May 17, 2004
MINUTES
Present: Sean Wherley, Melinda Ludwiczak, Arthur Knowles, Wayne Anderson, Natalie Lenz, Niki Valans
Absent: Lisa Rudy, Paige Fitzgerald, Barb Chung
Also Present: Sarah Linnes-Robinson, KFNA NRP Coordinator and Peg Mountin, NRP Specialist
The March NRP Minutes were approved as drafted.
Hiring Update: Linnes-Robinson informed the group that a Project Organizer to replace Gibson-Gasset had not been hired yet. Some interviews had occurred but the preferred candidate turned down the job. Additional interviews will take place.
NRP funding status: Peg Mountin walked the committee through a number of handouts that showed the remaining Phase I NRP funds, which strategies dollars were located under, and the expenditure percentage versus the contract percentage of the Plan. Her numbers were from December 2003, so were fairly accurate, but not exact. She showed approximately 70% contracted, leaving about $400,000 additional dollars (this includes the approx. $200,000 which will go towards lighting on Nicollet), which needs to be contracted before the committee can begin “official†Phase II planning. She did say that in her view point there is no reason to hurry into Phase II, where administration will be capped at 10%, and neighborhood’s need to look more seriously at spending 70% of their funds on housing. She also discussed the process of moving to Phase II, including the possibility of early access of up to $100,000 before Phase II is officially begun. The process must include: 1) an evaluation of all Phase I programs in written format (the committee decided this could be done by year end and presented to the community as the “Annual Reportâ€); 2) surveying of the community about issues and needs (the committee discussed options and decided against a full-neighborhood survey or house-party outreach mechanism, and rather was interested in targeted research via events, door knocking, and the email list); and 3) the drafting and approval of the community of a Participation Agreement to enter Phase II (the committee decided this will fit well with the 2005 Annual Meeting.)
Next Steps will include: 1) Linnes-Robinson will finish year-end financials (after May 31) and have more accurate numbers per contract and strategy about what amount of NRP funding has been spent and what percentage of the plan is needed to spend to get us to the 95% contract requirement. 2) Wherley will draft an email message to start asking community members about what project ideas they have for spending final pots of money while striving to achieve specific goals.
Park Board Expenditure on Multi-purpose room: The Park Board has billed on the contract that was opened for the multi-purpose room renovation which was supposed to be closed after the community vote in April 2003, that processed a Plan Modification for the unspent dollars. KFNA’s original Park Board Planner, Tom Witek, is retired and there is no written record of his final dollar figure, which was given verbally to KFNA staff in March 2003. Linnes-Robinson will continue to communicate with the Park Board about what the total billing amounts on the project were, and why over $11,000 was billed after the project was completed and Witek gave us the final figure.
Linnes-Robinson presented an update on the 2004 Kingfield Mural Project. Five well-qualified artists have been selected and matched with five businesses. All pairings were very happy, although there was some hesitation initially on the part of Terre from Fairy godmother, due to her not receiving any of her three original choices of artists.
Social Service/Community Initiated Grants:Â The midterm report from the Underground was reviewed and approved including the financial change that funds will go towards general operating expenses instead of programming expenses, due to the fact they received another programming grant.
A new project idea was raised by Wherley, of supplementing the Park Board Tree Planting program by adding funds to it, or providing trees for private property. The committee discussed various ways this could work, all of which resulted in agreeing with the prior decision that new projects should be initiated to spend what is remaining of Phase I dollars, and we should go to the community to ask for their ideas on programs and needs and then design a number of new projects.
Continuing Project Updates
Nicollet Avenue sidewalk repairs: no word forms the City on a resolution.
Street lighting petition: Natalie and Sean volunteered to help obtain signatures on this project. Melinda volunteered her daughter, who speaks Spanish. Everyone still feels that we should push for signatures in June, so the project has some chance of being installed yet this year. Linnes-Robinson will organize the project to occur either with new Staff, with volunteers, or as a cooperative effort between the two by the end of June.
The meeting was adjourned.
Minutes prepared by Sarah Linnes-Robinson, KFNA NRP Coordinator, June 1, 2004.