|
| |
Board Meeting
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Red Bank Branch Library
President Fred Padget called the meeting to order at 4 p.m.
Attending: Baumgartner, Betty; Berning, Dot; Burchell, Matt; Cleek, Linda;
Euler, Skip; Farmer, Paul; Gillenwater, Jim; Harty, Bill; Jeffers, Brenda; Kolb,
Bonnie; Lockard, Michael; Moers, Joyce; Outlaw, DeAnna; Padget, Fred; Roedel,
Trena; Rolley, Randy; Runge, Mel; Sensmeier, Bernice; Stagg, Carolyn; Williams,
Marie
Excused Absences: Gerteisen, Wayne
New Board Member: Matt Burchell, USI, is the Student Government Association
representative to the WIA Board.
Guests:
Secretary’s Report: Minutes of the July 27, 2005, meeting were approved on a
motion and a second from Gillenwater and Moers.
Treasurer’s Report: Bernice Sensmeier presented the treasurer’s report for
August of 2005.
Associations – Announcements and Comments
- Baumgartner announced that the 96-Gallon Trash Can
Program has been cut back to one-third of the 5,000 customers.
Law Enforcement – Officer Rolley reported
- Officer Rolley talked about the burglar that was hitting
neighborhoods. The burglar was only hitting houses when people were home.
The Police Department has arrested a suspect and believes the crimes have
been cleared up. Officer Rolley reported some of the crime statistics for
the Westside. These statistics include the area west of St. Joe Avenue.
Arsons = 0 Murder = 0
Auto thefts = 2 Narcotic cases = 10
Batteries = 6 Thefts = 22
Domestic batteries = 9 Vehicle thefts = 19
Burglaries = 15 Rapes = 0
Vandalism cases = 15 Shoplifting = 8
Robberies = 0
President’s Report
- Keep Evansville Beautiful will host a luncheon at the
Petroleum Club on Wednesday, October 12, at 12 noon.
- United Neighborhoods of Evansville (UNOE) will host its
annual Spark Plug Awards Banquet on Thursday, October 27, at 6 p.m. Photos
from any neighborhood events, such as National Night Out, should be sent to
UNOE by October 7.
- Tire Amnesty Day will take place Saturday, October 1,
from 7 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at the Civic Center parking lot.
- Electronics Recycle Day is Saturday, October 22, 8
a.m.-12 noon at the Civic Center parking lot.
- Padget reported that Fifth/Third Bank construction on
Pearl Drive experienced heavy rains which resulted in mud flowing into the
detention pond. No soil erosion control measures were in place. Padget also
noted that concrete trucks were being washed out into the pond.
- Along Carpentier Creek and a culvert on Old Henderson
Road, there seems to be sewage in the backed up water. The source of the
sewage is uncertain; it could be from septic tanks or treatment plant.
Fall Festival Report
- Kolb reported that festival booth plans are pretty well
in order. She reported that the Monday and Tuesday booth captains resigned
this year. DeAnna and Phillip Outlaw will oversee the booth on Monday and
Tuesday. Kolb also stated that volunteers for Friday are still needed.
New Business
- Hogue Road will be paved in the near future. Padget
talked with Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave who wants WIA to write a letter
requesting major improvements in the next several years:
- Along Hogue Road to Eichoff
- Tekoppel (including the five-point intersection)
Padget entertained a motion to write the letter to Evansville
Urban Transportation Study (EUTS) and also send the letter to the Commissioners.
Harty moved to write the letter and Gillenwater seconded. The motion carried.
- Last year Cleek presented to the county a list of
city/county road repairs. Padget wants someone to put together a list of
roads that need repair for this year. Gillenwater volunteered to do two
lists—one for the city and one for the county.
- Harty moved to write a letter to Indiana Department of
Transportation (INDOT) to readjust the widening schedule for Hwy. 62; and
instead, widen Rosenberger Avenue first because of the danger at that
intersection. Cleek asked to adjust the motion to say “to improve the
intersection at Hwy. 62 and Rosenberger Avenue.” Lockard seconded; the
motion carried.
- Farmer told the Board about the Southside Kiwanis Club
and Neighborhood Associations’ Unity of Giving to Katrina victims. The Red
Cross will provide 20 families’ names. Each neighborhood will be given a
family’s name. Once it gets the name of the victims and their needs, each
neighborhood would buy for that family. The families could be ones who have
settled in the Evansville area or someplace else. Gillenwater moved to
support 20 families through the Red Cross Program. Moers seconded; the
motion carried.
- Padget presented to the Board the idea of adopting an
animal at the zoo. Berning explained that the adoption is for one year and
the organization gets recognition. She said that the smaller the animal, the
less expensive. Berning said she will get more specific information to
present at a later Board meeting.
- Lauren Preske, Howell Wetlands Manager, is holding an
initial meeting on Thursday, September 29, from 6-8:30 p.m. A Howell
Wetlands Committee will be formed. This committee will be involved in
helping maintain the wetlands by doing such things as cleaning up trash
along the trails, helping with special events, etc. Berning said she would
like to attend this first meeting.
- Donna Bergman, Director, Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), is trying to address the race track on Strueh Hendricks Road, which
is making dust, noises, and disturbances. She expressed frustration in
trying to work with some of the state statutes and/or ordinances. She feels
these documents do not give her enough backing to what she wants to do.
- Padget said that James feels WIA should take a stronger
position in supporting Valley Watch. The Board reached a consensus that
there may be issues in which WIA might want to get involved, but it does not
want to give blanket support to or involvement with Valley Watch.
Committee Reports
- Call – Berning reported everyone was reached.
- Web Site – Cleek reported the Web site domain
registration expires soon. Cleek moved that WIA pay for five years instead
of paying annually. The cost is approximately $100. Euler seconded the
motion; the motioned carried.
- Transportation – no report
- Scholarship – Sensmeier reported scholarship letters with
checks went to Wesley in Massachusetts for Jaclyn Muensterman, Mater Dei,
and Swanee in Tennesee for Emily Feitel, Reitz.
- Membership – Outlaw reported
- On Wednesday, September 14, Outlaw attended the Earth
Voice meeting at USI. Earth Voice is a student environmental group.
Outlaw passed out some brochures and met the members. One member
Kimberly Patterson wants to learn more about WIA.
- Outlaw attended Student Involvement Fair at USI on
Saturday, September 17, at the University Center Mall. WIA displayed the
trifold picture display and offered literature.
- Nominating – Moers reported the committee had its first
meeting on Wednesday, September 28, before the Board meeting.
- National Night Out (NNO) – no report
- Pollution and Environment – no report
- UNOE – Farmer reported
- John Hunt, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)
Training, trains people from area neighborhoods. The program gives
trained people $150 worth of materials to use in a role as a first
responder. The trainees will learn life saving techniques. The program
involves 18 hours of training. USI wants trainees and wants to offer the
program 2 to 3 times per year. USI is now working with schedule
flexibility.
- The Solid Waste Committee has just passed its 2006
budget. Regular programs will continue to be in place.
- If associations are looking for program ideas, Paul
Bouseman, Mesker Park Zoo Botanical Curator, has a great PowerPoint
presentation about the tree project.
- Parks – no report
- Land Use Planning – Lockard reported
- Lockard followed up with Harry Lawson, General
Manager, Evansville Water Department; B. J. Watts, City Councilman; and
Jonathon Weinzapfel, Mayor. They have stopped the design phase of the
Broadway Avenue sewer project and are redoing the engineering in order
to find a way for the homes on Broadway to tap into the sewer system.
- Lockard talked with head construction people for
Kohl’s. The construction will continue with two 10-hour shifts per day.
Rosenberger will be done in 10 days. Kohl’s has a National Opening Day
for stores on October 5. The Westside Kohl’s store will be one of them.
Lockard impressed upon the construction people that as they work around
Carpentier Creek, make sure they do so within environmental guidelines
and controls. It was reported that silt fences are up around the creek.
So far, everything that Kohl’s promised has been done.
- The 8530 Middle Mt. Vernon Road project (Gregg Moore)
has been postponed until November. Area Planning Commission (APC) said
Shively continued in order to put some Use and Development in place.
- Lockard wants to bring up at an APC meeting that he
thinks there should be a deadline on how many times a developer can ask
for a continuance of a project.
- A small convenience store on Fulton Avenue just north
of Royal Foods (now Wesselman’s) is applying for a grocery/beer/wine
permit. This store does not sell food.
- Schnucks on First Avenue and Washington Avenue
applied for a hard liquor license.
- Padget said that WIA took action almost a year ago to
oppose the explanation of the definition of grocery store.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Jeffers
Secretary
|
