Westside
Improvement Association
Board Meeting
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Red Bank Branch Library
President
Fred Padget called the meeting to order at 11:32 a.m.
Attending:
Bermhardt, Wayne; Berning, Dot; Chapman, Kurt; Cleek, Linda; James,
Shirley; Kolb, Bonnie; Lockard, Michael; Peak, Martha Jo; Rhodes, Mary; Roedel,
Trena; Sensmeier, Bernice; Padget, Fred; Wallenmeyer, Loretta; Wentzel, Sam
Secretary’s
Report: Minutes
of the May general meeting were approved on a motion by Michael Lockard and a
second by Sam Wentzel.
Treasurer’s
Report: Bernice Sensmeier presented the May report
which was accepted as submitted.
President’s
Report:
·
Padget attended the June 6 EUTS meeting.
Both the St. Joe intersection and the Eickhoff-Koressel Road projects are
in their early stages.
·
Many WIA members attended last night’s
public meeting on the Corradino Group’s study of improving the Lloyd from
Fulton to McDowell. Lockard was
quoted extensively in today’s Evansville Courier & Press.
Padget was interviewed for Channel 14 News.
·
Padget attended the June meeting of the
Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District, as did Martha Jo Peak
and Trena Roedel. One of the topics
discussed was the need for educating homebuilders on handling storm water
run-off. The SWCD tree sale was
featured in the June newsletter.
·
UNOE has received some funding from the City
Council.
·
Padget and Bill Harty have been working for
a resolution for the environmental problems posed by Jerry David’s development
projects along the Expressway near Rosenberger. Many attempts to meet with DNR have been cancelled or
postponed.
·
A request for rezoning from residential to
commercial for the property at 25 Dorothy Drive will come before Area Plan
Commission in August. Padget and
Lockard will investigate further. Several
board members expressed concern, some citing the potential complications for
future improvement of the Lloyd.
·
Steve McCallister has requested that WIA
remove the file cabinets from his office. Padget
asked for volunteers to help organize the files. Lockard offered to store the files at the Talley storage
facility.
·
McCallister has also requested an assistant
editor for the newsletter. Padget
reminded everyone that July articles are due by July 5.
·
A potential chair has been identified for
the nominating committee and we should have a slate of officers and board
members to present at the August general meeting.
·
Several members have expressed an interest
in naming our recently-adopted Great Horned Owl
at Mesker Park Zoo. Dot
Berning will check to see if the owl already has a name and whether our naming
the owl would be acceptable. Padget
proposed that we hold a contest to choose a name.
Lockard suggested that a family zoo membership ($39) would be a good
prize. Shirley James moved that we
offer the zoo membership as a prize; Bonnie Kolb seconded the motion which
passed without opposition.
·
The executive board has been discussing
getting polo or T-shirts, caps, etc. Linda
Cleek reported that set-up charges would run between $25-$75 and that polo
shirts would then run about $25-28 each. James
moved that we get high quality polo shirts and that we leave color choice and
design to the executive board. Wentzel
seconded the motion which passed without opposition.
·
WIA would like to cosponsor a Candidates’
Night with Farm Bureau again this year.
·
Mayor Lloyd sent a letter after attending
the May general meeting. In it he
was highly praised WIA and its work.
Neighborhood
Associations/West Sector Police Report/Annoucements
·
Kurt Chapman distributed crime reports for
the month of May. Cleek and Chapman
attended the June West Sector Citizens Committee meeting.
Cleek requested that Chapman make maps of the West Sector beat boundaries
available to WIA. He agreed to do
so.
·
Tox-Away Day will be held on Saturday, July
13, 7 a.m. to noon at the Laubscher Meadows Landfill.
·
Recycle Day returns to the Westside Wal-Mart
on Saturday, July 6, 8 a.m. to noon.
·
National Night Out may draw 800-1,000
people.
·
Berning complimented Lockard on his
presentation at the public hearing on improvements to the Lloyd Expressway.
·
Kolb discussed the confusing signage for
Schutte and Middle Mount Vernon Roads along the Lloyd Expressway.
Committee
Reports:
·
Land Use & Planning—Lockard reported
o
Receiving a call from a USI employee who lives near the
recently-rezoned property at 111 N. Red Bank.
She reported that heavy equipment had been brought in and trees were
being removed. Lockard
doesn’t believe the appropriate permits are in place and will look into
the situation.
o
The proposed rezoning on the east end of the Hahn property
along Red Bank Road is being discussed by neighbors.
Once again, road issues are critical.
o
UNOE is going to ask all neighborhoods to focus on empty
commercial space as part of an emphasis on in-fill development.
Mary Rhodes suggested that members visit deadmalls.com for
information on reusing abandoned space.
o
Area Plan Commission staff are working on the new master plan
but no public meetings have been scheduled so far.
·
Pollution & Conservation – Peak
reported
o
A major topic of discussion at the S&WCD meeting was the
reclamation of Carpentier Creek. An
accurate list of property owners is the immediate need.
Peak and Roedel are planning a letter to owners describing WIA’s
interest. They will draft the
letter for review by the executive committee.
o
James stated that the Parks Department
master plan calls for making Carpentier Creek part of a nature preserve.
She also said that there is an illegal landfill on the Creek.
o
Rhodes edits the West Terrace School newsletter and would like
information on Carpentier Creek to include.
·
Fall Festival—Kolb reported that an
organizational meeting for key players will be held in July with a training
session in September.
·
Parks – James reported
o
The Parks committee visited Moutoux Park to investigate
reports of oozing leachate. They
were unable to find any. Lockard
reported that he can provide exact locations.
Overall, Moutoux Park is looking better than ever before.
o
The Clem Frank Nature Preserve project is moving forward, with
an appraisal firm selected.
o
Access to the Greenway from the someday-to-be-improved Lloyd
is not a part of the discussions to date. Padget will send a letter asking that plans for access be
included in the study.
Guest Presentation:
Alice
Rademacher and Albert the Owl from Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve presented a
history of the Howell Park Wetlands, showed slides, and discussed plans for a
nature center and a full-time curator. The
E-VSC wetlands project was also mentioned.
Their web site is wetlandsresource.Evansville.net.
A link may be found on the WIA web site.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:35
p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Cleek
Secretary
Next
meeting: Wednesday, July 24, 11:30
a.m., Red Bank Branch Library
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