DRAFT WECAN Annual General Membership Meeting 1 December 2022

 

WECAN Annual General Membership Meeting Minutes December 1, 2022 @ 21 Jefferson Drive @ 6:30 pm

  Board Members present: Joe Fioccola, Mike Kenton, Rebecca Lance, Rachel Larson, and Susanne Willis. 

 Board Members not present: Byron Ballard, Stephanie El-Hajj, Sylvia Organ, Carrie Pettler, Rich Peterson, Pattiy Torno and Brittany Wager.

 Also present: Neighborhood Specialist Meredith Friedheim, Lee Lance, Brian Lander, Patrick Pearson and Lynn Player.

  CALL TO ORDER:  Rebecca called the meeting to order at 6:59 pm after hot beverages and snacks.

 GENERAL DISCUSSION:

Rebecca raised some questions for general input. She has talked to several people who live in the neighborhood but many have no interest in serving as a leader or on the WECAN Board. She wants to consider all options for the future such as limiting meetings to quarterly or even dissolving the organization.

Susanne likes receiving updates, but fears the loss of connection. She suggested that maybe there’s another way but she is not the leader.

Brian thinks it is great to have communication through Face Book and access to the garden grants, etc. and it is good to see all the expertise that Pattiy brings to the table.

Joe noted that Pattiy’s surgery went well and she is recuperating.

Rebecca recalled that when she began in WECAN in 2012 Marsha was the Neighborhood Coordinator. Susanne offered that she is okay with quarterly meetings.

Rachel observed that participation has diminished and some people are happy just to enjoy the benefits of living in WECAN. She also noted a national trend that all organizations are losing leadership. WECAN does still serve a purpose. It has a voice at the table and is a conduit to connections. It would be a bigger loss to dissolve WECAN compared to diminishing natural phases. The key is inviting in new people.

Rebecca repeated that Byron will help in defining roles at the January Retreat. It is hard to increase participation when some people prefer Zoom or in-person or Face Book exclusively. Rebecca would prefer more informal meetings less often than monthly.

Susanne suggested progressive dinners or cocktails or fire pits or socials.

Lee noted that the best turnout is usually Halloween.

Rebecca asked if a non-profit could take a break.

Susanne thought it better to keep the structure for projects and grants. 

Lynn was asked if WECAN was actually needed for the garden projects.

Rebecca was told by a friend that the city is afraid of WECAN.

Meredith had an email from Maryann about improving the intersection. (Clingman and Hilliard) Rebecca asked Joe for his take.

Joe thinks the organization is important. As much as people dislike meetings-nothing happens without them. The value of monthly meetings is the ability to respond quickly to whatever comes up without the hassle of trying to call and schedule additional meetings. They do not have to be long meetings but the serious work of a meeting can happen in half an hour or less. It is about communication with neighbors and building relationships. He is happy to continue to offer his service as secretary. Pattiy is generous with her service as Treasurer.

Patrick suggested outlining the various leadership roles and on orientation. 

Rebecca noted the pressure of the role of Chair as some previous chairs left early. When she originally took on that role she agreed to set agendas and facilitate meetings.

Joe is not satisfied with Zoom, or Next Door, or even G-mail for discussions.

Lee has business meetings that are often two or more hours long with observers attending and the business portion often takes 15 minutes or less. He suggested a neighborhood Happy Hour after a brief board portion which might consist of approving the minutes, a brief treasurer’s report and items that need a decision. If there are serious issues then call another meeting. It would be more appealing for him to have a 15 minute meeting and then a happy hour.

Lynn is also bored with all meetings but 15 minutes would be okay.

Patrick noted there has been a lot of pressure on the neighborhood in the last year with conflicting groups but more inclusion would be reassuring.

Lee suggested using the app called SLACK as an alternative to meeting discussions. (Slack is an instant messaging program developed for organizational communications, it has been adopted as a community platform.) It enables threaded and specific conversations on mobile desktop or phone and has customizable groups and channels.

Brian finds it easier than Teams.

Lee volunteered to set it up.

 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Rebecca moved and Rachel seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the WECAN Board meeting on November 3. The motion passed.

 NOMINATION OF BOARD MEMBERS:  Joe reported that Byron, Pattiy, Rachel and Rich had completed an initial 3-year term on the board and all are eligible for a second term.

Joe moved to nominate them in the class of 2025. Rebecca seconded and the motion passed.

Rebecca nominated Brian to the opening in the class of 2024. Susanne seconded and the motion passed.

 HOMELESS CAMPS FORMING IN WECAN: Meredith reported that the city was expecting a report from a homelessness consultant in January. In the meantime the city has just hired a Part Time Special Projects Coordinator and they will be included on email reports to helpendhomlessness@apd.gov.

 WECAN ACTIVITY IN 2022: Joe suggested a better time would be the January meeting/retreat.

The WECAN NEWS provided a lot. Joe was thanked for his efforts as editor

  ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

  Next WECAN Board meeting January 6, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

 Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola 

 

 

 

WECAN Board meeting minutes 3 November 2022

 

WECAN Board Meeting Minutes November 3, 2022  via Zoom @ 6:30 pm

 

 Board Members present: Byron Ballard, Joe Fioccola, Rebecca Lance, Carrie Pettler, Pattiy Torno and Susanne Willis. 

Board Members not present: Stephanie El-Hajj, Mike Kenton, Rachel Larson, Sylvia Organ, Rich Peterson, and Brittany Wager.

Also present: Meredith Friedheim.

 

 CALL TO ORDER:  Rebecca called the meeting to order at 6:34 pm

TREASURER’S REPORT: Pattiy received $123.61 in Halloween expense receipts and asked whether it was okay to allow the part over the approved $100. Without objection it was agreed to reimburse.

 

HAYWOOD STREET COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: Carrie updated that the current focus for the last few months is still on fund raising.

--They still plan to break ground and begin construction in ‘early winter.’

--There are two HSCD board openings in the next year. They would like to maintain representatives of color and she would like more neighborhood representation. A few names were mentioned and nominations are needed by December.

--They have changed some of the AMI percentages. They were 30%, 60% and 80% AMI but now 60%AMI will let 50% be additional voucher holders.

--They now also own the yellow house across from the Boy Scout Building which they plan to use for construction, administration and later for housing administration and storage.

--They are considering another neighborhood meeting. The optimal time might be when they break ground or before construction begins. Pattiy noted that it would be helpful and neighborly to know the timeline and possible street closures and when heavy equipment would be coming.

TRASH IN AND AROUND WECAN:

--Susanne observed that there is still trash and debris on the pedestrian bridge to Isaac Dickson Elementary. She picks some up there when she walks her kids to school but could not get anyone from the church to even ask their people to clean up after themselves. They just say it is not their property--even though it is in their community. NCDOT’s Adopt –A Highway or Asheville Green Works’ Adopt-a-City Street were suggested to get people involved and responsible for quarterly litter pick-ups. There needs to be more coordinating with the community, sanitation and APD. Pattiy noted that Dogwood Health Trust hired a Homelessness Consultant whose report and recommendations are due soon. They may include a central entity and ‘boots on the ground’ people. Carrie continues to have trash left behind her house by tent campers. She works with Sanitation to pick it up but is concerned that to keep picking it up will just encourage more. An ‘olive branch’ was suggested of getting trash cans for litter near Haywood Street.

 

NCDOT AGREEMENTS: Pattiy heard from Ken Putnam that they were approved by City Council and were in the process of getting the appropriate signatures before a meeting with Kristina Israel to begin the Neighborhood Matching Grant II.

 

COMMUNITY GARDEN: Joe reported that work has begun on the west side clearing out the old and beginning to install ground cloth and new beds. There were one big workday two weeks ago and a smaller one last week. There will be another small one this week and a larger one the week after.

 

PANTRY UPDATE: Meredith looked at the 2015 Agreement and noted it might need updating and annual review. There were some ideas that were clarified such as the site placement and size of the concrete footings; the source –Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council; and initial use—not food. These should answer concerns about vermin, security, access and things not being sold from it. The change in use calls for a new agreement for a 2-3 year period maybe up to 5 years and is in process. Joe will forward a map sketching the proposed location and guidelines from ABFBC.

 

WECAN NEWSLETTER: Joe completed the newsletter and Pattiy sent it to the printer today. Allegra will again donate the cost. She requested 300 copies to leave some at the Patton and the Hilliard. They should be ready by next week and should be delivered before Thanksgiving which is just one week before the meeting.

 

ANNUAL MEETING PLANNING: Rebecca aims to encourage more participation by shaping the Annual General Membership Meeting into more of a holiday gathering. She also asked for objections to postponing until February the election of officers (which usually takes place in January) and conducting a WECAN Visioning session for the board in January. Byron agreed to lead the visioning session--to look at what we have done, what we are doing, what has changed and where we want to go. Board orientation is also needed especially for new board members to know their roles and what is expected of them. The visioning should only take 1-2 hours-- not days. Byron observed that Rebecca has served us above and beyond and is ready to pass the baton. Neighbors appreciate having an active neighborhood and are ready to step up. The holiday party will include a recap of the year, update of ongoing projects (grants, agreements, pantry, etc. and election of new board members.

 

HALLOWEEN: Joe counted 35 attendees including the children.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Rebecca moved and Byron seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the WECAN Board meeting on October 6. The motion passed.

 

BLOCK JESSIES: JOE noted a Farmers Market has appeared under the Smoky Park (Jeff Bowen) Bridge on Wednesdays. PATTIY noted that the loud vehicle noise was not there last Saturday. She was grateful but did not know what prevented it. She is having a hip replacement and asked only for good energy after 8:30 am on Tuesday November 29.

 

 ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 7:42 p.m.

 Next WECAN Annual General Membership meeting December 1, 2022 at 6:30 at 21 Jefferson Drive.

Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola 

 

ADDENDA:

To clarify, Brian delegated Susanne’s concerns to Seth, “Minister of Congregational Care and Mission”. It was Seth who was not interested in the partnership in Adopt-A-Highway but Carrie spoke to Brian on Friday and HSCD would like to adopt a highway and she has connected him with Susanne. 

 

 

WECAN board meeting minutes October, 2022

 WECAN General Membership Meeting Minutes October 6, 2022 Via Zoom @ 6:30 pm

Board Members present: Byron Ballard, Joe Fioccola, Rebecca Lance, Rachel Larson, Sylvia Organ and Pattiy Torno.

Board Members not present: Stephanie El-Hajj, Mike Kenton, Rich Peterson, Carrie Pettler and Brittany Wager. Suzanne Willis. 

Also present: Brian Lander, Sandra Villasenor, and Meredith Friedheim.

CALL TO ORDER:  Rebecca called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Rebecca moved and Byron seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the WECAN Board meeting on August 4 and General Membership Meeting on Sept 1. The motion passed.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Pattiy reported no activity since the September meeting and one outstanding payment to Brian. Rebecca moved to approve $100 for Halloween each year. Joe requested a modification “up to $100.”  Sylvia seconded and the modified motion passed.

BLOCK JESSIES: PATTIY reported the Cuban Food Truck at the Cotton Mill was open and very good. RACHEL reported a house on W Haywood sold for $1.25 m and that the Board of Realtors is planning a clinic for people appealing their Property Tax Valuations coming in January. JOE observed the fence up at the corner of Hilliard and Clingman for the new apartments. PATTIY offered to reach out for an update and timeline. She noted that Transportation Director Ken Putnam will put the NCDOT maintenance agreements for approval by City Council on their consent agenda for October 11 or 25.
 
ADOPT A STORM DRAIN: Sandra Villasenor introduced herself working with Riverlink as a Watershed Coordinator for AmeriCorps Project Conserve. Their mission is to promote environmental and economic vitality of the French Broad River watershed. Their three efforts include Water RICH -helping homeowners, Stream Restoration and Adopt a Storm Drain. The third is a partnership with the City of Asheville with an initial focus on Central Asheville. The Process is 1) select a convenient location to check every two weeks and after rain. 2) Fill in the online adoption form. 3) Meet with Riverlink to review responsibilities and instructions and sign a liability waiver. Participants supply their own gloves, trash bag, plastic container with lid, smart phone. 4) Complete field report with smartphone. She can answer questions at sandra@riverlink.org.

NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR: Meredith Friedheim introduced herself as the new Neighborhood Services Coordinator. She has been working with Kristina Israel--the Community Engagement Manager for the last 3 weeks. She will be more involved with the Neighborhood Matching Grants program. She lives in the S French Broad Neighborhood and can be reached at mfriedheim@ashevillenc.gov. Pattiy asked if she would be the first point of contact in reporting Homeless problems as her predecessor Jeremy Lett was with the Homelessness Task Force. She may be integrated on that topic in future but her current role there is yet to be defined. Rebecca asked if she would attend the semiannual meetings with WECAN and ART. Joe asked if there was any advance on legal issues from Kristina about the Community Garden. She will get answers and will plan on attending future WECAN Meetings.

HALLOWEEN: The general plan is for a pot-luck in the field behind the community garden on Monday October 31 at 5:30. Brittany will organize the Haunted Trail at the end of Jefferson and Park. Contact her at brittanywager@gmail.com. She has some ideas for themes. Volunteers may be needed to set up on Sunday October 30. Tables needed for Potluck. Crock Pot will be provided by Byron. Rachel offered some directional signs.

COALITION OF ASHEVILLE NEIGHBORHOODS: Joe reported they are having growing pains as his term as treasurer and that of the president will expire next April. They are having a meeting this month to investigate hiring staff. Byron has been frustrated by their vague mission and goals and observed they could benefit from a board retreat –as could WECAN.

 NEIGHBORHOOD MATCHING GRANT: Pattiy reported an offer of a core-ten steel plate that didn’t work out but she will reach out for a source of a ‘Skeleton Plate” for the sign garden.  She has been following the Stoneyard Development which may be finalized by December. It may call for a sculptural element across from the traffic circle. Rachel suggested using the old Ice House Doors she has been storing.

ANNUAL MEETING PLANNING: Rachel volunteered to organize a location such as MHO, The Patton, All Souls Pizza or Phil Mechanic. The agenda is for a Pot-Luck, Review of the year’s activity and election of new Board members. The regular date is December 1. A final decision is expected by November 3.

WECAN NEWSLETTER: Joe assigned Pattiy: Maintenance agreements, Neighborhood Matching Grant, Duke and Avery development updates. LYNN will report on the Community Garden and Bountiful Cities grant. Rebecca: Halloween and ask Carrie for an HSCD update and ask Ranse to do a neighbor profile on Carrie. Copy deadline is Wednesday October 26, except for Halloween on Nov 3.  They need to be printed and delivered before Thanksgiving which is just one week before the meeting.       

FALL PLANTING: Joe asked about plans for fall planting at the edible triangle and Owens-Bell Park.
Pattiy is waiting on the agreements first and fall planting can happen as late as February.

EVENT: Rebecca reported an event called How to get people out of cars from 12-2 on October 31. Join the Land of Sky Regional Council's Clean Vehicles Coalition, Land of Sky Rural Planning Organization, French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, and Go Mountain Commuting (TDM) for a lunch and learn speaker session to uncover the mysteries of how to get people out of single occupancy vehicles. Virtual and in-person attendance options are available. www.eventbrite.com/e/how-do-we-get-people-out-of-cars-tickets-433509848627 .

ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.

Next WECAN Board meeting November 3, 2022

Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola 

WECAN board meeting minutes September 1, 2022

 WECAN General Membership Meeting Minutes September 1, 2022 on the porch at 21 Jefferson Drive @ 6:30 pm.

Board Members present: Byron Ballard, Joe Fioccola, Rebecca Lance, Sylvia Organ, Pattiy Torno, and Suzanne Willis. 

Board Members not present: Stephanie El-Hajj, Mike Kenton, Rachel Larson, Rich Peterson, Carrie Pettler and Brittany Wager.

Also present: Lisa Adams, Zac Altheimer, Katie and Justin Bledsoe, Emily Fenster, Melanie Ham and Michael, Brian Lander, John and Janet Long, Patrick Pearson, Lynn Player, Ranse, and 5 children 

CALL TO ORDER: After refreshments Rebecca called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm suggesting that social meetings should be quarterly.

NEIGHBORHOOD MATCHING GRANTS: Pattiy reviewed that for the first round of grants WECAN was awarded $2500 which was matched with over 300 volunteer hours (at $25/hr.) That $5,000 value went toward renewing half of the community garden and some planting at Owens Bell Park. The city offered a second round and WECAN applied and was awarded $5,000 (to be matched with volunteer hours and $1500 cash from RADBA) for four projects: $4,000 for the Sign Garden, $4,000 for the Clingman Streetscape, $1,000 for the Edible Triangle and $1,000 for the Urban Trail and possible seating. A request was made to post pictures of these on the FaceBook page and a question about sub-groups there or an album to post pictures to that anyone can access. Many volunteers will be needed for WECAN’s match and information about opportunities will be distributed by the listserve or email list and on FaceBook. Anyone can sign up at WECANNEWS.blogspot.com and Pattiy will add a tab there for NMG (Neighborhood Matching Grants.) There was a question about a pin post on the FaceBook group. Pattiy would also like a shorter url. Lynn observed that there are about 25 people who have expressed interest in the Community garden contact group. Pattiy noted that the city’s goal is to make neighborhoods work together and they have been successful.  Pattiy thanked Lynn for a third grant of over $3,000 which was awarded through Bountiful Cities and an anonymous donor and which will go toward renewing and expanding the other half of the community garden.

WELCOME WAGON: Ranse along with Lisa and Rachel need help in knowing who our new neighbors are.

COMMUNITY GARDEN: Lynn described several achievements besides the harvest of potatoes, peppers, squash and garlic available at the meeting.

• Last March the Sunrise garden was refenced and ten new beds were built. The purpose was about food which is awesome but also about building relationships in the community
  
• The garden achieved Pollinator status with native plants and water
  
• ART was happy to supplement our water supply. Thanks to Barry and John there.
  
• Compost Bins were built by Brian and Swann and primed for painting. There is a list of allowables posted and Ranse will also post the list on FaceBook. The three bins are Sun for fresh kitchen scraps and eggshells, the Moon bin to ‘bake’ and the Earth bin with ready to use compost which should have some ready for fall planting time.
  
• Sunset garden will need a lot of volunteer help to clear out, level, place ground cloth, stakes, fencing and ten new beds.
  
• Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council proposed a food pantry for neighbors to share. It should be for the neighborhood and not passersby. We could use it to hold tools, seeds, produce directions or instructions or however we want. There are potential construction costs associated with the kit but can be installed with volunteers. Rebecca recalled the discussion from the last meeting that the choice was with the community garden group. Joe also met with Kristina Israel about permissions to install and expand. Her meeting with the city legal is delayed by vacations.
  
• The effort now is to be consistent, continuing to meet on Thursdays at 6, maintaining what we have and working on signage and agreements/norms (aka rules) about which beds are community efforts and which are for individuals.

HALLOWEEN GATHERING: Rebecca recalled the successes of the Haunted Trail which will be returning this year. There is an annual budget. Work times are TBA. If you are interested in helping out please contact Brittany at 35 Jefferson. (brittanywager@gmail.com)

ANNUAL MEETING PLANNING: Joe announced the annual meeting on December 1, 2022 will be the 25th anniversary of the first WECAN meeting. Cake will be appropriate. Suggestions for a location include The Patton or maybe The Hilliard. The annual meeting is where new board members are elected.

WECAN NEWSLETTER: Joe reported that each year WECAN produces a newsletter. Some topics he suggested include: City Agreements (Pattiy), Community Garden (Lynn), Halloween (Rebecca), HSCD update (Carrie), Neighbor Profile (Byron), and Worm Knightmares (Charlie).

WECAN ORGANIZATION: Rebecca recalled that WECAN needs a meeting facilitator, treasurer, communications co-chair, minutes taker and to talk to us if you can help.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Joe announced upcoming events of interest:
            Thursday September 8     10-12   River Summit at New Belgium
            Saturday  September 10   10:30   W Avl Garden Stroll 587 Haywood Rd
            Friday      September 16   4-5:30  French Broad Greenway West Opens  
            Friday      September 16   8:30     Neighborhood Leader RoundTable
            Tuesday  September 20    9 am    Adopt A Highway Litter pick up

DUKE SUBSTATION UPDATE:
Pattiy spoke with Jason Walls and the substation is still in the works except that GIS technology has been changing. The exterior design of the building will remain as planned but the interior is changing. The redesign of the interior should be completed this year with construction moved to 2024-2025.  

TREASURER’S REPORT:  Pattiy reported a balance of $3989.89

ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Next WECAN Board meeting October 6, 2022           
Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola 

 

WECAN board meeting minutes August, 2022

 WECAN Board Meeting Minutes August 4, 2022 Virtual meeting via Zoom @ 6:30 pm

Board Members present: Byron Ballard, Joe Fioccola, Rebecca Lance, Rachel Larson, Sylvia Organ, Pattiy Torno, and Suzanne Willis.

Board Members not present: Stephanie El-Hajj, Mike Kenton, Rich Peterson, Patrick Pearson, Carrie Pettler, Brittany Wager and Davina Weirich

Also present: Brian Lander, Lynn Player, Lisa and Emily Finster, and Gina Smith from the Asheville- Buncombe Food Policy Council.

CALL TO ORDER: Rebecca called the meeting to order at 6:33 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Byron moved and Pattiy seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the
June 2 Meeting as distributed and corrected. The motion passed.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Pattiy reported that a check was received from Bountiful Cities on behalf
of an anonymous donor for the community Garden in the amount of $2420. From that $217.71 was used by Lynn for a new rain barrel and hoses. Other uses of that money must be approved by Lynn or Joe. Also, closing out the Neighborhood Matching Grant a payment of $725 was made to Royce’s Tree service for the removal of a Bradford Pear and a Mulberry from Owens-Bell Park. She noted that the $2500 cash received from the city was matched by over 200 volunteer hours and generated a $7500-8,000 benefit to WECAN and was very successful in activating the neighborhood. She also applied for a second Neighborhood Matching Grant for $10,000 ($5,000 cash and 200 volunteer hours.)That grant is for the Sign Garden, WECAN/RADBA Clingman Streetscape, Edible Triangle and Urban Trail/Kudzu Hill. She has been in touch with Transportation Director Ken Putnam who advised her that the NCDOT has agreed to include the city and WECAN in maintenance agreements along Clingman Avenue but it must be approved by City Council at their September 13 meeting.

BLOCK JESSIES:
Attendees introduced themselves.

• RACHEL reported curbstones being taken up on Roberts Street to West Haywood.
• LYNN: met new neighbors, a young couple from Alaska at the end of Jefferson.
• BRIAN: reported that the local Democratic Party is looking for a Precinct Chair to back up Mr.
• Bacoate. Also Swann has been priming and painting the compost bins at the community garden.
• JOE reported that he has posted the minutes to all the WECAN meetings from 1997 through 2010 on the
• WECAN Blogspot.
• SUZANNE heard that Angel Hadden was moving to Boston.
• PATTIY heard from JoAnne Skinner that she was going to NY for cancer treatment but was in good spirits. Also, Mr. Bacoate has a new car. His son got him a new silver Jetta station wagon. Also the Skyview Golf Tournament had 159 participants for their 60 th year at the Municipal Golf Course. The African American group also has some national sponsors.
• REBECCA was happy to ride bikes on the greenway and enjoyed Sugar and Snow Gelato on Riverside Drive.
• PATTIY noted that the French Broad River West Greenway was now open. The completed greenway is paved from Craven Street to Carver Park. The Grand Opening is set for the morning of September 9, 2022. She also announced an ongoing Sunday Jam from 11 to 1 pm roller skating at Curve Studios Parking Lot. (No skateboards please!)

FOOD PANTRY PROPOSAL: Gina Smith explained that for the past two years the A-B Food Policy Council has been working on the Neighborhood Emergency Food Preparedness Project. Mutual aid food sharing structures have been built at East End Valley Street, Shiloh Community Garden and Deaverview Apartments and have been very successful. She met with Lynn and looked at possible placement at the WECAN Community Garden.They observed that Community Gardens look like a good place for these structures. She shared pictures of ones that have been built so far. They create and provide kits and material to be assembled by the neighborhood volunteers.

• Q: Are they bear-proof? A: There have been no problems yet with bears. Most food items are canned or dry and they can be locked at night.
• Q: It looks like the flat roof could be used as part of a water catchment system. Do you need permits for a permanent structure? A: They are moveable but might need permission.
• Q: Is there a central place to keep information such as a garden calendar, to-do lists sharing neighborhood contacts and information? A. It can be used for whatever the community needs. Their fiscal agent Bountiful Cities can make signs available.
• Q: There is a concern about having a food source for travelers through the neighborhood. Could it be tailored to WECAN’s needs? A: Not sure of the community’s food needs but may be needed in the future after HSCD is built. It is up to the community to decide how it works best. ABFC is funded through December.
• Q: Is there a deadline? No deadline just contact Gina at COORDINATOR@ABFOODPOLICY.ORG.

DISCUSSION: Maybe it could begin as an information center first and later morph into a food pantry if there is a need and desire. HSCD stocks it? Are there ways to know what is inside or in stock? EEVSNA uses their newsletter or email and the units have windows so you can see what’s inside. What is the decision making process for WECAN moving forward? It was suggested to make this an agenda item for the September WECAN Meeting. Joe agreed to contact Kristina Israel about permission to build the structure.

COMMUNITY GARDEN: Lynn got a new rain barrel and we attached a saucer to it and it is working really well. Reach out if you want to help.

BEARS: They have been through WECAN recently one with a collar and another with an ear tag, maybe up to five individuals. Q: Is there a program to fund bear-proof trash cans or trash can enclosures? A: Bear Resistant Cans can be ordered by individual residents.  https://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Learning/documents/Profiles/Mammals/Bear-Resistant-Trash-Cans.pdf  Residents need to call City Sanitation before buying a can to make sure it is approved, and also after they have it, so that the Sanitation employees can pick the city-issued can.  

WELCOME WAGON: Ranse will come to the September 1 meeting.

HAYWOOD STREET COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Delays with funding. Little house will be
used for Admin and staffing. Carrie will update in September.

WECAN ORGANIZATION: Rebecca noted that at the July 4 social at Owens-bell Park she made announcements and wanted to know how we are feeling about the board and meetings in future. It is an important place for discussions and information sharing. Will we ever go back to in-person meetings? NO, they are a barrier to participation. Meetings are appreciated and not a waste of time. They help cement our foundation but maybe fewer meetings? Some are hesitant to change now--so much on our plate. Stay the course. Time is important and challenging, maybe more efficient one hour meetings? Monthly is good for continuity and shorter is also good. Maybe we need two more other social get- togethers besides Halloween and July 4 th? Maybe interface with businesses in WECAN with a restaurant crawl?

FUTURE NEEDS: Meeting facilitator, Treasurer, meeting notices, minutes, maybe early or later Block Jessies.

HOMELESSNESS SURVEY: Joe reported that CAN was working with the city consultants on the Homelessness policy. There is a survey asking for ideas about homelessness, its causes, solutions, and the
survey is totally anonymous. Anyone who has ideas on the subject please take it.:
HTTPS://www.surveymonkey.com/r/s96tkp8

 ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m.

 Next WECAN Board meeting September 1, 2022

Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola 

Draft WECAN Board meeting minutes June 2022

WECAN Board Meeting Minutes June 2, 2022 Virtual meeting via Zoom at MHO @ 6:30 pm

 Board Members present: Joe Fioccola, Rebecca Lance, Rachel Larson, Sylvia Organ, Rich Peterson, Carrie Pettler and Pattiy Torno

Board Members not present: Byron Ballard, Stephanie El-Hajj, Mike Kenton, Brittany Wager, Davina Weirich and Suzanne Willis. 

Also present: Brian and Swann Lander, Lesa Peterson, Kristina Israel, Neighborhood and Community Engagement Manager; Lucy Crown, COA Transportation; Mike Sule, Asheville on Bikes; Rev.Brian Combs; McKenzie Dillingham and April Nance HSCD Board;

 CALL TO ORDER: Rebecca called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.

 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Pattiy moved and Rebecca seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the May 5 Meeting as distributed and corrected. The motion passed.

 TREASURER’S REPORT: Pattiy did not update the previous balance of $1717.23

 BLOCK JESSIES: REBECCA brought up the issue of an Air B&B at 24 Jefferson that was renting all 3 units and may have violated the city rules—in order to rent your home for less than 30 days, you must have a ‘homestay’ permit, allowing for the rental of up to two rooms on a short-term basis as long as the owners or caretaker also lives in the house. Some rules have recently been changed by the state. PATTIY updated on Owens-Bell Park that Parks and Rec completed the work of installing timbers to line the path and mulching that looks great. She has a bid from Royce Tree service to remove the Bradford pear and trim one of the mulberries but the maintenance agreement needs to be amended and Suzanna Horton is working on that. She also noted that a new supply of wood chips has arrived at the end of Park Ave today. JOE removed knotweed and trash from the Melk Drive (6 hrs) and from ‘short’ Hilliard (1 hour).  He tries to work on Sunday mornings when there isn’t a lot of traffic or rain. The city has an agreement with the NCDOT and WECAN has an agreement with the city to maintain and clear the site before any planting can begin. PATTIY also observed that the Edible Triangle needs a lot of weeding but the blueberries are doing well. Also that Jessie Coleman celebrated her 84^th birthday last weekend.

 CLOSE THE GAP:  Lucy Crown showed a map of the GAP (Greenway/ADA/Pedestrian) Study showing Pedestrian Network Components in the WECAN area. There was some confusion about lines representing sidewalks or proposed sidewalks on West Haywood, Club/Trade and Roberts Street and whether sidewalks were even possible due to steep, hilly and narrow streets. One effort is to make the East Patton Study more functional and to slow down traffic to share the roadbeds. Rachel asked about the Steps to the Hillcrest walkover and ADA efforts there and the utility easement between Club/Trade and West Haywood. Sylvia is also concerned about truck traffic-- not so much delivery trucks but semis that often get stuck. Pattiy will connect Lucy with Sylvia and Brian for a walk through.

 UNPAVED SURFACES INITIATIVES Mike Sule showed a map of several areas for consideration: French Broad River West, Bacoate Branch, Mountainside Park, River Ridge and Azalea Park/Highland Brewing. The goal of Asheville On Bikes is to develop natural surface trails that are either multi-use or bicycle only for mountain biking. Bacoate Branch is a proposed Greenway in WECAN and he showed a section from Merritt Street behind Asheville Middle School down to Lyman Street that due to the costs involved might even precede the actual Greenway. He requested a letter of support confirming it would be a valuable asset and that we approve. He offered to bring maps to our General membership meeting in July. There was a question about connecting to the middle school but it is a security issue. Mike asked if there might be a WECAN resident interested in being the AOB liaison and Rich agreed to do so as he is an AOB member 

HAYWOOD STREET COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Carrie introduced McKenzie Dillingham from the HSCD Board who is a general contractor but not the project builder. She explained that HSCD has received nothing in writing yet from Givens. Any issues from WECAN will go to the HSCD Board and they will address them with the management. A question about staffing was explained by Brian. Usually 80-100 units are needed to support full time staff. The Board is straddling multiple responsibilities. They expect to hire a full time Director of Housing. Their revenue equals what is left after the mortgage is paid. They have a staff of 30 at Haywood Street Church that supports their goal of relational management which includes the Mercy League and aspirationally a Director of Frivolity. The other question was about compliance. There are some non-negotiables in complying with the Fair Housing Laws. The board hires people to complete their contract but does not handle day to day activity. The HSCD Board is ultimately responsible—not Givens. It is a stretch for Givens who focuses on elderly housing but since there are no complex Federal fund reporting requirements in this project they agreed to take on the minor compliance issues. They are also looking into mowing the property as soon as they can after no-mow-May (for pollinators.) Sylvia wanted to note that recent construction in WECAN has been traumatic with traffic and pedestrian sidewalks blocked off. The arson fire at the Hilliard construction site also caused much damage to the surrounding parts of the neighborhood. Ground-breaking is still planned for August 2022. It was also suggested that subcontractor parking should be considered and be mindful and good neighbors. Brian also noted that Haywood Street has stopped the steady collective needle distribution at the church. It is still on Wednesdays but not there.

 SUMMER EVENTS:

4^th of July party hosted by Suzanne on Rector Street: There was talk of not having a Monday July 4 Party and a regular Board meeting on Thursday July 7 in the same week and of combining both before the fireworks which may even be on Saturday July 2. No action taken until a confirmation of when there will be fireworks.

 ART MEETING: Sylvia, Kristina Lee and Rebecca met and the minutes of that meeting are attached. Kristina addressed the noise issues which were of two kinds: Electric bus chargers and the money vacuum. Grania will try to reschedule a sound level check between 9 and 11 pm when the vacuum happens. Sound barriers may be a consideration for the workstation also chargers such as acoustic blankets which can cost as much as $13,000. Capacity is limited and grants may be applied to cover some costs.

 COMMUNITY GARDEN: Joe reported that Pollinator Certification was received from GreenWorks and a new grant was awarded through Bountiful Cities.

 WELCOME WAGON: Lesa reported that Rachel provided a list of recent home sales and Ranse has made a half a dozen ‘welcome wagon’ deliveries, and he has also created a tracking spreadsheet.

 ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m.            

 Next WECAN Board meeting July TBA, 2022

Minutes submitted by Joe Fioccola  

 ART SUBCOMMITTEE MINUTES:  Lee Lance

1. Noise - chargers: A new CoA noise ordinance went into effect in September '21, and new noise readings were taken at both the charges and at the houses along Park. The noise readings are within the limits allowed per the noise ordinance. Report attached. However, a recommendation was made that fencing and/or landscaping between the ART facility and the houses on Park could be improved.
   NEXT STEP: Kristina to find out what the appropriate path is with CoA to request that a plan be put in place to explore this suggestion
   
   

2. Noise - bus noise at night (9-11PM): The noise from the ART facility is loudest in the evening when most of the buses are returning from routes (~12 or so buses at a time).
   NEXT STEP: Grainne offered to coordinate with ART to come back in that time window to check the noise readings, as documented in an email exchange between Grainne and Barry on 5/20.
   
   

3. Noise - shuttle cars, employees, idling buses: We discussed exploring whether the beep-at-lock could be disabled in the white shuttle cars; general noise from employee stereos/loud trucks and motorcycles; idling buses.
   NEXT STEP: Barry indicated that the staff is continuously reminded about being courteous to neighbors and will continue to ensure this is the case; John is exploring whether the lock beep can be disabled in the shuttle cars.
   
   

4. Speed of buses/Redlights on Hilliard, at intersection of Hilliard/Clingman: Barry indicated that all buses (and shuttle cars) are equipped with Smart Drive, a behavior modification tool that allows staff to review events and provide ongoing coaching to improve driving behavior. Barry indicated that it is very difficult to see pedestrians/cyclists crossing Clingman on Hilliard headed east and urged caution / illumination. He emphasized continued direction to drivers about being cautious at this (and all) intersections.
   NEXT STEP: N/A
   
   Landscaping/property maintenance: WECAN thanked ART team for consistently taking care of the property, and for the positive interactions with ART employees performing the work.
   NEXT STEP: John will look into why the entire bank along Jefferson is not trimmed.
   
   

5. Community garden water catchment: The fence is CoA property so if WECAN wants to attach water catchment to the fence, that's a CoA question. ART offered to the WECAN community garden a used/empty 330-gallon container used to deliver diesel treatment. MSDS attached.
   NEXT STEP: WECAN to let Barry know if there is interest in one of these containers.
   
   

6. Community Garden Dinner this summer: - ART team invited to join the dinner.
   NEXT STEP: WECAN to let ART know when this is scheduled, possibly provide info for staff break room.