Mar. 13, 2009 - Minutes from March 12, 2009 meeting

Stephen Foster Neighborhood Association

Minutes

to March 12, 2009 meeting held at

3403 NW 13 Street, Parkview Baptist Church

Gainesville, FL

1. Meeting opened at 6PM by Robert Pearce

2. Agenda approved voice vote.

3. Old Business

A. GPD Crime Report

Audrey Mazzuca (“mazooka”), Gainesville Police Department, Corporal, spoke on three (3) incidents occurring in past reporting period including a strong-arm robbery. Wes will place her e-address our blog. She will send to SFNA the right-of-way parking rules under debate. Denny Bellsheim, StFstr resident achieved cancellation of parking tickets written in his area through direct citizen protests. Phoning, complaining and distributing a flier got tickets torn-up, thrown out.

Discussion on right of way. Who's city is this anyway ! With Cpl Mazzuca's help it is realized that ticket citations are issued by overzealous Police Service Technicians and not by GPD Officers. She also advised that certain neighborhoods are authorized for on-street parking while other neighborhoods are not. Cpl. Mazucca will investigate and report back on right-of-way ticketing. GPD will issue parking ticket when investigating a complaint received but only then and GPD doesn't arbitrarily issue tickets when they see a car parked on side of road for the fun of it.

Shall we invite Commissioner Poe to our meeting to confront this dilemma? Should SFNAssoc. committee be started to investigate further ?

B. Name of out organization

Poll from our blog was 8 votes for Stephen Foster Neighborhood Association. It outscored any other name. Much discussion. Some felt too few votes were gotten no matter how they were collected. Ron Nichols states we waste too much time on this naming issue. Others felt we had well used the time on this naming because after all an fine sounding name wins people over.

Motion by Deidre PASSED that name should properly be Stephen Foster Neighborhood Association. Others unsatisfied with voice vote. Hand-count obtained a slim margin 15 for Association and 14 hands agin' it. More dissatisfaction with results because we don't have a true definition of what a neighborhood 'association' really means. More discussion.

Can our organization name be re-voted in future? Discussion on fairness of too high reliance on blog to get fair representation of SFN area residents. Some seniors have no 'puter or use blog. Suggestion we table naming matter till election of the organization's new officers.

100. Map of Stephen Foster Neighborhood Association

Where are the signs that state 'paradise' located ?

Map boundaries. Shall we include north of 39^th Ave.? Officer Mazucca will survey and find out and report back to us if those residents are interested in SFN people like us.

500. We are sad that John Wechtel, City government did not join us this evening. It's reported we can get larger sized street sign for the neighborhood. Price of bus stop shelter is $6000 and no other prices exist. That is lowest price.

1. March 24 election. Candidate's Forum March 22 Sunday night 7:00PM. Cheryl, Secretary of Parkview Baptist Church, 378-2606 invites everybody. All candidates will be there. Join candidates as they answer questions and share their vision for City of Gainesville.

Cheryl also advises we publicize better because folks continually say how they don't know when, where or whom is running the SFNA meetings. Recommended is use of Gainesville Sun who provides free notification service to get an event published in the Scene magazine section of the Sun.

E. Parking on Right of Way.

4. Committee Reports

A. Phone notification network.

Polling Committee ? To call people to notify 'bout important things such as meeting schedules? Sharon Sheets and Ron Nichols will investigate.

B. Tree Committee.

5. Officers reports.

A. Koppers. Sharon reports March 9 Koppers Updart Special Meeting very discouraging. Koppers sent no representatives. She advises how important citizen involvement is on Koppers issues. This includes dust.

1. What standard to seek with Koppers. Much discussion.

   Residential or mixed industrial commercial. Minutes from Feb 12 SFNA meeting express we seek residential standards at Koppers site. Robert counsels that standard unobtainable and we will stand better chance at more acceptable reasonable MU, Mixed Use because residential level too high and is an unobtainable level no matter how good it might sound. Mixed Use allows lots of mixtures of uses according to Robert. He warns why go to a place that's guaranteed to fail.

Feb 12 minutes should not have stated residential 'land-use' level but a different residential

term.

Discussion on what was presented to City regarding this group's preference of clean-up level. Many voices. Many opine that we go for most grand or ideal result rather than aim too lowly at the beginning and be forced to 'eat' what they give us. Other voices complain the Association not getting its views properly presented by officers so a new election of officers needed.

Meeting adjourned on or about 7:40PM

Mar. 14, 2009 - RE: Minutes from March 12, 2009 meeting

The following corrections need to be made to the minutes:

Minutes state;
"5. Officers reports.
A.. . .What standard to seek with Koppers. Much discussion.
Residential or mixed industrial commercial. "

Correction;
The 2 cleanup standards in question are "residential" and "industrial/commercial", not "residential" and "mixed
industrial/commercial".  Mixed is a term that refers to land use categories, not cleanup standards.  All Mixed Use land use categories contain a residential component.

US EPA and city staff were proposing industrial/commercial cleanup and MU-2 land use over the entire site.  MU-2 does not have a detached residential component.  MU-2 contains only an attached residential component, and  requires only industrial/ commercial cleanup.

In my presentation before the city commission, I argued that MU-1, which contains a detached single family component, and which would require a residential cleanup, would be more compatible and appropriate next to the existing single family neighborhood than what was being proposed by EPA and city staff.

Minutes state;
"Minutes from Feb 12 SFNA meeting express we seek residential standards at Koppers site. Robert counsels that standard unobtainable and we will stand better chance at more acceptable reasonable MU, Mixed Use because residential level too high and is an unobtainable level no matter how good it might sound."

Correction;
I counseled that because the residential cleanup standard over the entire site is an unrealistic expectation due to the exorbitant and prohibitive costs involved, "Residential" land use is not a realistic expectation.

My suggestion was that the land use be split-- requiring residential cleanup standards next to the existing neighborhood, allowing for detached single family housing (associated with MU-1) on the west.  This is a much more desirable alternative to the industrial/commercial cleanup and the MU-2 land use scenario put on the table by EPA and city staff.

Minutes state;
". . . .  a new election of officers needed."

Correction;
There was no discussion of this during the meeting.  Perhaps  certain people discussed this after the meeting was adjourned, I do not know, but there was no discussion about this during the meeting.

Robert Pearce

Mar. 17, 2009 - RE: Minutes from March 12, 2009 meeting

See my comments on the new google group at the following address.

http://stephenfosterneighborhood.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/minutes-from-march-12-2009-meeting/#comments

:)

Barbara