McKnight
Neighborhood Council, Inc.
Board of
Directors Meeting
Tuesday, June
12, 2012: 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—6:45 pm: GUEST
o
Linda Williams, Executive Director of the
Mental Health Association, and Liz Sullivan presenting information on proposed supported housing apartments for MHA
clients to be built on the Magazine Street property currently being offered by
the City through the RFP process.
6:45—7:00 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 May 08, 2012, meeting (see
attachment)
o TREASURER’S REPORT: (Liz Stevens)
·
Budget amendment
·
Monthly financial report
7:00—7:15pm: Old Business
o
Cell tower proposals from Russ Seelig of
Concerned Citizens of Springfield
·
Letter to DOR and to Mayor
·
Offer to join coalition of neighborhood councils
and civic associations
7:15—7:30 pm: New Business—Open to Floor
7:30—7:50 pm: COMMITTEE
REPORTS – Any committee updates (5 minutes each)
o
Standing
Committees
·
Rail Trail (Liz Stevens)
·
Public Safety (Walter Kroll)
·
Housing & Code (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
Good Neighbor (Ceil Lewonchuk)
·
Communications (vacant chair)
§ Ben
S reporting on Neighborhood Councils Collaborative
o
Ad Hoc
Committees
·
Community Center (Demetrios Panteleakis)
·
Block Party (Donna Jordan, Corey Singleton)
·
Debate (Jesse Lederman) (committee currently
inactive)
7:50--8:00 pm:
Wrap Up—Final Business, Open to Floor
8:00 pm—Close Meeting
Next
McKnight Neighborhood Council Meeting
Tuesday, July
10, 2012 6:00-8:00 pm Rebecca Johnson School
Approved July 10, 2012
Minutes McKnight Neighborhood Council
Board Meeting: June 12, 2012
Meeting
Called to order 6:00 p.m.: (WK verified
quorum present)
Board Members Present (7): Walter
Kroll (Pres), Ben Swan, Jr, (Secy/Clerk), Donna Jordan, Ed Kelly,
Jesse
Lederman, Corey Singleton, Stephen
Thibeau. {Elizabeth Lederman, Adm. Staff}.
Board Members Not Present
(6): Demetrios
Panteleakis (Vice Pres), Liz Stevens,
(Treas), Ceil
Lewonchuk (Asst Secy),Frank Buntin, Katie Foster, Arthur
Jones
Neighborhood
Members Attending: Ed
Zuckerman, Warren Clark, M. Forbes, Lloyd Creswell, Brandi
Gamble-Lucas.
Guests: Linda Williams, Liz
Sullivan
Welcome
by Walter K; board member introductions; audience introductions.
GUEST PRESENTATION
o
Linda
Williams, Executive Director from the Mental Health Association, and Liz
Sullivan, presenting information on proposed supported housing apartments for MHA clients to
be built on the city-owned Magazine Street property currently being offered
through the RFP process.
·
MHA is already a neighborhood business resident, with headquarters on
Worthington Street and a client residence on Florida Street, and has a solid
history of being positively involved with the McKnight neighborhood.
·
MHA is seeking to use the Magazine Street property to replace a client
residence which housed 14 individuals on Union Street and was destroyed in last
year’s tornado.
·
Showed architect’s drawing of proposed apartment complex, a wood
structure with parking and ample green space.
·
Positives for MHA include that the property abuts their headquarters on
Worthington.
·
Negatives involve extensive clean-up of environmental hazards left from
previously demolished apartment building on site—brick, ash, and oil
tanks. However MHA is willing to take
this on—they have funding for the new building, would have to find funding for
the clean-up.
·
Questions from Board members included a discussion of the type of clients
who would be occupying the units and the level of support and supervision that
MHA would provide. Clients range from
moderately to severely mentally ill and MHA provides case work and support to
the level that each client needs in order to be safe and functional, including
close crisis management. All the clients
from Union Street who would be living there have already been successful in a
supported housing setting.
·
Seeking letter of support or similar positive response from MNC to submit
with their RFP to the City.
MOTION: (DJ moved) to submit a
letter to the City indicating the following: “MNC considers MHA to be an
excellent business neighbor, and has favorably heard their proposal for the RFP
for Magazine Street, and if they are selected as the preferred developer, MNC
looks forward to hearing more details as the project progresses.” (EK seconded);
(WK called ;) 5 yea; 1 nay; 1 abstention—Motion carried.
OFFICER’S
REPORTS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Walter Kroll)
o Reported
on the success of the June 09 block party and thanked everyone for coming
out; Reported on the election results for
the 2013 Board of Directors.
SECRETARY’S REPORT: (Ben Swan; Elizabeth
Lederman, staff)
o Minutes of Board Meeting May
08, 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 absent,
Walter K reporting)
o
Budget amendment introduced to transfer $37.45 from the
Communications category to the Accountant/bookkeeper category to pay accounting
service for assistance with filing income tax forms.
MOTION: (DJ moved) to accept
amendment as presented; (EK seconded); (WK called the question); Unanimous vote
to accept.
o Monthly budget report
submitted and reviewed.
MOTION: (JL moved) to accept as presented; (DJ seconded);
(WK called the question); Unanimous vote to accept.
OLD BUSINESS
o A
review of the proposals presented at the April meeting by Russell Seelig of
Concerned Citizens for Springfield which were tabled at that time.
·
Letter to Mayor Sarno expressing support for a
change in the method used by the Assessor’s Department in assessing cell towers
and bill boards.
MOTION: (BS moved) to send letter; (EK
seconded); (WK called the question); Unanimous vote.
·
Similar letter to the Mass DOR.
MOTION: (BS moved) to send letter; (EK
seconded); (WK called the question); 6 yea; 1 abstention. Motion carried.
·
Invitation to MNC to join a coalition of city-wide
neighborhood councils and civic associations working for cell tower and bill
board valuation reform.
MOTION: (JL moved) to join; (CS seconded);
(WK called the question); 5 yea; 2 nay;
Motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS
o Mrs.
Forbes of Catharine Street reported a problem vacant lot that is overrun with
brush and weeds at 62-64 Catharine. Ed Z
reported a similar lot with rubbish on Florida and Bowdoin Street. Walter K emphasized the importance of calling
311 to document these problems, and will follow up with Code Enforcement.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
STANDING COMMITTEES
o Rail Trail (Liz Stevens,
absent, Walter K reporting)
·
Reported that
City has some interns who will be helping to trace ownership and deeds for the
rail trail property.
o Public
Safety (Walter Kroll)
·
Reported on the
increasing effectiveness of the partnership between the Watch, the Council, and
the police department citing the reporting of recent problems on Clarendon
Street at the Police Beat meeting—with a swift and effective follow-up to
resolve the problems.
o Communications
(vacant
chair)
·
Walter K thanked Corey S for all of his work on
the newsletter promotion and appointed him to the vacant chair for the
Communications committee.
·
Ben S reported on the Neighborhood Council
collaborative meeting. Topic for the
last meeting was the Community Watch and plans for the “National Night Out” in
early August. Plans also continue for a
city-wide anti- litter campaign.
o Block Party (Donna
Jordan, Corey Singleton)
·
Need to generate more advertising and better
signage promoting the event. Discussed
large banner at the Triangle which was used in the past but has worn out.
o Debate (Jesse Lederman)
·
Reported on
tentative plans for sponsoring a debate for State Senate candidates in the
Democratic primary race in late August, possibly the 20th. Jesse L reported also that he will need to
recuse himself because he is working on the Edwards campaign.
8:00 ADJOURNMENT: MOTION:
(JL moved) to adjourn; (BS seconded); (WK
called); motion carried.
Submitted
by Elizabeth Lederman, Administrative Staff, 07/10/2012.
