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BPNA meeting minutes, October 25th meeting

Bryan Park Neighborhood Association

October 25, 2011 Minutes

The Bryan Park Neighborhood Association met at the Free Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana, on October 25, 2011. Mary Miller, BPNA president, presided over the meeting.

1. Shalom Center. Forrest Gilmore, director of the Shalom Center, made a presentation about the Center and poverty in Bloomington. He reported that Bloomington has the highest poverty rate in the state and also the highest housing costs. He also discussed the programs and services provided by the Shalom Center: day shelter, hunger relief (breakfast and lunch), employment assistance, family homelessness prevention, legal aid clinic, and visiting social services.

2. Storm Water Project Update. Mary Miller reported that the storm water project is complete and the new pipes and swales seem to be working as planned.

3. Incident Report. Dick Mitchell reported that there were 2 reports of car vandalism in the neighborhood recently.

4. Proposed project at Hillside and Henderson. Jeff Fanyo of Bynum Fanyo made a presentation concerning the proposed commercial and residential project at the corner of Hillside and Henderson Streets. He said the residential component of the project will have 30 1-bedroom apratments. The commercial component of the project will face Hillside and consist of approximately 2000 square feet of space. The plan calls for 8 angled parking spaces on Hillside and then parking off the alley for the residential units. Mr. Fanyo also explained that the owners will be asking for several variances: a use variance for the corner of Hillside and Henderson, a set-back variance (15 feet instead of 25 feet), and a variance for lot coverage. Mr. Fanyo also presented architectural drawings of the proposed development. BPNA members discussed the proposal with the architects and owners of the property and made suggestions for possible improvements. The proposal is scheduled to go before the Plan Commission in November.

5. Next meeting. The next BPNA meeting is scheduled for November 22, 2011.

Hearing tonight on Hillside/Henderson project

The initial hearing for the Hillside/Henderson project is tonight, in front of the Bloomington Plan Commission. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers in the Showers building. The project is last on the agenda, with four other petitions before it.

Everyone is welcome to come, and to address the commission with support, questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Mary

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