GGNA Board Meeting Minutes
GGNA MEETING MINUTES 3/11/08
1. Call to Order – A regular meeting of the Greater Goethe Neighborhood Association was held on March 11, 2008 at the Goethe Elementary School. John Burns (Secretary), Sally Hamann, Ramon Tembledor and Doug vanderHoof were present. A quorum being present, the meeting was called to order at 6:10 PM. The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved as read.
2. Treasurer’s Report - Bryan Hill (Treasurer) was not at the meeting. However, Bryan did communicate with John Burns prior to the meeting to let him know there were no credits or debits for the month of February. A written Treasurers Report will be attached to the Minutes when approved at the April Board of Directors meeting.
3. Zoning and Planning Committee – The four BOD members discussed the pertinent information regarding the revised timeline for the selection of the new ZAPC members. The ZAPC application, the revised timeline and the selection process was previously agreed to by Alderman Flores and his Chief of Staff Raymond Valadez.
i. Friday, February 29th: Cover letters and ZAPC Applications were prepared by the BOD and mailed (from the Alderman’s office) to all current GGNA members.
ii. Monday, March 3rd: A notice was posted to the GGNA listserve notifying members of the ZAPC application process. The notice included the cover letter and ZAPC Application.
iii. Monday, March 17th: Deadline for all ZAPC applications to be received by the Alderman’s office. The previous deadline had been set for Friday, March 14th. However, Sally and Doug requested the deadline be pushed back until Monday evening. Sally proposed a motion, Doug seconded the motion and a vote was taken. The proposal was unanimously approved.
iv. Wednesday, March 19th: A Special GGNA BOD meeting to be held at the Bucktown-Wicker Park Library for the selection of the new ZAPC members. The meeting will be begin at 6:00 PM and conclude at 9:00 PM. A motion to call a Special Board meeting was presented, seconded and unanimously approved.
v. Monday, March 24th: The first ZAPC meeting will be held at Goethe School at 6:00 PM; past ZAPC items will be addressed. A temporary secretary will be appointed to take notes for this meeting. Sally reminded the BOD that it needs to reach out to the three groups with requests before the ZAPC. John volunteered to contact these three groups.
vi. Monday, April 21st: ZAPC members will vote on its officers.
ZAPC Guidelines – Drafts of the revised ZAPC Guidelines were distributed via e-mail
prior to the meeting. The BOD members discussed the various issues contained in the
revised ZAPC Guidelines. Johnny Elias to lead a discussion of the new guidelines for
the ZAPC (if everyone has had an opportunity to review the document). Doug and Sally
had issues with the “oversight” language contained in the document. The oversight
language contained in paragraph 5 of the document was to allow the BOD to have a
dissenting position should the greater neighborhood not agree with the recommendation
rendered by the ZAPC. Paragraph 5 reads as follows:
5) The ZAPC will render its recommendations independently of the GGNA Board of Directors. Recommendations of the ZAPC cannot be overridden by GGNA members or GGNA's Board of Directors. However, the GGNA’s Board of Directors may issue its own opinion should the ZAPC’s opinion be contradictory to the desires of the neighborhood as determined by a vote at a publicly held neighborhood meeting. A copy of the ZAPC’s recommendation shall be posted to the file section of the GGNA listserve (along with notification of the posting to all GGNA members via the GGNA listserve) within 24 hours of being delivered to Alderman Flores.
The language Doug and Sally want omitted from the document is highlighted above. A
discussion ensued and with the flowing viewpoints: Doug and Sally said the GGNA
BOD should not have any oversight whatsoever with regard to ZAPC recommendations.
John and Raymond believe the BOD needs the ability to issue a dissenting opinion if it is
determined that the ZAPC has acted in opposition to the majority of neighbors’ desire as
determined by a vote at a public meeting. After a lengthy discussion, John suggested
that either Doug or Sally draft language that would accommodate an option for the BOD
to implement should the ZAPC render an opinion contrary to the desire of the greater
neighborhood as determined by a vote of the neighbors which would be held at a
previously announced public meeting. Doug volunteered to get back to everyone within
the next two days with a draft of the proposed language.
Guidelines for Selecting New ZAPC Members – A discussion was held regarding the
selection criteria for new ZAPC members. It was understood that the criteria must be
crafted to achieve Alderman Flores’ mandate of a diversified ZAPC membership. The
following criteria was discussed:
· Ethnic: The Alderman desires to see a balanced ZAPC reflecting the neighborhood’s diverse ethnic make-up.
· Gender: The ZAPC should be balanced with regard to gender.
· Socioeconomic: The ZAPC should also have a good balance of professionals, working men/women, retirees, etc.
· Geographic: The ZAPC should have representatives from the entire geographic areas within the GGNA. Sally suggested we try to have at least one ZAPC member from each of the CAPS sectors.
· Contributions to the Neighborhood: Consideration should be given to other volunteer and community service work with which the applicants have been involved.
· Professional Background/Education: Because the new ZAPC guidelines exclude developers and real estate agents, the BOD might give certain weight to professionals that have real estate experience. That experience could include architects, attorneys, builders, contractors and other professionals with real estate experience. Other experience such as being a member of another zoning board (not ZAPC) in the past should also be considered.
· Time in Community: This is a sensitive issue on both sides of the coin. There are members of the community that think time in the community should be a major factor in the decision making process (i.e. the longer the better). Others think the new ZAPC should have a balance of “old and new.” This is a criterion that needs careful and balanced consideration.
Selecting the New ZAPC Members – Alderman Flores and the BOD has agreed to
make the selection of new ZAPC members a joint effort. Sally said she would be
recusing herself from the voting process since she will be applying for a position with the
new ZAPC. It was agreed that all BOD members applying for a position would recuse
themselves from the voting process.
ii. Final Report on Fall 2007 Fundraiser for Goethe School “After School Music Program” – After numerous requests from the BOD’s Treasurer for the follow-up paperwork, the BOD still does not have the final accounting of the Fall 2007 After School Music Program fundraiser. Sally had made various requests but has been unable to obtain the paperwork. Friends of Goethe had been the recipient of the fund raising; this organization has been going through the process of achieving its 501C-3 status. The status has been achieved and the paperwork will be provided by the BOD’s April meeting. Congratulations are due Elise Doody-Jones and her associates for their hard work in organizing this group.
iii. Committee Reports:
a. Public Safety Committee – Sally Hamann provided an update of the recent CAPS meeting. The minutes from the meeting will be posted to the listserve this week. Sally said the major topic of discussion at this month’s CAPS meeting was the parking issue at the Congress Theatre. Please check the CAPS minutes for a complete update.
b. Membership, Communication and Fund Raising Committee – John Burns presented his ideas for the formation of the Membership, Communication and Fund Raising Committee. An outline of John’s initiatives were distributed and John asked the other BOD members in attendance to get back to him with their respective thoughts and ideas.
Spring Fling – The BOD agreed to host a member social party this spring when the weather is nicer. The rough timeline discussed was late-April. The idea is to have an outdoor get together on a Saturday afternoon when parents and their kids could attend. The party would be a “barbecue type” event possibly to be held at the Goethe School playground. Local restaurants would be asked to supply food and drink for the event. John will inquire with Goethe School as to the possibility of utilizing the school’s grounds for the event.
March 25th Neighborhood Meeting – Doug suggested we have a neighborhood open house to discuss community issues and BOD initiatives. Sally suggested having someone from the post office come to speak to the group. Sally will be contacting the head of the California Avenue post office and will report back to the BOD. Some suggested that the meeting was too close to get it fully organized in time. Doug did not see this as a problem. Doug was asked to provide an agenda for the meeting which he said would be drafted and distributed.
March 29th Milwaukee Avenue Expo- On Saturday, March 29, the Logan
Square Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the first Milwaukee Avenue
Community Expo. The Expo will be held at the Congress Theater, from 10AM to
3 PM. The Expo is an opportunity for the businesses, residents, institutions and
organizations of the neighborhood around the Fullerton-Armitage-Western-
California area to come out and learn about each other, to meet, greet, discover,
or get re-acquainted with each other. The owner of the Congress Theater is
donating the use of his lobby, and he’s promised to get us some musical
entertainment. More than a dozen merchants, restaurants and institutions have
already signed up to be with us. Doug suggested the GGNA BOD take part in
the Expo. The decision to attend was unanimous.
iv. Future BOD Meeting Schedule - The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 8th at Goethe School. The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM as the janitor leaves the school at 8:00 PM.
v. Meeting Adjourned – The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 PM.
