HSPI General Meeting, November 28, 2023, Hope Lutheran Church
Call to Order at 7:02pm by President, Mark Manovich
Attendee introductions and post-meeting mini-social invite
COMMUNITY REPORTS
City of Dayton Police – Josh, our neighborhood officer.
- A few breaking and entering. DPD continues to keep an eye on the Hickory Center building (424 Hickory Street) due to previous break-ins. The City of Dayton has listed 424 Hickory as an abandoned nuisance building.
- In Twin Towers, there is an apartment off Xenia Avenue that is dealing drugs and is being closely monitored with the drug unit and Josh. If South Park is experiencing thievery, it’s probable the the thieves will go to Xenia Avenue to exchange stolen goods for drugs. Josh encouraged neighbors to continue to monitor Sunoco (at Wayne/Keowee) and report what looks like criminal behavior. Neighbors told Josh that the recent DPD initiative to reduce crime at Sunoco has been noted by neighbors that criminal activity is less noticeable. Thank you to Matt Miller, the owner of Carl’s Body Shop who removed the weedy shrubs that were hiding trespassers.
- 521 Wyoming – a known thief is taking items to this residence.
- 638 Oak Street – noticeably half boarded and concerns shared by neighbors, criminal nuisance property.
- 135 Foraker (west of Warren St, referred to as Old South Park) was boarded up and clean out after being a haven for drug use and thieves for years.
General Meeting Minutes: November minutes will be shared at the January meeting.
Election of 3 new HSPI officers all running unopposed:
- President – Mark Manovich
- Treasurer – Galen Wilson
- 2nd VP – Sarah Dugan
Members moved to vote yes/all officers approved by acclamation.
President’s Report
- The Liberty School that will be built at Wayne/Wyoming submitted drawings to the City that don’t meet historic neighborhood standards. Mark will share his concerns about the design of the building with the City, the architects, and Dayton Landmark Commission.
- HSPI leadership (Mark) took part in a Sunoco Meditation session on Nov. 9, 2023, where the owners of Sunoco and Target Dayton heard/answered grievances from surrounding neighbors and organizations who asked them to do more to prevent crime (such as hiring security, locking their dumpster, removing obstructive ads from their windows for a clear site-line into the store) and challenged Target Ministries on their policy of busing homeless people from throughout the region and allowing them to remain in South Park/Twin Towers rather than returning them by bus. Target Ministries said it’s not their people who commit crimes at Sunoco, South Park, Twin Towers. Attendees: Mediation Team, City Reps, Walnut Hills, Twin Towers Business Association, East End Community Org, Sheriff’s Dept., Health District, Sonoco, Target Dayton.
- The City of Dayton asked Mark to inform HSPI members of the proposed Income Tax Renewal. Mark urged everyone to inform themselves about whether the funds from Issue 9 were spent wisely and it you’d like to renew the Issue 9 levy. Here’s a Dayton Daily News article to read.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Social: Christmas Cocktails, Dec. 15th 6-8pm at 112 Park (Kristina and Tom’s). Bring an appetizer or dessert to share. Cookie exchange and Santa at Hope Lutheran Church, Dec. 17th 3-5pm. Third Annual Euchre tournament is being rescheduled, date TBD.
Marketing and Communications: no report
Parks: Leaf pick up #1, the City floated through the neighborhood a few extra times thanks to prompting from the Chair of Parks. Leaf pick up #2 is the week of January 8th. Outdoor holiday lights going up on Park boulevard and South Park Green.
Block Captains: preparing to go door-to-door with flyers about the SP Historic House Plaques and the 2024 Annual membership drive.
Anti-Crime: no report
Housing/Development: HSPI and the City Housing Inspector monitoring 45 houses in South Park and have filed legal orders filed on many for structural issues. The City is also helping Wayne Avenue Tire store comply with their parking lot and proper tire storage.
Treasurer’s report: HSPI begain 2023 with $15,300 and ended with $11,267. Still expecting our outlay for the City Mini-grant for South Park Urban Garden to be reimbursed. We had $1,100 in membership dues, Shakespeare in South Park raised $1,000 and the Murder Mystery Home Tour brought an additional $1,000.
Motion made by Heath to thank Holly for her 10 years volunteering as Treasurer! Seconded by Amanda and many others. Thank you, Holly DiFlora!
NEW BUSINESS
South Park Historic House Plaques: After much research, Heath MacAlpine found a source for the plaques, Non-Ferrous Casting Company, Inc. who can also engrave the plaques with your preferred verbiage. (E.g., Circa 1892, street address, name or original builder as in The Perrine House” or whatever). Pricing per plaque based on volume is as follows:
When we order from 5-9 plaques the cost is $331.40 each, Orders of 10-14 reduce the price to $290.11 each, On group orders of 15-24, we pay $254.72 each; Ordering more than 25 further reduces the price.
Galen moved that Heath gather a committee to promote the availability of plaques and encourage neighbors to express their interest. The motion included an amendment that HSPI will not spend funds from our operating budget on these but could accept payments from individuals to achieve a price level that’s affordable, and HSPI would then pay the manufacturer. It’s up to Heath and his committee to promote them.
AES Alley Security Lights: Amanda Korb shared an alley security option she is pursuing: An AES (formerly DP&L) Nightguard Light. While the City of Dayton doesn’t put street lights in alley ways, AES will install Nightguard Lights in your alley at no cost. Of course, you will pay for the electricity but it can be split between several households. This is great option for our neighbors with alley access who need extra security. If you’d like to explore this option, here’s the application that explains the program. You may email the completed form to [email protected]. The AES Construction Department phone is 937-331-4860.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: none
No General Meeting in December.
Meeting adjourned at 8:10pm. Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 23, 2024