Executive
Committee Meeting Sue Bovay’s
Present: Sue Bovay, Paul Pineo, Miriam Shapiro, Stan
Schwartzberg, Elta Green, Judy Gregory
1.
President
Sue Bovay thanked VP Paul Pineo for conducting the February General Meeting in
her absence, and passed around thank you notes from the host of that meeting,
Rollie Adams, Director of the Strong Museum.
Adams also contacted GPA neighbor Bob Macon as a result of the contribution
to the museum from GPA made in Bob’s honor.
Sue encouraged the group to also keep in touch with Bob as he deals with
his illness.
2.
The
March 24th GPA General Meeting will feature speaker Ian Nadar from
the City and the reception following will be held at the YMCA. April 28th will mark our annual
meeting and election of officers. The
slate of nominations will accompany dues letters to GPA members and will be
sent out by April 12th.
3.
Treasurer
Elta Green reported a balance of $8365.55 in the treasury.
4.
In
John Lovenheim’s absence, Sue reported on her attendance at one of the
interpretive meetings held by the City to introduce new zoning approaches. Though these still need approval by City
Council, the maps presented show Grove Place located in the Center City /
Garden District, which also includes the newly formed Liberty Pole neighborhood
association. This district will contain
one-to-three-story residential buildings “…rich in color, texture and detail”
with planted areas lining its streets.
5.
Paul
updated the group on his recent walk through the neighborhood with officers Tom
Belcher and Graham Hyland to identify areas needing extra lighting for public
safety. In printed handouts, he called
attention to spots in Symphony Terrace, behind the Baptist Church, along Grove
St., in the parking lots of Midtown Veterinary Hospital and the Clinton Press,
along the east side of the Eastman School of Music Dormitory, and in front of
the Goldman’s home which could use additional lighting, preferably the type
triggered by motion. He is requesting
further recommendations from people living and working in the area, after which
an estimate of costs to implement the project must be determined. At that point GPA must decide whether to ask
property owners to cover their own expenses for new lighting, have GPA pay for
all or part of the project, or get a grant from the City to cover the costs of
additional illumination.
6.
Sandy
Shapiro will describe the Municipal Noise Code to GPA members at our next
meeting. The code is unlikely to
provide any clues as to how the neighborhood can force weekly protesters at the
Planned Parenthood offices to be quieter and less offensive.
7.
Roz
Goldman, Art Committee Chair will be checking out the costs, the type of base
needed and the city permits required for the McQuay memorial plaque scheduled
for placement on Gibbs St.
8.
At
a recent public meeting, the City presented conceptual designs from the Toronto
firm of Urban Strategizers for the renovation of Manhattan Square Park. Ideas include creating a public promenade,
removing view-obstructing berms, converting the skating rink to an all-season
facility, transforming an on-site building into an arena for arts events, and
reconnecting the park with its surroundings, including an adjacent vacant lot.
9.
Elta
was asked to check the treasury records to see if GPA has ever contributed to
the Common Good Planning Center which has requested a donation from the
organization.
10.
Myra
Buonocore and Kathy Parse, co-chairs of the Beautification Committee, will be
asked to set two dates for the annual neighborhood cleanup days, preferably in
May.
11.
Paul
announced that purchase contracts are being drawn up for the parties interested
in having homes built as part of the Gibbs / Grove housing project.
12.
Sue
called attention to several upcoming items of interest to the group: Judy
Gregory’s exhibition at the Castellani Art Museum, the sculpture competition
for Artwalk, and the invitation from the RPO for a private group tour of the
Symphony Showhouse at $10 per person.
The
meeting was adjourned at 9:25 AM.
Respectfully
submitted,
Judy
Gregory
Secretary