GGNA Board Meeting Minutes
GGNA MEETING MINUTES 5/13/08
1. Call to Order – A regular meeting of the Greater Goethe Neighborhood Association was held on May 13, 2008 at the Goethe Elementary School. Johnny Elias (President), John Burns (Secretary), Sally Hamann, Ramon Tembledor, Doug vanderHoof and Neil Trifunovski were in attendance. A quorum being present, the meeting was called to order at 6:10 PM. John Burns announced that he did not have minutes from the April BOD meeting. The board members recalled conversations about Club 2047; there were no pressing issues discussed and no votes taken.
2. Treasurer’s Report - Bryan Hill (Treasurer) was not in attendance at the meeting. However, Bryan did communicate with John Burns prior to the meeting to let him know the only activity for 2008 has been total deposits of $154.44 for membership dues. The current balance in the GGNA’s checking account is approximately $2,100.00.
Committee Reports:
a. Public Safety Committee – Sally Hamann provided an update of the recent CAPS meeting. Sally said that the topic of graffiti was discussed, as well as the police camera being moved to Goethe School from Stave Street which has been turned off at this time. She said a written report could be found on GGNA’s website. Johnny Elias said gangs have been targeting people at Danny’s, the liquor store on Western and Lyndale.
b. Zoning and Planning Committee – Sally Hamann provided an update of the recent ZAPC community meeting where Raymond Valadez from the Alderman’s Office was present to run the meeting. The meeting was regarding the requested zoning changes for 2154 N. Maplewood. An RT-4.5 zoning was requested for the installation of dormers to expand the top floor. The few neighbors that attended the meeting did not object to the owner’s plans. ZAPC will make a recommendation on the zoning changes at the May 19th ZAPC meeting.
News from the ZAPC’s April monthly meeting included the following:
2425 N. Rockwell – An RT-4 zoning was sought by the property owner (3 stories). The ZAPC requested a RS-3 zoning and will possibly grant an RS-3.5. The crucial point was the owner wanted to add a separate unit in the basement which the RS-3.5 will allow them to do. The zoning would then be adjusted down to RS-3 after the completion of the project.
Sally also mentioned that the representatives for 2660 W. Armitage never showed up for the meeting.
Officers were selected at the meeting. Sally Hamann – Chair; Doug vanderHoof – Secretary; and Gabrielle Sutton– back-up person.
c. Senior/Youth Committee – Johnny Elias led a discussion on the committee’s proposed activities. Raquel Geverola and John Burns discussed the Campbell Terrace Computer Initiative, which will begin on Monday, June 16th. John Burns discussed the Youth Basketball Tournament to be held in mid-July in the parking lot of the police station. Johnny Elias discussed forming a soccer training camp with Alejandra Geraldo being the coach. Alejandra attended the BOD meeting ans was commended by the BOD for her desire to volunteer her time. The soccer camp would begin sometime after July 13th and will include children ages 8-15.
d. Membership, Communication and Fund Raising Committee – John Burns
distributed an outline of goals/objectives for the GGNA Membership Committee.
Membership Social - It was decided the Membership Social would be held on Saturday, June 21st; John will call Barbara Kargas (principal of Goethe School) to confirm use of the school’s playground for the event. He will prepare an outline of ideas for the social in Word format and forward it to everyone for their feedback. Local restaurants will be asked to supply food and drinks for the event. Door hangers with details about the social will be printed in both English and Spanish to promote the social. Additionally, a notice will be posted on the listserve.
Business Owner Memberships – John Burns discussed putting together a Business Member Package to encourage businesses to join the GGNA. Sally Hamann suggested contacting Paul Levin of the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce to vent the idea. John Burns will arrange a meeting with Paul and notify other board members.
Updating the website – John Burns to send an e-mail to Jon Wetterstein regarding the update of the GGNA website.
3. Club 2047 Update –
Jerry Gabrielatos with Alderman Flores’s office provided an update of the latest Club 2047 meetings. It was recommended that V-Live join the listserve. Jerry said traffic flow still needs to be addressed. V-Live will devise a “smoking pen” similar to the one in the Congress Theatre to accommodate smokers. V-Live will also make parking passes available for purchase on-line. Vicky Schmidt suggested setting up a cab stand.
In other news, Vicky Schmidt and Paul Levin will be organizing a tavern league so bar and restaurant owners along Milwaukee Avenue between Western and California Avenues may address issues among each other.
4. Presentation by Reverend Ray Maldonado -
Reverend Maldonado discussed the problem of permit parking around Urban Vineyard Church (2145 N. Maplewood). Some members of the congregation have been getting ticketed during church services. Reverend Maldonado is suggesting zone parking be made exempt on Sundays from 9:00A to 9:00P. The Alderman’s Office suggested he talk to the neighbors in homes surrounding the church (Maplewood and Shakespeare). Reverend Maldonado started a petition and has collected 18 signatures so far. Doug vanderHoof suggested posting a notice on the listserve. Sally Hamann will make Reverend Maldonado a member on the listserve.
5. New BOD Business –
a. May 27th GGNA General Members’ Business Meeting – The committees will report their statuses at the meeting. John Burns will call Goethe School to confirm use of the facilities for the meeting. The agenda for the meeting to include (but not be limited to) the following: Committee Reports; Announcements of Youth Summer Programs; Discussion on the GGNA’s 501C-3 Status; and the Members Social on June 21st.
b. Eliminating GGNA’s 501C-3 status – Sally Hamann brought up the idea of eliminating the 501C-3 status. There was no formal information provided to allow an educated discussion of this idea. It was suggested an attorney and/or accountant prepare a list of the pros and cons relating to this idea. Doug vanderHoof suggested beginning a dialogue on the 501C-3 status on the listserve and at the May 27th meeting.
6. Open Floor –
a. Joe Kopera and Vicky Schmidt suggested that GGNA’s BOD should have requirements with regard to meeting attendance, just as the ZAPC does.
b. Joe Kopera also suggested using Yahoo’s general poll feature for non-binding issues. It can be a useful tool to get a feel for various topics. Sally Hamann liked the idea and might try it for ZAPC. Doug vanderHoof suggested a sample poll. The BOD commended Joe for all of his hard work on the poll.
7. Future BOD Meeting Schedule - The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 10th at Goethe School. As usual, the meeting will begin at 6:00P and conclude by 8:00P as the janitor leaves the school at that time.
8. Meeting Adjourned – The meeting was adjourned at 8:03P.
