Tuesday, November 17, 2009

WECAN General Membership minutes 17 November 2009



 

WECAN November 2009 General Membership Meeting Minutes • Draft


West End Clingman Avenue Neighborhood General Membership Meeting Tuesday November 17, 2009 at Merritt Park. Board Members present were: Jessie Coleman, Joe Fioccola, Bret Frk and Pattiy Torno. Not present were: Lisa Hadden, Erin Jasin, Laura Loftis, Floree Lowery, Geraldine Melendez and Jose Ruiz. Also present was Mike Vance.
Following a general conversation about homelessness, practical options to middle school, community gardens, secret supper clubs, the profitability of writing speeding tickets, the future of Aston Park and setting a date for Holiday Caroling at Aston Park with the SFB Neighbors on Sunday December 13th from 3-6 p.m. featuring inclusive songs and sparklers, Pattiy called the meeting to order at 6:25 p.m. ----------Joe read a summary of activity since the last General Membership Meeting. The summary included participation in the formation of the Aston Gateway Community Board dating back to December of 2008, Officers elected in January: Alphie as Chair, Pattiy as Vice Chair and Joe as Secretary and Treasurer. Alphie left the WECAN Board in February and Pattiy became Chair, Floree Lowery and Laura Loftis were selected as At-Large Board members. On March 28, 2009 the newly refurbished part of Aston Park was officially dedicated. In April the board met with city planners to provide input on the future of the area surrounding Aston Park. In July the board officially appointed Joe Fioccola and Jeff Carnivale to represent WECAN on the Aston Park Community Board. A clean up date for Owens Bell Park was held on Labor Day. October 13th WECAN, SFBNA, WITO and APD came together in Aston Park to celebrate Safe Communities Month complete with hot dogs and sparklers. Changes at Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department are looking for a more formal agreement for the future maintenance of Owens-Bell Park. November the board began reviewing the goals set in the WECAN 2010 Plan.--------Election of Board Members: The Class of 2009 whose terms are about to expire are Joe, Jessie, Erin and Bret. Thanks to all for their continued service. Bret is eligible to serve another term but Joe and Jessie must rotate off the board for 1 year. Pattiy nominated and Jessie seconded the re-nomination of Bret and the nomination of Byron Ballard and Yuri Koslen. Nominations were closed and approved by acclamation.--------Ideas for involvement: what is important for present board members is the monthly gathering and keeping in touch, and sharing with people we care about. Try to get Pete Basset involved. Byron will check with Montford for what they did to get a sense of being a cohesive neighborhood.(i.e. fundraising, banners, welcoming committee.) Joe suggested that since only a fraction of the neighbors currently in the neighborhood were here before we were redeveloped that we may need to go back to square one and go door-to-door and block by block and street by street to introduce ourselves, and who we are and what we have done and what they would like to see in the neighborhood and what is their email address and the best way to contact them. Byron suggested regular events like the Saturday morning coffee gatherings that we used to do. Other ideas mentioned were movies in the park (if it gets dark enough) live music, Byron suggested getting in touch with Arts2People's Kitty Love. What can we do to build community? Things like walking downtown as a group to Jack of the Woods. (for example) Social gatherings in the neighborhood need a place and Owens-Bell Park, Aston Park and the future Community Garden are the most important ones. We need to communicate better and do things together. Ask the Wedge Brewery to create a WECAN Beer. Pattiy insisted that everything printed must have the WECAN logo on it. Tee Shirts were also suggested as was monthly singing in Aston Park.--------A draft of Future events for 2010 include Jan: elect officers, Feb update mailing list, Mar: Aston Park equipment, Apr: Aston Park reopens, May: Memorial Day Celebration OBP, Jun: ?, Jul: Pool Party?, August:?, Sept: Labor Day Celebration OBP / newsletter, Oct: Safe Communities Celebration Nov:Gen Mem Meeting? Dec: Caroling--------Other ideas: The Community Garden will be a way to build a community with common interests. There are organizations which can help: Kids Farming, Appalachian Sustainability, Urban Gardening, etc. We need to mention the Community Garden to any neighbors we may run into and ask them what they want and need and how they would use it. The board will put together a list of criteria for the CG to include: Water? Yes, Keep the Wall? Yes, Fence? No?, Lighting? Maybe?
The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola.
Dec 3 6:30 WECAN Board Meeting at Merritt Park

WECAN Board Meeting Minutes 4January 2024