October Potluck and Meeting

Date: Tuesday, October 13
Time: Potluck begins at 6:30pm with meeting to follow
Location: Kindly hosted by Kevin & Kimberly, 2621 E. Edwards Row

Topics: Dues collection, bypass expansion, Neighborhood Improvement Grants, neighborhood fun, and anything else we want to discuss

Neighbors Present: Jelene Campbell, Valerie Cox, John & Jessica Gaus, Ann Kreilkamp, Kevin Polk, Georgia Schaich, Jane Spearman

Before we began the meeting, neighbors enjoyed some good food and great conversation. Especially nice was the hot cider provided by Kimberly and Kevin. Yum!

Dues
Georgia collected GANA dues from neighbors. We will provide a final dues tally at the next meeting.

Bypass
The bypass expansion has been delayed at least until spring. Neighbors asked about the contacts for the bypass issue and a reminder of the various means of sharing information about the bypass. Jane will send an email after the meeting with the contacts and information. Jelene shared an article from the H-T; the article details the top ten crash prone intersections in Monroe County, three of which are on the bypass. Ann suggested that someone should write a letter about this. Jane agreed to write the letter.

GANG
It is time to put the garden to bed and Ann wants to have a work party and harvest dinner. We decided on Saturday, November 7. Ann shared some flier ideas. Kevin reminded Ann that we have an account at White Rabbit. Ann will finalize the flier and several of us will help distribute them closer to the date.

Ann said we need to get more people eating from the garden. There was plenty of food this year and not enough people enjoying its bounty. Spreading the word to the students and reminding the permanent residents will help.

The final workshop of 2009 is Saturday, October 24. We will be learning about ways to extend the growing season. More details are at this link.

Follow Up
The home on 8th Street that appears to be abandoned and falling apart was given until the end of September to repair the home or seal it. Here is the information provided by HAND about the property:
"Under the Unsafe Building law, the city has three remedies for buildings that are falling into a state of disrepair: 1) Orders to Seal; 2) Orders to Repair; and/or 3) Orders to Remove. Which one we select is based on a lot of factors, including state law. For simplicity sake, if a property is in a state of disrepair, but is structurally sound and can be sealed against the elements and unauthorized entry, we do Orders to Seal. That is the most common unsafe order done by HAND. In this particular instance, the owner received Orders to Remove or Seal – giving the property owner the choice. He chose to seal the property. Neighborhood Compliance Officer Michael Arnold verified on September 10th that the property had been sealed. We will conduct periodic drive-bys to make sure that the property remains sealed.
So, what this means is that the property can remain unattractive as long as it is sealed up. I know that this is not what the neighborhood had hoped would be the resolution, but this is really what we can do within the bounds of the law. If you see any activity in the house, please contact the Bloomington Police Department. If it seems urgent, please call 911. If it does not appear urgent, the non-emergency dispatch number is 339-4477. If you notice that the property has become unsealed (someone breaks in a window or door), please contact HAND."
Neighbors commented on seeing open areas in the home still. If that is the case, they should contact HAND.

Odds & Ends
* A different home on 8th Street was seen having a street sign, complete with GANA topper, in the front window of their home. This was reported to HAND and they contacted the police. The sign is no longer in the residence.
* Regional Neighborhood Network Conference - Ann and Jane, along with Prospect Hill Neighbor Sarah, attended the 2009 RNNC in Decatur, Illinois. Jane and Ann shared their experience with the group.
* Wireless Internet for the Green Acres - Ann shared an idea for getting a group wireless access point in the neighborhood. Perhaps a service provider would be interested in doing this. The fee could be paid by those wanting to use the service and would be significantly cheaper than individual accounts. This might be something of interest to the students as well.
* Jane is working on making contacts with the group home in the neighborhood and getting the folks involved in our activities.
* Georgia is working on the Tri-Ad Friendly Visitor Program. The program is targeted at home-bound individuals who would benefit from a weekly visit. If you could use this service, or know someone who could, email us and we will put you in contact with the group.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 10 beginning at 6:30pm, kindly hosted by Jelene 2521 Eastgate Lane.

Respectfully submitted by me!