McKnight
Neighborhood Council, Inc.
Board of
Directors Meeting
Tuesday, March
13, 2012: 630-830 pm
Rebecca
Johnson School, Music Room
55 Catharine
St., Springfield MA
AGENDA
6:30 – 6:45 pm: OPEN
MEETING, WELCOME
o
Introduction, Board of Directors
o
Audience Introductions
6:45—7:00 pm: GUESTS—Power
Point Presentation
o Representatives from the Southern Middlesex
Opportunity Council, SMOC, presenting information on the proposed program at
175 Bowdoin Street.
·
Charles Gagnon -
Chief Operating Officer
·
Jerry
Desilets - Director of Policy, Planning & Community Relations
·
Darlene
Assencoa Mazurek - Director of Housing Operations
·
Annemarie
Vivenzio - Western Mass. Housing Coordinator
7:00—7:30 pm:
Questions to SMOC from the McKnight Neighborhood Board of Directors
Walter Kroll, Moderating
·
See Agenda
Attachment for the initial list of questions which were submitted to SMOC on
behalf of residents prior to this meeting
·
Follow up
questions from the Board of Directors
7:30—8:00 pm:
Questions to SMOC from McKnight Residents in Attendance—Open to the Floor
Walter Kroll, Moderating
8:00—8:20 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 February
14, 2012 meeting (see attachment)
o
TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
·
Monthly financial
report
(COMMITTEE REPORTS are tabled for this meeting due to time
constraints)
o Standing
Committees
·
Rail Trail (Liz
Stevens)
·
Public Safety
(Walter Kroll)
·
Housing & Code
(Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
Good Neighbor
(Ceil Lewonchuk)
o Ad Hoc
Committees
·
Community
Center (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
Block Party
(Corey Singleton & Donna Jordan)
8:20—8:30 pm: Wrap
Up—Final Business
8:30 pm—Close Meeting
Next
McKnight Neighborhood Council Meeting
Tuesday, April
10, 2012 6:00-8:00 pm Rebecca Johnson School
Approved April 10, 2012
Minutes McKnight Neighborhood Council
Board Meeting: March 13, 2012
Meeting
Called to order 6:35 p.m.: (WK verified
quorum present)
Board Members Present (8): Walter
Kroll (Pres), Ben Swan, Jr,
(Secy/Clerk), Liz Steven, (Treas),
Ceil Lewonchuk (Asst Secy), Donna Jordan, Ed Kelly, Jesse Lederman, Stephen Thibeau. {Elizabeth Lederman, Adm. Staff}.
Board Members Not Present
(5) Demetrios Panteleakis (Vice Pres), Frank
Buntin, Katie Foster, Arthur Jones, Corey
Singleton
Neighborhood
Members Attending: Approximately 40, too numerous to list, see
sign in sheets.
Guests: Various press and
television reporters, SMOC representatives
Welcome
by Walter K; board member introductions.
GUEST PRESENTATION
o Representatives
from the Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council, SMOC, presenting information
on the proposed program at 175 Bowdoin Street.
·
Charles
Gagnon - Chief Operating Officer
·
Jerry Desilets - Director of Policy, Planning
& Community Relations
·
Darlene Assencoa Mazurek - Director of Housing
Operations
·
Annemarie
Vivenzio - Western Mass. Housing
o
Program
to be called Pax House. Power point
presentation in document form passed out to audience and overview given.
o
Walter K
and Jesse L went through a prepared set of questions, and the audience posed
questions as well. The answers
summarized as follows:
1. How many tenants?
13 female tenants, with 12 tenants recovering from substance abuse (in general,
however some may be recovering from other things); the 13th tenant will be the
resident manager, who will be a graduate of the program in all likelihood.
2. Rent: Tenants will pay $95 weekly rent or
commensurate with their means, and have full rights of tenancy.
3. Tenant
backgrounds: Will only take tenants from
3 month rehab programs, but they could come from other programs; tenants may or
may not be from Springfield; all tenants
will have CORI checks--will not take murderers, arsonists, or sex offenders .
Other offender types or criminal activity on a case by case basis
4. Mental health
counseling required for all clients?
Yes. Also NA and AA in some
cases.
5. Monitoring of psych
meds, suboxone, methodone, etc and other prescriptions? No--tenants responsible for taking and
keeping their own medications.
6. Mandatory drug
testing and screening for tenants? Yes
7. Will someone be
there 24/7? SMOC answered yes, but vague
on the math and just how it will work......resident manager lives there and
works 40 hours a week there.........case manager does not live there, but works
40 hours a week on site............
8. Security
questions: house will be kept locked,
residents will have keys; each resident has a key to their own unit
(room); residents have to sign in and
out; must have permission to be away overnight
9. Visitors: Tenants can have any visitors and/or family
members in their units as they chose;
throughout the day, and until 10 pm on week days and until 11 pm on the
weekend. Staff is not responsible for
monitoring or supervising visitors, tenants are responsible. Not sure whether SMOC said visitors have to
sign in and out.
10. Parking/cars: SMOC does not think this will be a problem,
but will work to figure it out if there is one.
o
SMOC pledged to be a "good neighbor" and said
they will provide contact numbers to neighbors so they can immediately and directly
communicate any problems if and when they occur.
OFFICER’S REPORTS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Walter Kroll)
o
Walter K gave quick
thanked residents for their work on the Bowdoin Street issue and gave update on
general council activities including upcoming block party in June.
o
VICE-PRESIDENT’S
REPORT: (Demetrios Panteleakis)
Demetrios P absent—no report.
SECRETARY’S
REPORT: (Ben Swan; Elizabeth Lederman, staff)
o
Minutes of Board Meeting February 14, 2012, submitted
for acceptance. Call for corrections or additions.
MOTION: (BS moved) to accept
as presented; (JL seconded); (WK called;) Unanimous vote to accept.
TREASURER’S
REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
o Liz S reporting that the last
quarter FY 2011 not yet reimbursed by the City—following.
o Monthly report submitted
for acceptance.
MOTION: (CL moved) to accept as
presented; (DJ seconded); (WK called the question); Unanimous vote to
accept.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
STANDING COMMITTEES
o Rail Trail (Liz Stevens)
·
Liz S reporting that
she and Walter K continuing to work with Pat Sullivan on partnership with
city—meeting bi-weekly.
o Public
Safety (Walter Kroll)
·
Walter K
reporting that scheduled neighborhood walks will be starting again.
·
Block party
planning with Watch participation underway—will develop letter with requests
for donations for businesses.
o Housing
& Code (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
Walter K
reporting that MNC still waiting to hear from the Building department about
steps to stop 368 St James being illegally renovated into a two-family,
regarding action toward contractor.
·
Have received
list of city owned McKnight properties from City
8:00 ADJOURNMENT: MOTION:
(BS moved) to adjourn; (EK seconded); (WK
called); motion carried.
Submitted
by Elizabeth Lederman, Administrative Staff, 04/10/2012
