December 2012

1. Call to order – Meeting called to order 7:05 pm.

2. Sign in and introductions

3. Treasurer report – Balance is $1451.71.

4. Announcements

Karen Greene announces that the Main Library will be having a Freecycle day on Jan 5, 2-4 pm.

Karen also announces that there will be two Cyclovias in 2013 on the first and last Sundays of April. They are looking for volunteers to help with the intersections and events.

Ian Fritz announces that the Main Avenue road diet is moving forward. It should be finished by spring 2014 and will reduce Main Avenue to two traffic lanes, a center turn lane, bike lanes, and possibly parking on both sides, from Drachman Street to St. Mary’s.

Ian announces that the Pie Party will be on March 24 at the Whistle Stop Depot.

5. Discussion

(a) Town West development proposal – Raul Reyes from Town West presents a preliminary plan for a mixed use development in the Franklin Docks area bounded by 6th Street to the north, Church Avenue to the west, Franklin Street to the South, Stone Avenue to the east, and the Union Pacific Railroad to the northeast. The development will be on three sides of the Steinfeld Warehouse. Originally, Town West had a development agreement and special zoning for this site. The development agreement still exists but the zoning has expired and reverted to I-1, industrial. Reyes says that the new plan is an attempt to address the negative issues that came up with their last proposal: provide some public parking, retail space, artist live-work space, public space, a bike path along 9th Avenue, and visibility for the Steinfeld. He distributes booklets of the prospective plans. There are 4 proposed buildings: a 5 story student apartment building with some retail on the first floor, a 650 space parking garage along the railroad tracks, an open air mercado/artist loft building, and a loft building. There would also a bike path along the current 9th Avenue right of way, an amphitheater, a public plaza, and a courtyard inside the student housing portion. The project is financially feasible now and the revenue from the student housing will help fund the artist loft portion. The lofts would be market rate.

Brad Lancaster mentions that most artists would gladly trade conveniences, like central heating and cooling, for cheaper rent. He also would like to see more of a sense of place in the architecture – something to tie it to Tucson – and native trees, passive rainwater harvesting, and east-west orientation and awnings for passive heating and cooling. Ian would like to see if the parking requirement can be reduced, so we can encourage alternative modes. Reyes notes that the apartments will be designed with a variety of configurations so they can be converted to regular family apartments if the student housing market changes.

(b) Reinvestment project update – All the benches are in. The Historic Crossroads Sign has been installed and the tiles will be installed soon. We discuss having a celebration, which may include a walking tour of the components of the reinvestment project, and to thank the county and solicit input for future neighborhood improvements. February – March sounds best.

We need to put out announcements to water because supplemental watering has ended.

(c) Vote: letter to support deck park – Brad would like to see this letter state that it is essential for Downtown Links to reinstate the deck park because Dunbar Spring is the most negatively impacted neighborhood by this project, it is important for the city to uphold their promise, and the deck park will provide many benefits to the neighborhood to mitigate the damage done by Downtown Links. Claire Zugmeyer moves to write a letter to advocate for why the deck park must be a core element of the Downtown Links project. Karen Greene seconds. Motion carries unanimously.

The letter we voted on last meeting to move the El Paso and Southwestern Greenway crossing on St. Mary’s still needs to be written.

(d) Vote: update garden signs – Brad shares his draft language for the sign and draft police letter. Claire Zugmeyer moves to adopt Brad’s language for the signs, to spend up to $200 to make the signs, and to submit Brad’s revised letter and to resubmit it annually. Karen Greene seconds. Ian mentions that we have no income, so he questions the wisdom of making such an expenditure. The garden has no money, but Lisa Scoblink will ask if the Dunbar Coalition can help out, and we will spend the remainder. Motion carries unanimously.

(e) Vote: basketball nets – They’ve already been fixed.

6. Committee Reports

(a) Downtown Links – No news. St. Mary’s construction is underway.

(b) Neighborhood garden – The following report was submitted by Terry Pawlowski:

I have sent out reminders to pay rent for the period from November, 2012 through May, 2013.

Three people have paid up.

There are presently 6 plots rented for a total rent of $312. Of that amount, I received $144 from the 3 paid up members and used all by $7.20 for rent through December. We are all paid up through December of this year, but we are now waiting for the remainder of the rent money, $168.00 from the remaining 3 unpaid members.

Once this remainder is collected, it will get us through January and part of February. But we need to rent more plots in order to carry on through the year.

The garden has 22 plots including the community garden plot in the center. Two plots, Cardinal and Red-tailed hawk, are vacant since the fall because of the fall mesquite breakfast. Four of the plots are donated to the ladies from Africa. We have 11 vacant plots that rent for either $48 or $72 for six months.

Two plots of these plots were vacated because of the presence and fear of the homeless men hanging out in the garden...just for your information.

(c) Dunbar coalition – A leaky fire sprinkler valve was fixed. There was a victory lunch for democrats with the Black Chamber of Commerce. A new brochure has been produced about the Pavilion. The annual holiday dinner is tomorrow. They are willing to provide space for a file cabinet and Vince Pawlowski volunteers to obtain one for us.

7. Approval of minutes from November – Lisa Scoblink moves to approve the minutes. Sky Jacobs seconds. Motion carries unanimously.

8. Adjourn – Meeting adjourned.