Grove Place Association
September 21, 2014
Meeting Minutes
Suzanne Mayer, President, opened the meeting, welcoming members. It was announced that the member database is on the back table; members are asked to check their information and make any corrections. The corrected list will be distributed to members via email.
Treasurer’s Report: Rick McGrath reported that revenue has come in from membership dues. Currently there are 55 individual members and 6 business members. Cookbook sales and member contributions (above & beyond membership dues) have also added revenue. In May the treasury had five thousand seven hundred four dollars ($5,704.00); cookbook sales and donations added an additional two thousand seven hundred ($2,700.00).
Book Club: Nancy Martin announced that the next meeting of the GPA Book Club is Monday, September 22, 2014 at 10-5 Selden St. The discussion is on the book, Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Cookbook Report: Suzanne Mayer thanked Barbara Wager and Carol Kellogg for their work on the cookbook. Members are encouraged to purchase the book.
Hospitality: Mary Steward, Doug Steward, and Rick McGrath will host the reception following this meeting. Bob Keck has offered to host the November meeting reception; December is the GPA Holiday Party; the Goldman’s will host the reception following the April meeting. It was announced that the residents of the Sagamore have volunteered to host a meeting reception.
Security:
· Suzanne Mayer and John Lovenheim attended the PCIC meeting. It’s been a relatively quiet period in the neighborhood.
· The Greater Rochester Regional Transportation System and the Rochester City School District have come to an agreement regarding transporting students. Both this rerouting and the playing of classical music at the Liberty Pole have decreased the loitering that had been occurring.
· There have been six car larcenies in the past six months.
· The home at 68 Windsor St. was broken in; apparently one of the students in one of the apartments had left the door open for their roommate and a thief entered. Computer equipment was taken.
· Recently there has been stealing of cell phones as students walk down the street, texting, and not as aware of their surroundings. Thieves are stealing the cell phones right out of their hands.
Police Update:
· Currently the police station monitors our area from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. At the end of March, 2015, we will have 24/7 monitoring.
· Twenty-five (25) new PAC-TAC’s will be part of the security
· It is likely that we will no longer have the Red Shirts after next spring (2015). A member asked what we might be able to do to maintain the Red Shirt patrols. It was explained that the elimination of that service is purely due to budget constraints.
· 50 Chestnut St. has been sold to the 111 East Ave. owners
· Magic City, the Club, has increased its security recently.
Beautification: Suzanne explained that there is no specific committee. There will be a fall clean-up as is customary. She offered a sincere thank you to the “Waterboys” (Jim Martin, Vern Hanson, & Mark Peterson) for their care of the neighborhood flower pots this past season. Regarding neighborhood banners, a permit request has been sent to the City but there is no update. Roz Goldman stressed that the street side gardens need to be weeded to improve their appearance.
Long-Term Planning and Development: Jim Martin and Suzanne Mayer have been working on this committee. Jim reported:
· The “Row Houses” on Gibbs St. have sold and will be closing in about a month. It isn’t known who’s listing the property nor who bought it. We have been promised that the new owners intend to invest an extensive amount of money into the houses.
· The National Ambulance Property on Scio at University has been remediated, however, the property has not been completed regarding pavement. The Blessed Thistle building and 150 University Avenue properties are on the market for four hundred ninety thousand dollars ($490,000).
· The Monroe Litho building might be used for a combination of retail, commercial, and residential tenants.
· Clinton Printing has sold. The new owner has stated that he plans to continue to use the building and the parking lot in the same manner as the previous owner.
· There has been a suggestion that we as a neighborhood turn 150 University Ave. into a park.
· The Focus Pregnancy Center has moved to 135 University Ave. There has been some email correspondence with City government officials RE: the use of the property in reference to the new zoning regulations that took effect this past spring. It is unclear if all regulations regarding the use of pregnancy tests are being followed. This requires further investigation. We were informed that the Right to Life organization will be having a 40 day vigil outside of Planned Parenthood beginning in late September.
· Regarding the Business Improvement District, there has been pushback from some of the East End businesses who want no part of it. GPA is the largest group the B.I.D. spoke with about their proposal.
· Del (Delmonize) Smith, Neighborhood & Business Development Commissioner, is planning to hold quarterly meetings with the presidents of the various City neighborhood associations. Suzanne stated that we need to come up with ideas of what we want within our neighborhood. Mr. Smith is looking for neighbors to gather their thoughts and make proposals to the City.
· Suzanne attended a quadrant meeting with David Hawkes, Administrator, Southeast Neighborhood Quadrant Office, and Bonnie Miller from the Corn Hill Neighborhood Association. There was a discussion of a “Dog Watch” program wherein neighbors who are walking their dogs make note of any ‘situations’ and notify the authorities. There is specific training for this; a training film is available for thirty-five dollars ($35.00). Suzanne asked if people are interested to contact her.
Art: Roz Goldman told the group that we are applying to the Design Center for the Betty Strasenburgh neighborhood activism award. The awards ceremony is December 10th. It was suggested that the proceeds from cookbook sales be allocated to purchasing art for the neighborhood, if there is any profit from sales.
Landlord-Student Outreach: Roz Goldman and Suzanne Mayer are working on this. They walked the neighborhood and took note of issues as well as improvements. There has been concern about trash receptacles not being stored properly and also readily available for individuals to go through the trash, leaving significant mess behind that doesn’t get cleaned up. The landlord at 28-30 Windsor St. has installed a gate in front of their trash area which has really improved cleanliness of the area. Roz and Suzanne were able to talk to students who happened to be outside of their residences regarding their responsibility for cleaning up trash, recycling, cigarette butts, etc. It was pointed out that the fines levied against landlords by the City for not maintaining their property were set in 1969 and haven’t been updated. We need to put pressure on the City to increase the fines since landlords prefer to pay the fines rather than clean up their property because it is so much cheaper. An enforcement committee will begin to address this issue and also develop a template of escalations regarding infractions and what we will do at each level.
Grove St. Management on Windsor Street improved the front steps to the building and landscaped the front of the property. It is very attractive.
Outreach Committee: Suzanne Mayer & Pam DiPaola are working on this and invite anyone interested to join them.
· There are many issues to be addressed, especially fragmentations of the neighborhoods. The Sagamore is interested in meeting with us to discuss working together on the East End Festival issues.
· Regarding School #58, Karen Selwyn provided SAT tutoring to students this past spring. It has been proposed in the past that neighbors might appreciate attending the school’s weekly assemblies. The “Friends of World of Inquiry” is fundraising for students to attend an Outdoor Education Camp. The fee for this camp is four hundred dollars ($400.00) per child and they would like to send 30-35 children to the camp. A motion was made that the GPA, as an organization, donate four hundred dollars ($400.00) to this effort. The motion passed. Suzanne suggested an important discussion would be how neighborhoods can come together to assist the schools. It is anticipated that School #58 will be moving back to their renovated building mid-January, 2015.
· Planned Parenthood will be a focus of outreach for our association. If anyone is interested in participating, please let Suzanne know.
· Regarding Block F, There will be meetings during the spring of 2015 regarding the University of Rochester’s plans regarding this property. If members have ideas they should forward them to Suzanne or consider attending the meetings. Dates will be announced.
· There is concern regarding the Downstairs Cabaret property and the lack of maintenance. Carolee Conklin has been involved. The current façade of the building is in violation of City code and needs repair. We will be calling the City’s attention to this issue. There is some hope that the school district will lease the property for parking for School #58 staff.
· Captain’s Attic on Charlotte St. is not expected to reopen soon
Anna Schillea, Director of Advancement of the Eastman School of Music was introduced to the group. Her position focuses on scholarships. The Eastman School is doing a “Gap Year”: prior to going on to college, a student/students would attend the Eastman School for one year as a non-matriculated student.
General Announcements:
· The Eastman’s Encore Magazine and subscription brochures were available at this meeting
· The GPA’s Oktoberfest will be held October 19th at the Tavern 58 City Centre site. The menu is the same as last year with the exceptions of macaroni and cheese being added and one green salad removed; there is the option of chicken being available for those who have requested it. Soda has been added to the beverages
· Mitch (Mitchell) Rowe, the City of Rochester Director of Planning and Zoning will be the guest speaker at the GPA November meeting
· Betty Strasenburgh recommended a local handyman to the group. His contact information will be distributed to the membership via email
· John Goldman announced that Eastman Jazz performs at Max’s (Gibbs St.) the 3rd Friday of every month for two shows, one at 7 p.m. and one at 10 p.m. Tickets are ten dollars ($10.00) at the door. The performances are listed in the Eastman’s Encore magazine
Respectfully submitted,
Pam DiPaola
Secretary
September 21, 2014
Meeting Minutes
Suzanne Mayer, President, opened the meeting, welcoming members. It was announced that the member database is on the back table; members are asked to check their information and make any corrections. The corrected list will be distributed to members via email.
Treasurer’s Report: Rick McGrath reported that revenue has come in from membership dues. Currently there are 55 individual members and 6 business members. Cookbook sales and member contributions (above & beyond membership dues) have also added revenue. In May the treasury had five thousand seven hundred four dollars ($5,704.00); cookbook sales and donations added an additional two thousand seven hundred ($2,700.00).
Book Club: Nancy Martin announced that the next meeting of the GPA Book Club is Monday, September 22, 2014 at 10-5 Selden St. The discussion is on the book, Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Cookbook Report: Suzanne Mayer thanked Barbara Wager and Carol Kellogg for their work on the cookbook. Members are encouraged to purchase the book.
Hospitality: Mary Steward, Doug Steward, and Rick McGrath will host the reception following this meeting. Bob Keck has offered to host the November meeting reception; December is the GPA Holiday Party; the Goldman’s will host the reception following the April meeting. It was announced that the residents of the Sagamore have volunteered to host a meeting reception.
Security:
· Suzanne Mayer and John Lovenheim attended the PCIC meeting. It’s been a relatively quiet period in the neighborhood.
· The Greater Rochester Regional Transportation System and the Rochester City School District have come to an agreement regarding transporting students. Both this rerouting and the playing of classical music at the Liberty Pole have decreased the loitering that had been occurring.
· There have been six car larcenies in the past six months.
· The home at 68 Windsor St. was broken in; apparently one of the students in one of the apartments had left the door open for their roommate and a thief entered. Computer equipment was taken.
· Recently there has been stealing of cell phones as students walk down the street, texting, and not as aware of their surroundings. Thieves are stealing the cell phones right out of their hands.
Police Update:
· Currently the police station monitors our area from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. At the end of March, 2015, we will have 24/7 monitoring.
· Twenty-five (25) new PAC-TAC’s will be part of the security
· It is likely that we will no longer have the Red Shirts after next spring (2015). A member asked what we might be able to do to maintain the Red Shirt patrols. It was explained that the elimination of that service is purely due to budget constraints.
· 50 Chestnut St. has been sold to the 111 East Ave. owners
· Magic City, the Club, has increased its security recently.
Beautification: Suzanne explained that there is no specific committee. There will be a fall clean-up as is customary. She offered a sincere thank you to the “Waterboys” (Jim Martin, Vern Hanson, & Mark Peterson) for their care of the neighborhood flower pots this past season. Regarding neighborhood banners, a permit request has been sent to the City but there is no update. Roz Goldman stressed that the street side gardens need to be weeded to improve their appearance.
Long-Term Planning and Development: Jim Martin and Suzanne Mayer have been working on this committee. Jim reported:
· The “Row Houses” on Gibbs St. have sold and will be closing in about a month. It isn’t known who’s listing the property nor who bought it. We have been promised that the new owners intend to invest an extensive amount of money into the houses.
· The National Ambulance Property on Scio at University has been remediated, however, the property has not been completed regarding pavement. The Blessed Thistle building and 150 University Avenue properties are on the market for four hundred ninety thousand dollars ($490,000).
· The Monroe Litho building might be used for a combination of retail, commercial, and residential tenants.
· Clinton Printing has sold. The new owner has stated that he plans to continue to use the building and the parking lot in the same manner as the previous owner.
· There has been a suggestion that we as a neighborhood turn 150 University Ave. into a park.
· The Focus Pregnancy Center has moved to 135 University Ave. There has been some email correspondence with City government officials RE: the use of the property in reference to the new zoning regulations that took effect this past spring. It is unclear if all regulations regarding the use of pregnancy tests are being followed. This requires further investigation. We were informed that the Right to Life organization will be having a 40 day vigil outside of Planned Parenthood beginning in late September.
· Regarding the Business Improvement District, there has been pushback from some of the East End businesses who want no part of it. GPA is the largest group the B.I.D. spoke with about their proposal.
· Del (Delmonize) Smith, Neighborhood & Business Development Commissioner, is planning to hold quarterly meetings with the presidents of the various City neighborhood associations. Suzanne stated that we need to come up with ideas of what we want within our neighborhood. Mr. Smith is looking for neighbors to gather their thoughts and make proposals to the City.
· Suzanne attended a quadrant meeting with David Hawkes, Administrator, Southeast Neighborhood Quadrant Office, and Bonnie Miller from the Corn Hill Neighborhood Association. There was a discussion of a “Dog Watch” program wherein neighbors who are walking their dogs make note of any ‘situations’ and notify the authorities. There is specific training for this; a training film is available for thirty-five dollars ($35.00). Suzanne asked if people are interested to contact her.
Art: Roz Goldman told the group that we are applying to the Design Center for the Betty Strasenburgh neighborhood activism award. The awards ceremony is December 10th. It was suggested that the proceeds from cookbook sales be allocated to purchasing art for the neighborhood, if there is any profit from sales.
Landlord-Student Outreach: Roz Goldman and Suzanne Mayer are working on this. They walked the neighborhood and took note of issues as well as improvements. There has been concern about trash receptacles not being stored properly and also readily available for individuals to go through the trash, leaving significant mess behind that doesn’t get cleaned up. The landlord at 28-30 Windsor St. has installed a gate in front of their trash area which has really improved cleanliness of the area. Roz and Suzanne were able to talk to students who happened to be outside of their residences regarding their responsibility for cleaning up trash, recycling, cigarette butts, etc. It was pointed out that the fines levied against landlords by the City for not maintaining their property were set in 1969 and haven’t been updated. We need to put pressure on the City to increase the fines since landlords prefer to pay the fines rather than clean up their property because it is so much cheaper. An enforcement committee will begin to address this issue and also develop a template of escalations regarding infractions and what we will do at each level.
Grove St. Management on Windsor Street improved the front steps to the building and landscaped the front of the property. It is very attractive.
Outreach Committee: Suzanne Mayer & Pam DiPaola are working on this and invite anyone interested to join them.
· There are many issues to be addressed, especially fragmentations of the neighborhoods. The Sagamore is interested in meeting with us to discuss working together on the East End Festival issues.
· Regarding School #58, Karen Selwyn provided SAT tutoring to students this past spring. It has been proposed in the past that neighbors might appreciate attending the school’s weekly assemblies. The “Friends of World of Inquiry” is fundraising for students to attend an Outdoor Education Camp. The fee for this camp is four hundred dollars ($400.00) per child and they would like to send 30-35 children to the camp. A motion was made that the GPA, as an organization, donate four hundred dollars ($400.00) to this effort. The motion passed. Suzanne suggested an important discussion would be how neighborhoods can come together to assist the schools. It is anticipated that School #58 will be moving back to their renovated building mid-January, 2015.
· Planned Parenthood will be a focus of outreach for our association. If anyone is interested in participating, please let Suzanne know.
· Regarding Block F, There will be meetings during the spring of 2015 regarding the University of Rochester’s plans regarding this property. If members have ideas they should forward them to Suzanne or consider attending the meetings. Dates will be announced.
· There is concern regarding the Downstairs Cabaret property and the lack of maintenance. Carolee Conklin has been involved. The current façade of the building is in violation of City code and needs repair. We will be calling the City’s attention to this issue. There is some hope that the school district will lease the property for parking for School #58 staff.
· Captain’s Attic on Charlotte St. is not expected to reopen soon
Anna Schillea, Director of Advancement of the Eastman School of Music was introduced to the group. Her position focuses on scholarships. The Eastman School is doing a “Gap Year”: prior to going on to college, a student/students would attend the Eastman School for one year as a non-matriculated student.
General Announcements:
· The Eastman’s Encore Magazine and subscription brochures were available at this meeting
· The GPA’s Oktoberfest will be held October 19th at the Tavern 58 City Centre site. The menu is the same as last year with the exceptions of macaroni and cheese being added and one green salad removed; there is the option of chicken being available for those who have requested it. Soda has been added to the beverages
· Mitch (Mitchell) Rowe, the City of Rochester Director of Planning and Zoning will be the guest speaker at the GPA November meeting
· Betty Strasenburgh recommended a local handyman to the group. His contact information will be distributed to the membership via email
· John Goldman announced that Eastman Jazz performs at Max’s (Gibbs St.) the 3rd Friday of every month for two shows, one at 7 p.m. and one at 10 p.m. Tickets are ten dollars ($10.00) at the door. The performances are listed in the Eastman’s Encore magazine
Respectfully submitted,
Pam DiPaola
Secretary