DSNA Meeting Minutes: February 2024

1.    Call to order 7:13 
2.    Attendance/Introduction question: What are reading/listening to these days?
Faffs Reiderer, Christy Stewart, Nicholas McCullough, Montserrat Caballero, Lisa Scoblink, Natasha Winnik, Christopher Rolls, Karen Greene, Abra Bentley, Noemie Despland-Lichett, Brendon
3.    Changes/approval of previous month’s minutes: approved as is
4.    Treasurer’s report: $663
5.    Announcements (external and internal)
a.    Pima Community College needs volunteers - Montserrat Caballero We need volunteers and tutors (especially in math)  to help adult learners as well as English Language practice, and classroom tutors for refugees, as well as substitute teachers for substitutes. For more information please contact mcaballero1@pima.edu
b.    Karen Greene: Desert Streams’ purpose is to represent the breadth and diversity of musical styles and genres that can be found in Tucson and Pima County. Local musicians and bands—in all genres—who are currently playing or recording in Pima County are invited to submit songs for consideration. Musicians must have a completed, released album or EP of at least four songs. Artists selected will receive a $250 honorarium and their own page on Desert Streams with photos, bios, and links to social media, upcoming shows, and merch.
c.    Christy Stewart is looking for Neighborhood Newsletter articles, please submit by March 1. Noemie had a brilliant idea for interview with our resident roadrunner. christycstewart10@gmail.com
6.    Discussion
•    Community Benefits Agreement with 941 N Stone Ave  (Faffs) Terms “looked good, just need to figure out the coffee shop area in his space.” Will send tomorrow. Karen brought up that this wIll be on Mayor/Council agenda tomorrow, so it would be very helpful if someone could attend, perhaps might just be a check-in. Items agreed upon:

1.    Place a local business (coffeeshop) in the current storage space to ensure a local operator is in place rather than a national tenant. Provide potential meeting space in the coffee shop layout for use by Dunbar Springs’ Neighborhood Association for meetings or other community building.
2.    Preserve and add other local art to the building. Currently there is a Joe Pagac mural on the property that will be preserved, and other art can be added.
3.    Provide bike parking for the community at the location and promote access to public transit. 
4.    Provide energy efficient units to limit environmental stress created by the property and surrounding areas.
5.    Incorporate community input for streetscape and landscape designs to provide cohesion to the area utilizing Sonoran Desert plantings. 
6.    Public accessible water fountain with bottle refill station along Stone Avenue based on Pedestrian Nodes under the Stone Avenue Corridor Study.
7.    Promote 2 neighborhood cleanups each year to the tenants in the building to help Dunbar Spring Neighborhood.
8.    Quarterly attend meetings of the Dunbar Spring Neighborhood during construction and after construction for updates.
9.    Provide a contact within the development who the neighborhood can reach out to with concerns after construction is complete.
10.    Deliver a report 1 year after the completion of construction verifying each point of this agreement has been satisfied.

•    You can leave comments on the proposed agreement.
•    There was discussion that due process had not taken place; that there needed to be more back and forth in the negotiation of the agreement. This development is planning on going in the space north of Sarara, two stories tall, small affordable housing, a local developer. Vote did not take place.

7. Elections - We need folks for President, Vice-president, and Treasurer. 
8. Block Pals - one person on each block will be responsible to welcome new people into the neighborhood, giving out letters, 100-year-old houses flyer, and information about the neighborhood meetings.
9. Quarterly meetings in person - we are still not sure. Meetings used to be held at Dunbar Pavilion. Major changes are coming to their by-laws; Lisa will keep us up to date.

7.    Reports from the field
•    DNARC (Downtown Neighborhoods and Residents Committee): no update
•    Downtown Links: no update
•    Dunbar Coalition: no update
•    HFAC (Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition)
•    Stone/Speedway: no update
•    Splinter Collective: no update
•    WAMO (Warehouse Arts Management Organization): (Karen Greene) there might be a vote to activate DECK plaza and pay for part time coordinator and to pay for events or activities such as yoga classes.  WAMO is a 501c3 and can be a fiscal sponsor if the deck plaza project is approved.
8.    For the good of the cause - none
9.    Adjourn 7:52pm