Westside
Improvement Association Board
Meeting
Wednesday, January 23,
2002
Red Bank Branch Library
President Fred Padget called the meeting to order at
11:32 a.m.
Attending:
Bequette, Steve; Berning, Dot; Chapman, Kurt; Cleek, Linda; Conner, Pat;
Craig, Steve; James, Shirley; Jourdan, Kurt; Kolb, Bonnie; Lockard, Michael;
McCallister, Steve; Sensmeier, Bernice; Padget, Fred; Rhodes, Mary; Wallenmeyer,
Loretta; Wentzel, Sam
The meeting began with introductions by
the members of the 2002 Board of Directors.
Secretary’s
Report: Minutes of the previous
meeting were not available and approval was deferred until the next meeting.
Treasurer’s
Report: Bernice Sensmeier presented the end-of-year figures for 2001.
The net from the Fall Festival was $7,360.56.
It was noted that 2001 was the year with the highest sales volume but
profit was higher in 2000. This was
due to higher costs in 2001. Shirley
James moved and Sam Wentzel seconded approval of the report which passed without
dissent.
President’s Report
-
Padget
reported on the proposed rezoning at
111 N. Red Bank Road
that goes to the City Council and
County
Commission
(the parcel falls into both jurisdictions) on Monday, January 28.
Some major concerns about the proposal include the already-congested
condition of that stretch of
Red Bank Road
, drainage, pollution, and other concerns.
Padget and Land Use and Planning Committee Chair Michael Lockard
explained the situation further and asked for a motion supporting the
position that usage commitments should be required before such rezoning
could go forward. Linda Cleek
moved the President and Land Use Chair should continue to work for
appropriate use and development commitments and to address traffic,
drainage, and other concerns. James
seconded; the motion passed without opposition.
Pat Conner pointed out that our positions on all land use issues should
be consistent with the existing Comprehensive Plan and that our involvement in
the creation of the new Comprehensive Plan is crucial.
-
Padget and Wentzel are active on the United Neighbors of Evansville (UNOE)
board. Past President Paul
Farmer is serving as UNOE facilitator for 2002 and therefore will not serve
as WIA representative to UNOE during that time.
-
Padget attended the January Evansville Urban
Transportation Study (EUTS). WIA
needs a Transportation Committee chair and committee members.
-
Padget also attended the January Evansville Police Department West
Sector meeting. Handling
domestic violence cases will be a primary initiative of the EPD for 2002.
-
Padget
assisted a resident of
Peerless Road
who needed right-of-way information.
-
The
Executive Committee met three times on organizational issues since the
November general meeting.
-
The
2002 meeting schedule was distributed and discussed.
Also distributed were final copies of the By-Laws adopted in 2001 and
the 2002 WIA goals and objectives. James
moved that the Board endorse the goals and objectives.
Sensmeier seconded and the motion passed without opposition.
-
WIA has
been requested to register as a “neighborhood association” by the
Department of Metropolitan Development.
-
Leadership
Evansville
has requested nominations for its 2002 Celebration of Leadership awa
rds.
Neighborhood
Reports: Wentzel reported that the 2002
National Night Out will be held on August 6 in
Garvin
Park
. WIA is invited to have a table
with hand outs, displays, and/or activities for children.
General discussion supported this idea, with exact plans tabled for the
time being.
Committee Reports:
Parks – James reported that the Pigeon
Creek Greenway Safety Program is underway.
-
Attorney Gene Brooks has been consulted
concerning the possible purchase of land to be given to the David Dale Owen
Land Trust. The future of
the deal remains uncertain. UNOE
plans to provide legal assistance to member neighborhoods with similar
issues.
-
Mesker Park Zoo & Botanical Gardens has
instituted a newsletter and is beginning a membership drive.
-
The Dogtown Boatramp is concession will be held
by a private individual for the coming season.
-
Howell Wetlands has applied for a grant to
support erosion control.
-
The city
arborist reports that wood chips are available free to citizens who will
pick them up.
-
Plans for improving the combination sewer
situation continue. A new
treatment plant will eventually be established at the old Wansford Yards.
This will have a positive effect on the west side sewage treatment
plant, but investigation on impact on the Wetlands and other west side areas
needs to take place.
-
The Parks Committee will meet at the Westside
Library on the first Thursday of each month at
4 p.m.
Fall Festival - no report
Land Use & Planning - Lockard further
amplified the rezoning of 111 N Red Bank Road and described a proposed rezoning
for expansion of a trailer park behind the west side Schnuck’s.
Neighbors plan to oppose the expansion.
West Sector EPD - Kurt Chapman distributed
2001 crime reports. The West Sector
is the largest of the three sectors and includes six beats.
Current emphasis in crime prevention for the EPD involves curbing
prostitution along
Fares Avenue
.
Other Business
Web Site
– Cleek asked for ideas and contributions for the web site.
The URL is www.westsideimprovement.org.
James mentioned complaints from neighborhoods about litter and suggested that
USI students might be enlisted in a clean-up effort.
Kurt Jourdan, the new USI Student Government Association representative
to the board, offered to bring the need to the attention of the USI SGA.
Member Benefits – Cleek presented an idea for WIA business members to provide
perks to WIA individual members. These
benefits might include two-for-one offeres, discounts, etc.
Board members were asked to think about how such a program might be
implemented.
Newsletter—the newsletter deadline is the first Friday of each month.
Steve McCallister requests submissions via e-mail, on disk, or by hard
copy. The Board commended
McCallister on the appearance of the January newsletter.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Cleek, Secretary
Next meeting: Thursday,
February 21, 7 p.m., location TBA.
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