March 2024 Board Meeting Minutes

March 18, 2024 TNA meeting:

Attendees, board members: Claire Blanchette, Pat Collins, Heather Grovum, Juliana Keen, Pat Prochaska, Steph Smith, Mark Tiede, Dan Treinen, and Will Young

Attendees, non-board members: Emily Koski, Dirk Nicholson, and Andrea Siegel

Called to order at 7:05

  1. Councilmember Koski:
    1. She is the new representative from the city council to the MN League of Cities
    2. Working for state and federal funding for the Nicollet Avenue Bridge
      1. State is now balking at cost, but it rises $500,000/annually 
      2. Requested $33million federal grant
      3. Encourage neighbors to contain Minnesota senators and Representative Omar
    3. Memo of Understanding with the Park Board and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed Deistrict expired
      1. New steering committee was created to update the agreement
      2. 3 projects identified along the creek to support water quality, flood mitigation, and Lake Hiawatha
    4. Work plan with metrics used by Budget Committee of the council last year will now be adopted for all committees
    5. Ride share ordinance passed mayor’s veto
      1. Governor’s study group issued a report, and her vote followed the governor’s report that drivers are not earning a living wage
      2. Vote switched based upon governor’s report
      3. Exceptions shouldn’t be made from basic worker rights
      4. Draft senate bill almost would result in nearly identical wage as city ordinance
      5. She added outside evaluation at 6 month implementation and annually of the rates passed in the ordinance
    6. 2030 Plan still governs unless legislature passes a law to allow the 2040 Plan without an Environmental Impact Study
    7. Still pushing for red light cameras 
  2. Fuller Park update:
    1. There will be an Easter egg hunt on March 30 between 9-1130am with craft projects and breakfast snacks
  3. Secretary update:
    1. Heather moved to pass February minutes, Claire seconded.  Passed unanimously.
  4. Treasurer update:
    1. $873 received between WinterFest, donations, and garage sale fees
  5. Equity Committee Funding
    1. Committee started as a task force without dedicated funding during last strategic planning, but would be easier with dedicated funding going forward
    2. $6,401 in “define Tangletown” from 2020 assigned to BLUH budget has never been spent
    3. Equitable Engagement Fund worked to bring in some money to TNA budget as well
    4. Heather moved to reallocate the $6,401 from “define Tangletown” to the Equity Committee’s engagement funding.  Mark seconded.  Passed unanimously.
  6. Committee Updates
    1. Equity
      1. Ellen is available for IDI at the June board meeting
        1. Link will be sent for a 20-minute assessment between June and August to then be shared in August
      2. Collaborating with Joyce Uptown for food donation
      3. Multi-neighborhood coalition is hosting an environmental justice bus tour
        1. Ask was $750, and it is a donation to CME Justice organization
        2. Mark moved to allow up to $750 for funding; Steph seconded.  Passed unanimously.
    2. Environmental
      1. Planning a Lunch and Learn event about Longevity for Tech for March 23 at Fuller Park
        1. Will be catered by Curry in a Hurry
      2. RePower facility tour will be April 20 with room for up to 20 people
      3. Compost event at Mayflower on May 18 from 9-noon
      4. Seeking more commitment cards to reduce e-waste
    3. Building, Land Use, and Housing
      1. Safety and Security Discussion with MPD will be March 20 
      2. Neighborhood Garage sale scheduled for May 3-4
      3. Will join the Neighborhood Day event on May 18 with more yard bags, master gardener(s), perhaps another raffle
      4. Are discussing renaming the committee
    4. SW Neighborhood Collaborative
      1. City wanted resident feedback on what the collaborative should look like and it got stuck on engagement difficulties
      2. TNA said would be inauthentic to try engagement again
      3. Consultant wants focus group that will be very intentional with consultant leading the dialogue
        1. Seeking 10 people per neighborhood, but no incentive provided to those participating
        2. Looking for underrepresented neighbors
  7. Annual Meeting
    1. Andrea will follow-up by email about who is returning and possible speakers/topics
  8. Fundraising
    1. Looking for anyone with contacts of people with fundraising experience
  9. Executive Director report
    1. Welcome bags will be provided next month

Meeting adjourned at 8:47pm