WECAN Board Meeting June 4, 2015 at 64 Clingman Ave.
Board Members Present were: Jessie Nell Coleman, Joe Fioccola, and Rachel Larson. Board Members not present were Byron Ballard, Tom Gibson, AnnaBeth Hardcastle, Mike Kenton, Yuri Koslen, Rebecca Lance, Floree Lowery, Luke W. Perry, Rafael Rettig, Marc Schieferstein, JoAnn Skinner, Pattiy Torno and Suzanne Willis. Also present was: CRO Lucas Lovelace and Marsha Stickford.
Chair Rachel called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.
MINUTES: The draft minutes were approved with a correction about the General Membership meeting: moved due to rain. TREASURERS REPORT: AnnaBeth reported no activity. Current balance is $624.22.
APD/CRO UPDATE: The police department will have a new Chief as of July 20. Tammy Hooper. There was nothing critical to report. Lucas did respond to a call from Jefferson about prostitution and to one from Merritt Park about panhandlers. Jessie reported a couple of people set up a tent behind her house on Meeker property. Rachel reported a suspicious couple she has seen more than once parked near Hanger Hall. Since there will be no WECAN meeting in July Joe asked about National Night Out which is usually the first Tuesday in August. Marsha reported that it would be from 5:30 to 7:30 at Pack Square Park and she would send more info when she has it. Joe reported a bad parking situation on Pearl Street across from Aston Park. There is also a new Public Information Officer using the APD Face Book Page.
FORM BASED CODE: Rachel heard from Sasha Vertunski that an introductory public meeting was set for the evening of June 18 at the Grant Center. Also she wants to meet with a smaller focus group from 11:30-12:30. Marsha will send out a flyer.
NEIGHBOR/BLOCK JESSIE UPDATES: Rachel took a photo of a cowboy, dog and chicken for a scavenger hunt. Joe saw a cedar tree at Hanger Hall being carved with a chainsaw into a sculptural column. Marsha said the sculpture was being assembled at the old Ice House property. Jessie wants everyone to know she is fine. She took a fall downtown and was taken to the hospital but nothing could explain the fall. Luke is working this summer on a design-build project of a portable stage for L.E.A.F. and in his spare time working on his house. (work day this Sunday June 7 at 10)
COMMUNITY GARDEN: Joe reported that the fence was completed and that most of the beds were planted. He was contacted by Hope Hanselman from WLOS who had seen him in an article in the Mountain Xpress last year on guerilla gardening. He explained that the Community Garden was legal and that the Garden club really did guerilla maintenance. They shot some video and want to come back for the social to show the growth.of the garden. Rachel reported a special request from Charlie Lance: Please don't step on the corn seeds.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL: The community gardeners want to celebrate the full planting and have settled on Fathers Day Eve: Saturday June 20th at the community garden with an ice cream social, and garden tours, and general membership meeting reports. The time was set at 3-5 pm to avoid spoiling mealtimes. Marsha may get a fire truck to attend.
ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY GARDENS: Marsha advised that Darcel Eddings with Urban Agriculture Group doinf an assessment of community gardens in the city. She will be in contact with community gardeners to discuss what they all have a lot in common. She will ask about what they need, how they run, how people are sustaining them, and then sharing that information. Its co-sponsored by Asheville Green Works, Green Opportunities, Burton Street and the Residents Council.
GARDEN CLUB WEDNESDAYS: Joe reported that the Garden Club had completed the fencing at the community garden and some of the knotweed on Hilliard. In June the target areas are Rector Triangle at Hilliard, Owens-Bell Park, and the rest of the Park Square wall at Roberts Street. The first half filled some of the garden beds. Joe noted that the grass strip had been mowed all the way to the new stop sign.
UPDATES: Marsha announced an event at the Grant Center on June 14 with lots of activities for children and a fundraiser for RADBA community youth art class scholarships.
MASTER PLANNING: Marsha is working on getting CAN and NAC together to work on the 2025 plan to address neighborhood planning. She has a meeting with the planning department to look at models for a workshop setting the context of what is needed for the comprehensive plan. There is still no planning director in place.
CLINGMAN FOREST GREENWAY: They have worked out the easement with the middle school and have 2 more easements in the works. However it looks like construction won't begin until the fall-of 2017 due to the desire to hire a single contractor to build the Clingman Forest, Duke and Town Branch Greenways
EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT: Marsha announced a public meeting with experts on June 16 at 6 pm at the Grant Center. Equitable Development is the next step of EOTR. It is to address concerns about development with the goal to extend the benefits of development to the community. It includes tools and ideas such as a community benefit agreement, hiring a percentage of local contractors, using Asheville GO to train workers. Also city staff and city council will received training from the EPA on how to implement values based planning.
DUKE SUBSTATION: Marsha attended the meeting with 250 Isaac Dickson parents. Duke convinced attendees that there was very little risk from wave energy. Now they are concerned with explosions and electrocutions. Duke has purchased three properties in the city: one is next to Dickson, one is at Asheland and Hilliard at the old Hayes and Lunsford and the third is at the old Mathews Ford on Biltmore Ave. The third was put on hold for social justice reasons in conflict with the funding for the redevelopment of Lee Walker Heights. So Dickson is on the back burner for now and the focus will be on Asheland Ave. A new consideration is that there is no language in the UDO about placement of utilities near residential areas. Planning department is working on guidelines for screening, etc. The South French Broad neighborhood is so concerned that some property owners are requesting a zoning change to Central Business District so they can have short term rentals. Concerns should be addressed to the Mayor.
DAVE STEEL: Changes have removed the live/work spaces, there is less office space, and parking and only one building 5 stories tall with a windowless wall across from the Café. Still discussing making the roads one way.
GRAFFITI FESTIVAL: Lucas announced the second annual graffiti festival celebrating the history and culture of graffiti June 5,6 and 7. Friday concert: Ships in the Night; Saturday 7-9 A the Moth light and Sunday all day at Sky Lanes 1477 Patton Ave. Last year there were no problems or increase in vandalism.
ASHEVILLE IN MOTION: Marsha updated that they are putting information together and are planning an August Plan Release Event. TBA.
HALF MARATHON: Lucas will be working from 6:15 to noon with rolling traffic stoppages on Riverside.
STEPHENS-LEE/VANCE MONUMENT: Celebrations this Saturday June 6 at Stephens Lee from 10-2 and at the Vance Monument at 2 pm.
NO MEETING IN JULY:
The meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m.
DRAFT Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola.
June 6 Half Marathon rolling closures on Riverside before noon
June 6 Stephens Lee Dedication 10-2
June 6 Vance Monument Rededication 2 pm Pack Square Park
June 5,6,7 2nd Annual Graffiti Festival
June 9 Community Garden Group 6 pm
June 10 Garden Club 2 pm
June 16 Community Garden Group 6 pm
June 17 Garden Club 2 pm
June 18 Form Based Code Public meeting @ Grant Center in evening and Focus group 1130-1230
June 20 Ice Cream Social 3-5 at Community Garden
June 23 Community Garden Group 6 pm
June 24 Garden Club 2 pm
June 30 Community Garden Group 6 pm
July 1 Garden Club 2 pm
July 16 Equitable Development Public Meeting TBA
August 4 National Night Out 530-730 Pack Square Park
August 6 Next WECAN BOARD Meeting 6:30 pm
