Whittier Alliance Board Meeting
Thursday, July 26, 2012 6:00 – 8:30pm
Whittier Rec Center - 26th Street & Grand Avenue
Present: Tom Bissen; Erica Christ; Daphna Stromberg; Erin Sjoquist; Ben Ptacek; Christina Lee; Felino de la Pena; Laura
Jean; Osla Thomason; Natascha Shawver; David Bagley; Matt Brillhart, Jesse Oyervides; Rob Davis; Darrell
Washington Staff: Marian Biehn, Lisa Garty Guests: none Absent: Michael O’Dell
Call to Order and Comments from the Chair – Erica Christ
Call to order by Erica Christ at 6:15pm. The standard of conduct was noted. The July agenda was presented and a
Motion to approve as written carried. Erica introduced Lisa Garty who has joined the Whittier Alliance as the
Admin/Exec. Asst. She gave a reminder to speak up so Lisa can record the minutes and told Lisa to speak up if she
needed clarification on an issue.
Secretary’s Report: Natascha Shawver, Board Secretary
Natascha presented the June Board Minutes and asked if
there were any changes or additions. Hearing none a Motion to approve as written carried
Board Attendance: The board attendance was read. If you want to know how many meetings you have missed,
please contact the office.
Executive Committee: Erica Christ, Chair
35W Access PAC Report – WA-PAC rep Kurt Nelson: Kurt did not send a report to WA, however, Rob Davis was in
attendance at the PAC meeting and reported. Rob is MCAD’s rep to the PAC. BRT station designs were presented.
The PAC preferred the arc design to the box design. There is no structural requirement for the bridge. The arc is low
slung similar to 46th St BRT station. There was a question as to why it copied the 46th St BRT stop since the
surrounding areas are so different. The more horizontal design mimics the light rail stop at Hiawatha and Lake. There
is a concern about having 2 extra center lanes in the BRT station for buses to pass. Not sure why the station needs
extra lanes. It wasn’t debated at the meeting; it was only shown in the design. Peter, from mayor office, didn’t think
it was a good time to bring up the extra lane issue. There was discussion about the bridge materials: Prefab vs. cast
in place – can be done in 10 months by using the precast concrete bridge. Precast is $5M cheaper. The estimated
costs are $10M for the highway/ $15M for the station. They are not asking to expand beyond the 35W right of way.
(approx. 180 ft.) Ben commented that the station and car lanes could be accomplished without adding lanes or using
the berm that is currently on either side of the freeway. However, the plan is to expand the freeway by at least one
lane in each direction. This is contrary to the neighborhood position.
The green crescent area between Stevens and 35W came up during the PAC meeting. This could be a skate park or
used by teens, but not frequented by families because it is only a large green area not an actual park. Cost measures
were discussed as far as using it as a skate park. This is the link between the 35W BRT stop and the Greenway and
proposed trolley.
A concern was raised about the city and county not talking together about the timing of 2 local projects that are
under consideration. It may be an issue due to the timing of money that is available for each project. It was strongly
advised to have the WA advocate on this topic. It was suggested the Board should spend more time with the 35W
team—invite them to a board meeting.
It was also mentioned to have the WA advocate for the Arts Place $’s to be used and implemented in the 35W Access
station project. Arts Place grant was awarded only 2 mos ago. It was suggested an artist be included in the design
group so that the station would have more visual appeal. WA would like the station to look different than the 46th
Street station. Might be worth weighing in on the Artists grant.
BD Motion 1: The Whittier Alliances requests that the City of Minneapolis assign a representative from the Arts Place
grant funds to the 35W PAC to assure public art is incorporated into the BRT Access station as it gets developed.
Motion carried. 12 -0- 2
ED Annual Review: Erin Sjoquist Erin reminded people to respond to the survey monkey. Some board members have
not submitted their evaluation. She will tally the results in preparation for the Executive Director review.
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Finance Committee: Tom Bissen, Treasurer - June Financial Statement: The June financial report was reviewed.
The cash balance by fund and balance sheet were discussed. With the funds in our unrestricted and due us for
reimbursement, there is more than enough to sustain WA if need be. A breakout of each section was given. All
assets have been depreciated. There are three contracts under liability that we get reimbursed for after we do the
work/spend the funds. The WA expenses are under projection for the month. YTD WA expense is $20K under budget.
FC Motion 1: The Finance Committee accepts the Whittier Alliance June 2012 financial report. Motion carried
3R Loan: Tom Bissen
FC Motion 2: The Finance Committee approves raising the Rental Rehab & Renewal (3R) loan limit from $25k to
$50,000 for the purpose of a porch rehab for 2633 2nd Ave S. Motion carried
Tom has been on the NRP 3RLoan evaluation committee for some time. He inspects the property before and after
the work is done. The WA only approves what is included in the project; not the loan itself. CEE who administers the
3R Loans for our NRP funds has an application for a loan. The maximum loan amount is $25k. Project will cost $50K .
The property is at 2633 2nd Ave S and there isn’t a loan on the house so WA is in good position. The loan funds are
not in high demand. Approving the higher limit would not limit the availability of fund for other applicants. It would
also mean that the return payment would become program income and also reduce the amount we are contracted.
It’s a good year to invest the funds. The interest rate of 3.5% - in long run this is the bank rate but it is easier for a
rental property owner to qualify for the 3R loan funds. CEE/WA is in first position. The owner lives in CA but was
back here to apply for the loan. She got the idea from the 2012 Historic Calendar. Motion carried at Board 14-0-0
MCAD Homes – update: Tom/Committee – Marian and Christina included in meeting. MCAD is not in a rush to move
the houses. The plan is to move them in late winter or early spring. MCAD prepared an option and purchase
agreement document for the WA to review. Marian contacted Bruce Rasmussen to review them and he made a few
recommendations. The attny recommends that we get a contract with Jim Dowds who will move the homes, and
write in a fixed cost. Atty wants letter of Agreement at $3K amount guarantee from the City for the cost of the lots.
There is a moving cost contingency of 15%, but if it goes over 15% WA will not accept having to pay the overage—that
should be the contractor or mover. We need to make sure the bid is correct (current and firm) and accepted. If deal
falls through MCAD wants WA to find someone else to move them. It was suggested WA have a walk through before
signing in order to make sure that when WA takes position of the homes they are in the same condition as during the
walk through. It looks like a good end result. In a meeting with the CFO of CEE, they agreed to allow the WA to change
the guidelines on the loan in anticipation of WA purchase and rehab. Full disclosure was made at the time the
proposition was made with MCAD. By using the single family loan funds, the repayment will be program income. Still
has to go through city atty.
Acting Committee Reports & Motions- Rob Davis & Darrell Washington
Battery Assist Pedi-Cabs: BA Motion 1: The Business Assn. moves to support pedi-cab battery power transit.
Motion carried 8-3-3.
Bicycle pedi-cab battery power transit was approved by BA. State legislation has changed toward approval of this
type of transportation. City ordinances on pedicabs do not allow the battery assist models currently. The current pedicab owners are not in favor of the battery cabs. It was brought up that this is not necessarily a WA concern. BA took a
position so that when the city comes back with a proposal, WA is ready to move forward and be a leader in the city.
Marian voiced her opinion that it is premature to support the motion as it is written. There is no proposal at the city
for battery assist pedicabs, there is no ordinance language, and it hasn’t been introduced to city committees. WA
could support the exploration or concept of battery assist pedi-cabs but is not aware of the pros and cons other than
what is in the newspaper. She felt it would compromise the WA credibility to be submitting a motion on something
we have so little information on. Since this has not even been introduced to the city there is nothing to give the city
at this time. It needs a city structure. It was brought to attention that it does meet 2 of WA Strategic Plan
sustainability goals.
Motion carried at Board 8-3-3.
211 W 28th St & 2813 Pillsbury Ave: CI Motion 1: The Community Issues Committee moves to deny the request for a
letter of support for the application for affordable housing trust funds for 2813 Pillsbury Ave S and 211 28 th Street W.
The Motion was seconded. 5-1-3
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PPL has applied for affordable housing trust fund to do rehab on 2 affordable housing buildings they own/manage in
Whittier—11 units total. The cost per unit to rehab amounts to $65,604 for 211 West 28 th Street and $51,154 for
2813 Pillsbury Ave. S. PPL requested about $500k in funds 5-6 years ago. Along with the application it is being
recommended that the covenant be extended to 45 years. It was brought up that Whittier has approximately a 30%
poverty rate and that is considered a concentration and unhealthy for the residents and neighborhood. To support
the request for more funds would perpetuate the situation. It is also inconsistent with our Strategic Plan to balance
the housing choice. There is no benefit for WA to agree. PPL does the minimum in maintenance and receives market
rate rents even though they are designated affordable housing. PPL keeps asking for enormous amounts of money
that other Rental Property Owners don’t have access to but do a better job of providing good housing for less rent
than many of the affordable housing buildings. Motion carried at Board 12-1-1
Strategic Plan Task Force – Stakeholder Engage/Voter Turn Out:
Marian reported that a meeting had been scheduled but not enough people showed up to hold the meeting. It will
be rescheduled.
Utility Box Wrap: Erica Christ/Rob
EC Motion 1: The Executive Committee moves to allocate up to $2500 in matching funds to the BA utility box wrap
initiative from NRP Contract 23503 Safety 1.7.1 Reducing Litter & Graffiti.
The Business Assn. is working with MCAD to wrap Utility boxes. MCAD will donate design time and execution for it. BA
CPED grant funds will pay to have them printed and wrapped. The cost is approximately $500 to $1k to wrap each
box. If we work through the City, the city charges $65 per box for a permit fee. Erica has recommended that the WA
support the initiative with additional funds so that we can do more wraps. The funds will come from the NRP graffiti
fund. Boxes are owned by various entities. An MCAD work study assistant is currently finding out who owns which
box. Sixteen boxes have been mapped and measured so far. There are approx. 50 boxes in Whittier. May take a long
time to identify the boxes thru the city. Overall the wraps are better than painting since they last about 3 years and
can be cleaned of graffiti if needed. The goal is to get as many boxes done as possible before the end of the year
working directly with the non-city box owners. For the city boxes, WA will need to go through a design review
process which takes up to 6 months.
Motion carried at Board 11-0-2
Resource Development Sustainability – GiveMN – Nov 15: Osla Thomason
The WA participates in the annual
GiveMN which is Nov. 15 this year. We usually tie it in with our fall fund raiser. The WA has a permanent GiveMN
page. Joan Vorderbruggen –Coordinator for Art in Storefronts (AIS) wants to use the WA GiveMN page so they can
receive donations. Donations would go into WA account, but earmarked for AIS project – WA would be acting as their
Fiscal agent. The plan is for AiS to have a campaign in Sept—well before the WA’s fall fundraiser. It could be a good
opportunity for WA to get some $ for GiveMN after Nov. It was brought to attention that this would fall under
Organizational Sustainability. Giving the WA more of a presence for the GiveMN campaign can start now—build a
better page, get matching donation commitments, etc. The GiveMN has not been highly successful for the WA –
perhaps the Sustainability Task Force can create more interest. It may be a spring board for WA to go out to other
sources for donations. The calendar was a success – perhaps WA could build on that. A meeting will be scheduled.
WA needs to show the public what they are getting back from their donations.
Staff Reports:
Staff reports are in the board packet and were sent out electronically. No questions regarding staff activity for
June/July.
Old & New Business Whittier Artists in Storefronts – Round 2 – July 21: Erica Christ
Round 2 is funded by an anonymous donation. WA got some good press from it. A mural & mosaic will become
permanent. WA would like to take this on as its own project, but the WA will have to pay for it. If Round 3 in the
winter how much would it cost? Roughly $2500 no artist stipend included; maybe $1K for others. AIS might be able to
get $3K itself. The interest from artists is strong. A winter storefront tour would be good press; no one else does this
in the winter. AIS has talked with Springboard for the Arts. WA would contract with AIS. A list of expenses for Round 3
was provided by AIS. WA needs to find out how much money AIS needs before a final decision is made.
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BD Motion 2: The Whittier Alliance moves to fund Artists in Storefronts Round 3 (Aug to Dec. 2012) for up to $9,000
from NRP contract 23503 or NRP contract 22203 or NCR. Motion carried 10-1-2
Art in the Park – Whittier & MPRB: Daphna Stromberg This was the final performance of the Art in the Park series
sponsored by the WA and Mpls Park and Rec. The event was moved at the last minute because performers needed
an electrical outlet. The program was no longer Shakespeare/ became Music Man. There was a large turnout because
of the venue but no one was watching until the end. Daphna suggested that we consider that WA is doing too many
Art in the Park performances. It was suggested WA take a second look at the activity. Maybe having a bilingual event
would be a good idea. WA could ask summer schools what they are doing in order to suggest park activities for kids
that would include teaching the kids something. CTC can’t afford to perform because they have to pay the
performers. Art in the Park/Theater in the Park was a success in the past but this year and last it has been difficult to
get momentum.
Reopening Nicollet – City Work Group: Marian Biehn The City formed a work group around the reopening of
Nicollet Ave. It has been only city staff and dept heads so far but they are now asking for one rep from the
surrounding n’hoods to sit in on the meetings. There will be one meeting quarterly. David Frank is in charge of
inviting neighborhoods. Per CM Lilligren there is an additional $500k now and $700k in the future to dedicate to the
reopening of Nicollet. The next meetings will include WA so we can start influencing the discussion and stating our
priorities. It was noted that each year the City CLIC (long range planning committee) $ is discussed for the 5yr plan.
CM Lilligren does a good job of keeping the $ in front of the committee. Until there’s a plan, it is not on the list of
important issues. WA really needs to stay up front. Marian will represent the Whittier neighborhood for the time
being. There will be broader community engagement in the future.
RPO Seminar Report: Marian Biehn There was a Rental Property Owners workshop on July 17. There were about
25 RPO’s who showed up. The guest speaker manages a lot of property south of Whittier with a lot of Sec 8 tenants.
She has turned the building around from a high crime property. Her message was that people on Sec 8 don’t have to
have marginal buildings. It was well received. Some push back on bad tenants. It will be a qtrly event. Different
speaker each time. Some of the Whittier landlords with marginal properties were in attendance—the caretaker from
2640 attended. A question was asked about getting improvements from property mgmt. on maintenance and tenant
screening. To report problems to 311 has not always been effective. The recommendation was to continue calling
311 but also report the building to Marian or Jen. The WA has a process of sending out letters to problem properties
identifying the complaints and list of police calls. This has been effective in getting the landlord’s attention.
2013 Whittier Calendar – Arts in Whittier: Marian Biehn The WA has produced several annual calendars. There
has been some resistance to doing them due to the cost. Is there support for doing another calendar? The proposal
is to do an ‘Arts in Whittier’ – broadly defined art. It generates good will and people have come to expect the
calendar. Question asked – can we deliver them so residents don’t throw them out? They should not be delivered
with junk mail. Residents expect one, must be in mail before the end of the year. Meet a specific deadline for
production or don’t do it. The Stakeholder Engagement Task Force should oversee it.
BD Motion 3: The WA Board moves to support the creation of a 2013 Whittier Calendar. Motion carried 13-0-1
NCCEC Election Report: Natascha Shawver
Natascha was the Whittier representative to the Neighborhood Community Engagement Committee election.
Whittier is in district 6 and a new representative to the NCEC needed to be elected. She reported that the 2
candidates for Dist. 6 did not seem very aware of the important issues for neighborhoods. None of people asked
about funding, rather they were asking about bike trails. A vote was placed for the person who had more genuine
interest in helping neighborhoods. Natascha did not feel that the elected committee will be very effective.
Meeting Adjourned: 8:30
Minutes Respectfully Submitted by:
Lisa Garty
Approved Aug. 23, 2012
__________________________________________
Erica Christ, Board Chair
__________________________________________
Natascha Shawver, Board Secretary
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