Woodburn Commission

Woodburn School Redevelopment Commission Minutes of Thursday, March 25, 2021 1. Members present: Ron Dulaney, Chris Haddox, John Trumble, Marly Ynigues 2. Members absent: Evan Fedorko, Ross Justice, Marti Shamberger 3. Guests: Angela Channell (Mountaineer Homeschool HUB), Danielle Trumble (Woodburn Association of Neighbors), Suhil Zia (Morgantown Power Yoga) 4. Notes by Marly Ynigues and John Trumble 5. The meeting was called to order by Chris Haddox at 6:01 p.m. via ZOOM. The February minutes were accepted as presented. 6. Items for discussion/consideration a. Suhil’s therapy garden discussion i. Suhil is currently doing yoga as therapy for sober living house residents at his studio, Morgantown Power Yoga. Blue Horseshoe Foundation and its Stronger Together program allocates funding for yoga practices and holistic practices for people in recovery. Stronger Together has a subprogram about gardening, being in nature and in touch with one’s own food. Looking for Woodburn as a project location for sustainability and longevity: plants or trees that will be there a while. ii. Suhil suggests trees (perhaps apple trees) and elderberry bushes. Will need to discuss with Urban Landscape Commission to make sure that maintenance is planned in advance and that the specific plant species won’t be a problem with how the roots grow (e.g. some berry bushes might take over the green space) b. Chris: Construction renovations are coming along well. There are some things up in the air about future tenant space. We might be able to split it into smaller spaces for nonprofit community groups. i. Not sure what will happen with the old Boys & Girls Club space ii. Friends of Deckers Creek is thriving iii. Pop Shop has requested reduced rent; under negotiations with the City iv. MT Pockets is under new management c. Angela Channell i. President of Mountaineer Homeschool HUB, 501c3, ~30 students, Blocks of four 6-week classes throughout the year, plus potential summer programs like an art summer camp. ii. Classes currently held in a party tent in a parking lot, due to COVID distancing measures. There is also a lending library. iii. Doing an urban gardening class; would love for kids to be able to create their own garden at Woodburn. Some of the students live in the city, so this would be fun for them to get to grow their food and have some ownership of it.  iv. Looking for a child-friendly space, potentially at Woodburn. 2 classrooms + 1 storage room + 1 bathroom + potentially space to create a garden 7. Old Business a. Chris: Construction moving along nicely. i. Gym space is being kept as a large open space ii. Brian Spraggs will be managing POP Shop now b. John: Woodburn playground cleanup i. Repainting playground equipment day ii. Chris: Address drainage; may need to rent a ditch witch c. Marly: Pollinator Garden i. Prep in April; plant in May 8. New Business a. Evan taking picture for a real estate portfolio idea 9. Meeting adjourned at 6:59 p.m.  Woodburn School Redevelopment Commission Minutes of Thursday February 25, 2021 Members present: John Trumble, Marti Shamberger, Chris Haddox, Ron Dulaney, Ross Justice, Marly Hazen Ynigues and Evan Fedorko. Guest: Danielle Trumble WAN President The meeting was called to order by Chris Haddox at 6:03 p.m. via ZOOM. The minutes were accepted as presented. Outside property issues- Chris Haddox has attempted to fix the chain link fence on the Richwood Avenue side of the property. The grey Chevy impala parked in the lower parking lot belongs to the Girls and Boys Club. No one knew who the other vehicle belong too. The paint on the playground equipment was tested and does not contain lead. A spring project for volunteers will be to paint the equipment. Building-related issues- Construction is currently going on in the gym/stage area. The furnace has been turned on in the school building. An energy audit report was completed on the building by two WVU professors. The Commission requested that the audit be shared with them. Building tenants-A letter from the Commission recommending to City Administration that the Boys and Girls Club be asked to vacate their space has not been sent yet. City Administration has continued to reach out to the entities that are leasing the spaces to discuss rent arrangements. Chris will forward copies of the letter from City Administration. FDOC is continuing to operate out of their space during Covid-19. Pollinator garden- Marly Hazen Ynigues stated that a Facebook page about the Pollinator Garden has been set up. Volunteers have responded through Facebook to help with the garden and donate seeds and plants. The Dominion Post was helpful in getting the word out about the project in a recent article. Chris Haddox said that there was an account with the City for Woodburn School from money raised from concerts held at the site a couple of years ago. He also asked Marly to contact Marchetta Maupin, head of Urban Landscape with the City for supplies. John Trumble said at the upcoming WAN meeting volunteers and plants for the garden could also be requested. Potential tenants- The Commission discussed potential future tenants for the property. Ron Dulaney noted that Council felt it was important for the neighborhood to have access to a common space. Evan Fedorko agreed to develop an information packet about the building regarding space, utilities, and amenities. The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. The next schedule meeting is March 25, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom.