Board of Directors Meeting – October 1, 2018

PRESENT:  Matt Ruben, President;  Steve Richman, Treasurer; Janet Finegar, Secretary; Claire Adler; Kristen Ainscoe; Avery Amaya; Melanie Coffman; Monika Kreidie; Ben Mann; Joe Mikuliak; Don Phillips; Barbara Saverino.ABSENT:       Barbara Mulckhuyse, Vice-President; Michael Coyne.The meeting was called to order by the President at 7:02 p.m.Motion: By Don Phillips, seconded by Melanie Coffman. “To approve the minutes of the September Board meeting as presented.”  Passed 10-0-0 President’s Report: Matt Ruben: written report attached and reviewed.NLNA President’s Report, October 2018

1. PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND POLICY

• Construction Impacts – No major new issues or updates from last month.
• Waterfont Issues – No new updates from last month.
• Business Improvement District (BID) – The BID’s office opens October 1. A part-time admin assistant has been hired, though I am unsure of their start-date.
• Developer Relations – I am informed that the Finnigan’s Wake building has been sold, to GoPuff (https://gopuff.com), a Philadelphia-based food delivery company. Apparently they are looking to expand their existing operational center on 12th St, and move their offices/HQ to the Finnigan’s building. I have a meeting with them on Oct 8 and will update the board in November.
• Waterfront Transit Study – DRWC is doing a waterfront transit study and having public meetings next week: Tuesday, October 9 at the Independence Visitors Center, 6th & Market, and on Wednesday, October 10 at Old Swedes Church at Columbus Blvd. and Christian St., both from 6-8 pm. Both meetings will be open house style with the same content so people need only attend one.

2. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

• NLNA Board Membership – We need to finalize a plan for filling the board vacancy.
• Office Management/Oversight – Updates in the Operations Committee report.

3. EVENTS AND OUTREACH

• Community Center Yard Opening. Sep 27, a wonderful event. Details at our meeting.
• Nonpartisan Candidates Forum. Oct 30, in conjunction with Bodine High School and some other groups, in the newly refurbished Bodine auditorium.
• NLNA General Meeting. We need to finalize date(s). NL BID Exec Director Kevin Moran should of course be on the agenda. The DRWC also is working on a Waterfront Transit Plant, and they could attend a meeting too.

4. COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICITY

• I would like to proceed with making the NL Facebook group independent, making the only official NLNA presence on Facebook the NLNA Facebook page (started by Claire a while ago).

5. OTHER ITEMS

• Voting Changes – Because of significant population growth, NL’s two largest political divisions – the 17th and 21st – have been split into five. (I believe the 17th has been split in two and the 21^stin three). There will be new voting locations this November 6 on Election Day as a result. We are working with the local political ward to help get the word out (in nonpartisan fashion of course).
• Board Polls – Ratification of any online or online board polls since last month’s board meeting.

 Treasurer's Report: Steve Richman: written report distributed and reviewed.Motion: By Donald Phillips, seconded by Monika Kreidie.“To accept the proposed FY19 budget as presented.”  Passed 12-0-0 • Joe Mikuliak suggested moving some of the funds we are holding into higher-interest bearing vehicles. Steve will investigate possible investments and report on them at the November meeting, when the Treasurer's report will be a review of fund balances.—Fundraising Committee Report: Michael Coyne: written report attached.Fundraising Committee:

1. Annual Appeal:
   1. This year I want to work to be sure to get the Annual Appeal letters out sooner rather than later and would like to see this accomplished by no later than the 3rd week of October.
   2. I will be sending a Google Sheets invitation to the entire board to give access to the Annual Appeal mailing list. Please take some time in the next few days to look at the list for any errors and omissions. This would be a huge help.
   3. Vetting the list is an arduous task because some of the information on the internet can be old and outdated. Imagine that. In the past, when in doubt I’ve taken the time to call the businesses to verify that the information is current and accurate.
   4. I’ve added a column to the spreadsheet titled “Verified” – please just put an X in the column. No need for initials.
   5. Also, please exercise care before making any corrections, but if you are certain of any changes that need to be made go ahead and make them. I’d ask that instead of deleting a name for businesses that may have closed or moved, please just change the color of the letters in the name to red and they’ll be double-checked before being deleted.
   6. I have been communicating with Kristen on the Marketing and Communications Committee soliciting hers and the committee’s advice and input on the letter that goes out and the publicizing of the appeal.
      • i. One major goal in the appeal, in addition to traditional one-time year-end giving, will be to encourage more people to give on a regular, monthly basis. May use something along the lines of the (perhaps tired) “the cost of a latte a month” analogy.
      • ii. I also think appealing to and emphasizing the idea that giving this way will help the NLNA better plan and budget our resources thus freeing up time and energy to accomplish our goals, is something many will appreciate.
   7. Winter Fest: – I have reached out to Oron Daskal to nail down a date for the 2019 Annual Winter Fest.
   8. “Hop Sauce Festival”: I had a conversation last week with the board of the company and foundation that puts on the Hop Sauce Festival https://www.hopsaucefest.com/ each year on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. I’ve never attended the festival but have heard only good things about it and I know that it’s grown over the years to be a very successful and much anticipated annual event.
      1. They are excited about the possibility of holding the Hop Sauce Festival somewhere in Philadelphia. They had a marketing budget for last year’s festival of about $125k
      2. After hurricane Sandy hit, they formed a 501(c)(3) called the “Jetty Rock Foundation” to raise funds to help those affected by the hurricane along the NJ shore. The purpose of the festival is to continue to raise funds for the foundation and of course to promote the Jetty clothing line brand. They sell none of their merchandise at the event.
      3. They liked the idea of potentially partnering with the NLNA and the NLNA would be promoted throughout the event. The idea in my mind is that the NLNA would get a percentage of the ticket admission price and sales. It could be a good fundraising opportunity for us. At the same time, it would bring an event that is somewhat unique and would in my opinion have very broad appeal.
      4. They’re putting together a list of questions and ideas that they will give me / us to review and based on this process we can better clarify if it makes any sense to go any further.
      5. My thinking is that Liberty Lands is the obvious and ideal location for the event and early fall of 2019 would be a good time to hold it. They hold the Hop Sauce Festival come rain or shine the first weekend after Memorial Day each year.
      6. Let me be clear that I made no commitments implied or otherwise on behalf of the NLNA. I was the one who reached out to them made the initial contact to have an initial conversation and explore the idea.

• Kristen showed a rough draft she put together for this year's annual appeal and asked for additional data, some of which will come from Katrina and Steve. Liberty Lands Committee Report: Janet Finegar: written report attached and reviewed.Liberty Lands Report – October 2018

• The biggest news at Liberty Lands is the start of the fence/sidewalk project for the community garden and Bodine Street. In order to be ready to have the fence and sidewalk installed in late winter of 2019, we need to clear all the vegetation away from the construction area now, while the ground is still soft. We've planned a work schedule for three Saturdays in October (the descriptions I've written for the public are available online at www.nlna.org): on the first we'll do the southern half of Bodine Street and also dig out the sinkhole at the southeastern corner of the garden. If all goes as planned, we'll use the sinkhole as a dump site for all the rubble, soil, and greenwaste we'll be creating. The second Saturday will be the northern half of Bodine Street, and the third Saturday will be the interior sides of the garden.
• We have Facebook events for all of this, and it's also on the website and in the email updates. We've offered to the neighborhood to allow anyone who wants to to take shrubs that will otherwise be trashed and a few people have taken up that offer. The community garden will be unfenced through the winter as a result of the project and the gardeners are aware of this. I communicated with DCED (who are funding the sidewalk work) recently and we are okay with them in terms of reports and scheduling. PHS is funding the fence section of the project and we're on track with them as well.
• The most important things right now are to make sure people are aware (especially because of the parking restrictions on Bodine in order to do the work) and that as many people turn up to help as possible! We'll be there every Saturday in October from 9 to at least noon: people should come for as much time as they can.
• The Bread and Puppet circus in mid-September was quite successful, with a big crowd that seemed to really enjoy themselves. There was a small issue with overlapping with the Soccer Shots class (who had agreed to move their class to the smaller southern open space, but apparently forgot to do so), but it wasn't a huge problem.
• Things have been rocky with our new trash guy: he's pretty quick to respond to complaints, but the overall cleanliness of the corrals has been low and he was experimenting with not using bags, which was a disaster. Fingers crossed that he will improve next week, but we may be looking for someone new again.
• Upcoming events at the park: the Fall Children's festival will be October 28 (this is a week earlier than previously discussed) with a rain date of November 4th. PTSSD has sponsored both the Festival and the Parade of Spirits (on December 15). The creator of the Parade, Amber, has stepped away this year because of health issues, so the event may be a bit smaller than usual, but will still take place.
• We've applied for PTSSD sponsorship of Xmas tree chipping again this year and will collect the trees at the park.
• I'm interested in seeing if it's possible for the park to apply for the 900 block of 3rd to be 2-hour parking (usually residents need to do the application). If there was someone willing to make the apparently several phone calls necessary to find this out, that would be really helpful.

 Membership Committee Report: Michael Coyne: written report attached.Membership Committee Report:Yard & Pavilion Dedication: I want to recognize and commend the people on the Membership Committee who worked hard to make the Yard & Pavilion Dedication ceremony and celebration a success and a lot of fun. Shelley Marcus, Michele Brown, Mary Galgon, Barbara Saverino and Paula Gansky are a real pleasure to work with as they always strive to make sure no stone is left unturned or detail omitted. Thanks also to Lara, Steve and Ira for their input and support.  Of course, Joe Volpe’s generosity and the crew and staff Cescaphe demonstrated why they are the top wedding and event company in the city. Shakira’s cake was lovely as were the brownie cakes she donated. I think the turnout was good and I’m thankful that the weather held out. Operations Committee Report: Monika Kreidie.Monika noted that rentals are up for the community center, which has brought additional complications and insurance needs, but also more funds. Safety Committee Report: Melanie Coffman.• Melanie reported that we had a CPR class on 9/12 and 13 people attended. She may schedule another class in February, and is working on getting an AED defibrillator for the center.• Joe Mikuliak's report on the 6th Police District Advisory Council meeting is attached, and drew good response on social media:Notes from the meeting of 6th District Police Department Advisory Council– Sept 26, 2018

• The Video Recovery Officer gave high marks to the NLNA Facebook page.  He uses it to mobilize community participation and obtain video surveillance footage to track movement of and identity of criminal suspects.Partial crime report of incidents in Northern Liberties/East Poplar from the week of September 17, 2018One burglary, one aggravated assault, three robberies without gun, one robbery with gun, one rape. Many were entry via unlocked door/no forced entry.
• Worthy of note:Neighbors reportedly threw a man out onto the street who forced entry into their home. They did not report the crime until the next morning (Because, “He didn't get anything.”) Later that night, he forced his way into another home and was arrested while attempting to rape resident.  Good thing her neighbors called police. 
• Things you can doYou and your neighbors should keep 1st floor windows and sliding patio doors locked, not just your front doors. Screens in windows and patio doors are no deterrent.  Easy entry via screen door on 2nd floor decks is often possible. 2.  Call 911 with any criminal complaint, report of suspicious behavior, or victimization. This is especially important to do if you are harassed by someone, hear screams, or see someone turning front door knobs and/or looking into cars.  If every neighbor did this we would live in a safer neighborhood! If you moderate your complaint and tone, operator will give your call a lower priority code. ("He's probably just homeless." “He doesn’t look like a thief.”  "I live near a bar and heard screaming before.")3. Our Community Relations Officer Julie Carpenter, 215-286-3063 can arrange a "Roll Call Complaint." She can get special police attention for a crime-prone area.

4. Police criticized the DA's office for releasing man arrested multiple times in N.L. without charges for break-ins. Specifics not given. In the past, the NLNA has mobilized neighbors to petition the DA’s office to press charges.5. When an assailant is known and the police have been called but no arrest made, the DA's office has a Private Criminal Complaints unit to get justice for victims of misdemeanor assault, vandalism, bad checks, etc. For information, call the DA’s office.6. Neighbors should call or email the NLNA office regarding crimes and police reports.  This can help focus at the next pdac meeting.

• – About 20 residents who live in the 6th district attended.  The Society Hill Civic Association representative gave the police a $1500 check for two new bicycles. Next meeting will be listed on NLNA website.

 Quality of Life Committee Report: Janet Finegar.Janet reminded the Board that the committee could use another representative from the Board, especially to help with the Christmas tree chipping program. Melanie offered to help. Zoning Committee Report: Joe Mikuliak; written report attached and reviewed.Motion: By Steve Richman, seconded by Melanie Coffman. “To ratify the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 422 Poplar Street, i.e.: 'We support this project as presented.'”  Passed 11-0-0Motion: By Barbara Saverino, seconded by Monika Kriedie. “To ratify the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 149-51 Fairmount Avenue, i.e.: 'We support this project as presented.'”  Passed 11-0-0 Old Business• The Board roundly celebrated the success of the event to open the Community Center yard and applauded Steve Richman (and Ira Upin) for their significant efforts to make that project happen. Steve suggested again that the story of creating the community center would be a good story for Inga Saffron or another architecture reporter to cover and there was some discussion of how to seek such press.• Kristen reminded the Board that there had been previous discussion of holding “Wednesday nights in the yard” events, including bringing out food trucks. It was agreed that it seemed like a great idea and that Kristen will pursue it.–New Business• Joe raised a few questions from his attendance at the recent Police Department Advisory Council. One was why we do not get written crime reports from the 6^thDistrict as we do from the 26^th; there was some discussion and encouragement that Joe raise the issue at the next PDAC meeting he attends.• Melanie reported that she and Kristen are putting together a “Halloween decoration” contest for the neighborhood with a small cash prize for the winner(s). The meeting was adjourned by acclaim at 8:22 p.m.Addenda:ZONING COMMITTEE MINUTES – Monday 9/24/18Members present: Kenny Grono (Acting Chair), Jared Forman, Christine Furman, Melissa Magness, Joe Mikuliak, Sharon Richman, Jonathan Sher, Ira Upin     Members absent:  Larry Freedman (chair), Charlie Abdo, Chris Isaacson, Abbey Spector422 Poplar Street – RSA5 – Rodney Perry: Proposal for the relocation of lot lines and the erection of a single-family dwelling. (refusal for parking, lot size)  A longtime resident, who wants to stay in the neighborhood, would like to erect a house with a front loaded garage on an empty lot.  The current situation takes 3 parking spots off the street. Discussion: Six neighbors, who live close to this property, came to the meeting specifically to adamantly support this project. Motion (Melissa) – 2nd (Sharon):  Vote 5-2-0    We support this project as presented. 149-51 Fairmount Avenue – RSA5 – Louis Acevedo: A proposal to legalize a five unit building. The owner always listed this address as a business property – a multi-family home. Pictures were presented that showed separate water heaters, separate meters, fires alarms and smoke detectors.  L&I contacted the owner about tearing down 149 Fairmount. He did. In November 2017 initiated contact about adding a fire escape to the multi-family unit.  He did. In 2018 L&I then queried the use of this property as a multi-family home and told them there is a zoning violation.Motion (Melissa) – 2nd (Jared):  Vote 7-0-0   We support this project as presented. —