GANA Meeting Minutes

GANA (Green Acres Neighborhood Association) Meeting
3/29/06, 7 – 8 pm
First United Church on 3rd St.

Attending
Georgia Schaich, Julia Jackson, Betty Byrne, Stefano, Ann Kreilkamp, Kim Fernandez, John Gaus, Jelene Campbell, Nathan Harman, Maggie Jesseph, Adam Lowe, Marian Shabaan, Kadhim Shabaan, Noriko Hara, Diane Dormant, Kathy Ruesink, Al Ruesink

Agenda

• Neighborhood Plan
• Small and Simple Grant
• Tree Committee Report
• Plant Share Committee Report
• Dr. Houze Building Construction Update
• Pick-It-Up Committee Report
• Summer Solstice Committee Report
• Flow diagram overview

Summary
We discussed the overall purpose of the Neighborhood Plan and bureaucratic details of the Small and Simple Grant. The Tree Committee reported on their meeting with John Huss, City Urban Forester, and the city’s offer of four trees. Plant Share Committee and Pick-It-Up Committees reported on times, dates and locations of their respective upcoming events. We learned of sidewalks on 3rd and Hillsdale in exchange for Dr. Houze’s building permit overreach. Summer Solstice committee reported on still-evolving plans. We received flow diagram hand-outs to discuss at the next meeting.

The Process
This meeting was smoothly facilitated by Julia Jackson, who successfully steered us through a large agenda in the usual hour, followed by a ten-minute break with refreshments prior to scheduled speaker(s).

NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN: Our intrepid neighborhood networker and grant writer Georgia Schaich let us know that she got the Neighborhood Plan in to the city on March 24, two hours ahead of the deadline, thanks to great help from both Nathan Harman and Adam Lowe.

This year four neighborhoods hope to be the one chosen to work with the city on an overall 20-year plan for its future. This neighborhood will demonstrate “maturity,” that is, will show that it is far enough along on fleshing in its own vision of itself to receive the city’s help with infrastructure plans — roads, signs, parks, paths, sidewalks, etc.

Each year one neighborhood is chosen. Three neighborhoods — Broadview, McDoel Gardens and Propect Hill — have already developed their plans, and work with the city to create their specific character. For example, McDoel Gardens sees itself as a “conservation district,” and its plans reflect that vision. This is our first attempt at a Green Acres Plan and we will work the next year to further develop our vision of Green Acres as a sustainable community.

SMALL AND SIMPLE GRANT: Georgia also spoke of the details of the $1000 Small and Simple Grant that she and Sabrina Grossman wrote up and successfully submitted to the city last month. This grant, to help fund GANA events, must be used up by August 11. Unfortunately, the process is somewhat cumbersome: rather than the money being held in a special account that we draw from when necessary, each line-item needs to be presented to the city for disbursement of funds at the time needed. We discussed possible ways to alleviate the red tape involved.

The Small and Simple Grant is a matching grant. GANA will donate $100 out of its own kitty, plus contribute the 100 volunteer hours GANA members have already signed up for. East Side Bloomington, Inc. (the association of businesses on 3rd Street between High Street and Smith Road) has enthusiastically agreed to at least a $75 in-kind donation and probably much more, since it will solicit donated goods and services from its member businesses. Georgia suggested that we also invite the realtors who work with Green Acres to participate somehow in the grant.

TREE COMMITTEE: John Gaus reported on the meeting that he, Georgia and Tim Mayer had with Lee Huss, City Urban Forester, who showed them the city’s computer-generated maps that catalog the location of every tree in every neighborhood. Huss asked that the group suggest three or four locations for several mature trees that the city has earmarked for Green Acres this spring. Tim, who obviously came prepared, suggested the following: 7th and N. Bryan by the new Ambulance Bay, Roosevelt along the new sidewalk area between 3rd and 4th, Jefferson between 7th and 8th, and Overhill from 3rd to 5th. In addition, in response to the group’s concern about all the blacktop that has been created in the Dr. Houze construction project on 3rd Street and Hillsdale, Huss said that the city would donate three mature red oak trees to be placed near the new sidewalk on 3rd St (see Houze Update below). If you wish to join the tree committee, please email John at jessicaagaus@aol.com.

A general discussion of trees ensued, and continued off and on all evening, including during the speakers’ presentation. What kinds of trees are best? Should we only use native trees, or are exotics okay? How about flowering trees, fruit and nut trees? What kinds of fruit trees actually produce enough fruit in Bloomington? How to balance our need for trees with solar needs for gardens? John Gaus spoke again of our need for an urban Forestry ordinance” in Bloomington, which, as Diane Dormant commented, “after all, does bill itself as ‘the city of trees’.”

PLANT SHARE COMMITTEE: Jelene Campbell reported that the Plant Share event this year will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 AM on Saturday, May 13, the day before Mother’s Day on her driveway at 2521 Eastgate. (She has a garage in case it rains.) Email Jelene at jjcampbe@hotmail.com if you wish to donate plants and cannot get them there or will not be there that day, as she will pick them up. Jelene will also get donated plants from a few plant clubs to which she belongs.

DR. HOUZE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Julia Jackson reported that as part of Dr. Houze’s deal with the city — in exchange for having gone beyond his building permit to remodel his Chiropractic clinic by black-topping part of the next lot (which he also owns) — is that he will be required to extend the sidewalk both from Hillsdale to Overhill and, moving around the tree on the corner of Hillsdale and 3rd, to extend the sidewalk down Hillsdale to the edge of his property.

Julia also reassured us that the city promises to keep the zoning on the Green Acres part of 3rd Street “single family residential.”

PICK-IT-UP COMMITTEE: Noriko Hara reported that she and her husband Phil and Adam Lowe will coordinate a neighborhood Pick-It-Up Day, Saturday, April 29th, from ten to around noon (with April 30 as rain date). So far, eight people have volunteered to help, and will meet at Noriko and Phil’s house, 2415 E. 4th. Diane Dormant will offer refreshments at her home afterwards. Please email Noriko at harasq@hotmail.com if you wish to help, and Diane at dormant@indiana.edu if you can stay for refreshments.

SOLSTICE CELEBRATION COMMITTEE: Stefano, who dreamed up the idea for this celebration, asked for and received our permission to change the date from June 24th to June 17th, due to a crucial scheduling conflict that would make it impossible for him to attend on the original date. He then reported on where plans stand now. We will have a banner (with logo and design by GANA member and graphic artist Jiangmei Wu) and a brochure (to be designed by graphic artist Tim Mayer). We will offer (at cost) tee shirts with the GANA logo. The event will include a parade led by Nathan Harman’s percussion band through the streets of Green Acres to the empty lot at the Bypass end of 7th Street where we will hold a barbeque. This will be our signature event for the year, and more committee members are welcome. The committee will meet next on April 12. If you wish to join the committee and/or attend the meeting please contact Stefano at conarddesign@yahoo.com.

GANA OVERALL FLOW-DIAGRAM: Finally, Stefano handed out the first draft of a flow diagram that visually presents one possible overall perspective on how we can accomplish our goal of creating Green Acres as a truly sustainable community. The diagram includes home and community projects, plus outreach to media, IU, IUPUI, City of Bloomington, federal, state, and other grants. He asked us to contemplate this diagram so that we can discuss, amend, and further develop it at GANA’s April meeting.

The next meeting date
(last Wednesday of the month):

APRIL 26, 2006
7 – 8 PM
First United Church on 3rd Street

Be well!

Ann Kreilkamp
GANA Scribe (secretary)