Minutes-August 10 meeting and picnic

[Rachel Brekhus]

Kaye King hosted the meeting of the East Campus Neighborhood Association at her home on McNab St. About 23 neighbors, not counting several dogs were present.

The first item of business was the election of officers to replace Cavenaugh Noce, who had to resign the presidency earlier this year when he took a paid position with the City of Columbia. The nominating committee nominated Janet Hammen as President. Rachel Brekhus nominated Bonnie Bourne from the floor. Janet withdrew her nomination. Bonnie was elected president. Janet was nominated from the floor to replace Bonnie as Vice President. She accepted. Both officers were elected by acclamation with no further nominations made.

The continuing officers, Rachel Brekhus (secretary) and Kaye King (treasurer) were introduced. Rachel urged all neighbors present to join the Web site and spoke a little on the material posted there.

Sewer Work: Bonnie shared the information that the city will be working on converting old sewers. Private sewers, of which there are many on Wilson Ave. and scattered around other places in the East Campus neighborhood as well, can be fixed without an assessment, but we must get on the city's list as a group, in order to move up on the project list. Bonnie Bourne is the contact person for that project. If you have private sewers you'd like converted/replaced, speak with her. There will be a longer meeting on that topic in October. Watch this site for more on the topic. She will be working with Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe to set up a meeting, as Councilman Jerry Wade has done for his ward.

Get About Columbia: Janet Hammen is the point person for all questions regarding the city's plans under the federal alternative-transportation-infrastructure grant. Janet noted that, while the city chose not to fund a controversial connector between Bluffdale and Rollins via Rockhill Park for several reasons (grade of Rollins, environmental and safety concerns around low water crossings, homeowners' issues in the Bluffdale neighborhood, and lack of sufficient funds to fund all proposed connectors) - she is working with Dennis Knutsen and Barbara Hoppe to find an alternate route. In the future, the city is likely to apply for the grant again, if it continues to be offered, or there may be other ways to fund it, and it will be beneficial to have a plan in place that addresses the aforementioned concerns. If you would like to join the working group, contact Janet.

Janet also mentioned that Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe is looking for funds in the city's 2009 budget for upkeep work on trails in Rockhill Park. There may also be volunteer opportunities to do the work, and groups to work with. The paths were built as volunteer projects in the first place.

Signup sheets for the following interest groups were laid out for neighbors to add themselves to. Interest groups include:
-Beautification/Cleanup (contact Anna Lingo)
-Historic District Preservation and Improvement (contact Bonnie Bourne)
-Social Activities for Getting To Know Neighbors (contact Kaye King)
-Planning and Liaison With City Council (contact Janet Hammen)
-Neighborhood Watch and Enhanced 911 (contact Sue Bliss)
Neighbors who signed up during the meeting will be contacted by Bonnie soon. Others are welcome to join, too.

Clyde Wilson: What is, and what is not, a neighborhood association?
Neighbor and former Columbia mayor Clyde Wilson noted that recent and ongoing developments in the North Central Columbia area are a bad sign for the future of neighborhood associations. At present, business interests in the North Central area are trying to form their own neighborhood association that overlaps with the area included in an existing neighborhood association in North Central Columbia. The existence of separate or competing neighborhood associations in the same neighborhood could be a very bad precedent, particularly for the future of our neighborhood, where landlords could form their own association that might well be at cross-purposes with ECNA.
Janet Hammen testified to City Council about the inappropriateness of such a move and manged to get further consideration of the topic tabled. In the next meeting or the following one, the City Council will consider an amended proposal, for a business association for the North Central neighborhood. ECNA neighbors are encouraged to send emails on the subject to City Council in the coming days.

Memorial Bench
Kaye King is working with the Sneed family on a memorial bench donated by ECNA to be placed in Cliff Drive Park.

Olga Andrews, 1920-2008
Longtime neighbor Olga Andrews of 501 Rockhill Rd. passed away this morning, August 10 2008.