ECCO Meeting Minutes for April 7th, 2011

ECCO Meeting Minutes for April 7th, 2011

Meetings are held at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church at 7:00
Minutes submitted by Katherine St. Martin

Attendance
Board members: Nancy Ward (President), Glen Christianson (Treasurer), Katherine St. Martin (Secretary), Tim Norkus-Crampton, Heather Wulfsberg, Brad Durham, Blake Harper, Judy Shields, Jim Smith, Gael Ellis,
 Monica Smith (NRP), Meg Tuthill (City Council Representative)
Gary Farland (Guest), Cynthia Stokes (Minneapolis POPs), Jenna and Alex Victoria (Amore Victoria), Anita Tabb (Park and Recreation Board Commissioner) and several community residents were in attendance.

Minutes from March 3rd Meeting approved

Announcements
-Gael announced that the K-3 Literacy volunteer tutor training for Minneapolis Public Schools last training event will be held this spring on April 18th,3-5pm, at 2225 East Lake Street – but there will be more to follow this summer!  If you are interested in tutoring children to read please contact Abe Wofse, abe.wofse@mpls.k12.mn.us or 612-668-3989. 

-Gary announced that the Joyce Uptown Food Shelf annual Hot Dish Potluck fundraiser with an additional theme this year of  “Trash or Treasure?” antiques appraising event will be Sunday, April 10th from 4 to 8 pm at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church. 

-Cynthia Stokes, a professional flutist for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, announced the POPs Orchestra Association’s season opening performance at the Lake Harriet Bandshell on July 2nd.  The POPS organization is comprised of all professional musicians who provide no admission concerts in the summer at the Lake Harriet and Nicollet Island for the community.  She asked that ECCO continue to support the summer community concerts with their annual donation.  The ECCO community organization has donated to the POPs Orchestral Association since the 80’s. 

Meg Tuthill (City Council Representative)   
1.    The Urban Agriculture Policy Plan was adopted by the Zoning and Planning Committee of the City Council with some edits on April 7th. The edits can be found at: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2011 - meetings/20110415/ZPAgenda20110407.asp  which included not allowing any hoofed animals in the urban gardens, no area lighting, or allowing garden products to be sold on the premises.  An ECCO resident did bring the concerns surroundings the need for soil testing to Meg’s attention and she is currently researching what kind of soil tests are being conducted by the City on the potential sites.  The City will vote on the Urban Agricultural Policy Plan the following week.
2.    The City has allocated a million dollars to fixing the potholes on City streets.  If you see a pothole that needs attention, please call 311.  The neighborhoods are being repaired in segments in order to maximize effort.
3.     The Spring street cleaning is currently ongoing; it runs for 4 weeks and starts April 12th.  The alleys were started on April 4th.  
4.    The Minneapolis City Charter Commission reviews and formulates Charter proposals. To accomplish this they solicit ideas from citizens, city staff and elected officials.  They are seeking Board members; applications and information available on the City’s webpage: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/charter-commission/
5.    The City is releasing $2.7 million of the frozen Phase II funds back to NRP for equitable distribution.
6.    Mobile Food Vendors can apply for 3 sites within Uptown in the areas adjacent to the Mosaic project, Cowboy Slims, and the TCF Bank lot.  Vendors cannot operate within 100 ft of a restaurant facility or after 10pm. 
7.    As always, you can contact Meg’s office at 612-673-2210 or meg.tuthill@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.
a.    Brad asked whether the Mayor has indicated when property taxes will be returned to sustainable levels and to address the long-term effects of increasing property taxes on neighborhoods such as ECCO. Brad also asked what exactly the new City Auditor is going as the Southwest article seemed to indicate his interests focus on the incoming aspect of the budget rather than the outgoing.
b.    Nancy thanked Meg for her support of urban agriculture, and expressed concern about continuing deposit of toxins from the HERC. Glen also spoke about how unpleasant it was at the new Twins' stadium because of the garbage burning. Covanta Energy has applied to increase garbage incineration by 20%, from 1,000 tons to 1,212 tons per day of mixed solid waste (half of which is currently recyclable/compostable). The plume of heavy metals, dioxin and particulates has not been monitored since 1986.  The Planning Commission denied the permit on public health grounds, but Covanta, is appealing the Planning Commission's Denial of a Conditional Use Permit to do this.  The issue has been postponed, but may be at public hearing soon. Contact Councilman Gary Schiff, Gary.Schiff@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.

Jenna and Alex Victoria, Amore Victoria, presented their plan for an outdoor roof patio atop their restaurant building. 
Background History: The ECCO Board presented their concerns regarding a rooftop patio in a letter to the City prior to the March Public Hearing for the Amore Victoria restaurant expansion.  A brief summary of the ECCO concerns follows:
We are grateful for the good presence of Victoria Amore in the ECCO neighborhood, for the quality of service and oversight with which they have run their business up to now. We look forward to working closely with VA owners to maintain an establishment that serves the community, particularly insofar as they respect the basic quality of life enjoyed by its resident neighbors.
•    We strongly recommend that the City of Minneapolis complete a thorough examination of its current noise ordinances; subsequently, and soon, change them to reflect the relatively new reality of rooftop patios and the unique issues that flow from this reality. We ask that the revised ordinances be clear, such that they can be clearly enforced.
•    We strongly recommend that the City of Minneapolis change its parking policy as it relates to dining/drinking establishments in Uptown to accurately reflect the parking pressure, even from “temporary” use. The current mandate is very weak, forcing dining/drinking patrons to park well into residential areas. This unfairly and seriously penalizes residents who must use on-street parking.
•    We encourage the City to take a proactive role in leading neighborhoods in the careful discernment of rooftop dining/drinking patios. The reality of already established rooftop patios and the likelihood of annual proposals for new patios--especially in dense mixed-use neighborhoods like Uptown--demand the City’s careful, proactive participation.
•    We strongly recommend that the City relax the height restrictions for the fence the owners will be placing along the southern side of the proposed patio. Heights of 10-12’ (which are beyond the current limit) would not be inappropriate to shield neighbors from noise and to offer neighbors some continued privacy.
•    We strongly recommend that the City uphold its prohibition of live music and its restrictions regarding amplified music on this proposed rooftop patio.
•    We strongly recommend that the City limit Victoria Amore to 80 patrons on its proposed rooftop patio, the number the owners use in describing their intent.
•    We strongly recommend that the owners of Victoria Amore remain firm to their stated vision that this patio be landscaped with shrubs and trees and other accessories to create a more subdued environment while also creating some sound absorbers.
•    We strongly recommend that the owners remain extremely vigilant regarding disorderly conduct and any behaviors that may impinge on the quality of life of resident neighbors.

These concerns were incorporated into the City’s conditions for license which Jenna and Alex signed.  The owners presented these conditions to the ECCO board members:
1. There will be NO music on the patio
2. There will be NO smoking allowed on the patio
3. The patio will close Sunday-Thursday at 10:30pm and Friday & Saturday at 11pm, earlier than the regular closing time of our restaurant
4. We will post a sign alerting patrons to be quiet and courteous, and respectful while dining and when exiting the premise.
5. We will install a six to eight foot tall privacy fence along the south side of the building to prohibit any ambient noise.
6. No obtrusive lighting will be used.  Most of the lighting will be soft lantern lighting and candle light
The only ECCO concern that did not have a City condition supporting it was the parking concern.  The owners clarified that there are 35 actual parking spaces behind the restaurant available after the neighboring salon closes.  One Board member suggested the possibility of validating parking from the Calhoun Square Parking Ramp or offering a discount for patrons that pay for parking in the ramp.  The owners have followed up with the Zoning Committee since the meeting, actively pursuing this option among others to alleviate this existing concern for neighbors.   A neighboring ECCO couple attended the meeting to voice their concerns regarding the noise condition.  They felt that the restaurant should be held to the City ordinance time of 10pm for excessive noise and that it suggested a double standard to let them stay open till 10:30pm.  Jenna responded that 10:30pm was the City’s suggested condition and she signed the agreement because 10:30 closing time will be significantly earlier than the restaurants or ground level patio seating in the area.  The Amore Victoria rooftop patio issue will come before the City for a vote in approximately a month.

Anita Tabb (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Commissioner) presented several timely issues to the Board. 
1.    The Minneapolis Riverfront Design Competition selected one of the four finalists, Tom Leader Studio and Kennedy & Violich Architecture to move into the planning phase for creating a framework for this visionary park plan.  The Riverfront project is funded through Legacy and other specific park allocated non property tax based funding.
2.    Minneapolis Recycle Fun Run 5K is on April 17th at Lake Harriet will benefit Minneapolis Parks. Find out more at www.mineapolisrecyclerun.com
3.    Park and Rec Board is revamping the hours for Minneapolis Rec Centers to evaluate which hours would best suit each population of users at individual sites. For example, the Kenwood and Whittier Rec Centers will be moving to 7-days a week in order to satisfy the high demand at those centers. 
4.    Nancy voiced the idea of using Park Board funds for the community gardens; which Anita acknowledged as a valid idea but emphasized that it would not be prioritized for this year. Nancy also asked for a Park Board member to check on the status of the Loon Lake Trail. Nancy asked that the boundaries of park land be defined, so as not to be used for overflow storage by adjacent residences. Anita agreed, now that there is easy access.
5.    Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has arrived in Minneapolis. Anita made it clear that she supports ECCO’s neighborhood decisions to either proactively remove and replace the Ash trees or treat them preventatively or a combination of those options.  She did show maps of the confirmed Ash bore spread throughout Prospect Park and crossing the river.  This issue is currently being researched and it is unknown how fast it will spread and to what extend.  The preventative treatments available are to inject the trees (not the soil drench treatment).  The ECCO neighborhood and specifically Irving Ave sought out the aid of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in order to attempt this proactive approach of remove and replace Ash trees in a 5 year phased project.  The first 8 trees identified in this plan were removed last Fall. 
a.    Several neighbors spoke out regarding the tree removal and replacement tactic.  They felt that the notification process was not robust enough and that neighbors did not understand why their trees were coming down.  There were several neighbors who mentioned that since the spread of the EAB is uncertain, it seems wrong to cut down all the Ash in just 5 years leaving Irving Ave nearly bald. 
The Board unanimously moved to give an additional five minutes of the agenda to this important topic.  
b.    Although a proactive approach was deemed responsible by many and a partnership with the Park Board should be encouraged, the neighborhood remarks made it clear that the timeframe of 5 years needs to be re-assessed and the overall replacement versus treatment plan looked in greater detail with more time for everyone’s perspective.  This topic will have significant agenda time in June’s meeting.
   
Committee Reports:
Treasurer’s Report
Glen passed out the revised ECCO 2011 budget and pointed out the differences between last year and this year.  There are several budget items that were normally covered by the NRP budget funding that are now on the ECCO budget because the new NCR funding has specific parameters for applicable spending.  Glen will adjust the budget documents to reflect that money is received. 
Last year's insurance premium was very low due to an error on the company's part. This year's rate is projected to rise substantially. Judy offered to investigate other insurance providers.

The Board unanimously moved to give an $500 donation to the Minneapolis POPs Orchestral Association in order to continue community concerts at Lake Harriet with no admission.  

The Board unanimously moved to allow Brad to open dialogue with St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church regarding a recycling possibility for the upcoming Greek Festival.   

Glen emphasized that as the allocations of money come in this year, the Board needs to set aside the time and analysis to do long-term saving and financial planning so that these funds can sustain the community in future years when NRP is not available.

Social Committee
Monica announced the Super Sale is the first Saturday in June.  The “Meet at the Movies” Social event for the ECCO neighborhood at the Suburban World Theater on March 13th hosted more than 15 ECCO families.    In an effort to coordinate the Social Committee between meetings, Judy will be holding a Social Committee meeting to create a calendar of events and do some long term planning. 

Safety Committee
Monica worked with local police point of contact to sent out a helpful Crime Alert to everyone on the ECCO e-mail list to promote rapid awareness of safety issues in the neighborhood.

NRP Committee
As Spring nears it is time to consider renewing the incentive program to provide $250 for neighbors who want to treat their Elm, Ash, or Oak against known insect population. 

The Board unanimously moved to renew the tree treatment incentive program.   

Environmental “Green Team” Committee
Brad represented Sarah and gave updates on the upcoming events.
1.    Earth Day cleanup around the lakes is April 16th with sign-up at the Tin Fish from 09:30 -12:00. 
2.    The Waste Watchers program is currently designing and progressing with lawn signs. Waste Watchers is also interested in adding an advertisement in the UNN.  Brad/Sarah will check with Nancy and Monica to confirm whether the intention is to use the ECCO monthly space. There are also ongoing house visits available (contact Sarah Sponheim) to teach recycling and composting techniques.  Sarah will also host a tea party for the community in order to teach these techniques through demonstration.  Data acquisition on waste in the neighborhood is ongoing. 

Meeting adjourned.
Next ECCO Meeting will be held on May 5th 2011 at 7 pm inside St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church.