Neighborhood Planning Council 5 - Urbandale

MINUTES OF MEETING URBANDALE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL – NPC 5 (Christ United Methodist Church, 65 Bedford Rd) Monday, February 11, 2019 @ 7:00 p.m. **PLEASE SEND ANY MEETING ABSENCES and AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO SECRETARY** KristinBloodWard1@gmail.com or Robert Whitfield @ 269-213-9774 MINUTES 1. Call to Order & Welcome @ 7:00 p.m.: (Invocation/Moment of Silence) Kathy Antaya presided over the meeting 2. Attendance [Member (M) Guest (G) City Rep (C)]: Officer Lanphar (C), Dinah Hoke (G), Pat Graw (M), Nancy Hoard (M), Robert Whitfield (M), Terry Lancaster (M), Richard Bolek (C), Kathy Antaya (M), Hal Longman (M), Joshua Fausey (M), Johnny Vick (M), David Moore (M), Roger Ballard (M), Sara Schmanske (M), Niaka Dunbar (G), Bernadette Llewj (G), Curtis Roberts (M), Regina Kilgore (M), Chris Wettle (G), Steve Wettle (G), Ollie Griffin (G), John Griffin (C) EXCUSED: Catherine LaValley, Deb Owens, Freeman Thomas, Fred Bachman, Wayne Hoard, Walk McIroy 3. Approval of Previous Minutes: 1st by Pat Graw, 2nd David Moore; approved 4. Chair Notes/Announcements/Correspondence: Chair Robert Whitfield took the time to mention that the city has committees that are looking for individuals to serve. The Housing Board of Appeals, on which Mr. Whitfield serves, meets the 3rd Wed at 1pm @ City Hall – all are welcome to attend. Mr. Whitfield also mentioned the planning commission. Kathay Antaya followed up by reminding everyone that a list of committees are found within the city manager letter each month delivered with our water bill. 5. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: Kristin Blood added the guest speaker name and “Yellow Bags” to old business. 6. Police Report: Officer Lanphar was present and discussed the statistics that were presented for the previous month. Mr. Lanphar also spoke about the citizen’s police academy, of which he made applications available for. A question arose regarding a previous incident around a female officer shooting a golden retriever; Mr. Lanphar mentioned there is an internal investigation and he could not speak on it at this time. 7. Guest Speaker: Ms. Dinah Hoke, Grounds Manager with Leila Arboretum Society, was present to discuss her role in a non- traditional female filled position. Ms. Hoke has been with Leila for 20 years, first starting as a crew member and working her way up to grounds manager. She spent previous years at Fort Custer, where she recognized as a female she was less trained and undervalued compared to her male coworkers. Ms. Hoke came to work for Leila and was supported in her role, learning how to operate a Bobcat, chain saws, trimmers, mowers, etc. Ms. Hoke enjoys her work, especially the spontaneity. She also enjoys working with the Goodwill students who come in to gain work experience. She enjoys encouraging the young girls to try and think beyond what they are told they can do by others. Ms. Hoke works for LAS managing 72 acres, plus additional acreage with Kingman Museum and the training/hoop house area off Michigan. She also spoke of the events that Leila hosts throughout the year. Pat Graw will bring a flier next meeting highlighting these events. 8. Committee Reports: (Comments limited to 3 min per topic) a. School: Ms. Niaka Dunbar, Family Engagement Coordinator, was present on behalf of BCPS. Ms. Dunbar mentioned that on Feb 26 there would be another general information meeting @ 6pm regarding Fremont International School and the STEM Middle school. This meeting will be held at the Math and Science Center. The application for these programs will open Feb 25th. Ms. Dunbar brought posters and window clings for the Challenge 5 Attendance initiative. Ms. Dunbar mentioned that there is a need for reading buddies, with a great need at Ann J and Verona. Questions were asked about the time commitment (varies but about 15mins/child) and qualifications (caring adult with submitted volunteer application). A question was asked about the empty Urbandale school grounds upkeep and the previous buyer in the building. Ms. Dunbar stated that the plowing was possibly done based on requirements to keep the grounds looking nice, city imposed. Ms. Dunbar did state she would gather the correct answers to both questions and get back to us. b. Code Report: Richard Bolek was present for code report and presented the stats that went back to Jan 1. There were questions regarding provided data: voluntary rental notices, smoke detector installations, and maintenance violations. It was asked if the survey of our area would be completed this year, to which Mr. Bolek said he suspected they would begin again in March. He mentioned that these surveys help, in that every three years checking on homes reduces the number of violation issues. Someone asked about the requirement of the city to view the inside of homes when conducting the survey. It was cleared up that the city would not need to be in the home for the survey, but may ask during assessments. c. Food Pantry: Roger Ballard mentioned that the cans would be very useful and that anyone, at any time can put cans or other food in the pantry. For next month the needs is bread and pasta. Please do not drop items off at the church, as they do not manage the pantry – instead put items directly in the pantry itself. 9. New Membership & Renewal: Kristin Blood mentioned that things were changing at the city soon and the point person for NPC notes would be changing. Going forward renewals would be mentioned a month before they are due with intentions/votes taken at that time. More info to follow as it becomes available. 10. Beautiful Battle Creek Award/Nominations: On hold. 11. Old Business: Kristin Blood spoke about the “Yellow Bag” issues that was raised last month around the circulars that were thrown in yard without regard to placement. Jason F. with code compliance was contacted and made contact with the Enquirer person in charge of the “yellow bag” advertising, who then spoke with Kristin Blood. Tom, the Enquirer rep, expressed concern and stated he would train his crew, ensuring it didn’t happen again. It was mentioned by Pat Graw that when she opened her package all materials was outdated. Roger Ballard requested that if they cannot place it on his stoop he wishes not to receive it and their placement could be a sign of corporate abuse of personal property. Kristin Blood stated she would speak with Tom, notifying him of the information and request. Terry Lancaster noted that Adopt-a-Highway will take place April 13th and was looking for volunteers. Next NPC meeting we will watch a 5 min video, ensuring everyone is safety trained. Kathy Antaya brought up the Fall Fest, mentioning that on Feb 12 @ noon any interested individuals meet at Spanky’s to discuss planning. The Fall Fest is always looking for volunteers. After this meeting there will be a 2-3 month break before the next meeting. 12. New Business: None 13. Nominating Committee: None 14. Public Service Comments from Commissioners: Commissioner John Griffin was present and spoke about transit and the proposed changes that were introduced to the commission to address the deficit. The proposal would remove transfers and omit the last run of the day, the commission rejected this idea and no changes to transit have occurred. Mr. Griffin also mentioned the distracted driver ordinance put in to effect, maintaining that drivers cannot be in use of a cell phone within Battle Creek City limits or face fines if caught. There were a few questions and a small discussion around the deficit and how it has been handled. 15. Comments for the Good of the Order: (Comments limited to three (3) minutes per person) a. Public Comments: None b. Members Comments: Pat Graw asked about the binders that were handed out, asking if information were still relevant. All members were directed to the online website for the most up to date information (http://mi-battlecreek.civicplus.com/602/NPC- Resource-Guide) Hal Longman notified those present that there is a guest speaker at Kool Family Center Feb 28th at 630pm. The guest speaker will be Rebecca Kiessling, speaking about her journey being conceived in rape. 16. Next Meeting: March 11, 2019 17. Adjournment: 8:13PM City of Battle Creek Home Page: http://www.battlecreekmi.gov/site3.aspx Crime Map: www.ci.battle-creek.mi.us/crimesearch City Commission Agenda & Minutes: http://www.battlecreekmi.gov/City_Government/Mayor_and_Commission/Current_Agendas_and_Minutes.htm The City of Battle Creek will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired and audio tapes 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 (269) 966-3348/T DD