions from members. (B) Code Report –no report (C) Membership: Roger Ballard was nominated for membership in our NPC. All members present at the meeting approved, and we await confirmation by the BC City Commission. (D) Beautiful Battle Creek Award - Sara Schmanske reported that 294 Morgan Ave. was nominated for this month’s award. 9. Old Business - no business 10. New Business - Urbandale Fall Festival update: Commissioner Owens urges us to create a budget and a schedule for this year. We are looking to establish a small group from NPC #5 and ULABA. Volunteers for the committee include D. Owens, G. Zanotti, P. Scarbrough, K. Antaya, P.Graw. (We are looking for more help, please!) Considering a change of date so Fall Festival does not conflict with the ULABA Pancake Supper. 11. Nominating Committee: no election in progress 12. Public Service Comments by Commissioners – Commissioner Owens reported: information about the car that recently fell into the Kalamazoo River. Tree clearings from the high winds and power outages are almost complete. There will be a 10-year plan for inspecting the pipes in Battle Creek. The city is holding a rain barrel sale. There will be a Community Emergency training in March (See www.bcesmi.org for more info). A question was asked about the availability of high-speed internet in the Urbandale area. Owens said she would check with the City Manager about this. Owens also noted that there are at least three new businesses in Urbandale and the surrounding Bedford area. 13. Comments for the Good of the Order – no Comments. 14. Next meeting is April 10, 2017, 7:00 pm 15. Adjourned at 8:05 PM