McKnight
Neighborhood Council, Inc.
Board of
Directors Meeting
Tuesday,
August 09, 2011: 6-8 pm
Rescheduled
to August 16, 2011
Rebecca
Johnson School, Music Room
55 Catherine
St., Springfield MA
AGENDA
6:00 – 6:10 pm: OPEN MEETING, WELCOME
o
Introduction, Board of Directors
o
Audience Introductions
6:10—6:25 pm:
GUEST
o
Erica Walch from the Springfield Public Forum lecture series is presenting details about this year's programming and some exciting new
features.
6:25 – 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 July 19, 2011 meeting
o TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
·
Monthly financial report
·
Submission of 2011-12 budget for approval
6:45—7:15 pm:
New Business
o Scope
of Service for 2011-12—review and approval
o Approval
of Corporate Seal—Vote of Corporation Authorizing Execution of Contract
o Steve
Thibeau seeking clarification of easement issue relating to the now dissolved
McKnight Homeowners Association
o Open
to the Floor
7:15 – 8:00
pm: COMMITTEE REPORTS – Any
committee updates (5 minutes each)
·
Rail Trail (Liz Stevens)
·
Public Safety (Walter Kroll)
·
Housing/Code (vacant chair)
·
Continued work on committee formation and
tasks
8:00 pm – Close Meeting
Next
McKnight Neighborhood Council Meeting
Tuesday,
September 13, 2011
6:00-8:00 pm Rebecca
Johnson School
Approved 9/20/11
Minutes McKnight Neighborhood Council
Board Meeting: August 16, 2011
Meeting
Called to order 6:05 p.m.: (WK verified
quorum present)
Board Members Present (9): Walter Kroll (Pres), Demetrios Panteleakis (Vice Pres), Ben Swan, Jr, (Secy/Clerk),
Liz Stevens, (Treas), Ceil
Lewonchuk, (Asst Secy),
Gregory Hession, Ed Kelly, Jesse
Lederman, Stephen Thibeau, {Elizabeth Lederman, Adm. Staff}.
Board Members Not Present
(4): Frank
Buntin, Katie Foster, Arthur Jones, Donna Jordan
Neighborhood
Members Attending: Deborah Pace, Susan Bernardy, Stephen Gray,
Brandi Gamble, Michael McLaurin, James
Parciak
Guests: Jose Ramos
Welcome
by WK; board member introductions; audience introductions.
OFFICER’S
REPORTS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Walter Kroll)
o Opened
meeting, noting that regular meeting had been rescheduled from August 09
because the building was locked and the meeting could not take place.
o Read
mission statement of Council from bylaws, which describes purpose and overview
of goals.
o Gave
brief synopsis of Springfield Forum presentation that Erica Walch shared before
the cancelled meeting from last week, since she was unable to return for this
week’s meeting.
o Announced
the chairmanships for each of 2011-12 committees, noting that chairs were
assigned according to expertise and interest, as follows:
·
Public Safety—Walter Kroll
·
Housing/Code—Demetrios Panteleakis
·
Rail Trail—Liz Stevens
·
Communications—Marianne Winter
·
Good Neighbor—Ceil Lewonchuk
·
McKnight Community Center—Demetrios Panteleakis
·
Debate Committee—Jesse Lederman
VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Demetrios Panteleakis)
o DP reported Frank Fitzgerald is working up an appraisal
value for the church property for sale on Clarendon & St James (previously
discussed as potential site for community center). City has been made aware of MNC’s tentative
interest in property, but noted building does have significant code
concerns.
SECRETARY’S REPORT: (Ben Swan; Elizabeth
Lederman, staff)
o Minutes of Board Meeting,
July 19, 2011, submitted for acceptance. BS absent during this portion of
meeting; Asst Secy/Clerk, CL called for corrections or additions. None offered.
MOTION: (LS moved) to accept as
presented; (CL seconded); (WK call for
discussion) ;(WK called the question); carried
unanimously.
TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
o
LS offered overview of FY 2010-11 year end budget, noting that Rail
Trail appraisal had been completed and paid for.
o
Discussion about $7,630 reserve that MNC has on the books—used for
operating capital to cover gap between CDBG billing and reimbursement.
MOTION: (DP moved) to accept year end
report as presented; (EK seconded); (WK call for discussion) ;(WK called the
question); carried unanimously.
o Presentation of FY
2011-12 CDBG yearly budget for Board approval.
o Discussion of Bay Street
garden project and MNC role as fiscal agent.
MOTION: (JL moved) to accept FY
2011-12 CDBG budget as presented; (DP seconded); (WK call for discussion) ;(WK
called the question); carried
unanimously.
New Business
o
WK presented CDBG Scope of Service for
2011-12 for review and approval.
Discussion around whether MNC has to accomplish each goal in order to
fulfill the contract. Consensus reached
that accomplishment can be long term, and that activities taking place toward
the goal which are documented fulfill the contract even if the goal is not
successfully achieved.
MOTION: (DP moved) to accept FY 2011-12 CDBG Scope
of Service as presented; (LS seconded); (WK call for discussion) ;(WK called
the question); carried unanimously.
o
WK called for approval of Corporate
Seal—Vote of Corporation Authorizing Execution of Contract in relation to the
CDBG contract.
MOTION: (GH moved) That the
Board hereby authorizes Walter Kroll to execute any document necessary to
obtain CDBG funding on behalf of the Board of Directors.; (DP seconded) (WK call for discussion) ; EK
called for clarification; further discussion on nature of what was being
authorized with DP observing that this was an expansion vote and not a limiting
vote. (WK called the question); carried
unanimously. (BS directed to complete
document and imprint corporate seal—to be delivered to Ed Whitley at
Neighborhood Services by staff EL.)
o Steve Thibeau seeking
clarification of easement issue relating to the now dissolved McKnight
Homeowners Association and access to a Verizon service pole servicing homes on
Welcome Place and Brown and Yale Streets.
ST requesting letter from MNC stipulating that it was not the intent of
MNC to dissolve any easements acknowledged in the MHA covenants when it voted
to dissolve that entity. Lengthy
discussion around the issue and the legal nature of easement rights and the
authority of the Council or any neighborhood council in such matters.
MOTION: (BS moved) that MNC
author a letter stating simply that MNC did not intend to limit access to the
aforementioned utility pole when it dissolved the MHA. (LS seconded); (WK call for discussion) ; GH observed that it was MNC’s intent to
dissolve the MHA, and that the recorded document of the dissolution was the
controlling factor such that the easement was dissolved despite its
questionable status to begin with; and DP observed that the right of easement
rested with the utility company as a matter of federal law; (WK called the
question); Yea, 3; Nay 5; Abstentions,
1; motion defeated. (Council recommended that ST pursue a course
of action with the regulatory commission to resolve the problem.)
NEW BUSINESS—OPEN TO THE FLOOR
o
DP asked the Board to please consider
calling the proposed community center, the Center for Civic Engagement, rather
than just a community center. Agreement
that the suggestions would be taken under consideration at an appropriate
future date.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
STANDING COMMITTEES
o Rail Trail (Liz Stevens)
·
Three grant
applications in progress—WMECO, Mass Mutual, and Kodak. Presented information to State Street
Alliance as a step toward obtaining the Mass Mutual grant. Some discussion about the possibility of
having the area incorporated as a Business Overlay District which would accrue
some advantages in moving the Rail Trail project forward.
·
In process of
identifying Rail Trail related project for Springfield College’s Humanics Day
volunteers.
·
Still pursuing
request for Americorp volunteer from Springfield College to help with the Rail
Trail.
o Public
Safety (Walter Kroll)
·
Reported on
suspicious activity around the neighborhood, including young man door knocking
to ask for money for baby formula.; and drug and gang activity in Oak Grove
Cemetery.
·
Neighborhood
Watch has been conducting regular walking patrols on Bowdoin Street on Thursday
and Friday evenings.
·
Urged
participation in monthly Watch, and Sector F police beat meetings.
o Housing
& Code (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
GH (interim
chairman) reporting on first meeting.
Described housing problems as falling into three categories: city owned,
bank owned, and privately owned properties.
Problems with city and bank owned properties can be addressed
directly. Committee will be developing a
friendly letter template to begin dialogues with the owners of private
properties to open positive dialogues about housing related problems. Goal is to establish a polite standard. Board
to approve letters before sending them out.
AD HOC COMMITTEES
o Debate (Jesse
Lederman)
·
JL reporting that
tentative date of August 23 offered to all three mayoral primary
candidates. Sarno campaign slow to
respond definitely despite consistent overtures. Tosado and Pepe campaigns confirmed. Question as to whether to cancel the debate if
Sarno does not respond soon or if he declines, since the tentative debate date
is drawing near.
MOTION: (BS moved) to wait until 10 am tomorrow
(August 17) for a response from Sarno, and if one is not received to cancel the
debate (WK seconded); (WK call for discussion) ; JL commented that even if Sarno does not want
to debate, it is the responsibility of MNC to put the candidates before the people,
even if only two of them step up to the plate; LS commented that as a voter she
did not know anything about Tosado and Pepe and would like to hear from them; (BS amended motion) to go forward with the
debate, even in the absence of Sarno, if the other two candidates agree; (GH
seconded) (WK called the question);
carried unanimously. (DP
volunteered to contact Sarno campaign to expedite answer.)
9:00 ADJOURNMENT: MOTION:
(BS moved) to adjourn; (JL seconded); (WK
called); motion carried.
NEXT MNC MEETING: Tuesday, September
13, 2011
REBECCA JOHNSON SCHOOL,
55 Catharine Street
6:00 – 8:00 pm
