Tangletown Neighborhood Association
Minutes
Regular Board Meeting,
Monday, October 19, 2009
7:00 P.M.
Fuller Park
Attending: Steve Bieringer, Bruce Bruemmer (secretary), Chris Burns, Sarah Cortwright, Mary Davidson (treasurer), Woody Dixon, Dick Fiala,Ryan Fisher (president), Jane Elias, Mary Jane Michell (vice-president), Tony Proell, Tom Steichen, Lynell Voigt
1. Ryan called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm.
2. The agenda was approved.
3. The September meeting minutes were moved and seconded.
4. Kyle Rucker from Project 8 explained the origin of the group and its mission. The group seeks to to ensure that all youth in need are able to thrive and be resilient, and he was looking for community involvement. Email at connect@projectlegos.org.
5. The Association received an update on the Lyndale Avenue Bridge from Jacob Bronder, Hennepin Co. senior project manager for project. The bridge was originally planned to receive bids by end of the year, but the historical review period has extended the project. Construction is now planned for 2011. He explained the outreach process and has had 3 public advisory committee meetings to date. They are looking for input and have been visiting neighborhood associations in October. There will be a public open house (no dates yet). The project web site is posted at http://www.hennepin.us (search on Lyndale Ave. bridge). Tom Angus (HNTB Corporation) spoke about the historical studies and desirable design traits. The Cultural Resources Unit of Mn/DOT and SHPO (State Historical Preservation Office) had different perspectives on the project. They decided that the land form is significant although the span itself is not. The project team was looking at issues relating to traffic, but he was not hopeful that traffic could be routed through the construction.
6. Amy Lavender, Minneapolis Police Dept., gave an update on recent small business crime involving10 local businesses. They suspected a single perpetrator who was staying on the south side of the city, but not staying in one area (which is unusual).The suspect targets businesses with one employee behind the counter, usually female, usually without a security camera and he usually operates in the afternoon. She admitted that police coverage was low, so they were in reactive rather than proactive mode. The group discussed remedies [N.B. – A suspect was apprehended within a week after this meeting].
7. Sarah gave a recap of the Home Tour. The last 45 minutes were affected by bad weather, but we had double the visitors (about 125) from last year . There was a communication problem with one house relating to some last minute plans. Seven people offered to host a home next year. She thanked all of the volunteers. The offer of free cleaning turned out to be expensive, so most home owners received flowers. We need more sandwich board advertising next year, and the group reaffirmed that there should be no free admission except for volunteers.
8. Tom Balcom gave an update and strategy for NRP Phase 2. The Washburn Tower watering was discussed. This should be in place by next spring. A railing estimate was sought; they wanted to ensure that it fits with the fencing at the top of the hill and does not require too much maintenance. He met with Carol Anderson about Fuller park improvements. She reported on some upgrades to the park, including the kitchen. Carpenters already had begun. The Park didn’t like the pool shade idea; they wanted to improve the building. She sought an assessment of tree needs, and Ralph Sievert (Dir. of Forestry) came out and made suggestions. Tom said our next issue is how to implement the business exterior improvement. Mary Jane and Steve B. will help with the subcommittee. Ryan urged that we connect up with East Harriet Business Association.
9. Mary D. gave a treasurer’s update and noted progress in getting the TNA books in order.
10. Carol Anderson reported on Fuller Park. They received computer lab chairs. She reviewed the Halloween party plans
11. Short announcements were made. The candidates running for local office did not appear.
12. Moved and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:40pm.