Grove Place Association
October 18, 2015
Meeting Minutes
Attendance: 23 members; 4 guests
Meeting Minutes: All meeting minutes will be posted on the GPA website for all members to access
Treasurer’s Report: Rick McGrath informed that we have fifty-three (53) individual members and five (5) corporate members, giving us a balance in our account in surplus of seventy-four hundred dollars ($7400.00). There is no way to accurately calculate the amount of money in the general fund that has been allocated to Art and Beautification up through mid-2015. Rick proposed that up to four thousand dollars ($4,000.00) be allocated to this fund. Chris Pond made a motion for this & Doug Steward seconded the motion. The proposal passed.
Guest Speakers: Nancy Martin showed photos that represent the history of our neighborhood with brief descriptions.
Three representatives of the City (Jim McIntosh, Karen St. Aubin, and Brianna Chamberlain) discussed snow and ice control measures for City streets this coming winter. Last year, the City had difficulties with snow removal and on-street parking. Additionally, sidewalks were obstructed and difficult to navigate. The City has created alternative plans for this winter and representatives are visiting neighborhood groups to explain the new process. The City has purchased new equipment for snow removal, also. In the neighborhoods it will be standard operating procedure for calling in subcontractors when there is more than three inches of snow. There will also be increased communication to the public as snowstorms occur. More inspectors have been added this year to facilitate the oversight of snow removal contractors. We were encouraged to call if there are problems with snow removal in our neighborhood.
Concerning sidewalks, help is needed from homeowners. If sidewalks are snow-covered, we are to call 311 to alert them to the situation. First floor tenants are responsible for snow removal on the sidewalks. Homeowners are responsible for snow removal on the sidewalks and at the crossing of intersections. A discussion ensued regarding the lack of follow-up the public gets from calls to 311. Members also shared concerns about city plows blocking driveways as they clear University Ave. We were asked to report this if it occurs. If there is no place to put the snow, it cannot be tossed into the street for the plow to deal with. Code enforcement is now under the Department of Environmental Services. Pedestrian bridges are under City government, not the State.
There will be a new procedure for snow removal on City streets this winter. The City will close a particular block to on-street parking overnight, having residents park in a church lot or parking garage while the street is plowed.
Regarding the Inner Loop, the East Avenue bridge will be closed for 30-60 days while work is done on the Loop. Charlotte St. and Broad Street will be opened soon.
Hospitality Report: The Holiday Celebration will be held at Tavern 58’s party room on December 6th. Bill Marvin will arrange entertainment. Time is to be determined.
Beautification/Artwork: In the discussion about Art pieces in the neighborhood, it was decided that Roz Goldman would do an inventory of the neighborhood and present pictures to us at a future meeting of art pieces, the history of placement of art pieces in the neighborhood, etc.
Real Estate and Development Report: Jim Martin attended the City Council Meeting this month which was titled “Speak to Council”. Jim made a point of supporting Mike Patterson who proposed sending code violation letters via Certified Mail vs. First Class mail. This is the first step in modifying code enforcement.
Suzanne Mayer announced that the Enforcement Code will be worked on in committee.
Other Concerns:
Miscellaneous: Sandra Frankel, Democratic candidate for County Executive was introduced by Betty Strasenburgh. She encouraged people to vote in November.
Respectfully Submitted,
Pam DiPaola
Secretary
October 18, 2015
Meeting Minutes
Attendance: 23 members; 4 guests
Meeting Minutes: All meeting minutes will be posted on the GPA website for all members to access
Treasurer’s Report: Rick McGrath informed that we have fifty-three (53) individual members and five (5) corporate members, giving us a balance in our account in surplus of seventy-four hundred dollars ($7400.00). There is no way to accurately calculate the amount of money in the general fund that has been allocated to Art and Beautification up through mid-2015. Rick proposed that up to four thousand dollars ($4,000.00) be allocated to this fund. Chris Pond made a motion for this & Doug Steward seconded the motion. The proposal passed.
Guest Speakers: Nancy Martin showed photos that represent the history of our neighborhood with brief descriptions.
Three representatives of the City (Jim McIntosh, Karen St. Aubin, and Brianna Chamberlain) discussed snow and ice control measures for City streets this coming winter. Last year, the City had difficulties with snow removal and on-street parking. Additionally, sidewalks were obstructed and difficult to navigate. The City has created alternative plans for this winter and representatives are visiting neighborhood groups to explain the new process. The City has purchased new equipment for snow removal, also. In the neighborhoods it will be standard operating procedure for calling in subcontractors when there is more than three inches of snow. There will also be increased communication to the public as snowstorms occur. More inspectors have been added this year to facilitate the oversight of snow removal contractors. We were encouraged to call if there are problems with snow removal in our neighborhood.
Concerning sidewalks, help is needed from homeowners. If sidewalks are snow-covered, we are to call 311 to alert them to the situation. First floor tenants are responsible for snow removal on the sidewalks. Homeowners are responsible for snow removal on the sidewalks and at the crossing of intersections. A discussion ensued regarding the lack of follow-up the public gets from calls to 311. Members also shared concerns about city plows blocking driveways as they clear University Ave. We were asked to report this if it occurs. If there is no place to put the snow, it cannot be tossed into the street for the plow to deal with. Code enforcement is now under the Department of Environmental Services. Pedestrian bridges are under City government, not the State.
There will be a new procedure for snow removal on City streets this winter. The City will close a particular block to on-street parking overnight, having residents park in a church lot or parking garage while the street is plowed.
Regarding the Inner Loop, the East Avenue bridge will be closed for 30-60 days while work is done on the Loop. Charlotte St. and Broad Street will be opened soon.
Hospitality Report: The Holiday Celebration will be held at Tavern 58’s party room on December 6th. Bill Marvin will arrange entertainment. Time is to be determined.
Beautification/Artwork: In the discussion about Art pieces in the neighborhood, it was decided that Roz Goldman would do an inventory of the neighborhood and present pictures to us at a future meeting of art pieces, the history of placement of art pieces in the neighborhood, etc.
Real Estate and Development Report: Jim Martin attended the City Council Meeting this month which was titled “Speak to Council”. Jim made a point of supporting Mike Patterson who proposed sending code violation letters via Certified Mail vs. First Class mail. This is the first step in modifying code enforcement.
Suzanne Mayer announced that the Enforcement Code will be worked on in committee.
Other Concerns:
- The current calendar of proposed GPA meetings has a number of conflicts. The Executive Committee will meet to determine alternatives dates.
- The possibility of extending the Greenlight Network to our neighborhood was proposed. It is currently available in Corn Hill, NOTA, and the ABC streets. Greenlight provides fast, low cost internet service with fiber optic cable. The process is to have a critical mass of people in a given neighborhood interested in the service for the company to being it in. Suzanne will send out the email address so members can know more about this service.
- It is recommended that one individual on each street in our neighborhood be responsible for calling 311 for snow removal. It was pointed out that it is important to get the case number when reporting.
- There is a meeting of the Southwest Quadrant on October 24th, 1-4 p.m.
- The RFQ for Lot F is forthcoming. The Eastman School wants to expand its digital music division and have a recording studio in the proposed building.
- Concerning Aging in Place, there are contracts that would work well in our neighborhood for services such as house cleaning, caretakers, roofers, snow removal, etc. More information will be forthcoming.
Miscellaneous: Sandra Frankel, Democratic candidate for County Executive was introduced by Betty Strasenburgh. She encouraged people to vote in November.
Respectfully Submitted,
Pam DiPaola
Secretary
