December 2020 EPNA meeting minutes

EPNA December 3, 2020 meeting minutes

Meeting called to order at 6:31 PM via Zoom.

Welcome and introductions.

Approval of November meeting minutes:

• Motion made, seconded, and passed to approve the meeting minutes for November.

Alder Abbas’ Updates:

• Alder Abbas will run for a second term as alder. There will be a spring primary as there are at least two others running for District 12 alder.
• There is a multi-family affordable housing project in the works for the area of Packers/Schlimgen. If approved, this will be the fifth affordable housing project in two years in District 12.
• The future Public Market at the city’s First Street Garage will be temporarily turned into a men’s homeless shelter. A public meeting about this will be held on December 9.
• The electric vehicle charging station ordinance introduced by Alder Abbas will be adopted by the city council in January. This would require charging stations in newly constructed multi-family buildings.
• District 12’s previous alder Larry Palm will be filling the Dane County Board position previously held by Paul Rusk until the special election in April.

Motion made, seconded, and approved to donate $300 to the Bashford Food Pantry.

Ella’s Deli site update by Narik:

• Fencing has been erected around the construction site. Demolition is scheduled to begin in January.
• No word yet on who has purchased the old KFC next door.

Open Comments:

• Resident requests EPNA’s help with the Porchlight residence near Dayton and North Streets. There are problems with neighborhood responsiveness from Porchlight along with safety and quality of life issues.  The resident says Alder Abbas and Heidi Wegleitner are involved and working on a memorandum of understanding, but EPNA’s assistance would also be appreciated. The co-chairs will take the lead on this and it was also noted by EPNA that there are similar issues at 901 Oak Street.
• Resident request to the alder to see if the city could establish an ordinance that commercial sites would be required to have signs when they are under construction stating what the business will be.
• EPNA’s 2020 recap of accomplishments:
• Held virtual meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic and had good attendance at them. When able to resume in-person meetings we will try to continue to zoom them so people who are unable to show up in person can still be involved.
• Had clean-on-your-own Earth Day neighborhood cleanup (due to pandemic).
• Held a successful Eken Park-ED festival since we could not have a live festival – something that other bigger festivals in town did not do.
• Saved a tree in Washington Manor Park by sponsoring emerald ash borer treatment. This will help the tree live several more years.
• Continued to maintain and beautify green spaces in Eken Park: Butterfly Garden, Gateway Project, Washington Manor Park sign, Historical Marker in Eken Park, formally adopted all medians on Commercial Avenue.
• Installation of Gateway Project at E. Washington and E. Johnson.
• Addressed Black Lives Matter and wrote an open letter of how EPNA plans to address racial inequity in our neighborhood. Launched Anti-Racist reading group. Gave donation of money and in-kind to BLM Kid’s March in September.
• Prevented the city from opening a 4 way intersection at Coolidge and Packers that would have allowed traffic directly into Coolidge St. from Packers. Successfully convinced city to allow Coolidge St. to be open to bikes/peds only.
• Publicly supported keeping all 30 acres of the Hartmeyer Natural Area and helped in convincing the city to double their original proposal of preserving only 7 acres.
• Made donation to purchase wildflower seeds to restore City Engineering owned land at Commercial/McCormick. This vacant land will be named the Landsness Legacy Park in honor of Carl Landsness from Friends of Starkweather Creek.
• Made annual donation to Bashford Food Pantry.
• Successful fall membership drive and giveaway to support area businesses.
• Updated annual Halloween competition with Emerson East as a give back to Bashford Food Pantry. Donated close to 1000 items.
• Held first ever virtual EPNA elections.
• Updated the EPNA log to match the neighborhood signs and increase brand recognition.
• Motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and approved.

Meeting adjourned at 7:15 PM.