General Membership Meeting: June 17, 2008 Minutes
MINUTES of the MHNA General Membership Meeting
Tuesday June 17, 2008
University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave SE
1. Meeting called to order at 7:30 pm by President Arvonne Fraser.
2. The minutes of the March meeting were unanimously approved.
3. This was our annual election for board members and officers. Nominations were solicited from the floor three times. Hearing none, a slate of candidates was presented for a vote. A motion to accept a white ballot of acclamation (Doug Carlson) was unanimously approved. Elected officers ( 1 yr term) are:
Arvonne Fraser, President
Bob Distad, Vice Pres
Steve Swanson, secretary
Paul White, Treasurer
Directors (2 yr terms ending in 2010):
Gordon Kepner
Jo Radzwill
Sonny Schneiderhan
Douglas Carlson
Thomas Lincoln
Marnie Loven- Bell
4. A vote to approve by-laws changes was unanimously approved. The changes, which were sent to members in advance of the meeting, are:
ARTICLE V – FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year and membership year for the association shall be from June 1 through May 31 of the following year.
Change to:
The fiscal year and membership year for the association shall be from January 1 through December 31.
ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION
Section 5. Official notice of association meetings may be given in “Southeast”, the community newspaper, or by mail. Notice may be waived by a member either before, during or after an association meeting and notice shall be presumed waived at the conclusion of the following regular meeting of the association.
Change to:
Official notice of the association meetings may be given in the community newspaper that serves SE Minneapolis, or by mail. Notice may be waived by a member, either before, during or after an association meeting, and notice shall be presumed waived at the conclusion of the following regular meeting of the association.
5. Andrew Dresdner, of Cuningham Group Architecture, gave a presentation on the 15th Ave SE Urban Design Plan. The plan was created by an MHNA task force and the Cuningham Group over several months this spring. The draft plan will be posted on the MHNA website and comments will be sought from developers, MHNA members, nearby owners and the general public. A larger community-wide meeting will take place in the fall so comments can be considered for incorporation by the board. A final version will come before the board for a vote, and if approved will go to city council for approval.
6. Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin spoke to the group about the University/Washington Ave LRT line. The 900 million dollar project will have 15 stations and cover 11 miles. The trains will have 3 cars. Plans are just beginning to develop for the neighborhoods along the route, including the Washington Ave pedestrian transit mall. The Northern Alignment, favored by U of MN and MHNA, was not chosen due to projected lower ridership, costs, problems dealing with railroads and unsure levels of pollution/contamination. Peter Wagenius, of the Mayors’ office, spoke about mitigation projects. A connection between East River Rd, under 35W, to Main Street SE is being designed as well as a plan to make a section of Second St SE a one way, so it does not become a truck route to Central Ave. The intersections at 4th St and 10th Ave SE and University at 10th will be improved. President Fraser presented some concepts MHNA favors – Consider bikers and walkers, not just vehicles, especially as entries, exits to 35W are concerned. We like the East River Road to Main St connection, but don’t want Granary Rd to go beyond 35W. We want the bridges and overpasses to look good. We want the 5th St overpass spiffed up and widened. Council member Diane Hofstede and U of MN’s Jan Morlock joined the group to answer questions. Some comments from the audience: Customize the stations to match the area; Disappointed with the loss of development opportunities when Northern Alignment wasn’t chosen; Concern about East River Road handling additional traffic.
7. Many new faces were in attendance tonight. All were welcomed. Many were interested in the board’s position on a development proposed for Florence Court. The July Land Use meeting will be moved to July 9 at 5:30, Univ Lutheran Church of Hope, 60 13th Ave SE.
8. Bob Miller, Director of NRP (Neighborhood Revitalization Program) spoke about the successes of NRP over the years and its impending demise in 2009. In Phase II, MHNA received approx $685,000. An alternative program, called Framework for the Future, proposes to move the work of NRP into a city department. The city can establish new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts to fund neighborhood revitalization. In the coming weeks the city council will be voting on the changes.
9. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM Melissa Bean, Exec. Director
