BPNA meeting minutes 9/27

Bryan Park Neighborhood Association

September 27, 2011

Minutes

The Bryan Park Neighborhood Association met at the Free Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana, on September 27, 2011. Mary Miller, BPNA president, presided over the meeting.

1. Emergency Preparedness. James Stark from the Monroe County Red Cross made a presentation on emergency and disaster preparedness. Mr. Stark distributed materials from the Red Cross and highlighted that the 3 steps for preparedness are making a plan, keeping informed and preparing a supply kit.

2. Storm Water Project Update. Mary Miller reported that new storm water pipes have been installed on Palmer and Davis Streets. The City is working on the swales on Dunn Street, but the digging has been slowed by limestone.

3. Neighborhood Sale.Mary Miller thanked Melissa Banks for organizing the neighborhood sale on September 24^th. The sale appeared to be a big success.

4. Block Party Wrap-Up. Mary Miller thanked everyone who volunteered for the block party. She reminded anyone with outstanding receipts to turn them in to Mary Lou Mitchell for reimbursement. The neighbors discussed the party—it was well-attended, the food from Nick’s and Finch’s was excellent, and the entertainment was excellent as usual.

5. Alley at 1106 S. Washington Street. Ian Woolen reported that the Traffic Commission denied his request to close the alley next to his house. He said that the mayor and the Public Works Department initially supported his petition, but changed their position before the hearing. Ian also reported that it is possible the Traffic Commission may reconsider the denial. He thanked BPNA for the letter of support with the Traffic Commission.

6. Incident Report. Dick Mitchell reported that there have not been any reports of vandalism or thefts from cars since an arrest was made in the case. Mary Miller thanked the Bloomington Police Department for meeting with BPNA in August to discuss safety and awareness.

7. Conservation District. Mary Miller reported that the group will meet soon to determine next steps for applying for conservation district status.

8. BPNA t-shirts. Mary Lou Mitchell reported that BPNA has an abundance of t-shirts with the neighborhood logo. She suggested lowering the price to $10 (down from the current $15) as a way to sell more shirts. The members voted in favor of the lower price. Mary Miller suggested purchasing the border design on the t-shirts from Kim Ransdall (original electronic file and full use of design) for $125. The members voted against the purchase.

9. Reimbursements. Treasurer Mary Lou Mitchell made a motion that reimbursement requests of over $100 be submitted to the association for a vote. The members approved the motion.

10. Bryan Park Bridge Update. Mary Miller reported that the City will install the BPNA’s bridge in Bryan Park by the end of the year. The Parks Department has recently been working on the footings for the bridge.

11. Semi-Trucks on Grimes. Tonia Matthews reported that more semi’s have been using Grimes Lane to make deliveries to the Carlisle factory. Grimes is marked as prohibited to semi-truck traffic. She suggested that BPNA write a letter to Carlisle alerting them to the problem.

12. Other business. A representative of George and Pat Peffley reported that the will be seeking a variance for an addition to their house at 1301 S. Henderson Street. The contractor will post details regarding the variance request on the neighborhood list-serve.

13. Next meeting. The next BPNA meeting is scheduled for October 25, 2011.

BPNA monthly meeting

Our monthly meeting for October will be this Tuesday, Oct. 25. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.

Guest Speaker

Forrest Gilmore, Executive Director of the Shalom Community Center, will speak and take questions during the first half of the meeting. The Shalom Center has recently moved to S. Walnut St., and though not officially in the BPNA, is a close neighbor. Mr Gilmore will speak about the mission of the center, as well as more generally about issues of homelessness in Bloomington and the U.S.

NEW BUSINESS

Hillside/Henderson Project

Development plans have been announced for the corner of Hillside and Henderson, across from Feast. The project will go before the Plan Commission on Nov. 7.

OLD BUSINESS

Stormwater Project

The stormwater remediation project to solve the flooding problems along Dunn St. is just about done. City crews protected all of the trees throughout the affected area, after working closely with members of our group. Any comments or concerns about the project?

Alley Problem

Ian Woolen and Isabel Piedmont have submitted a petition to the Bloomington Traffic Commission to restrict traffic in the alley to emergency vehicles only.

Conservation District

Update on the conservation district application. The subcommittee met last week, and will proceed with the application. There will be ample opportunity for comment, including three public meetings that are required as part of the process.

Incident report

There have been no further reports of vandalism or theft in the neighborhood. Dick and Mary Lou Mitchell, our neighborhood watch representatives, will update the group with any news.

Please let me know if you'd like to add anything to the agenda.

Thanks,

Mary

BPNA Monthly Meeting Tuesday July 26

Our monthly meeting for July will be this Tuesday, July 26. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln. Let me know if you'd like to add anything to the agenda.

Incident Report

Scott Oldham, with the police department, can’t make it to the meeting. He has offered to schedule a special meeting with us, to follow up on complaints of car break-ins, graffiti, etc. Stay tuned for a meeting announcement.

See a map of the recent incidents:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=213331140038628962436.0004a8b3439ad56c3e452&msa=0&ll=39.155939,-86.527119&spn=0.00975,0.020471

Walnut St. Newsletter Route

We need volunteers to deliver the newsletters along Walnut St. Anybody?

Conservation District Discussion

Discussion of the recent stories in the HT about proposed plans for a 14,000-square-foot-house in the Elm Heights neighborhood. This house would cover two lots, requiring one existing house to be moved and another mostly demolished to make room for a structure that size. We will have copies of the articles to share.

As we consider the possibility of applying for conservation district status, this will give us a chance to talk about a situation that is happening right now.

OLD BUSINESS

Michael Korus Use Variance

Board of Zoning Appeals denied the use variance request.

Stormwater Project

The stormwater remediation project is scheduled to begin along S. Palmer. The first step is the installation of a new stormwater pipe between Allen and Davis. The city should have contacted everyone along Palmer by now, but if you have any questions, let me know.

Alley Problem

Update on alley problem adjacent to 1106 S. Washington. This was due to come before the Board Of Public Works on June 7, but was postponed for more research. It is currently with the Mayor’s office. We are waiting to hear when this item will be put on the Public Works agenda.

Trucks on E. Grimes

Discussion about oversized truck traffic on E. Grimes.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Stormwater Runoff

Go to http://groups.google.com/group/bpna-stormwater-working-group to join or follow the discussion.

Conservation District

Go to http://groups.google.com/group/bpna-conservation-district-working-group to join or follow the discussion.

RESOURCES

Neighbor Link: Contact the city about issues concerning Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Housing and Neighborhood Development, Planning, ITS, Utilities, Police and Fire Departments.

http://bloomington.in.gov/neighborlink.

Report Graffiti: http://bloomington.in.gov/report-graffiti

BPNA meeting and agenda for June 28, 2011

Our monthly meeting for May will be this Tuesday, June 28. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.

AGENDA June 28, 2011

2011 Elections

BPNA will hold election of officers at the meeting. Current officers have volunteered to continue for another year. No other names have been put forward, so election will be a voice vote of those attending the meeting. Nominations may also be made from the floor, if anyone would like to be considered for one of these positions. Current officers are President, Mary Miller; Vice-President, Jan Sorby; Treasurer, Mary Lou Mitchell; Secretary, Jenny Bauer.

From the bylaws: Article VII - Election of Officers

A. The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members present at the regular meeting in the second quarter and shall take office immediately upon conclusion of said meeting. An officer shall serve for a term of one (1) year, and may serve for up to five consecutive terms.

B. The Executive Committee shall annually present a slate of nominees for officers to serve for the ensuing year. Nominations may also be made from the floor.

Alley Problem

Update on alley problem adjacent to 1106 S. Washington. This was due to come before the Board Of Public Works on June 7, but was postponed in order to do more research.

Michael Korus Use Variance

UV-13-11 Hearing, June 13, at the Planning Commission. REQUEST: The petitioner is requesting a use variance recommendation to allow a maximum of 5 unrelated adults to occupy a residential unit within the Residential Core zoning district. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends forwarding UV-13-11 to the Board of Zoning Appeals with a Negative recommendation due its conflict with the Core Neighborhood policies outlined in the Growth Policies Plan. Board of Zoning Appeals hearing will be June 30, 5:30 p.m. at Council Chambers Rm. 115, City Hall.

BPNA Newsletter

Thanks to Anne Hedin for writing and editing the BPNA newsletter for the last 3 years. As you know from her message earlier in June, she is stepping down. Several BPNA members have volunteered to take over from Anne. Dave Stewart has volunteered to serve as Editor, and Jim Opiat will serve as Assistant Editor. Mary Lou Mitchell will continue with her history articles. Tonia Matthew will be a contributing writer, and Jan Sorby will continue to lay out the newsletter. Anne Hedin will help organize the delivery routes. Thanks to all for continuing a great tradition! We can always use more volunteers to spread the work around, so speak up if you can help.

Neighbor Link

New service from the city allows residents to please complete an online form to contact the city about issues concerning Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Housing and Neighborhood Development, Planning, ITS, Utilities, Police and Fire Departments. See http://bloomington.in.gov/neighborlink.

Incident Report

Regular monthly report from Dick and Mary Lou Mitchell, our Neighborhood Watch representatives. We'll ask a representative from the police force to speak at the July meeting, to follow up on complaints of car break-ins, graffiti, etc.

Bryan Park Neighborhood Association

May 24, 2011 Minutes

Submitted by Jenny Bauer, BPNA Secretary

The Bryan Park Neighborhood Association met at the Free Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana, on May 24, 2011. Mary Miller, BPNA president, presided over the meeting.

1. Sustainability Projects. Jacqui Bauer, the City of Bloomington’s Sustainability Coordinator, discussed several city sustainability projects. She announced that a traveling film and beer festival will be held in Bryan Park on the evening of June 3^rd. The focus of the films is biking and sustainability. Jacqui reported that the city did a recent energy consumption audit. Bryan Park had the lowest electricity consumption and was in the middle of the pack for gas consumption. She said the city is working to make neighborhoods more energy efficient and hopes to provide kits to assist in this effort. Jacqui also reported that the “Hoosier to Hoosier” sale is scheduled for August 20^th—donated items from IU students and others will be offered for sale to the community.

2. Stormwater improvements on Dunn Street. Mary Miller reported that the City has drawn final plans for the stormwater remediation along Dunn and Allen Streets. She displayed the plans for review. Mary said that the city is ready to begin the project and plans to finish in June. She also stated that the new plans do not require the removal of any trees.

3. 2011 Elections. Mary Miller announced that the 2011 elections for BPNA officers will be held at the June meeting. She made a call for candidates and stated that the current officers are willing to serve another term. Anyone is welcome to put in a name to be considered for the election.

4. Church Neighborhood Cookout. The Free Methodist Church will host a neighborhood cookout on June 5^th.

5. Blooming Neighborhood Awards. BPNA will be awarded a Certificate of Recognition for the Mayor’s Excellence Award on June 1 at the City Council meeting. The award is in recognition for BPNA’s work on the Templeton Elementary School playground project. The award ceremony will be shown via CATS coverage.

6. Blooming Neighborhoods. The city’s Blooming Neighborhoods event is scheduled for June 4^th from 9-Noon at the Farmer’s Market. BPNA will have a table and volunteers are needed to staff it.

7. Incident Report. Isabell Piedmont-Smith reported that she met recently with the city police chief and he is willing to come to a BPNA meeting to discuss recent incidents in the neighborhood. The police are continuing to watch the house at the boarding house at the corner of Washington and Hillside. Isabel said the police encourage neighborhood residents to report noise and vandalism problems by calling the non-emergency phone number—339-4477. Several members reported problems with car break-ins.

8. Alley Problem. Isabel Piedmont-Smith reported that the Traffic Commission is about to consider an issue involving the east-west alley next to Ian Woolen’s house at 1106 South Washington Street. Ian explained that the alley was meant to be an emergency exit, but is instead used by over 40 cars a day to exit the gas station and car wash. Ian has asked the Traffic Commission to make the alley one-way going west (or close it completely), so people can’t use it to exit the gas station onto Washington St.. The gas station current has exits onto Grimes, Walnut and the north-south alley behind the station. A motion was made and seconded to recommend that the Traffic Commission approve the request to change the east-west alley next to 1106 South Washington Street. Mary Miller asked Jenny Bauer and Jan Sorby to prepare a letter to the Traffic Commission. Joanne Henriot volunteered to deliver the letter to the commission.
   
   Update from Isabel: The request to block the alley was NOT on the Board of Public Works' agenda for Tuesday, June 7. Apparently the staff feels there is more background work to be done, perhaps more discussion with the neighbors and the gas station/car wash manager. The item may be on the agenda for the next meeting, June 21. See http://bloomington.in.gov/documents/viewDocument.php?document_id=170 for more information.

9. Michael Korus Use Variance. Michael Korus lives at 120 E. Dixie, on a property containing two houses–the original house (now a rental duplex), and the house he currently lives in. The house that he lives in was moved to the lot from Fourth and Lincoln Streets in to make way for the new fire station in 1990. The city declared the zoning for the house to be Single Family as part of the Uniform Development Ordinance in 2007. Mr. Korus explained that he wants to move out of the neighborhood and rent out this house. He said he wants the use variance so he can rent to 5 unrelated adults and maximize his cash-flow on it as a rental property. Patrick Shay from the Planning Department explained that the house did not get the higher occupancy rating because it was not used as a rental when the zoning change was made. He said the current zoning calls for a limit to 3 unrelated adults living in the house. If the use variance is granted, the occupancy limit would increase to 5 unrelated adults and the change would run with the property in perpetuity. There was a lengthy discussion on this issue. No action was taken. The Planning Commission hears the request for the use variance on June 13^th.
   
   Update: This item is on the agenda for the Planning Commission meeting on Monday, June 13. The meeting is in the City Hall chambers Rm 115. For more information, see http://bloomington.in.gov/documents/viewDocument.php?document_id=5413.
   

10. Next meeting. The next BPNA meeting is scheduled for June 28, 2011, at 7 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church, corner of Grimes and Lincoln.