McKnight
Neighborhood Council, Inc.
Board of
Directors Meeting
Tuesday, October
11, 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
Ed Whitley
form Neighborhood Services and Tina Quagliato from Housing discussing the topic of how
the City handles the sale of vacant lots in the neighborhood.
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 September 20, 2011 meeting (see
attachment)
o TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
·
Monthly financial report
6:45—7:00 pm:
New Business
o
Liz Stevens reporting on the planning of the EPA
CARE meeting which will discuss Brownfields in the neighborhood. (see
attachment)
o
Open to the Floor
7:00 – 7:30
pm: COMMITTEE REPORTS – Any
committee updates (5 minutes each)
o
Standing
Committees
·
Rail Trail (Liz Stevens) (see attachment)
·
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)
7:30—7:50 pm: GUEST
o
Russ
Seelig from Concerned Citizens of Springfield speaking on the
undervaluation of bill board and telecommunication properties in the city, and
the potential for revenue that is being lost.
(see attachment)
7:50--8:00 pm:
Wrap Up—Final Business, Open to Floor 8:00
pm—Close Meeting
Next
McKnight Neighborhood Council Meeting
Tuesday, November
08, 2011 6:00-8:00 pm Rebecca Johnson School
Approved November 08,
2011
Minutes McKnight Neighborhood Council
Board Meeting: October 11, 2011
Meeting
Called to order 6:05 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), Gregory Hession, 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, Donna Jordan
Neighborhood
Members Attending: Ed Whitley, Jean Carter, E. Henry Twiggs, Stephen
Gray, Susan Bernardy, Brandi Gamble-Eddington, Valerie Carman
Guests: Tina Qualiato, Russ
Seelig, James Ferrera
Welcome
by WK; board member introductions; audience introductions.
GUEST PRESENTATION
·
Ed Whitley from Neighborhood Services and
Tina Quagliato from Housing presented information and discussed the topic of
how the sales of city-owned vacant lots in the neighborhood are handled.
·
Sales generally handled in one of two
ways—buildable lots are put into RFP process (request for proposal), and
non-buildable lots are put into abutter auctions. The advantage of the RFP process is that the
sale goes to the best proposal, not the highest bidder. At abutter auction, sale goes to the highest
bidder.
·
Non-buildable lots could be put out for RFP
rather than auctioned—it is currently an internal City decision with no
consistent policy in place to guide the process.
·
RFP’s must be noticed in the newspaper;
public auctions of lots not required to be noticed.
·
No current requirement to notify abutters
or to involve the neighborhood council in the decision about whether to auction
a property or send it to RFP.
Neighborhood council can participate in RFP process once it is initiated,
but is not involved in auction process.
·
Discussion centered on the need for
consistent, codified procedure for handling these vacant lots. WK indicating the desire of MNC to be
involved in the overall process and decision making, with the intention that
abutters be given preference in acquiring these properties—and citing the need
for a process to be codified by ordinance..
·
Councilor Henry Twiggs present and
supporting MNC viewpoint—willing to advance appropriate legislation in the City
Council. Agreement by TK and EW to
gather information and begin conversations with appropriate city departments,
i.e. housing, planning and legal toward that goal.
·
TQ and EW to provide MNC with list of all
city-owned lots in McKnight.
·
MNC to follow up with committee work to
assist in developing policy and ordinance.
OFFICER’S
REPORTS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Walter Kroll)
o WK
thanked city officials in attendance; and offered the Board and neighborhood
residents present praise and support for the work in the neighborhood which is
taking place—pointing out that this is the true public service that makes the
neighborhood a cohesive, safer, and increasingly desirable place to live.
VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Demetrios Panteleakis)
o DP absent—no report.
SECRETARY’S REPORT: (Ben Swan; Elizabeth
Lederman, staff)
o Minutes of Board Meeting,
September 20, 2011, submitted for acceptance. BS called for corrections or
additions. HT observed error in Housing
& Code committee report identifying 78 Westminster which should be 78
Bowdoin.
MOTION: (BS moved) to amend minutes changing Westminster
to Bowdoin; (LS seconded); (WK called the question); Unanimous vote to amend.
MOTION: (GH moved) to accept as amended;
(EK seconded); (WK called the question); Unanimous vote to accept.
TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
o LS reported that she is still
working on simplified finance report format.
WK observed that details will be worked out in executive committee with
bookkeeper. In general, MNC has $2500 on
hand, and is waiting for $6,000 to $7,000 in reimbursement CCBG funds from last
year.
NEW BUSINESS
o
EPA CARE grant for community education and
action meeting on neighborhood environmental contaminants—LS reporting that
meeting was originally planned for November 1, but is
now on hold. Grant coordinator is
looking for something different than was originally proposed—will go forward
with project if mutually acceptable goals can be established for meeting
content.
NEW BUSINESS—OPEN TO THE FLOOR
o
SG requesting that MNC officially recognize
neighborhood resident Colonel White who has recently retired from the military
for his service.
MOTION: (BS moved) to send
a letter of recognition to Colonel White; (LS seconded); (WK called the
question); Unanimous vote.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
STANDING COMMITTEES
o Rail Trail (Liz Stevens)
·
LS reporting that
rail trail report is airing on PBS local station WGBY Channel 57 on October 18
including footage and interview from her about the McKnight rail trail.
·
WMECO and Mass
Mutual grants still in the offing.
·
$53, 000 required
for the remaining work to be done on the title search, the engineering survey,
and environmental assessment.
o Public
Safety (Walter Kroll)
·
Neighborhood
Watch and Sector F Police Beat meeting now meeting at the same time and
place—third Thursday of the month at the Mason Square Library at 530 pm.
·
Noise and traffic
from the Cozy Tavern on State and Thompson is being followed up on—still essential
that neighbors and residents call complaints in to 311 and police.
o Housing
& Code (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
No report.
o Communications (Marianne Winters)
·
MW absent; WK
passed around a request list for articles and suggestions for the
newsletter. List will be given to MW to
work with.
o Good
Neighbor (Ceil Lewonchuk)
·
No report.
AD HOC COMMITTEES
o Community
Center (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
No report.
o Debate (Jesse
Lederman)
·
JL absent; WK reporting
that final mayoral debate tentative—waiting for answer from Sarno campaign.
·
At large City Council debate tentative—with
ten candidates would need to be forum—will undertake if possible.
GUEST PRESENTATION
·
Russ Seelig from Concerned Citizens of
Springfield, and a DOR certified assessor, speaking on the undervaluation of
bill boards, cell towers, and cell antennas by the City of Springfield.
·
Wide range of information presented
comparing how other municipalities are assessing for similar telecommunications
properties, and the wide disparity with Springfield assessments. Reported that most cities use income
producing based assessment to assess tax—but Springfield uses arbitrarily fixed
values for these properties. Estimated
loss in revenue to the City at least $2 million per year.
·
Power to assess belongs to the Assessor who
serves at the Mayor’s pleasure.
·
Recent non-binding resolution passed by the
City Council to use the income producing approach for these valuations.
·
Lengthy discussion on the reasons that may
be behind the failure of the City to capture this revenue. Ten-taxpayer lawsuit being developed to
compel the City to use the income producing approach in these assessments. Opportunity to find out more about this
effort and to participate in the lawsuit offered to those in attendance.
WRAP UP—FINAL BUSINESS, OPEN TO FLOOR
o Rebecca
Johnson Playground ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for October 14. Board and residents invited to attend.
o Basketball
monument lights not being put on at night.
Question about whether the permanent statues which were supposed to
replace temporary replicas have been installed.
Need to contact Patrick Sullivan from Parks and the Mayor’s office to
investigate problems.
MOTION: (BS moved) that MNC formally contact Sullivan and the Mayor to
resolve; (GH seconded); (WK called the
question); Unanimous vote for action.
8:00 ADJOURNMENT: MOTION:
(BS moved) to adjourn; (JL seconded); (WK
called); motion carried.
NEXT MNC MEETING: Tuesday, November
08, 2011
REBECCA JOHNSON SCHOOL,
55 Catharine Street
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Submitted
by Elizabeth Lederman, Administrative Staff, 11/08/2011.
