BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES – Meeting of March 14, 2022

PRESENT: Claire Adler, President; Steve Richman, Vice-President; Jacek Ghosh, Treasurer; Janet Finegar, Secretary; Alex Boland; Caitlin Marrazzo; Joe Mikuliak; Matt Ochs; Don Phillips; Matt Ruben; Barbara Saverino; Kevin Wilkins.
ABSENT: Shakirra Clark, Jeff Hornstein.
ALSO PRESENT: Rachel Wilkins, NLNA Reservation Manager. 

The meeting was called to order by the President at 6:34 p.m.

Motion: By Matt Ochs, seconded by Don Phillips “To approve the minutes of the February Board meeting as presented.” Passed 7-0-1

President’s Report: Claire Adler. Written report attached and reviewed.

• After discussion, the group agreed that the Board will meet in person in April. In general, NLNA will continue to follow official guidance for masking regulations for renters and meetings, and continue to ask people to mask when the office staff are there. Board members should let Claire know if they wish the group to be fully masked for the meeting. 

• There was a discussion about whether the NLNA should move forward with the proposed legal consultation about the NLAC. Some concern was expressed that the consultation should clearly answer the questions we have, but there was general agreement that we should move forward and do official approval through a Board poll.

Motion: By Matt Ruben, seconded by Steve Richman. “To authorize Claire to write a letter of support from the NLNA for the 2022 2nd Street festival.  Passed 11-0-0

NLNA President’s Report, March 14, 2022

1. PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY

• Parking Pilot Update: Most of the signage went up late January/early February. There are a small number of blocks that were originally part of the plan that may not receive signage 
• I-95: A stakeholder meeting was held in February with designs for the section of 2nd Street between Callowhill and Spring Garden, which includes a small park space and crossing upgrades. Stakeholders are also interested in pursuing complete raising of I-95 over Poplar to allow passage underneath. More discussion at the General Meeting 3/15.
• Rec Center Playground Update: We have not been able to get Clarke’s office to commit to a meeting date yet. Discussion of next steps at our meeting.
• COVID Precautions: NLNA covid precautions for discussion at our meeting.

2. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

• NLAC: We have a proposal from a lawyer to provide advice the NLAC/NLNA structure, which needs an update. Discussion at our meeting.
• Strategic Planning: Progress continues the short/medium term plan for Liberty Lands leadership transition, as in the Liberty Lands report. A small group has started long-term strategic planning for a potential executive director. Currently in the phase of scoping, drafting a job description, and setting up a timeline.

3. EVENTS AND OUTREACH

• March General Meeting: Tuesday, March 14 virtual meeting on I-95 and Spring Garden Street.
• Second Street Festival: The event organizers have asked for our support for a grant application.

4. OTHER ITEMS

• Board Polls – Ratification of any online board polls since last month’s board meeting.

Treasurer's Report: Jacek Ghosh. Written report distributed and reviewed.

Motion: BySteve Richman, seconded by Don Phillips.“To accept the Treasurer's report as presented.” Passed 9-0-0

Liberty Lands Committee Report: Janet Finegar. Written report attached and reviewed.

Janet assured the Board that for the next few months at least she will continue to serve as the committee representative to the Board for Liberty Lands. It was generally agreed that Bruce Hill, the new committee chair, should be encouraged to attend Board meetings if possible. There was some conversation about budgeting and approving expenses for Liberty Lands: Janet clarified that most expenses are budgeted and don't require special approval and that both the committee chair and contractor supervisor are expected to participate in the budgeting process. 

Liberty Lands Report – March 2022

The transition has begun! Moving forward, the park will be managed by a group of volunteers who will each take on specific areas of responsibility (designated below). For the near future, monthly steering committee meetings will continue to occur on the second Tuesday of the month and be open to new volunteers. Liz and Janet plan to remain active volunteers advising the committee and encourage any and all of those who’ve been involved in the park to make themselves available to the new committee as mentors and supporters. 

This structure was devised through a two-year series of meetings held by a committee of 15 park stakeholders and led by Joan Reilly, a professional moderator. At the end of the process, the committee resolved that the NLNA should pursue hiring an executive director who would have primary responsibility for overseeing volunteer efforts to manage the park. A smaller group of NLNA Board members from the committee will lead that effort, while a different sub-group took core responsibility for establishing the volunteer committee through the anticipated two year transition period before that director is in place. 

The new structure divides the many duties of running the park into several categories, with individuals taking on leadership of those categories — ideally with many volunteers assisting in the efforts. The basic structure is on the next page with the new volunteers. There's still plenty of space for more volunteers! 

Everyone should note that – as has always been true – there are some aspects of running the park that we think of as being everyone's responsibility. These include building community, ensuring values, recruiting new volunteers, preserving knowledge of how the park runs, modeling and education for other parks, and rule creation and enforcement.

Other park news:

• The All Parks Workday on March 12 was postponed to the 19th because of terrible weather. Anyone interested in helping get the parks (Liberty Lands, Orianna Hill, and Orkney Park) is very welcome: volunteers from the community and Volunteering Untapped will be working in each of the parks from 10-1 on the 19th. 
• The annual Community Gardens meeting was held on March 1 — gardeners who were not able to attend should review the emails from Mary Claire carefully to be sure they’re up to date on the garden rules and requirements for the season. 
• The March Steering Committee meeting was well attended, with a particular interest raised in working on the American Street sidewalk/parking area. Bill Russell, Eric Zimmerman, and Justin Reynolds will meet to discuss moving forward with that project. 
• Party reservations for the year have begun! Please direct anyone interested in holding a party at the park to the Liberty Lands page at www.nlna.org and have them send questions to Rachel at libertylandsbooking@gmail.com. 
• The Community Compost program is started for the year. Drop offs are 11-12 on Saturday mornings ONLY. 
• There are still a few jobs left vacant that we'd love volunteers for. Basic maintenance is the big one: we need a coordinator who can make sure all the smaller jobs are being done. We also could use someone with some technical experience to oversee the cisterns, people to look after the brush pile (the Compost Pile from Hell) and general trash pickup/sweeping/etc., and “owners” for a bunch of the public gardens. Please reach out if you're interested! 
• This report is emailed monthly to a list of park friends. If you’re getting the messages but would like to be removed from the list — or if you know someone who’d like to be included — please let Janet know at janetfinegar@gmail.com 

2022 New Committee Roles:

• Committee Chair (runs meetings, reports to NLNA, oversees this structure)   Bruce Hill 
• Secretary Marie Nicolo will take notes at meetings
• Communications (manages park messaging and social media)    Hannah Pitstik
• Contractor Supervision (oversees the various jobs we pay for)   Gary Rosard
• Public Use/Events Coordinator (coordinates all scheduled uses of the park)   Michaela Gomez 
  • (Events and programs include Children's Fest, Music Fest, Flea Market, Parade of Spirits, Treecycling, Farmer's Market, and Community Compost)

• Party Reservations    NLNA office – – Rachel Kimmich 
• Community Garden Coordinator (oversight of the community garden and gardeners)    Mary Claire Sullivan
• City Harvest (coordination of this program)      Rachel Kimmich (as volunteer)
• Spotter: daily watching for and reporting problems    Jackson Warren and Bill Russell
• Weeder's Club coordinator – schedule and oversee regular meetings   Marie Nicolo 
• Potty Coordinator – maintain subscribers for the potty   NLNA office  –Rachel Kimmich 
• Playground Coordinator – overseeing maintenance and improvements   Brendan Geisler
• Park Tree Overseer –  maintain trees throughout park       Justin Reynolds and Rachel Mitchell                 
• Sheds and Park furniture Manager– maintenance of shedss, benches, trash corrals, signage    Ken Grono
•  Public Gardens Coordinator –  keep track of garden managers, orient new ones    Maria DiGeorge                     
  • Current public gardens: 
    • 3rd Street Garden: Janet
    • Paulownia trees Garden: Kirsten
    • CC western edge plantings: Liz
    • Native plants garden: Liz
    • Urn planter: Liz
    • Fire planter: Janet
    • Pet Semetary: Rachel
    • Birch Berry Garden: Liz
    • Triangle Garden: Katie
    • Rain Garden: Liz
    • Edible forest: Hannah
    • Pergola plantings: 
    • Along American St strip:
    • Solomon/Spider garden:
    • Lilac garden:
    • CC gate garden:
    • Children's garden:

• Workday Manager – organize and oversee public workdays    Sydney Henderson, Jeff Stomo
• Managers of any special or capital projects will be specific to the project itself
  • Developing, planning, and proposing new project
  • Presenting to the park group and (as appropriate) the community, NLNA board, funders, etc.
  • Locating and securing funding in coordination with the park group and NLNA
  • Managing any grants as necessary
  • Securing and overseeing contractors and volunteers as appropriate 
• ROLES STILL NOT FILLED: 
  • Maintenance coordinator –   one person organizing many volunteers 
    • attend monthly LL meetings
    • Oversees various maintenance groups and gathers reports from them 
    • Coordinates with office for contractor management
    • Liaison to event and capital project organizers and workday manager
    • Coordinates for any major repairs that requires fundraising and/or contractor management 
  • Basic maintenance – ideally a small group
    • significant responsibility
    • year round with less activity in winter
    • works with weeder’s club organizer
    • overseeing regular litter clean up
    • leaves/sweeping of sidewalks 
  • Compost Pile from Hell Manager –    one person overseeing volunteers as necessary 
    • minor responsibility
    • establish use rules
    • create and maintain signage
    • arrange for removal/cleanup as necessary
  • Cisterns manager —  one person 
    • minor responsibility once pump is working again
    • keep pump in working order
    • coordinates emptying when appropriate 

Operations Committee Report: Barbara Saverino. Written report attached and reviewed.

There was some conversation about the question of 24/7 coverage for the rental units. Barbara will continue to pursue this initiative. Jacek and Barbara also provided an update about the lease/turnover at the mailbox store and 2^nd floor apartment. There was a question of when the office would formally re-open for regular hours: Barbara said she would put the issue on the next committee meeting agenda.

Operations Committee Report

• Please see below for the February Operations Committee report.  Since we met, there has been some additional conversation regarding the outreach to get bids on 24/7 coverage and maintenance.  There has also been movement on the succession planning for Liberty Lands.  Moving forward Rachel will be handling reservations for center and liberty lands and also park potty payments (this is new).  
• Community members are interested in updates on 3rd Street playground and this will likely increase with warmer weather. Flagging for Monday night.
• As we continue to monitor COVID, please wear a mask when visiting the office and center. 
• Rachel's rental update is also included. 

NLNA Operations Committee Meeting   February 16    Attendees:  Jacek, Jeff, Lara, Monika, Rachel and Barbara 

• Barbara shared an update from the NLNA's February board meeting. Topics included redesign of the website, Liberty Lands succession plan and plant sale. Quite a bit of discussion regarding the website (capabilities/scope, timeline, transition and also flagged the problems with the current email system).  Liberty Lands succession plan brought up some questions (it is a work in progress/more to come).  Barbara shared that Rachel has spoken with Janet to learn what the reservations process is for the park so she can assist this season. More to come.  Save the date:  Plant sale returns April 30 at the NLNA Center/yard!!!
  • Action:  Jacek will share scope of work with Barbara.  Barbara reviewed and followed up with Jacek and Claire and flagged email as well.
• Office Update
  • Rachel continues to work with the Painted Bride on the upcoming rental.  
• Rental Update 
  • Mailbox Store:  lot of discussion regarding lease terms.  Action:  Jacek following up with Heather (interested party) and setting up a meeting.  Will include a portion of (if not all):  Claire, Jacek, Steve and Barbara.
  • Apartment. Action: Barbara will do outreach to Chris regarding timeline/begin process.  Also need to factor in painting, cleaning etc.
• Old Business
  • Water heater. Action: Lara to follow up with Terry.
  • Snow Removal:  Costly.  Flagging for additional research/options.
  • Playground on 3rd Street (next door): Does not seem to have any movement - trash cans not emptied/hazzard, weeds breaking concrete and the mural/wall still in danger.  
    • Action:  Barbara will follow up with Claire. 
• New Business 
  • Mulch - need to coordinate with Liberty Lands order this year again BUT can't take amount like last year AND need coordinated, volunteers to assist with spreading

Next meeting is Wednesday, March 16 at 7 PM.

Public Safety Committee Report: Matt Ochs.

Matt distributed the minutes from the 26th District PDAC meeting to the Board. Joe reported for the 6th District that crime in the neighborhood is low, and that the officers questioned if crimes from the neighborhood are not being reported. 

Zoning Committee Report: Joe Mikuliak. Written report attached and reviewed.

Motion: By Janet Finegar, seconded by Jacek Ghosh. “To ratify the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 1031 Germantown Ave, i.e.: 'Thank you for your presentation. We appreciate the efforts to provide below grade parking,and the project overall is attractive. We understand the lack of CMX-2 type commercial, but do not support the additional height. Please return with a plan that reduces the height, inclusive of the highest point of parapet or railing, to 42’ along Allen and Pollard, and 45’ along Germantown. Please create a more welcoming entry point to the public space and delineate public and private space. Additionally, redesign the corner of Allen and Germantown to include commercial to enliven this visible corner.'” Passed 9-0-0

Motion: By Barbara Saverino, seconded by Caitlin Mazzarro. “To reappoint all current members to the zoning committee: Larry Freedman,  Kenny Grono, Charlie Abdo, Christine Furman, Philip Hensley, Kristine Kennedy, Joe Mikuliak, Matthew Ochs, Sharon Richman, Jonathan Sher, William Smarzewski, Scott Sperry, and Ira Upin. Passed 8-0-1

Zoning Committee Minutes  Monday 3/7/22

Members present: Larry Freedman, chair, Kenny Grono, Joe Mikuliak, Matthew Ochs, Ira Upin, Scott Sperry, Sharon Richman, Christine Furman, Philip Hensley, William Smarzewski, Kristine Kennedy   
Members absent: Jonathan Sher, Charlie Abdo

1031 Germantown Ave. - CMX2 - Ori Feibush (attorney Sean Whalen, architect Jose Hernandez)– A proposal for 20 single family dwellings with 2 car parking per home with proposed height of 45’ (SFD not allowed in CMX2, parking access not allowed and height limit of 38’ exceeded) Notes: Parking refusals will go away with PUD and changes to the plan before resubmittal, that leaves commercial and height refusals. Two phases, additional 16 rowhomes in phase 2. Will need to come back. Parking below grade. Public walkway above. Generally, neighbors showed interest in commercial. Near neighbors did not. 1140 rule would yield 20 homes. CMX would allow around 75 – 100 units. 45’ is to the upper deck height, plus a parapet to 48.5’. Neighbors, including near, were mixed on support of additional height. 3700 sf houses including garages. Corner of Germantown and Allen is mostly wall.

Motion: Kenny 2nd: Joe 9-1-0    Thank you for your presentation. We appreciate the efforts to provide below grade parking, and the project overall is attractive. We understand the lack of CMX-2 type commercial, but do not support the additional height. Please return with a plan that reduces the height, inclusive of the highest point of parapet or railing, to 42’ along Allen and Pollard, and 45’ along Germantown. Please create a more welcoming entry point to the public space and delineate public and private space. Additionally, redesign the corner of Allen and Germantown to include commercial to enliven this visible corner.

Motion: Joe: 2nd:

We ask the board to reappoint all current members to the zoning committee: Larry Freedman,  Kenny Grono,  Joe Mikuliak, Matthew Ochs, Ira Upin, Scott Sperry, Sharon Richman, Christine Furman, Philip Hensley, William Smarzewski, Kristine Kennedy, Jonathan Sher, and Charlie Abdo.

Old Business

• There was some discussion of the April 2 Philly spring clean up and the complexity of the city platform. Claire will notify the community that block cleanups can be advertised locally even if they are not registered with the city. 

• There is no update on the website overhaul.

• Joe reported that he, Jacek, and Steve met to discuss the insurance policies and that he continues to read through the Board's insurance policies. Steve reported that he has reached out to all three related insurance companies with the group's questions.

New Business

Don reported that June 18 will be the Liberty Lands music festival and encouraged Board members to volunteer for that and also for the 2^nd Street Festival. 

The meeting was adjourned by acclaim at 8:21 p.m.