PRESENT: Matt Ruben, President; Barbara Mulckhuyse, Vice-President; Steve Richman, Treasurer; Janet Finegar, Secretary; Michael Coyne; Donald Hoegg; Monika Kreidie; Jeremy Lindemann; Ben Mann; Joe Mikuliak; Don Phillips; Barbara Saverino; Ira Upin.ABSENT:       Chris Somers; Anne Waginger.The meeting was called to order by the President at 7:05 p.m.Motion: By Don Hoegg, seconded by Barb Mulckhuyse:“To approve the minutes of the December Board meeting as presented.”  Passed 10-0-1President’s Report: Matt Ruben.

• BID is proceeding apace: hearing at City Council should be scheduled for next month, and then the 45-day comment period.
• The erroneous tax bill for Liberty Lands was removed. Matt is still in conversation with the BRT regarding the tax increase on the community center.
• Because of elections for the NLNA Board and the city-wide primaries, it is important to have three general meetings in the spring. It was agreed that we should schedule those meetings and select topics for them later.

 Treasurer's Report: Steve Richman: written report distributed and reviewed.Steve noted that the annual appeal this year was behind the levels budgeted, and that the number of donations is a very small percentage of the population of the neighborhood. There was conversation both about what needs to be done to reach out to neighbors who traditionally donate and have not yet and what needs to be done to reach a greater number of neighbors with our message. As a step to deal with the first problem, Barbara will reach out to Anne to get the list of who's donated so far this year. Joe suggested that we should hire someone to do the job of setting up a database; Operations Committee should take a look at the software package suggested by the Fox students to see if it would be useful for this purpose. Steve noted that funds to develop such a database are included in the current year's budget.Steve presented a status report for the progress of the capital grant for repairs and improvement to the Community Center. He thoroughly reviewed the expenses so far and known expenses to complete the project.TREASURER’S REPORT – JANUARY 2018

1. 2017-18 Budget: December Financials - tables attached

• For the three months ended on December 31st   All Funds Income was $35,600; this was nearly $7,900 less than projected. All Funds Expenses totaled about $51,300, which was about $79,000 less than anticipated. The reason for the lower expenses was because the budget projected that most of the costs of the yard project would be paid by this point. Schedule delays have slowed those expenditures, which are being paid from prior year PTSSD grant funds.
• Although expenses were far lower than expected, Current Year Net Income was still negative – at -$15,700 – although this imbalance was $71,100 smaller than projected. These amounts include about $19,500 in grant expenses outside the General Fund and Liberty Lands.  
• Excluding grant fund activity yields a more accurate representation of our financial position. Thus, if we limit the calculation to income and expenses from the General Fund and Liberty Lands accounts, our financial position after the first three months of the fiscal year is as follows:
  • GF & LL Income (rounded): $35,500 -- $7,900 less than anticipated.
  • GF & LL Expenses (rounded): $31,900 -- $9,800 less than anticipated.
  • GF & LL Net Income: $3,600 -- $1,900 more than anticipated.
• Significant variations from budgeted projections through December include:
  • Lower than anticipated income from donations (- $7,800). The most significant contributing factor was the Annual Appeal, which was more than $5,400 behind projections. Corporate donations also fell short of expectations – by $1,650 – as did individual donations – by nearly $1,300. These shortfalls were slightly offset by the Fall Fest, which raised $500 more than anticipated.
  • Lower than expected rental income (-$1,900). This was largely attributable to a shortfall in community center rentals.
  • Lower than anticipated expenses for equipment and furnishings (-$1,600). Expenses for our new alarm system came in below the amount we set aside.
  • Lower than anticipated spending for repair and maintenance (-$1,950) and for program services (-$7,200). This difference is almost entirely due to slow billing (mostly Op Santa, POS & Fall Fest) and seasonality.
  • While lower spending in the above and several other categories totaled about $11,700, spending for other items such as signage, inspections, lighting and alarm monitoring offset this total.

1. Other Items

• Capital Grant from PTSSD – Work continued on the construction of the pavilion and started on both landscaping and installation of the concrete benches. Electrical work was completed and an irrigation system was installed. In total, nearly $18,000 has been spent on yard work since October 1, 2017, more than $60,000 in total. Additional disbursements, exceeding $45,000, are anticipated to be made in January.
• Other Grants from PTSSD – As anticipated, grants totaling $5,700 for the Fall Fest, Operation Santa and Parade of Spirits have been received from the Penn Treaty Special Services District. In addition, a grant for $2,100 for Christmas tree chipping was also received.
• Property Taxes – As previously reported, property tax bills totaling more than $30,000 for Liberty Lands and approximately $6,500 for the community center were received in December. The amount of the bill for the community center was based on a reassessment and was anticipated and budgeted this year. That said, the amount of the increase is significant and remains an open issue. The Liberty Lands bill was also based on a reassessment, but was deemed by us as an error by the City. This turned out to be the case and the City corrected the assessment and zeroed out the tax bill. Payment of the tax bill for the community center is scheduled for February.

Motion: By Janet Finegar, seconded by Donald Phillips. “To accept the Treasurer's report as presented.”  Passed 11-1-0Fundraising Committee Report: Michael Coyne.Winterfest is a little over a month away: tickets are being printed and will be available tomorrow. The committee is beginning the process of soliciting donations from local businesses.Michael also reported that Dolce & Cafe donated 20% of their proceeds from their Grand Opening to the NLNA: we don't know yet what the exact donation is, but it was a very well-attended event.Liberty Lands Committee Report: Janet Finegar: written report attached and reviewed.As part of the Liberty Lands report, Janet also reported that the Xmas tree chipping on the 15th is proceeding well despite the cancellation of the 6th chipping date.Liberty Lands Board Report -- January 2018

• The major issues to think about are detailed below: developing a policy on people sleeping at the park, what to do about the garden fence project, and any final thoughts on tree pruning on the 15th.
• First, a few December updates.
  • The Parade of Spirits was snowy but overall went well. Janet needs to make sure that people don't leave parts of their costumes behind at the end of the Parade ('cause they are STILL in the trash bins). The NLArts tree decorations are still up: we will take them down in the spring, but for now they are pretty.
  • A few people suggested that now that the Xmas tree lot is gone from 2nd Street, we should consider having the park be a location for tree sales. This is an issue for discussion in 2018 to see if we want to pursue it before contacting any sellers: it could be a source of income for the park and a positive for the neighborhood, but it would take up a lot of space that then couldn't be used for anything else. Worth discussing.
  • The December LL meeting was cancelled, as it usually is.
  • We need to do wood chips in the paths of the community garden: just reminding ourselves.
  • Trash pickup has been very spotty. We might need to do something about finding a replacement for Chico.
• We will need to develop a “plan B” for the garden fence project, since we still haven't gotten any applications for artistic panels. My suggestion is to modify the project to focus on the sidewalk, which HAS gotten a lot of enthusiasm, and just put in a standard fence. Up for conversation and other ideas.
• The bitter cold made us cancel the first round of chipping trees at the park, so they will all be chipped on the 15th along with tree pruning. Janet will meet with Hal this week to discuss which trees need work: at this point, it looks like we'll probably focus on the north-end trees and the community garden fruit trees, with another attempt to prune the big elm on American Street. Other suggestions welcome.
• And finally: The homeless guy in the cold snap discussion on Facebook is a reminder that there's very little understanding or agreement of the park's “policy” on people sleeping there. We don't really HAVE a firm policy – so I'm going to try to outline one now based on previous conversations, but as a draft. Please! Comment, question, edit so that we can work out what a real policy is.
  • Here goes: at core, the park's rules apply to everyone, regardless of their financial status or where they live. Certain behaviors are intolerable from anyone: threatening others, leaving needles or other dangerous items where they could hurt someone, leaving things at the park without permission, wasting water or electricity, using the park as a bathroom without cleaning up, using the park's resources in such a way that others can't use them, etc. The rule that “the park is closed at night” applies to people sleeping there, too, which means that Liberty Lands' rule is that people may not sleep there at night (except with specific prior permission, as we say with all the rules).
  • That said, it is very possible for people who don't have a permanent residence to use the park without doing anything intolerable, and we know that they do. In general, if a person is sleeping at the park without causing a disturbance or making a mess, the park turns a blind eye (as we do with other nighttime users who don't otherwise cause a problem). If a person is using the park during the day without making a mess or monopolizing park resources, even if they are visibly poor, they are simply a park user.
  • When possible, we try to be considerate of the humanity of anyone who has been sleeping at the park, which includes talking to them directly about what's tolerable and not, and respecting those who stay within the bounds of the tolerable. As with pretty much every park rule, though, real enforcement can only come from the police: they are the only ones who can make someone leave the park.
  • In practice, this means that we don't stop people from sleeping there for a while, but don't allow anyone to make it a home. In general, we encourage neighbors who are worried about someone to call Project Home so the experienced outreach workers can offer assistance. We don't encourage neighbors to offer assistance that makes sleeping at the park more attractive (say, donating blankets).
  • Comments? Thoughts?

 Operations Committee Report: Monika Kreidie: written report attached and reviewed.There was some conversation about the proposed new fee structure for rentals of the community center. Opinions were expressed that costs should be lower to have it be more accessible to more members of the community, but also that many of the people who have been renting the space may be from outside our community. It was generally agreed that the committee should proceed with the proposed structure but carefully monitor what effect it may have on bookings.It was also raised that there needs to be a single person in charge of overseeing rentals and handling opening and closing the community center, as well as someone who is officially hired as the person in charge of building maintenance (since right now it is often Ira or Monika on a volunteer basis). The Operations committee plans to have Lara manage rentals and oversee property management, ensuring that our paid maintenance person is the one contacted in the case of problems.Operations Committee Report (1/7/2018)

• Don H., Barb M., Anne W. and Monika K. met on December 18th to discuss the responsibilities of the NLNA Office Manager (Lara’s current position) and the NLArts Director (Natasha’s current position). This included added responsibilities for the NLNA Office Manager due to the increase of 30 hours per week.
• We left the meeting giving Barb the task to talk to Lara about new office hours and tasks.  Also discussed was the new rental fee schedule below and contacting Jeremy about updating the rental agreement and requirements.

[table id=2 /]No rentals beyond 9pmCancellation policy is 48 before the event or no refund.Zoning Committee Report: Joe Mikuliak; written report attached and reviewed.Motion: By Barb Mulkhuyse, seconded by Don Hoegg. “To ratify the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 614 N. Front St., i.e.: 'Thank you for your presentation. The first floor of the 600 block of Front St. is active with commercial uses. It is a cobblestone street and its low-rise, 1^st floor commercial uses with apartments above match it very well. We do not want a driveway off Front St. We cannot support the project as presented. Please return with a building with commercial on Front St., in and out parking on Hope St, and a maximum height of 38’ on Hope St. Halfway toward Front St, the building height can increase to 48’.'”  Passed: 12-0-0Zoning Committee Meeting – Tuesday 12/20/17Members Present: Larry Freedman (chair), Kenny Grono, Joe Mikuliak, Abbey Spector, Melissa Magness, Christine FurmanMembers Absent: Michael Simon, Chris Issacson, Sharon Richman, Ira Upin, Charlie Abdo,614 N. Front St. – CMX2 – Herc Grigos – A proposal for 29 residential units and 13 parking spaces.Return visit. Previously: CMX2 – Zhen Jin – A proposal for a residential building with 27 units, 61’ high, with 17 parking spots. Previous Motion (group): 6-0 Thank you for your presentation. We cannot support this project. There is no hardship not to build by right at this location. 500-800 sq. ft units, with a 10’ setback to the south, and balconies that increase the setback at the windows to 15’ total. Project is stepped down to 52’ at Hope St (20’ setback to height increase). Total project height is 62’ (?) plus roof deck with pilot houses. Parking for 13 cars to be accessed drive through from Hope to Front or vice versa.Motion: Joe. 2nd: KennyThank you for your presentation. The first floor of the 600 block of Front St. is active with commercial uses. It is a cobblestone street and its low-rise, 1st floor commercial uses with apartments above match it very well. We do not want a driveway off Front St. We cannot support the project as presented. Please return with a building with commercial on Front, in and out parking on Hope St, and a max height of 38’ on Hope St. Halfway toward Front St, the building height can increase to 48’. New BusinessThere was a brief conversation about making sure that the curtains of the community center are left open when possible.Don announced that the spring Music Festival will be June 2, 2018.The meeting was adjourned by acclaim at 8:43 p.m.Addenda:2017 Operation Santa(board report: basically PTSSD sponsorship report)

• The 2017 Operation Santa program was tremendously successful, despite a few minor hiccups. With the support of the Penn Treaty SSD and many neighbors, we served 34 households with a total of 131 children and 7 senior citizens/disabled adults. The situations and stories of the households varied wildly but were similar in their gratitude for the help in making the season a little brighter.
• PTSSD's grant allowed us to broaden the scope of the households served this year, so that in addition to the Northern Liberties neighborhood we had families from the Fishtown and Kensington South neighborhoods as well. 11 new households were added this year. References for these new families were drawn from teachers at the Ludlow School in Kensington South, from local political representatives' offices, and from recommendations by neighbors and friends (which was traditionally this very local program's main source of referrals).
• Facebook proved to be a major resource for the program this year – several references for families came in after mentions of the program on Facebook and more than half the volunteers heard about the program through the Northern Liberties Facebook page. Facebook also made the connection for one of our favorite stories of this years' program: one child from an extremely needy family specifically mentioned a desire for a pogo stick. We publicized the desire and indeed, one of our longtime neighbors had an unused child's pogo stick to give us!
• The increased area of service complicated the delivery process, but several neighbors stepped up to help with deliveries. One household this year celebrates Hanukah instead of Christmas, but it was possible to coordinate a special delivery of gifts for the children on the earlier date of the first night of Hanukah. [We gave the family their food on the regular delivery date, since it is all purchased in bulk. We did forget that this orthodox Jewish family would not be home or answering their phone on the delivery Saturday, but fortunately remembered in time to arrange for a Sunday pickup.]
• For many years, Operation Santa has been given toys from collection at the Waterfront Square development and from collection by Solo Realty from their employees. In the last two years, we have also benefitted from the Toys for Tots collection done by our local Recreation Center – their collection primarily benefits Feast of Justice, but they have passed items on to us when convenient to cover the children on the Operation Santa list and we have contributed to them when we have toys that are extra to our needs. This was particularly useful in 2017, when for unknown reasons we had almost no donations for the youngest children on our list: toys from the Northern Liberties Rec Center filled those needs. Despite generous donations from these usual sources, our larger number of children this year meant that there were not “leftover” toys as there have been in past years. [We generally donated these leftovers to year-round service organizations in our neighborhood.] Taking note of this, we have used some of the 2017 granted funds to purchase some standard toy items on clearance sales after Christmas in anticipation of 2018 needs.
• For the last several years we have made a point of giving every child at least one age-appropriate book in addition to a “toy” gift. Like the nutritious food we give in addition to cookies and pies, the books are a gift that helps sustain as well as please our kids. The majority of our books come through the First Book foundation, which offers remaindered books at roughly 20 cents apiece for charitable purposes. By patronizing the warehouse sales of Scholastic Publishing Co., we have been able to find additional books at deep discount and this year were able to give the adults of each household a cookbook for healthy, family-friendly recipes, plus books for entertainment reading for the seniors and disabled adults in our program. Partnership with Northern Liberties' yearly plant sale allowed us to also give each household a decorative houseplant at almost no cost.
• Despite the larger number of households served this year, the final costs for food were similar to the 2016 cost because of a greater discount/donation from our local Acme. This unanticipated savings meant that we were able to provide the same generous meal to each household and still have some funds left to “buy ahead” for 2018. This post-Christmas purchasing of things needed every year (like wrapping supplies and, this year, some basic toys) is a significant savings made possible by the PTSSD grant and by the storage available at the Northern Liberties community center. Our dollars go nearly twice as far in early January as they would in late November.
• 2017 was an unusually generous year in the neighborhood, with nearly 50 neighbors helping with the Operation Santa program in the space of the final week (in addition to all the neighbors donating to the program). The majority of these people came to the “wrapping party” on December 21 and were able to wrap more than 250 items in the space of 2 hours.
• For 2018, we would like to continue to (cautiously) expand the program within the PTSSD boundaries. We need to be careful in expansion because of the complications of deliveries and because we do not want to make promises beyond what our donation resources can cover. (We did not meet our goal of reaching 38 households in 2017, for instance, because at 34 households we had already increased our total number of children by 50!) However, it is unquestionable that there is more need within the three other neighborhoods than within Northern Liberties, and we would like to be able to continue to help our slightly more distant neighbors as well as those within our own community.

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