Neighborhood Meeting 3-25-2014

The next meeting of the Bryan Park Neighborhood Association is Tuesday, March 25, 7pm at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes Lane and Lincoln Ave.

Next BPNA Meeting Tuesday, October 22

Bryan Park Neighbors,

The next neighborhood association meeting is next Tuesday, October 22, 7pm at the Methodist Church at the corner of Grimes and Lincoln. Everyone is welcome.

BPNA Monthly Meeting Tues. 7/24

Hi Neighbors,
The monthly meeting of the Bryan Park Neighborhood Association will be this Tuesday, July 24. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.
Below is the agenda for the meeting.

• Purchase of e-mail domain for BPNA – Kerry Greer
• BPNA Newsletter – Kerry Greer
• BPNA Constitution - Jacob Farmer
• BPNA Elections – Jon Lawrence
• 406 E. Hillside façade – Jim Gronquist
• Neighborhood Cleanup – Judith Sylvester
• Block Party Update – Jon Lawrence

We look forward to seeing everyone there.
Jon

BPNA monthly meeting, 3/27

MEETING AGENDA

Our monthly meeting will be this Tuesday, March 27. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.

Not too much on the agenda, so far. We've set the block party date for August 24. I'd like to propose that we pay to have the tables and chairs delivered, rather than Jon picking them up and returning them with his truck. We have money in the bank account that could pay for this.

Several people have asked for an update on the Hillside and Henderson project. The developers have shared that it was too late to break ground in time for August occupancy, as they had hoped. They are waiting to start the project in the summer.

This would be a good time to talk about how to encourage more people to get involved with BPNA. We have almost 300 people on the email list, and I'm sure there are plenty of good ideas just waiting to be heard.

BPNA Monthly Meeting Tuesday 2/28

Our Feb. meting will be this Tuesday, Feb. 28. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln. Lots of nature-related topics this month–a sure sign that Spring is coming!

Clean Out of Davis Creek

The Utilities department was planning to clear out some of the debris in the creekbed of the Davis St. creek. Please speak up if you still see branches and debris blocking the flow of the creek.

Raised Vegetable Beds

Minifundia (www.minifundia.com) is a new company that installs and maintains raised bed vegetable gardens in Bloomington. This new business is in our neighborhood at 1121 S. Henderson St. Tonia Matthews has been in touch with the owner of Minifundia, and will speak about their services.

Pedestrian Bridge in Bryan Park

The city is waiting for ground conditions in Bryan Park to dry out enough to get a crane in, in order to install the pedestrian bridge across the creekbed. The crane operator does not want to take his equipment into the area until the ground dries up quite a bit.

Neighborhood Tree Program

The City of Bloomington’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Department (HAND) and Parks Department are partnering to offer trees to our neighborhoods in an effort to increase the number and quality of street trees. HAND is expanding the 2012 Neighborhood Improvement Grant program this year to provide a means for neighborhoods to replenish trees in the public right-of-way.

The trees will be planted in the City-owned right-of-way not on private property. Areas to be considered include unimproved areas that do not conflict with other public utilities or improvements along public streets, roads or alleys.

BPNA can apply for one of these grants, if we can get some volunteer support from our BPNA members to write it.

ImagineBloomington

As you may know, the City of Bloomington is in the initial stages of revising its Growth Policies Plan. In an effort to maximize citizen engagement in the process, Mayor Kruzan has announced a series of public workshops for residents to attend. The GPP serves as a guiding document for how we plan for the future of Bloomington. If you would like to review the current GPP, you may find the document at http://bloomington.in.gov/gpp.

The first meeting was Tuesday, February 21st at the Monroe County Library. Darryl Neher says there are nine more meetings, and suggested that we all get involved in Bloomington's long-term planning process.

Conservation District

We are ready to start gathering signatures for our application letter, in order to get the process underway.

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

Thanks,

Mary

BPNA monthly meeting 1/24

Our first meeting of the new year will be this Tuesday, Jan. 24. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln. I have not written up a formal agenda, but see this meeting as a chance to re-group and review any neighborhood developments since we last met. We can also talk about plans and goals for 2012.

One question–has anyone experienced flooding in their homes with all the rain we have had lately? The Utilities Department has finished work on the drainage project on Dunn, Dixie, Allen and Palmer. I want to be sure there are no further flooding problems. As best I can tell, it seems to be working well.

It was reported this weekend that the Davis creek was not draining as fast as it normally would. I have contacted Utilities, and they plan to clear the stream bed of brush and debris later this winter, especially where it passes under Grant, Lincoln and Washington.

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

Thanks,

Mary

Calendar

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 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.

BPNA meeting Tues. 5/24 and church cookout announcement

Our monthly meeting for May will be this Tuesday, May 24. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.

AGENDA May 24, 2011

Sustainability projects

Jacqui Bauer will attend the meeting and speak about several city sustainability projects, such as Hoosier to Hoosier, energy efficiency, and biking.

Final stormwater plans

We will have final plans from the Utilities Department for the stormwater project along Dunn/Allen Sts.

2011 Elections

BPNA holds election of officers at the June meeting. Call for candidates, and discuss.

Free Methodist Church Neighborhood Cookout

This event will be held on Sunday, June 5, at 5pm, at the church where we hold our monthly meetings. Everyone in the neighborhood is invited. There will be a cookout, games and ice cream, and even pony rides for kids. Come out and meet your neighbors at the Free Methodist Church, located at the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln St. Flyer attached.

Blooming Neighborhood Awards

Bryan Park Neighborhood Association will be awarded a Certificate of Recognition for the Mayor's Excellence Award for our partnership with Templeton School to secure new playground equipment. This year the Blooming Neighborhood Awards will be presented at the City Council meeting on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. This will give the public the opportunity to share in the event via CATS coverage.

Blooming Neighborhoods

The Blooming Neighbors celebration is held annually at the Farmer’s Market. This year’s event will be held Sat. June 4, 9am-12pm. We will have a table at the event and need volunteers to staff it.

Incident Report

Regular monthly report from Dick and Mary Lou Mitchell, our Neighborhood Watch representatives.

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.

BPNA meeting agenda for 4/26

Our monthly meeting for March will be this Tuesday, Apr. 26. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.

Our special guest this month will be Nancy Hiestand, Historic Preservation Program Manager for the City of Bloomington. She will talk to us about the conservation district protections we are considering for the Bryan Park neighborhood.

In addition, we will have an update on the city Utilities department stormwater remediation plan to fix the flooding along S. Dunn St.

We will also discuss a gathering suggested by Tonia Matthew, and planned for June 12.

It's a full agenda, but contact Mary Miller if you need to add anything.

BPNA meeting Tues. 3/22

Our monthly meeting for March will be this Tuesday, Mar. 22. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.

AGENDA

OLD BUSINESS

[Update]

Bryan Park Conservation District

Continuing the discussion from several meetings over the past year, we will talk about the nature of a conservation district, and the many steps of the application process to ensure neighborhood interest and public comment. The city has just said that we may choose to apply, if we wish. At the meeting, we will be discussing the district, when and how public comment is incorporated, and whether we should form a subcommittee to proceed.

[Follow up on snow flyers -- Postponed to a future meeting with more time]

Jan will contact local schools to find volunteers to shovel walks for those unable to do so. We will edit the flyers Jeff Firestone proposed, to reflect that help will be available for those who cannot shovel their walks due to physical limitations.

Thanks to Jeff F. for updating our web site at http://bryanpark.blogspot.com/.

NEW BUSINESS

Bike improvements along Allen St.

The City of Bloomington Public Works Department will be hosting a meeting on Monday, March 28 at 5:30pm at the Free Methodist Church to discuss bicycle infrastructure improvements along Allen and Smith Streets. They will be seeking input on a variety of possible "tools" to make these streets more attractive for bicycles. The meeting is open to the general public.

Small and Simple Grant

The grant proposal for our annual block party is due in April. We'll discuss the details--so we can get the application done.

Neighborhood Leadership Series

Thursday, April 7, 2011, 7 to 9 p.m., City Council Chambers

The session on Thursday, April 7 "HANDS ON HOUSING" will be highly interactive. HAND staff will to talk to participants about their own housing as well as what is needed in the neighborhood. A wide variety of stations will be set up to help you improve your home, not just for your own comfort and pocketbook, but also for Bloomington as a whole. Programs cover how to purchase, maintain, and rehabilitate a home, how to deal with an emergency and how to make your home more energy efficient. Attend this fun and interactive session with HAND staff to learn how to make your home a part of our increasingly sustainable city.

HAND will offer a drawing for a free Home Energy Audit to one of the participants in each session!

Neighborhood Watch

Regular report from Dick and Mary Lou Mitchell.

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

Thanks,

Mary

BPNA meeting Tues. 1/25

Our first monthly meeting of 2011 will be this Tuesday, Jan. 25. As usual, we'll
meet at 7:00p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S.
Lincoln.

AGENDA

BPNA Email List
We'll discuss email list policy, as we continue to refine our guidelines for the
open list.

Incident Report
Regular monthly report from Dick and Mary Lou Mitchell, our Neighborhood Watch
representatives.

ONGOING PROJECTS
Since it has been awhile since we've met, we'll revisit our ongoing projects
with an overview of where they stand.

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.
Please email me at mpm_mil...@yahoo.com if you'd like to add anything to the
agenda.

Thanks,
Mary

BPNA meeting tonight, Tues. 11/30

Our rescheduled monthly meeting will be tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 30. As usual,
we'll meet at 7:00p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and
S. Lincoln.

AGENDA

Bring a can of food tonight!
To express our gratitude to the Free Methodist Church for providing our meeting
space, please bring a can of food to add to the church's food drive.

Neighborhood Improvement Grant
Update on grant our proposal. We delivered the grant application on Nov. 5, and
will do a presentation for the grant committee next week. The grant will be for
several improvements in Bryan Park: a bridge across the creek where a rocky path
is currently used, and a kiosk near the playground for park announcement and
neighborhood news.

T-shirts and Chef's Aprons
I'll bring several of the items we had printed for BPNA this summer, if you'd
like to purchase one for yourself or as an early Christmas gift! T-shirts and
aprons are $15 each.

Conservation District Update
The Historic Commission plans to vote on the recent survey that was done for the
Bryan Park neighborhood. The vote will be on Dec. 9, at 4pm in the Showers
building. You are welcome to attend the meeting.

Cat Bells
Tonia Matthews has cat bells for anyone who would like one. The bells are free
for the asking. This is in response to a previous item about cats going after
birds in our neighborhood.

Proposal to open Google email list
Any comments on the new email list policy?

Incident Report
Regular monthly report from Dick and Mary Lou Mitchell, our Neighborhood Watch
representatives.

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.

Please email me at mpm_mil...@yahoo.com if you'd like to add anything to the
agenda.

City Council Update on Halloween

Dear neighbors,
I will once again host my monthly constituent meeting this Saturday, Oct. 31, 11:00 am to 12:00 noon at Rachael's Cafe (300 E. 3rd St.). I will provide an update on what the City Council has been doing, including changes to the animal care and control ordinance and possible historic designation for the old Elks Lodge building on N. Walnut St. Then I will open it up to questions and comments from attendees. Free coffee will be provided. I want to hear from you! If you can't make it Saturday, you can always email me at piedmoni@bloomington.in.gov.
Best wishes,
Isabel Piedmont-Smith
Bloomington City Council, Dist. 5

Neighborhood Clean-up day, April 18

Start planning for spring house cleaning! BPNA has been awarded a Neighborhood Clean-up grant for April 18, 2009, according to Vicki Provine, Program Manager, Housing and Neighborhood Development for the city. HAND will provide dumpsters and logistical support at the parking lot at the Free Methodist church at the corner of Grimes and Lincoln, from 9am to 1pm on Saturday, April 18.

BPNA volunteers pitch in on site to help neighbors toss their cast-off items into the dumpsters. Usable but orphaned items are set aside for recycling and free to all comers. We can use another few volunteers with a truck or van who could help neighbors with large items and haul brush to the site. For more information,call the volunteer coordinator, Anne Hedin, at 323-7485.

The City is unable to accept electronic waste such as computers and monitors at the Neighborhood Clean-up site on April 18, but do not despair. You can recycle office equipment, old TVs, VCRs, cameras, etc. at a free e-waste recycling drive hosted by Indiana University Bloomington and IUPUI. The program will be open to the general public on Saturday, May 2, from 9 am to 2 pm in the parking lot to the north of Memorial Stadium. Complete information, including maps, hours, and a list of accepted items, is available at indiana.poweron.com.

Electronics Recycling Drive, May 2

The City is unable to accept electronic waste such as computers and monitors at the Neighborhood Clean-up site on April 18, but do not despair. You can recycle office equipment, old TVs, VCRs, cameras, etc. at a free e-waste recycling drive hosted by Indiana University Bloomington and IUPUI. The program will be open to the general public on Saturday, May 2, from 9 am to 2 pm in the parking lot to the north of Memorial Stadium. Complete information, including maps, hours, and a list of accepted items, is available at indiana.poweron.com.