McKnight
Neighborhood Council, Inc.
Board of
Directors Meeting
Tuesday, September
20, 2011: 6-8 pm
Rebecca
Johnson School, Music Room
55 Catharine
St., Springfield MA
AGENDA
6:00 – 6:15 pm: OPEN MEETING, WELCOME
o
Introduction, Board of Directors
o
Audience Introductions
6:15—6:30 pm:
GUEST
o
Laurie
Williams from the Mason Square Health Task Force speaking on plans to develop
a substance abuse recovery center in the Mason Square area and seeking input
from neighborhood residents about its location and how it would operate in the
community.
6:30 – 6:45
pm: OFFICERS’ REPORTS
o PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Walter
J. Kroll)
o VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Demetrios
Panteleakis)
o SECRETARY’S REPORT: (Ben
Swan, Jr & Elizabeth Lederman, admin staff)
·
Minutes of August 16, 2011 meeting (see
attachment)
o TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
·
Monthly financial report
6:45—7:15 pm:
New Business
o
MNC liability insurance—discussion about the
need and cost of Directors & Officers insurance which the Council does not
currently have in place
o
Open to the Floor
7:15 – 8:00
pm: COMMITTEE REPORTS – Any
committee updates (5 minutes each)
o
Standing
Committees
·
Rail Trail (Liz Stevens)
·
Public Safety (Walter Kroll)
·
Housing &Code (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
Communications (Marianne Winters)
·
Good Neighbor (Ceil Lewonchuk)
o
Ad Hoc
Committees
·
Community Center (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
Debate (Jesse Lederman)
8:00 pm – Close Meeting
Next
McKnight Neighborhood Council Meeting
Tuesday, October
11, 2011 6:00-8:00 pm Rebecca Johnson School
Approved October 11, 2011
Minutes McKnight Neighborhood Council
Board Meeting: September 20, 2011
Meeting
Called to order 6:05 p.m.: (WK verified
quorum present)
Board Members Present (7): Walter Kroll (Pres), Ben Swan, Jr,
(Secy/Clerk), Liz Steven, (Treas),
Ceil Lewonchuk (Asst Secy), Gregory Hession, Ed Kelly, Stephen Thibeau, {Elizabeth
Lederman, Adm. Staff}.
Board Members Not Present
(6): Demetrios
Panteleakis (Vice Pres), Frank
Buntin, Katie Foster, Arthur Jones, Donna Jordan, Jesse Lederman
Neighborhood
Members Attending: W. Clark, Stephen Gray, Madeline Kroll, Kat
Wright, Victoria Lewis, Brandi Gamble, D. Lucas
Guests: Zaida Govan
Welcome
by WK; board member introductions; audience introductions.
OFFICER’S
REPORTS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Walter Kroll)
o WK
reporting on the MNC sponsored debate for the mayoral candidates on September
13 at AIC—debate format was strong and candidates were well engaged. Lack of media support for the event, but
covered by Republican and Reminder with good write-ups. Plans in progress for final mayoral debate
and possible debate for at-large city council race.
VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Demetrios Panteleakis)
o DP absent—no report.
SECRETARY’S REPORT: (Ben Swan; Elizabeth
Lederman, staff)
o Minutes of Board Meeting,
August 16, 2011, submitted for acceptance. BS absent during this portion of
meeting; Asst Secy/Clerk, CL called for corrections or additions. None offered.
MOTION: (CL moved) to accept as
presented; (EK seconded); (WK call for
discussion) ;(WK called the question); carried
unanimously.
TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
o LS reported that she is working with the new
bookkeeper Amy Grabowski to understand the books and how the expenses are
handled and reported. She asked for
suggestions about what board members wanted to see in the monthly financial
report. GH observed that the reserve
needs to show in the report, and that any grant monies we are handling for
other organizations should be distinguished as a separate account, as is done
with escrow accounts. Further discussion
led to motion as follows:
MOTION: (BS moved) that MNC
executive board committee take up discussion on financial report format and
finalize details; (EK seconded); (WK
call for discussion) ;(WK called the question);
carried unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS
o
WK reported that MNC liability insurance
does not include Directors’ & Officers’ insurance. Discussion about whether the Board wants this
coverage and what situations could arise which would warrant it. General consensus reached that because MNC is
so small, and the scope of its activities is modest and generally covered by
the liability policy, that there is little risk involved. Agreement that the current liability
insurance is sufficient for any litigious situations which might arise.
NEW BUSINESS—OPEN TO THE FLOOR
o
Kat Wright reported that the AARP is
sponsoring a project on “walkable communities”.
A workshop is taking place on Tuesday October 18 which involves a site
survey which rates sidewalks and streets in various areas of the city as to
their walkability. They will be
surveying five sites. Suggests
possible participation by MNC.
GUEST PRESENTATION
o
Zaida Govan (standing in for Laurie
Williams, who was originally scheduled) speaking on plans by the Mason Square
Health Task Force to develop a substance abuse recovery center in the Mason
Square area and seeking input from neighborhood residents about its location
and how it would operate in the community.
·
Project is called the Mason Square Recovery
Initiative
·
Mission—to provide aftercare services to
clients who are coming out of substance abuse treatment who live in the
community—as stated “to be a resource for the recovering community”.
·
Organization has a $25,000 implementation
grant with plans to supplement with monies from Ludlow correctional facility
and other potential community partners.
·
Planning to locate the facility in a house
(as opposed to a storefront) in a residential section of Mason Square; site as
yet undetermined; will have offices and community space; two paid staff
supplemented with volunteers.
Discussion revealed
that this project is still in early planning stages. Concerns voiced around the preponderance of
group homes and similar services already located in the residential McKnight
area, particularly on St James Avenue.
ZG stressed the uniqueness of this project as an integrated aftercare
facility, and pointed to a similar model that operates successfully in
Hartford. Agreed to provide more
information in later planning stages.
Board indicated willingness to hear more about the proposal as it
develops.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
STANDING COMMITTEES
o Rail Trail (Liz Stevens)
·
LS reporting that
land appraisal is almost completed.
·
Participated in a
rail trails report that is airing on PBS local station WGBY channel 57 in October. Spent two hours on McKnight trail with camera
man shooting footage.
·
Participating in
1st Annual Rail Conference on November 12.
·
Mass Mutual
grant—they have indicated they want MNC
to proceed with application
·
Springfield
College declined MNC request to provide AmeriCorps volunteer to assist in
organizing volunteers for rail trail work
·
Humanics Day
scheduled for September 27 with 4-5 student volunteers from Springfield
College. Plan is to access rail trail
from Albany Street and clean out a dumping area that has developed because of a
breach in the fence that surrounds the abutting lot. City has been contacted about repairing
fence.
o Public
Safety (Walter Kroll)
o Reported on the closing of the River Inn property by
the City for code violations. Owners
have one year to bring it up to code or lose the property.
o Watch officer Charlie Ramos reporting an overall
increase in armed assaults and gang activity.
o Urged continuing vigilance re radiator, pipe, and
metal theft in abandoned and vacant houses. Police have been able to successfully
intervene when immediately alerted.
o Housing
& Code (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
DP absent, GH
reporting—committee continues to develop resident’s letter alerting to code
violations. Letters will be submitted to
Board to sign off on before sending.
Housing stock list to be developed for serious offenders requiring City
interventions as in abandoned and/or bank owned properties not being properly
administered.
·
EK raised problem
developing in neighborhood regarding unscrupulous realtors possibly taking
advantage of first time home buyers and what measures could be taken to assist
these individuals. Consensus that
victims themselves need to contact the Attorney General in these matters.
·
78 Bowdoin Street
being illegally advertised for sale as a three-family in a single family zoning
area. Zoning commission is now involved
and following the issue.
·
380 Bay—LS reporting that this property with
serious environmental issues will be part of the focus of the EPA CARE grant
meeting in which MNC is sponsoring later this fall.
o Communications (Marianne Winters)
o MW absent, LS reporting—LS reporting that fall
newsletter is now in planning stages.
o Good
Neighbor (Ceil Lewonchuk)
o CL reporting she will now be visiting new residents to
welcome them, give them official Council flyer, and inviting them to come to
the monthly meeting.
AD HOC COMMITTEES
o Debate (Jesse
Lederman)
·
JL absent—WK
reiterated that a mayoral debate, and possibly an at-large city council debate
will be undertaken before the general election in November.
WRAP UP—FINAL BUSINESS, OPEN TO FLOOR
o Brandi
Gamble-Eddington, requesting memorandum of support in her efforts to acquire
ownership of the vacant lot abutting her property at 42 Thompson Street, which
is in the process of being sold by the City.
·
Background—lot previously owned by HAP as a
preferred developer. HAP returned
property to the City after BG made inquiries about it. It is now available for purchase; either by
auction or RFP (not clear which). BG has
been caring for the property since building her home on abutting lot in
2005. Buddhist Temple and also bar on
State Street interested in acquiring lot for parking.
·
Discussion—Request in accord with MNC policy of
supporting residents who have invested time and expense in caring for vacant
lots which abut their properties. Also
of importance, lot is a boundary property abutting the commercial district on
State Street—residential boundaries of the neighborhood need to be kept intact.
MOTION: (LS moved) that MNC issue
a memorandum of support to Brandi-Gamble Eddington in her efforts to acquire
vacant lot parcel #11525-0007 on Thompson Street; (BS seconded); (WK call for discussion) ;(WK
called the question); carried
unanimously.
·
EL directed to issue memorandum
8:00 ADJOURNMENT: MOTION:
(LS moved) to adjourn; (EK seconded); (WK
called); motion carried.
NEXT MNC MEETING: Tuesday, October
11, 2011
REBECCA JOHNSON SCHOOL,
55 Catharine Street
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Submitted
by Elizabeth Lederman, Administrative Staff, 10/11/2011.
