NLNA Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – February 5, 2018

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; Barbara Saverino; Ira Upin.ABSENT: Don Phillips; Chris Somers; Anne Waginger.The meeting was called to order by the President at 7:04 p.m.Motion: By Barb Mulckhuyse, seconded by Don Hoegg:“To approve the minutes of the January Board meeting as presented.”  Passed 10-0-0President’s Report: Matt Ruben: written report attached and reviewed.NLNA President’s Report, February 2018

1. PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND POLICY

• Construction Impacts – Nothing major or persistent at this time.
• Waterfront Issues –Stakeholder discussions appear to be nearing completion on Mark Squilla’s Central Delaware Zoning Overlay bill. The last meeting was January 31 and I am guessing there will be one more, and then introduction of the bill.
• Zoning Issues – Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez’s Mixed-Income Housing Bill was passed out of committee on December 5 with a neutral recommendation, and has not been called up for a final vote in Council. All indications are that it never will be, and instead the city will likely pass some kind of per-square-foot impact fee on all development. Details at our meeting.
• Business Improvement District (BID) – The final BID plan was introduced in December by Councilman Squilla on behalf of Council President Clarke. We are awaiting a date for the required Rules Committee hearing, which likely will be in mid-March. There might be one more public meeting about the BID before that; we are not yet sure. There will be a 45-day objection period after the committee hearing. If we get through that okay, then the BID is a go.
• Property Ownership – Following up on new ownership of a major investment stake in most of the Piazza and Liberties Walk, Streamline Solutions has taken over the large triangular lot on 2^nd St opposite the Acme shopping center, following FL-based Sterling’s takeover of the shopping center itself. Tower also has sold its offices on the 800 block of N. 3rd St. Tower’s main remaining holdings are the Riata building (oval building) at the Piazza, and the one-story warehouse space at 2nd & Poplar (although I think they might also have sold the actual corner
• property, which used to be a rowhouse structure and has been a vacant lot for the last couple of years).

2. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

• Annual Appeal – Update from the Treasurer.
• Community Center Mortgage – Update from the Treasurer.
• Office Management – Any updates from Operations.

3. EVENTS AND OUTREACH

• General Membership Meetings Feb, Apr, May. Feb 22 we’ll have the manager of the Spring Garden Post Office; the PT SSD to talk about funding opportunities; and the Water Dept to update on the Rec Center playground stormwater greening project. For April 26 I am hoping to have the candidates running in the Democratic primary for the 181^st legislative district. Long-time incumbent Curtis Thomas is rumored to be retiring, but even if he doesn't, it appears there are three or four challengers and it will be a hotly contested race. For May 24 the agenda still is open. We’ll have board elections but really could use an interesting agenda item to get people there.
• Michael will update the Fundraising report. Because of a quirk of the calendar, and because the event is happening the week before President’s Day Weekend this year, we really need to work hard in the next few days to sell tickets and keep getting the word out!

4. COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICITY

• No significant changes from last month’s report.

5. OTHER ITEMS

• Board Polls – Ratification of any online or online board polls since last month’s board meeting (Civic Design Review letter for 1102 N 2nd St project proposal). 

Motion: By Ira Upin, seconded by Barb Mulckhuyse. “To ratify any and all Board polls taken since the last Board meeting.”  Passed 11-0-0 Treasurer's Report: Steve Richman: written report distributed and reviewed.TREASURER’S REPORT – FEBRUARY 2018

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

• For the four months ended on January 31st   All Funds Income was $56,662; this was $526 more than projected. All Funds Expenses totaled $108,427, which was $33,525 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 lower than expected, Current Year All Funds Net Income was still negative – at -$51,765 – although this imbalance was $34,100 smaller than projected. These amounts include about $60,100 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:
  1. GF & LL Income (rounded): $56,600 -- $500 more than anticipated.
  2. GF & LL Expenses (rounded): $48,400 -- $4,600 less than anticipated.
  3. GF & LL Net Income: $8,200 -- $5,100 more than anticipated.
• Significant variations from budgeted projections through December include:

1. Lower than anticipated income from donations (- $1,900). Corporate donations fell short of expectations – by $1,400 – as did individual donations – by $1,500. These shortfalls were partially offset by the Fall Fest, which raised $500 more than anticipated and the Annual Appeal, which is running nearly $1,400 ahead of projections.
2. Higher than expected grant income (+$2,100). This was a result of the receipt of a grant from Penn Treaty for tree chipping.
3. Lower than anticipated expenses for equipment and furnishings (-$1,400). Expenses for our new alarm system came in below the amount we set aside.
4. Lower than anticipated spending for program services (-$2,250), professional services (-$1,300) and repair and maintenance (-$840). This difference is almost entirely due to slow billing (mostly Clean Streets) and seasonality.

• While lower spending in the above and several other categories totaled about $6,000, spending for other items such as signage, inspections, lighting and alarm monitoring offset this total.

1. Other Items

• NLNA Mortgage – Discussions with BB&T Bank have occurred over the past two months about the possibility of converting our existing adjustable rate mortgage (with 11 years, 8 months remaining) to a 10-year fixed rate mortgage. As a result of these discussions the bank has offered us this option under terms that are deemed favorable to us. The Finance Committee is recommending that the Board vote to accept the bank’s offer. An analysis is being distributed to Board members in advance of the February meeting in anticipation of a vote on the issue at the meeting.
• Capital Grant from PTSSD – Work continued on the construction of the pavilion and the surrounding landscaping. In total, more than $58,500 has been spent on yard work since October 1, 2017, more than $95,500 in total. Additional disbursements, exceeding $40,000, are anticipated to be made in February and March.
• 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. 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: Joe Mikuliak, seconded by Don Hoegg. “To accept the Finance Committee's recommendation to convert our adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage as proposed.”  Passed 11-0-0 Motion: By Barb Mulckhuyse, seconded by Barbara Saverino.“To accept the Treasurer's report as presented.”  Passed 11-0-0 Fundraising Committee Report: Michael Coyne.Michael reminded the Board that Winterfest is Sunday, that tickets are available now and that Board members should make a strong effort to sell 10 tickets each. Liberty Lands Committee Report: Janet Finegar: written report attached and reviewed.January 2018 – Liberty Lands Report

• At the January Liberty Lands meeting we adopted the policy on people sleeping at the park as proposed interactions with outreach workers from Project Home and the police and several attempts to encourage him not to leave his bedding at the park. Finally we removed the bedding entirely (instead of just folding it and leaving it where he could find it) and he has not returned after that.
• We also decided at the January meeting to hire Anthony Lloyd as our new trash person, since Chico had stopped doing the work or responding to phone calls. Anthony began in mid-January and has been doing well so far. Because he did not have a phone, we set him up with a basic pay-by-the-month service which will make it possible to communicate with him; Liberty Lands will pay the $15/month for this service as long as he's working for us.
• It was agreed at the January meeting that we should reach out to the Nana Petrillo's Tree Farm people to see if they were interested in using the park for Christmas tree sales in 2018 (and what kind of a deal we could arrange for that). Janet contacted the organizer, who said he'd take a look at the park and think about it but has not yet responded further.
• We set a schedule of spring events at the January meeting – see that calendar below. The Great Lakes Brewing Company reached out to us again to sponsor one of our April events (this is GREAT: in addition to beer, they give us $2,500!), so that will (likely) be the April 14 workday.
• The tree pruning on January 15 chipped up the Great Wall of TreeCycling that had built up and garnered us some chips for the community garden paths and Orianna Hill a big bunch of them, too. We got the elm along American Street pruned finally (yay) and a lot of other work done, too.
• And finally – we have some prospective submissions for the community garden fence panels and a rough schedule for what we need to do. . . and I (Janet) have been actively putting off doing the next steps on this project through all of January. It's time to ask for help. It's a pretty huge project, with two funders to juggle and a lot of details, and I really need someone else to help me through it. Any volunteers?
• Spring schedule:

March? — Farmers' Market resumes (date TBA)March 24 9-2 — Workday (esp. community garden path chipping)April 14 9-2 — General Workday (sponsored by GLBC)April 28th or 29th — World Dance Day performance/workshopMay 5 9-2 — Plant sale at NLCCJune 2 4-10 — Spring Music festivalJuly 21 — Femme Collective fundraiser Operations Committee Report: Monika Kreidie: written report attached and reviewed.NLNA Operations Committee Report – 2/5/2018

• The Center continues have several repeat users -- Agora, $300 a quarter; Music Monkey Jungle, $100/wk all year long (except August); We Kids Rock, ongoing at about $200/month. There was 1 weekend rental in January and 2 set for February (to date). A few bookings for March and April have also been requested.
• The new Community Center rental fees are posted on the website with an online rental form and professionally taken photos of the various spaces. No complaints yet about the higher fee schedule.
• Barb will talk about Lara’s role and hours as the NLNA Office Manager. Once Lara’s hours are set for the year, then we will set NLArts Director hours and go ahead with a new agreement for 2018.
• Kat and NLNA now have an agreement for her to be the NLNA website administrator and paid as such in 2018.  We will also be  looking into hiring someone or a firm to completely redesign and update the site.  Kat and Monika will be meeting with Ryan from AtmosFi next week about how we can use our partnership with them to promote the NLNA.
• Our next Operations Committee meeting is Feb. 28th.

Some questions were raised about the status of our handyman contract and the progress on finding a database (and creating a functional marketing committee).Zoning Committee Report: Ira Upin: written report attached and reviewed.Motion: By Joe Mikuliak, seconded by Barb Mulckhuyse. “To ratify the recommendation of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 848 N. Leithgow Street, i.e.: 'Based on the strong consensus of the near neighbors, we oppose the plan as presented. There was no demonstrated hardship for not complying with code requirements.'”  Passed: 11-0-0 Motion: By Barbara Saverino, seconded by Don Hoegg. “To ratify the recommendation of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 1100-06 N. Front Street, i.e.: 'We support the variance for Unit 301 with the existing square footage to be used only for microblading and one tattoo artist.'”  Passed: 11-0-0 Motion: By Joe Mikuliak, seconded by Janet Finegar. “To ratify the recommendation of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 129 W. Laurel Street, i.e.: 'We support the agreement between the adjacent neighbor and William Proud to extend the temporary variance for another 6 months to commence upon the completion of sound proofing by the bar own.'”  Passed: 11-0-0Motion: By Barb Mulckhuyse, seconded by Joe Mikuliak. “To ratify the recommendation of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 614 N. Front Street, i.e.: 'Thank you for your presentation and the changes that were made (driveway on Hope Street and the addition of the commercial space). However, we still would like you to adhere to the height of 38’ on Hope Street for 50% of the building length (not just 18’) and 48’ for the remainder of the building lengths onto Front Street.'”  Passed: 11-0-0Old BusinessAnne Waginger was not able to attend the meeting, but raised a question about expanding use of NLNA resources. It was agreed to table the conversation until she was able to participate.Ira gave a brief update on the process with the Community Center yard project.New BusinessBen Mann and Don Hoegg volunteered to serve on the 2018 Election Committee.The meeting was adjourned by acclaim at 8:03 p.m.Addenda:Zoning Committee - Monday 1/29/18 Members present: Larry Freedman (chair), Charlie Abdo, Christine Furman, Kenny Grono, Melissa Magness, Joe Mikuliak, Sharon Richman, Jonathan Sher, Abbey Spector, Ira Upin  Members absent: Chris Isaacson, Michael Simons

• 410 Fairmount Avenue – RSA5 – Ed Fink: A proposal for an office (refusal for multiple main uses and professional office). Property is 950 sq. ft. Garage door would be maintained. Building “B” is on Wallace Street (Building “A” is on Fairmount) but is not an address recognized by Zoning. Discussion: Neighbor on Olive Street supported this project. Because we did not realize that this property actually fronts on Wallace Street, neighbors on that street were not flyered in advance of this meeting.

Motion - (Joe) – 2nd (Jonathan): Vote 9-0-0   This project was tabled until February because of the flyering issue.

• 848 N. Leithgow Street – RSA5 – Jon Thomas/Shimi Zakin: A proposal for a single family dwelling (height and rear yard refusal). The house is 18’x36’, 38’ high, 4 stories with a garage in the front and a roof deck. Entire building is set back 6’ instead of 5’ on first floor and 9’ on floors 2-4. Façade materials: poured concrete on 1st floor, corrugated metal on floors 2-4. Neighbor behind this property has a 10’ deep back yard. Discussion: Allowing parking was an issue for the neighbors.

Motion – (Jonathan) – 2nd (Melissa): Vote 9-0-0 Based on the strong consensus of the near neighbors, we oppose the plan as presented. There was no demonstrated hardship for not complying with code requirements.

• 1100-06 N. Front Street – CMX3 – Philly Zoning: A proposal for a tattoo parlor. Refusal for use (microblading and tattooing). Business is already in use for makeup application. Proposed hours: Wednesday and Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.   Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.   Monday and Tuesday: closed Signage ion the building directory is the responsibility of the landlord. Business is on the 3rd floor.

Motion – (Joe) – 2nd (Kenny): Vote 8-1-0 We support the variance for Unit 301 with the existing square footage to be used only for microblading and one tattoo artist.

• 129 W. Laurel Street – Bill Proud (Jerry’s Bar): A return visit to assess the 6-month temporary variance for outdoor space use. Adjacent neighbor had an issue with excessive noise coming from the outdoor dining area and allowing the glass door to the outdoor dining area to remain open for ventilation during warm weather. Bar owner agreed to erect a soundproofing wall between the outdoor seating area and the adjacent neighbor. Bar owner agreed to adhere to the acceptable decibel noise level as stated by Craig LeBan. Bar owner agreed to not have Djs. Discussion: Bar owner and next door neighbor worked out a mutually agreeable plan to move forward.

Motion – (Joe) – 2nd (Melissa): Vote 9-0-0 We support the agreement between the adjacent neighbor and William Proud to extend the temporary variance for another 6 months to commence upon the completion of sound proofing by the bar own.

• 614 N. Front Street – CMX2 – Herc Grigos: A return visit with a proposal for 29 residential units and 13 parking spaces. Motion from December 20, 2017: 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, 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’. Commercial area fronting on Front Street is 800 sq. feet. Hope Street is 38’ high for 18’ with another 18’ offset rising to 48’. Front Street side rises to 56’. Entrance is on Front Street. Driveway is on Hope Street. Discussion: Parking was revised as requested. The Front Street side was lowered. Hope Street neighbors will be in shadows. Building is still too high.

Motion – (Ira) – 2nd (Joe): Vote 9-0-0 Thank you for your presentation and the changes that were made (driveway on Hope Street and the addition of the commercial space). However, we still would like you to adhere to the height of 38’ on Hope Street for 50% of the building length (not just 18’) and 48’ for the remainder of the building lengths onto Front Street.

• 1102 N. 2nd Street – David Orphanides: A CDR presentation (civic design review – zoning already approved).

A prominent corner requires a prominent design. This corner intersected by Germantown Avenue, Girard Avenue and 2nd Street is the gateway to the commercial corridor in the heart of Northern Liberties. . . the perfect opportunity for an exciting, vibrant and unique inviting building complex, a statement edifice and a showcase for the neighborhood. It is the consensus of the neighbors and committee that the developer misinterpreted what was needed, what was wanted and what would be acceptable to those who live in the neighborhood. The dated institutional looking dormitory design style buildings presented were very disappointing. The long ago industrial character of the neighborhood was not embraced. Another misinterpretation was what the developer thought the neighborhood would want to fill the commercial spaces. He said that he wanted a WAWA because he likes WAWA. This operation was not well received. Some suggestions were, a real bakery, an Amazon lock-box location, a sorely needed hardware store and a 19123 post office annex for the neighborhood which is currently under-served as a result of the massive development in Northern Liberties.