BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES – Meeting of September 8, 2014

PRESENT:  Matt Ruben, President; Don Phillips, Vice-President; Steve Richman, Treasurer; Janet Finegar, Secretary; Michael Coyne; Larry Freedman; Sasi Judd; Monika Kreidie; Anne Waginger; Logan Welde.ABSENT:  Jennifer Baker, Dolores Lyons, Katrina Mansfield, Sharon Richman, Chris Somers.ALSO PRESENT:  David from Nextdoor.com, Harvey BellThe meeting was called to order by the President at 7:08 p.m.Motion: By Anne Waginger, seconded by Don Phillips:“To approve the minutes of the August Board meeting.” Passed 7-0-2David gave a brief presentation about Nextdoor.com, an internet social media startup for communities. He is currently going door to door in the neighborhood to encourage participation and presented to the board to make us aware of his company and ask us as individuals to join and encourage our neighbors to join. The company is currently free but doesn't allow organizations to join as organizations right now.Harvey Bell spoke to the board about the recent solicitation to local businesses for donations for Clean Streets sweeping. He feels that the NLNA should be advocating with the city to get street cleaning reinstated as a city service rather than seeking money to do the cleaning privately. Harvey also mentioned that the Block Captain program is a resource to help with street cleaning and that we should approach the restaurants whose circulars are a major cause of street litter. Logan and Matt addressed the concerns with some information about programs that both the NLNA and the city have underway to help with street cleaning. It was generally agreed that, while most of the board agrees that the city should be responsible for street cleaning, they also do not believe that the city will take on that responsibility any time in the future.President’s Report: Matt Ruben: written report attached and reviewed.It was generally agreed that it would be best to cancel the scheduled September general meeting (which falls on Rosh Hashana) and have the next general meeting be the regularly scheduled October 23^rd meeting.Motion: By Janet Finegar, seconded by Anne Waginger. “To ratify the board poll taken in August.” Passed 9-0-0New Business:Monika Kreidie suggested that the NLNA explore new methods of revenue enhancement, specifically the idea of creating a membership “fee” or dues. She proposed that a committee be formed to explore the idea and present its findings to the Board; it was agreed that the next membership committee meeting should investigate the idea.Logan Welde reported to the board that he has been hoping to get a large amount of the official “Circular-Free” stickers for distribution in the neighborhood. (The stickers are free in batches of 20 or so, but there would be a cost just under 50 cents a sticker for 1,000.) Logan suggests buying 1,000 and selling them for a small amount to neighbors as a small means of revenue enhancement and large means of reducing litter in the area.Motion: By Anne Waginger, seconded by Michael Coyne. “To allocate up to $250 to purchase 500 'Circular-Free' stickers.” Passed 9-0-0Steve Richman reported that we have obtained 50 new recycling bins with lids through the spring PTSSD grant and are distributing them for a small contribution to the NLNA. They have been enthusiastically received. Sasi noted that her recycling bin has a lid and she has found that the recycling crews don't collect from her bin when the lid is on. She was encouraged to tell Lara about the problem so that she can address it with the city recycling program.Treasurer's Report: Steve Richman: written report attached and reviewed.Steve distributed the Finance and Administration Committee's written budget recommendation for 2014-15 so that Board members can review it carefully before discussion and ratification at the October meeting. He reviewed the various funds detailed in the budget and the layout of the budget tables. He noted that this budget has a new category called “Grants Fund” that is a specific area for NLNA activities that are tied to specific, dedicated grant monies. He further noted that the overall budgeted income for the NLNA is not growing from year to year although overall expenses are growing from year to year and that this is a serious situation that needs to be considered. He noted that the budget for Project Clean Streets relies on raising about $5,000 this year but that it seems solid to continue for the next two years.Motion: By Michael Coyne, seconded by Anne Waginger. “To approve the Treasurer's report as presented.” Passed 9-0-0Clean and Green Committee Report:Monika reported that some Board members have been pursuing donations for Project Clean Streets and that several donations have come in (notably, a $1,000 donation from Bell Floor Covering).Liberty Lands Committee Report: Janet Finegar: written report attached and reviewed.Janet added to her report that the committee plans to send an official letter to the various day cares, pre-schools, and schools that use the park informing them that the park and the NLNA have no liability for the safety of children at the park under those organizations' supervision. The committee will then inform local parents (through the Liberties Babies listserv) of that notification.Zoning Committee Report: Larry Freedman; written report attached and reviewed. Motion: By Monika Kriedie, seconded by Anne Waginger. “To approve the recommendation of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 1133 N. 4th Street, i.e.: 'We cannot support this proposal as presented. Please return with parking spots for 50% of the units, a plan for the use of the spots (cost, 24/7 use, a 10-year parking lease from the church and the inclusion of non-residential use on the entire 1st floor.'”  Passed 9-0-0Motion: By Steve Richman, seconded by Sasi Judd. “To approve the recommendation of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 942 N. Leithgow Street, i.e.: 'Please return with plans for a house with a 9’ backyard and site plans that show this house in context with adjacent houses.'”  Passed 9-0-0Motion: By Janet Finegar, seconded by Anne Waginger. “To approve the recommendation of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 310 Girard Avenue, i.e.: 'We like the mixture of commercial and residential use of this property; however, some refinement is needed to make this project more viable. Suggestions for the commercial area include: adding a basement, raising the ceilings, and altering the loading dock to provide separate commercial and residential trash areas. On the residential side, please put gates on the driveways, alter basement units to provide light and air to all living areas, provide exterior lighting (including in the parking area). Additionally, show us renderings of what the south walls will look like. Please return with adjusted plans.'”  Passed 8-0-0Motion: By Monika Kreidie, seconded by Steve Richman. “Regarding the proposed valet service, the Board is comfortable with the 2nd and Brown Street location but concerned about the Laurel Street location. We propose that the executive committee of the board sit down with Lavi Shenkan to finalize issues of liability and insurance and hear further information about the Laurel Street location.”  Passed 9-0-0The meeting was adjourned by acclaim at 9:13 p.m.Addenda:President’s Report, September 2014

1. PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND POLICY

• Businesses – No update.
• Piazza/Liberties Walk – The parking garage situation appears to be heading towards a resolution. Details in the Zoning Committee Report
• Bylaws Revision – The revision will take effect if and when a vote of the general membership approves the changes we approved in August.

2. EVENTS AND OUTREACH

• General Membership Meetings – The September General Membership meeting date falls during the Rosh Hashanah holiday. I suggest an early to mid-October date instead, and will be happy to entertain suggestions at our meeting.

3. COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICITY

• Internet – All of our online venues continue to grow and be lively. There has been a delay in getting the business donation banners carried over to the web forums from the prior owner, but it appears that issue is nearly resolved. Any update from Kat.

4. OTHER ITEMS

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

TREASURER’S REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2014

1. 2013-14 Budget: October - August Financials (tables attached)
2. End-of-Year Projections

• For the eleven months ended on August 31st all funds income was $172,622; this was $56,182 more than projected.       Expenses totaled $112,973 -- $1,139 more than anticipated. Net income was $59,649 -- $55,043 more than projected. However, these amounts include nearly $52,000 in income from grants and $16,000 in grant expenses.
• 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 the following is our financial position after the first eleven months of the fiscal year:
  • GF & LL Income: $120,800 -- $9,300 more than anticipated.
  • GF & LL Expenses: $97,200 -- $10,100 less than anticipated.
  • GF & LL Net Income: $23,600 -- $19,400 more than anticipated.
• Significantly, about $5,100 of the positive balance is due to lower than anticipated spending for property taxes ($876 spent vs. $6,000 budgeted). Based on our success in the first level review, our tax bill for 2014 will likely be around $3,400; this would be a budgeted savings of $2,600 – not $5,100.
• We have not been billed as yet this year for any litigation-related legal expenses. This translates into a $2,000 savings, which may well be temporary depending upon the amount approved by our insurance companies.
• In addition, about $9,100 of the positive balance is from fundraising above projected levels for project Clean Streets. These funds are restricted, with any remaining balance carried over to the next fiscal year.
• As a result, a more accurate representation of our current net income would place our positive balance at approximately $10,000.

• On a current year basis income in the General Fund and Liberty Lands accounts is likely to exceed expenses by a little less than $18,000. However, after adjusting for use of prior year funds, carryout for Clean Streets and a budgeted deposit into the Reserve Fund, the projected positive balance is reduced to about $2,700.
• This projection assumes our remaining fundraiser will come in on budget, rental and user fee income will continue as anticipated and no unusual expenses will be incurred in September.

1. 2014-15 Budget

• Following input from committee chairs, staff and other Board members the Finance Committee met in August to review and approve next year’s budget. That proposal will be presented to the Board at the September meeting for informational purposes only. There will be an opportunity for review and comment, after which a final recommended budget will be submitted to the Board for approval at the October meeting.

 Liberty Lands Board Report

September 2014

• As happens every year, I (Janet) have been away for most of July and August, so the rest of the Liberty Lands committee has been in charge. Sorry for the lack of board reports through those months. This super-long report covers things that happened all summer long and probably leaves out a lot that I wasn't aware of because I was up north.

June 2014

• In late June, the Penn Treaty Special Services District awarded the neighborhood a major grant that covers some trash and cleanup expenses for the neighborhood as a whole and several improvement projects at Liberty Lands. Details on those below.
• In mid-June, there was a very upsetting incident in which a toddler chased a ball from the park into American Street and was nearly hit by a car. The park committee had a long series of discussions of ways to prevent accidents without caging the playgrounds in fences (which would present a whole new set of problems and potential safety issues). Seth immediately created a new bench by the Bodine/American Street corner gate, which should encourage parents to sit closer to this egress and prevent accidents. We obtained two new playground alert signs for the roads, which are now posted on the American Street stop sign at Laurel Street and on the post directly facing Laurel Street at that intersection. Neighbors are working with the Streets Department to get the crosswalks repainted at that intersection.
• Work was already underway to add the long-planned-for gate to the narrow tip of the “kid-catcher” brick wall at the American Street entrance to the park: this crisis and funding from the PTSSD grant both pushed that along. The gate is nearly finished and the problems of attaching it have been addressed: it should be installed soon.
• Finally, the park committee has designed a new gate that would block the path closest to the American Street fence – not actually blocking entrance to the park, but closing off a way that a child could leave the park unobserved. This final gate is still under discussion.

July 2014

• In early July, our guy who takes the trash from the cans to the curbs disappeared for unavoidable reasons. However, it took two weeks to notice that the trash hadn't gone out, at which point the mess was pretty awful. Seth was able to get it all hauled away, but there was, of course, unexpected costs for the workers and the unscheduled trash pickup. Jen was able to find a new trash guy (Gene, who is known to 2^nd Street residents) and he seems to be doing the job well.
• There was a music festival in July run by a neighbor who helped us with the 2014 NLNA music fest organizing. (The opportunity to run the July music fest was given to him in exchange for his work on ours.) Unfortunately, various problems with communication made the relationship less valuable than we'd hoped, and the July festival more of a problem for the park volunteers who oversaw it than we anticipated. The longest-lasting effect was that, because the portapotties were relocated from where they were originally dropped off, the rental company did not manage to pick them up for more than a week (and then only with the intercession of a neighbor who knows the company owner – thanks, Maggie!!!!). The major lesson learned from this and previous years' problems with events is that we cannot handle renting the park for large public events. Events such as corporate rentals that are not open to the general public don't seem to be a problem, and festivals (they are always music festivals) run by people who are already park volunteers are also okay. But I propose a new policy stating that events at Liberty Lands open to the general public must be organized and overseen by someone who has been a park volunteer for at least a year prior to the event and who will be present at the day of the event.
• This was the summer of trees falling over. A pear tree in the community gardens fell in July and was removed (thanks, Liz). A conifer by the American Street houses toppled sometime over the summer and was righted and secured in late August (thanks, Weeders); we hope it will survive.
• A neighbor removed the remaining rubber playground mulch and donated it to the dog run in Fishtown's Big Green Block. (Hurrah! Hurrah!) Seth disposed of the containers and railroad ties that were also in that corner and it is now MUCH better looking.
• With funds from the PTSSD grant, Seth overhauled the supports of the stage, several of which had rotted, and changed the design of the edge to prevent the rot from re-occurring. At the same time, an electrician repaired and upgraded the electrical access points on the stage, which are now secured and covered.
• The second half of the stage improvements – construction of a shed for the electrical panel at the north end of the park, will happen in September. The concrete footing for the shed is already laid. This is also covered by the PTSSD grant.
• Also part of the PTSSD grant, Seth put in a bollard at the Bodine/Wildey corner of the park to cut down on vehicles driving onto the park. The bollard is a locked, removable post that park volunteers can remove for authorized vehicle access.

August 2014

• Movies happened through the summer without any more noise complaints than usual. Having them on Saturday nights rather than Fridays did not seem to make a big difference.
• Jim, our part-time maintenance person, has done many repair jobs around the park including fixing our bulletin boards, handling deliveries for the City Harvest program, etc. He's fixed two separate damages to the water lines over the summer. Jim also tried to install new valve boxes (funded by PTSSD) for our hose outlets throughout the park. These were ordered in June but turned out to be the wrong size and I've only just returned them and reordered the right size. Jim will install the correct ones when they arrive.

September 2014 and forward

• The Liberty Lands committee has submitted a budget for 2015 that is substantially similar to last year's. Notable increases include the $2,000 cost for playground mulch (we put down new mulch every other year) and budgeting $1,000 for water use. The $1,000 is based on our current bill, but we hope that the majority of the bill is stormwater charges, which the water department has advised us not to pay while they resolve a policy with the Water Revenue Service. We are budgeting for the full cost, but hoping that the final actual bill will be smaller.
• Budget discussions also raised the issue of how we handle reservations for small parties. Our current policy still has Janet doing all the reservations because a surprising amount of day-to-day knowledge of park conditions is required to handle reservations well. [Note that Janet still screws up reservations pretty regularly, such as failing to leave a rain date for the Fall Music Festival.] Reservations are recorded on the park's online Google calendar and all conversations about the reservations are kept in the park reservations gmail account, to which park volunteers have access. Most parties are asked for a $25 donation to the park as a use fee, plus $1/person if they want to use the potty for the day. The cost is kept low because we haven't come up with a way to enforce reservations – people can and do have parties without reservations or paying, and we fear that a higher cost would simply discourage payment. Policing party use, however, is a significant drain on volunteers, who end up dealing with any problems on site when they see them (much like the way we police off-leash dogs and any other illicit uses of the park). Any suggestions for better ways to deal with reservations and party use are welcome.
• We are looking at the need for much more weed-whacking next year – this is the “additional” mowing job currently done by volunteers, Jim, or not at all. It makes a huge difference in the appearance of the park when it's done, since there are many places where the mower can't reach. We've recently been contacted by a neighbor who runs a landscaping service and we hope that he may be able to help us with this job without an increase in costs for mowing.
• Liz planted three new trees on Labor Day, all donated by Fine Garden Creations. One replaces a tree at the north edge of the lawn that died in the spring; the other two are small magnolias planted near the existing magnolia by the pergola.
• The stalwart Weeder's Club continues to meet every Saturday from 9-11 a.m. to keep up the various public gardens around the park. It also serves as an ongoing drop-in volunteer opportunity that has introduced us to several new park helpers.
• Some kind of disease in one of the trees at the north end of the lawn has attracted a steady supply of hornets that seem to be feeding from the tree sap. Seth sprayed hornet killer at the beginning of the infestation (in mid-August) with little visible result since it isn't a nest. We've surrounded the tree with fencing and caution tape and alerted the parent's group in the neighborhood, but it seems like we just have to wait until winter. While they are an aggressive species, they don't seem to bother anyone who doesn't get near the tree.
• The date of our fall workday will be determined by the PHS's Love Your Park program but will probably be in early November (based on previous years' scheduling). Coordinating with Love Your Park days allows us to get resources from PHS such as mulch, trash bags, and special trash pickup. The workday date should be announced this month.
• The last two projects funded by the PTSSD grant were a new drinking water fountain and ten new benches with backs. The water fountain will be installed near the toddler playground and community gardens in the fall if possible (if not, it will go in in early spring). The benches will be constructed using a custom bench mold for the concrete sides: the mold will be made over the winter and then in the late winter/early spring we will hold a community workday to construct the benches.

 ZONING COMMITTEE MEETING – Monday 8/25/14Members present: Larry Freedman (chair), Charlie Abdo, Beth Emig, Ken Grono, Chris Issacson, Kyle Koenig, Melissa Magness, Joe Mikuliak, Sharon Richman, Michael Simons, Members absent: Anthony Bottenfield, Tim McDonald, Jonathan Sher, Ira Upin1133 N. 4th Street – I2 – Roland Kassis: A return visit with a proposal for 28 residential units.  Has found 14 parking spots. July Motion (Ira) - 2nd (Joe): Vote 11-0 We cannot support this project as presented with 47 bedrooms and no parking.  Please return with ideas for non-residential use of the first floor. The priest at the church one block away on Girard has agreed to allow this project to use 10-14 church parking spots for 3-5 years.  The developer did NOT agree to non-residential on the 1st floor of the building as requested in the motion from the previous meeting. Discussion: Some neighbors thought that residents of this development would opt to park in available street spots before parking in the lot. We did not know if there would be an additional charge for residents to park in the lot spaces.  There was also a question as to whether the spots would be available 24/7 or if the spots would not be available during church services/activities and what would happen at the end of the3-5 year period.  Other residents wanted the project to move forward as presented to prevent the building from falling into disrepair and being replaced with many single family homes.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Charlie): Vote 7-0-1 We cannot support this proposal as presented.  Please return with parking spots for 50% of the units, a plan for the use of the spots (cost, 24/7 use, a 10-year parking lease from the church and the inclusion of non-residential use on the entire 1st floor.942 N. Leithgow Street – RSA5 – Coren Wise: Proposal for a single-family dwelling (short on open space and rear yard.) This project has a refusal for having only a 5’ deep back yard and for having less than 30% open space (14%).  There is no refusal for lot size (35’ deep x 16½’ wide).  The building has 3 bedrooms and is 34.2” high and has a pilot house.  There is a 12” extension above the 1st floor.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Melissa): Vote 8-0 Please return with plans for a house with a 9’ backyard and site plans that show this house in context with adjacent houses.1043 Germantown Avenue – CMX3 – Ron Patterson: A proposal for a parking garage. This parcel (231’10” x 122’7”) includes the lot currently in use by the Boone School residents. The lot is intended to be the parking garage for the residents of the Piazza (349 units) and the Boone School (44 units).  The 4-tier open garage would provide 304 spaces for 393 units [349 + 44 = 393]. There will be two pedestrian circulations – one that is only stairs and one that is stairs next to the elevator (49’ high).  The entrance is located on Wildey Street close to the Boone School.  There is some potential for additional angle-parking along Germantown Avenue (approximately 50 additional spots) for commercial customers.  There was discussion about the design and entrance location of the garage.  There was no discussion to accommodate parking for the events. We would ask them to meet with the UDC.310 Girard Avenue [Riley Lumber] – ICMX – Kevin O’Neil: A proposal for 53 residential units and commercial ground floor. A 5-story building fronts on Girard with 3100 sq. ft. of commercial space on the first floor (10’ ceiling) and 12@1 bedroom units and 8@ 2 bedroom units (28 beds).  There are 5 units fronting on Orianna Street and 6 units fronting on 3rd Street. These units provide 22@2 bedroom and 11@1 bedroom apartments (33 beds).  There are 36 parking spots for 53 units with 61 beds [2:1].  The facades on 3rd and on Orianna Streets are brick.  The façade on Girard is metal and glass with wood accents. Discussion: Renting the commercial space could be problematic because the ceilings are too low, there are no basements and the residents and the businesses use the same trash bins.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Kyle): Vote 9-0 We like the mixture of commercial and residential use of this property; however, some refinement is needed to make this project more viable. Suggestions for the commercial area include: adding a basement, raising the ceilings, and altering the loading dock to provide separate commercial and residential trash areas.  On the residential side, please put gates on the driveways, alter basement units to provide light and air to all living areas, provide exterior lighting (including in the parking area).  Additionally, show us rendering of what the south walls will look like.  Please return with adjusted plans.Valet Service – Lavi Shenkman – Locations to be determined: No zoning required. A permit is required and held by the NLNA). A return visit to further discuss a proposal for a valet service, with a trial station at the NW corner of 2nd and Brown, to handle cars coming into the neighborhood destined for restaurants, etc. The service proposes to alleviate those cars from taking spots on the street and to encourage potential patrons to shop and eat here. There will be lots for the valet cars to park. June Motion (Group): Vote 9-0 Thank you for your presentation. We are interested in this project, but require more information before we proceed. Please return with specific information regarding logistics (e.g., parking lot locations, actual pick-up zone location, local business involvement, start-up date.) We are also asking that Quality Park pay for the permit up front. Two Zones are proposed – one at 2nd and Laurel and the other at 2nd and Brown. There are 40 parking spots at the church on W. Allen Street and 110 parking spots at Beach and Fronts Streets. Originally, the 2nd and Brown Street Zone would require permission from SEPTA to use their spot on Friday and Saturday nights. It was suggested that if the Zone was moved across the street this wouldn’t be necessary. The charge per car would be $18, but for those businesses that “buy into” the valet service, their patrons would only have to pay $10 for parking.RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARDLavi will supply the NLNA a checklist of what he needs to move forward.Allow the valet service to operate on the NE corner for 2nd and Laurel and the NE corner of 2nd and Brown.