WECAN Board Meeting March 6, 2014 at 64 Clingman Ave.
Board Members Present were: Byron Ballard, Joe Fioccola, Rachel Larson and Pattiy Torno. Board Members not present were Jeff Carnivale, Jessie Nell Coleman, Tom Gibson, AnnaBeth Hardcastle, Mike Kenton, Yuri Koslen, Luke W. Perry, JoAnn Skinner and Suzanne Willis. Also present was: Marsha Stickford and Officer Evan Coward.
Chair Rachel called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.
MINUTES: The Updated Draft February minutes were approved as revised and distributed.
BLOCK JESSIES: Pattiy reported that two buildings had recently been sold: The Cotton Mill Studios and Roberts Street Studios have changed hands last week. See Pattiy's post on AVLRiverfront for details. Kudos to Bill and Lynell Goetcher with WILLYNG Corp.for their efforts in the district. Also Phil Mechanic Studios has been put on the market with opportunity for a cooperative to develop and make an offer.
APD/CRO UPDATE: Joe noted that the pod at 453 West Haywood St. has gone after a week of blocking the road. Irritating noise from backhoe at 40 Roberts St is allowed from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. but just an ongoing issue between developers and neighbors. Rachel advised there is the house on Park Square had finally sold and she has new roomies. Pattiy reported that Robert Bott, photographer at 95-97 Roberts St was almost hit by a white SUV at the Clingman Traffic Circle last Monday at 10:30 a.m. but his Jack Russell was not so fortunate. It wasn't reported to the police. Evan noted the need for traffic cameras especially on the smaller intersections. Pattiy keeps hearing comments about campsites on the West side of the River. Evan is scheduled to ride the length of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks next week from Enka to Airport Rd. to spot illegal activity. Joe noted a few campsites littering the D.O.T. path west from the Boy Scouts. Evan also asked them to clear out the trash and the brush all the way to the curb. The new D.O.T. contact is Seth and he schedules community service usually on Saturdays. Pattiy asked about the recent transfer of the Duke property to the city and who would maintain it. Marsha noted that it took a long time to get the agreement with Greenworks and is now working on one with Riverlink. The issue of an ATM and sculpture blocking the new sidewalk near Riverlink was brought up again no permits have been issued. Marsha noted some Rivermusic plans affecting traffic on Riverside. Pattiy noted the need for a consistent policy relating the events coordinator, City staff, and affected neighborhoods and what influence neighborhoods will have especially since council is putting a priority on having many events all over the city. There needs to be a conversation about the city's need to accommodate neighborhoods as much as they do developers. What makes neighborhoods is people not just infrastructure. Evan reported that Luke has obtained permission to maintain and take care of the property on Yarrow Place. Luke also wants to call a workday at the ADC Bridge moving gravel, etc. Luke will call a work day.
MSD/JEFFERSON: The drainage problem still has mud blocking it. Evan noted that he has gotten good results reporting things on 'The Asheville App."
CLINGMAN FOREST WALK THROUGH: Stephanie advised Rachel she was still talking to Nikki Reed. Rachel contacted Rafael Rettig who will be coming to town in April to have a walk through from his property.
RIVERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION: Pattiy reported that some leftover TIGERII money was set to be used to survey mechanisms that exist that can be used to address gentrification. Also RFP's would be sent out soon to study the issue of the substandard bridge on the south fragment of Park Avenue North.
#1 PRIORITY NEED: Stephanie had asked WECAN to advise her of what our number one priority need from the city was regarding the update to the WECAN Master Plan. Pattiy suggested a sidewalk on Roberts Street as a priority need but staff is really asking how they can help the master plan. Joe noted that one reason for the re-census is that the neighborhood has changed a lot in the last 15 years. Rachel suggested a committee to meet separately. Pattiy noted that the UNC School of Government was doing an assessment of RAD and South Slope and got data from BC GIS that there are 48 households in RAD and she knows there are only a fraction of that number.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION Consultants are returning on the 20th. Joe is on the Neighborhood Character and Quality of Life Focus Group. The problem is valuing buildings over people. Three Brothers is being torn down and the buildings across from the Vanderbilt Apartments will be gone soon .
ADOPT A HIGHWAY: Joe will set a date in April for the next cleanup and try to get a big turnout and photo at our 15-year decal celebration. (In April possibly with the walk-thru at Rafael's.)
COMMUNITY GARDEN: Jeff wants an intergovernmental agreement and he and Marsha are writing a letter and they won't be sad if it is magically cleared and if it is agreed on the city would be responsible to clear it. Maybe ninjas with goats?
GARDEN CLUB: Wednesdays in March will be Garden Club work days Several projects are lining up: Clean up the Sign Garden, Sunny Cultural Garden and Ivy work, end of Jefferson, the slope on Short Hilliard, the stone wall on West Haywood. Also will try different times: 10-2, 2-4 or 5-7 and get them posted on the Facebook. Joe has had some fun at the Fruit and Nut Club. They have hot dogs and fun family activities such as sign painting, golfing with walnuts and the elderberry toss and teach tool sharpening, pruning for fruiting and for growth. Rachel offered to bring pigs in a blanket
SUPPLEMENTAL CENSUS: Rachel has put together a list of categories for the census and also a list of the East Clingman Ave Property owners. There are approximately 45 units we need to review.
Joe has been working on Block lists from the old email and snail mail lists to go to our block Jessies to verify current residents, emails, and phones. Redrawing some of the block lines keeps the number of units around that 20 or less each with total number of units around 170.
MAILING LIST: Block Jessies: Pattiy Torno, Jessie Coleman, Hanni Muerdter, Tom Robertson, Rachel Larson, Alicia, AnnaBeth Hardcastle, Raphael Rettig, John Chang, Meg Winnocur, Suzanne Willis.
CENTRAL AREA MEETING: Joe reminded that the meeting March 24 at Public Works was from 7-9. . There will be presentations from city departments about safety and major projects going on and WECAN should make a presentation 5-7 minutes long and then a neighborhood forum to bring up what works, needs work, is dangerous or uses volunteers. Open to the public no limit to attendees.
COFFEE KLATSCH: Neighborhood Advisory Committee meeting with neighborhood leaders as a follow up to the Festival of Neighborhoods on Friday May 2 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Public Works. Breakfast will be provided and 1 or 2 representatives will be invited. Joe has a lot of the information to share about WECAN but will have other responsibilities on that day so Rachel and someone else should go.
TIME CAPSULE : New Belgium asking for contributions from neighbors no bigger than a cell phone by April 10. Byron remembered that the site was once used by the circus. Her mother lived on Roberts Street in the 1930's and could hear the gorilla Gargantua across the river at night.
EAST OF THE RIVERWAY: The East of the Riverway wrap-up meeting was rescheduled for Tuesday March 18 6-8 p.m. at the Dr Wesley Grant Southside Center with food. It will not be a drop in meeting but have formal presentations from Riverside Drive Development Plan, Clingman Forest Greenway, Town Branch Greenway, the Five Points Traffic Circle and the Transportation Network Plan to show what they heard from the community.
The meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m.
DRAFT Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 12 Garden Club Wednesdays begin 10-2 at Sign Garden Hilliard and Clingman
March 14 Sustainable Landscape Design @ Riverlink with Bill Jones 3-5 p.m.
March 15 Bike of the Irish! 70 Court Plaza to Haywood Road Music and Party at the Isis.
March 16 Buncombe Fruit and Nut Club at Magnolia Park 10-2
March 18 12Bones Crowd filming for Hogzilla
March 18 East of the Riverway Wrap Up 6-8 at the Dr Wesley Grant Senior Southside Center Food Provided
March 19 Garden Club Wednesdays continue 2-4 Owens-Bell Park
March 20 River District focused Open House 3-5 p.m. 5th floor City Hall
March 20 Historic Preservation Master Plan progress report TBA
March 25 RADBA Board Meeting FLS Board Room 4-5 p.m.
March 26 Garden Club Wednesdays continue 5-7 end of Jefferson
Every Sunday Crafternoons at the Downtown Market
Every Friday Night Classic World Cinema 8 pm upstairs at Phil Mechanic Studios Free!
April 2 Garden Club Wednesdays continue 4-6 on Short Hilliard (Between Rector and Clingman)
April 3 WECAN Board Meeting 6:30 at 64 Clingman Avenue
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