February 2022 Meeting Minutes

Mark Manovich opened the meeting at 7pm.

Mark welcomed Gail from Goodwill Easterseals Dayton. She gave an update about a campaign to secure unused medication. Six boxes of sharps (used needles) and 8 boxes of unused medications were collected recently. Goodwill also handed out medication disposal envelopes for home use. This was a successful campaign and will be repeated/

Gail introduced Trent She talked about the Wellness Initiative for Senior Education (WISE). This program is for adults 55 and older with a focus on health improvement and answering questions about aging. She is always interested to hear from church groups and others who would appreciate the information she can provide.

She will also be running a program to improve social and emotional learning for teens. This will be at the Dayton Metro Library Southeast Branch on March 28^th from 2:40 to 3:40.

Gail gave an update on the Clubhouse located on Warren Street. It was vandalized in December. It has been secured and programming continues. New windows have been purchased and will be installed soon.

Mark introduced Verletta Jackson from the city of Dayton. She is a community engagement officer. She can be reached at 937-333-3288 or via email at [email protected]   She will have our newsletters available tomorrow.

Karin Manovich is our neighborhood representative for Preservation Dayton Inc. (PDI) which is a local nonprofit focused on the preservation of historic structures. Membership is $15 for an individual or $25 for a family. Membership includes access to recommended contractors and other benefits. In person events will resume in May with an event to honor the Wilsons and the Regniers for their heroic efforts to save two homes on Park Drive.

No January minutes to approve.

President’s report:
The 2022 calendar is posted. Please know that Covid could cause changes/delays/cancellations. If there is an event you would like to volunteer for, please contact Mark or the event chair.

There is a proposal for a new crisis center on Ludlow Street. 825 Ludlow was the AAA building. RI International is proposing a 16-bed 24-hour hold facility for mental health evaluations. Little information has been made available to the neighborhood. The executive board discussed this at the February meeting. Given the lack of information, the proximity to CJ and Daybreak, and the saturation of services nearby, the executive board wrote a letter opposing this facility. RI International was supposed to go to the BZA in February, they have been pulled from the agenda and will now appear at the BZA on March 29^th. Please contact Mark Manovich if you would like to send a letter or have comments about this proposed facility.

Committee Reports:
Historian – Sara Dugan is excited to be working with the executive board. She is helping to plan the 40th Anniversary Celebration. She has also been posting fun historical facts and photos from the neighborhood. If you have any photos you would like to share, please contact her.

Housing and Development – Karin Manovich, the city’s housing inspection system has changed from a single person to a team approach. We will be part of the Greater Downtown team. Cross training on zoning and code enforcement should provide better coverage for the neighborhood. The city is focused on clearing blighted properties. The city will pursue civil and criminal prosecutions in order to be able to collect from properties owned by LLC. Only $55,000 in fees were collected last year. The city has new funding for stabilization and demolition. Karin is working to identify non-contributing structures for demolition and historic structures for stabilization. 319 Wyoming continues to be a problem for the neighborhood. There was a fire at this address and there is an ongoing problem with trash. The structure has been secured on the first floor but is open on the second story. Verletta will contact Housing and Public Works to assist Karin’s efforts for cleanup and window boarding.

Finance – Holly DiFlora reviewed the proposed budget. Currently proposed expenses will exceed expected revenue for 2022. Budget items that may receive mini-grant assistance from the city are listed as fully funded by the neighborhood until the grants are secured. A discussion about how to approve the budget was held. Acknowledgement was made that adjustments to the budget over $500 need to review by the general membership. Kaitlyn Kraus made a motion to approve the budget as written, Abby Reed seconded and the motion passed.

Social – Sarah Morris reviewed the proposed events calendar. Abby Reed will be hosting the New Neighbor Party in May. Hosts are needed for the June and August PPDs. We are returning to a two-house format for the PPDs. Volunteers are needed to chair the Easter Egg Hunt and Halloween Parade.

Marketing – Kaitlyn Kraus, the membership flyers will be ready February 23^rd. Distribution will be done by the block captains. An electronic volunteer survey was sent with the February meeting notice and will be sent again in March. Kaitlyn is also looking for someone with photography skills so she can update the website and for events.

Parks – Jill Davis, mini-grants applications are in process. All neighbors are invited to help in the parks. As the season warms, Jill will send out requests for volunteers. She breaks down each project so that they are not too overwhelming. There is still no word on the South Park Urban Garden for this year. Luke Wuertemberger has volunteered to coordinate the garden again this year. If the current space is not available, an alternate site has been identified.

Block Captains – Brandon Rodgers/Amanda Korb. Volunteers will be needed for the membership campaign.

Membership – Heath MacAlpine, many people have talked about membership – Heath challenges all of us to renew our memberships today! If you have already joined, please encourage your neighbors to join.

Anti-Crime – Mark Keller – nothing to report.

New Business:
Morton Avenue from Hickory to Oak is getting new water lines. The bricks will be removed and then returned to the street. The contractor will post no parking signs and will tow cars when necessary. Other streets in line for new water lines: Bonner, Johnson, Oak, and Hickory. The city has funding for replacing many of the older water lines. Streets will be repaved when they are finished.

Tracy Kraft reminded us that as the weather gets warmer the crimes of opportunity increase and to please be mindful. She had someone on her porch recently. After waiting for an officer to come take a report, she was able to make a police report over the phone. Online reporting is also an option. Tracy says you can call police dispatch to make a report and has offered to help anyone who has trouble with the system.

Bruce  made a motion to adjourn, Abby Reed seconded, the motion passed.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:58pm.

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