November 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 has several announcements on behalf of the Downtown Library. There is a new program called Level up your reading with Readstrong for adults to improve work literacy offered at four library branches. The book bike will need volunteers on December 1, and Books on Wheels, a program to deliver books to homebound people, is also in need of volunteers.

Turtle announces that she couldn’t make a newsletter that was exactly the same as the past several years’. She’s still interested in helping out if someone can contribute some new material.

Turtle reports on behalf of Ian that Paul Buckwalter is retiring from neighborhood involvement. Paul has served on several committees and has been active for many years and his participation will be missed. We will need to find a new representative for the Salvation Army subcommittee and on the COREBANC neighborhood coalition.

The Salvation Army reportedly did not receive funds from the city for transitional housing so they are planning to proceed without it. Because this is an integral part of the project, we would like to see them look to other groups for this funding rather than eliminate it completely.

Brad Lancaster has several announcements: our letter to the police requesting them to arrest trespassers in the garden needs to be submitted every year and he is working on revising it. He is working on a list of neighborhood accomplishments, 1994 to present, and he would like to hear any suggestions. The 10^th annual mesquite milling and breakfast fiesta was a great success.

Lisa Scoblink has some old neighborhood documents that she would like to hand off. The possibility of storing them in a file cabinet in the Dunbar School is considered.

5. Discussion

(b) Vote: El Paso and Southwestern Greenway alignment – (Moved ahead because already discussing.) Several neighborhoods have indicated support of moving the planned El Paso and Southwestern Greenway bicycle/pedestrian crossing in the St. Mary’s segment of Downtown Links 50 feet west for better alignment with the Greenway. Engineers have said this is possible and will still allow for the 300 foot minimum spacing between traffic signals. The Bicycle Advisory Committee was supposed to provide a letter for us to sign but we have not received it yet. Karen Greene moves to sign a letter from the BAC in support of moving the crossing 50 feet west (to 300 feet east of the St. Mary’s and westbound I-10 intersection) as soon as we receive it. Harrison Smith seconds. Brad Lancaster would like to amend the motion to include writing our own letter, amendment ok’d. He would also like the letter to clarify why we would like the change – better mobility, encourage use of the path by making it easier and more logical to use, and improve safety by having it in a place where people will actually use it. Motion carried unanimously.

(a) Reinvestment project – The art component of the project is moving forward. The fish sculpture and the 9^th Avenue bench stools have been installed. Due to risk management concerns, the stools are concrete, not soil cement, but they may try to acid wash them to look more like soil. The tiles for the Historic Crossroads are complete and the Gila monster bench is in progress.

We discuss ways to provide feedback on our experience with the Pima County Reinvestment Grant and TPAC processes. We agree to write a public document to discuss our challenges and suggest solutions as well as letters to individual parties we have worked with.

Brad mentions that we need to identify stewards for each of the new chicanes and circles. Stewards are needed to add plants where they are insufficient and remove invasive plants like buffelgrass. Brad has supplies for this, so anybody who would like to sign up should contact him.

The plaque for the fish sculpture has not yet been installed. The proposed plaque would be too heavy, so an aluminum plaque is a possible alternative. Brad is in communication with the artist.

Brad suggests some ideas for continuing to improve our neighborhood after we complete this project. Applying for more grants is a possibility. Sky Jacobs mentions Conserve to Enhance as a potential funding source. Some suggestions for neighborhood improvements include a ping pong table and benches, chicanes on the opposite sides of the street, and speed tables to slow down traffic. We also need to replace the nets on the basketball hoops but this is something to do right away.

6. Committee reports

(a) Downtown Links – Construction on the St. Mary’s segment has begun. The remaining segments have been combined into one and have been budgeted $50 million. Lucky Street Warehouse and the Stone Transmission building will be demolished soon. Lucky Street is being demolished in advance of road construction because of mold and disrepair. The deck park is currently planned to be removed, although at the last meeting, staff mentioned that it could be reinstated. They state that there is currently not enough money for it. Ward 1 says that are pushing for keeping it.

Next meeting we will need to vote on a letter supporting the deck park. Brad mentions that we must make clear that we are the most negatively impacted neighborhood by Downtown Links in loss of land, infrastructure, and connectivity to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

(b) Neighborhood garden – No report. Brad brings up the issue of homeless people in the garden who willfully violate the rules by drinking, fighting, smoking on a daily basis. He has been having conversations with them and calling the police on occasion but the problem continues. We need to file a letter every year with TPD to request them to arrest repeat trespassers. Brad is currently revising the letter. Important points to include in that letter are that we want them to give a warning first and arrest if they continue to violate the rules, and that we would like to charge them with trespass. If we charge them, we need to have someone who is willing to go to court, both Brad and Harold are willing but it would be better to have more people who can do this. Brad would like to update the signs at a cost of $30 a sign, we will vote on this next meeting.

(c) Dunbar Coalition – Board members are now insured. Cress is turning over his work to John Hudson. Windows in the museum have been welded shut. The charter school is looking for new board members. Tucson Urban League is looking for a new CEO.

7. Approval of minutes – Gail Toomey moves to approve the October minutes. Lisa Scoblink seconds. Minutes approved unanimously except two abstentions.

8. Adjourn – Meeting adjourned 8:54 pm.