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Westside
Improvement Association
Board Meeting
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Red Bank Branch Library
President Fred Padget called the meeting to order at 4:10
p.m.
Attending: Berning, Dot; Cleek, Linda; Clem, Paul; Gerteisen, Wayne;
Gillenwater, Jim; Harty, Bill; James, Shirley; Jeffers, Brenda; Kolb, Bonnie;
Outlaw, DeAnna; Padget, Fred; Rolley, Randy; Runge, Mel; Sensmeier, Bernice;
Stagg, Carolyn; Thompson, George; Wentzel, Sam
Excused
Absences: Kavanaugh, Kristine
Secretary’s Report: Minutes of the March 2005
meeting were approved after corrections on a motion and a second from
Gillenwater and James.
Treasurer’s Report: Bernice Sensmeier presented the
treasurer’s reports for March of 2005.
Associations – Announcements and Comments
- Berning announced that Mt. Auburn had a successful
trash collection on Saturday, March 26. Berning and Runge both commented
that cleanup on Buchanan Road was especially successful since that road was
so littered. James noted that the National Guard has helped with heavy clean
up in the past. Gillenwater said that any organization can request people
from the safe house to help. James commented that Keep Evansville Beautiful
will provide free trash bags.
- Padget stated that he had talked with Officer Rolley
about dumping. Rolley said that if the name of those who are dumping can be
found, then a letter can be sent.
- Stagg suggested contacting Judge Niemeier about
juvenile offenders helping with cleanup as part of community service.
- James suggested a “Clean up the Westside,” and people
can clean up their own streets.
- Runge stated that BFI picked up the stuff collected on
Buchanan and St. Joe Roads.
- Gillenwater addressed the subject of people who draw
graffiti. He feels these people, if identified, should be made to paint over
the drawings. Padget thinks the graffiti is gang-related.
- Cleek announced that at the County Commissioners’ Road
Hearing at Helfrich Middle School, February 28, she presented a list of
Westside county roads that are in need of repairs.
- Padget and Jeffers reported on WAVE’s (Water Awareness
for the Vanderburgh Environment) April meeting. The group is putting
together a portable display board that will inform citizens about how the
general public can help prevent water pollution.
- Cleek announced that the next general meeting will be
Thursday, May 19, 7 p.m., Mitchell Auditorium, USI. The meeting will host
Jim Daniels presenting a report produced by Sustainable Evansville. The
report illustrates statistics concerning economical and environmental trends
for the region.
Law Enforcement – no report
President’s Report
- Padget presented a WIA year-end financial comparison
between the years of 1997 and 2004 inclusive.
- Arbor Day Celebration will be on Thursday, April 28,
11 a.m., at Riverside and Main. Mayor Weinzapfel is scheduled to make a
presentation. The celebration will include a Champion Tree Tour and planting
of Evansville’s Founding Tree.
- Wendy James, a USI graduate student, sent an email to
Padget. The email contained three questions having to do with the Westside
of Evansville. In order to get some feedback, Padget will put these
questions and his response in the newsletter next month before responding to
the student.
- Shelby Musgrave has volunteered to be on the
Nominating Committee. Padget is asking for volunteers, including someone to
chair the committee.
- About one year ago, the Board approved a resolution or
letter of support when city and county passed a resolution in relation to
grocery stores and issuance of ABC permits. When gas stations and convenient
stores got interested, the city and county passed the resolution, which was
against the expansion of the definition of grocery store to allow convenient
marts, gas stations, etc., to obtain alcohol permits. Zellers applied and
was approved by the local ABC Board. Buslers applied and was denied by the
local ABC Board. Zellers’ grocery sales are less than 2 percent. The WIA
Board asked that WIA write a letter about Zellers’ application. The state
denied Zellers’ application and Zellers appealed. Lockard and Padget were
asked to go the the appeals hearing. Lockard gave a PowerPoint presentation
about how many licenses are in a close proximity. Padget talked about WIA
and UNOE’s stance on the matter. The lawyer representing the group against
the Zellers’ application kept asking about a violation at Zellers. Zellers
said that person who committed the violation was fired. Lockard called
Zellers, and the person is still working there. Appeals judge has 30 days or
less (as of date of this Board meeting) to make a decision. WIA is against
every gas station in town obtaining an ABC permit, especially when the
establishment is around colleges and schools.
Action Items – none
Committee Reports
- Call – Berning reported
- Talked with everybody or left a message
- Web Site – Cleek reported
- Police were asked to monitor Pearl/University
Drives and Red Bank/Pearl Drives. Accident reports will be collected and
put on Web site.
- Transportation – Harty and Padget reported
- Harty attended Evansville Urban Transportation
Study (EUTS) meeting.
- Harty brought up to County Commissioners the need
of road repairs of side streets before construction of Indiana 62.
- Padget sent a letter to INDOT about Indiana 62
construction and its effect on traffic congestion. Padget also asked
INDOT to do seismic and engineering studies around the Reitz Hill area.
A lot of this area has underground coal mines. In addition,
Padget addressed the decision not to have a Schutte Road access and how
this decision will affect students and residents in the area.
- Scholarship – Thompson reported
- Thompson and Sensmeier sent letters to the
universities where scholarship recipients were accepted.
- Membership – Outlaw reported
- WIA will have a table at Mesker Park Zoo Mother’s
Day weekend and at Buehlers Buy Low sometime in June.
- A trifold picture display of WIA projects is in
the making and will be used at the above events.
- Outlaw made a proposal to the board that WIA sell
T-shirts. She received an estimate from C&C Sports to silk screen shirts
with the WIA name and the owl mascot. The more shirts bought, the lower
the price. Thirty-one to seventy shirts cost $5.20 each plus a
one-time setup fee. Outlaw proposed WIA sell the shirts for $10. If she
turns in the order the week of this Board meeting, C&C Sports can have
the shirts ready to sell by Mother’s Day weekend.
- James suggested wearing the shirts during Fall
Festival week.
- Gillenwater asked if we should have only one
color.
- Thompson asked if the lettering has to be black.
- James moved to sell the T-shirts at $10 leaving
the color scheme up to the committee. Gillenwater seconded the motion.
The motion carried.
- Gillenwater asked if WIA was looking for a way to
make money. Padget responded that WIA is looking for membership. Berning
noted that more membership makes money.
- Gillenwater said that he knows of an organization
that will smoke ribs for organizations, and then they sell the ribs and
make $7 a slab.
- National Night Out (NNO) – Jeffers and Wentzel
reported
- Jeffers asked the board to approve the $200
donation to NNO. The Board had already voted to make this donation
yearly.
- Jeffers asked the board to approve buying
amphibian squirt guns to give as favors at NNO. The cost is
approximately $35. Harty moved to buy the squirt guns, and Thompson
seconded. The motion carried.
- Pollution and Environment – no report
- Parks – James reported
- Greenway started construction from Casino to West
Franklin. The cost came in $2.2 million. Mitigation of the Orr Building
is to take place early. The Pavilion (Orr Building) must have elements
of the original building. Orr family gave bronze plaques to place in the
entrance of the pavilion.
- Canoe Evansville is offering the public to rent a
trip down the creek. Travelers will exit at the newly constructed area
including a stepping out area.
- James is proposing to Koch, Mead Johnson, Mulzer,
and Evansville Marine to copartner with Keep Evansville Beautiful and
Alcoa. Alcoa has a tree planting program. James would like to see these
organizations go together to landscape the west side of the new Greenway
project.
- By the old Ohio Street Bridge (renovated to look
like the original) will be three overlooks right over the river.
- The Greenway was featured in the AAA Midwest
magazine.
- Tommy Donahue has left as manager of the Howell
Wetlands. Lauren Preske will replace Donahue.
- Burdette Park is not going to do the “Lazy River”
but will do a smaller project.
- The Greenway and Parks together will sponsor an
“Evening on the River,” June 10. The event will host a movable feast,
silent auction, and activites all along the route. Tickets are $50. The
Greenway and Parks evenly split the proceeds. Last year each received
$13,800.
- Land Use Planning – Padget reported
- Last two months no requests have been made for
rezoning on the Westside.
- Board of Zoning Appeals
- 3600 Detroy Road, oversized out building – Out
building cannot be larger than main residence. The resident wants to
build 3,200-square-foot outbuilding; house is only 1700 square feet.
In appeals, petitioner (resident) was not in the mood to change
anything. Petitioner and neighbors could not negotiate
agreement—continued until May.
- 5900 Felstead Road, telephone tower – The
landowner needs a “special use” permit and, in this case, a setback
from the residence, which must be 370 feet away. This location does
have enough room to meet the requirement. This land is mostly zoned
agricultural. The petitioner is an absentee landlord—will collect
$400 a month but will not be there. This petition is still in the
works.
- Country Market on Broadway, party house – The
present owner of this property is petitioning to open this site as a
party house and to add a gravel parking lot.
o
May Rezonings
§
4600 Middle Mt. Vernon, R1 to R3 – This
project could be apartments.
§
Corner of Big Cynthiana and Kuebler Roads,
subdivision
- Fall Festival – Kolb reported
- Will have something to report soon
The
meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Jeffers
Secretary
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