BUENA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION Minutes of the Meeting Tuesday, January 25, 2011 At the Home of Brian Habekoss and Jose Gonzalez at 322 Mayellen
Meeting called to order at 7:15 PM PRESENT: [14 people present]
Members: Robert Solis (President) Brian Ward (Vice President) Loui Tucker (Secretary) Sabine Zappe (Treasurer) Jose Gonzalez Brian Habekoss Michael LaRocca John Leyba Marisol Leyba (and Barbara)
Linda Solis Steve Rogers
Guests: Pierreluigi Oliverio Steve Kline Chris Schumb
Note: Lara Tran could not attend due to a family emergency.
MINUTES - Approved of prior meeting presented and approved as posted. TREASURER’S REPORT BVNA currently has $495.27. Dues are payable in March 2011. Loui
will send out a reminder through the yahoo group.
The McVay lot on Willard This empty lot is now up for sale for $325,000, about $100,000 less than what Mr. McVay paid for it. It is bank owned and offered through Dave Williams of Coldwell-Banker. It is zoned R-3, so is ideal for some developer who wants to build apartments or condos. We need to keep an eye on the property, especially the weeds this spring, and be sure the bank or Coldwell-Banker is contacted to keep them under control. There was a discussion about possible use for this lot.
A community garden is something everyone would like, but there would need to be
water source and way of paying for the use of that water. There was water at one time (a house was on the property many years ago), but there is no obvious outlet now. There would also need to be a shed constructed to hold tools.
A pocket park would be wonderful, but the City is not in any position to buy the property. Even if someone were to buy the land and donate it, money would have to be found to develop the park and maintain it. Concerns about the depth of the site and seeing, accessing and policing the back of the lot - that cannot be any worse than having apartments or condos built and not being able to see/access/police the back of such a complex.
The Bascom Library and Community Center. There will be a meeting at the Willow Glen Library on Saturday, March 5 at 10:30 to discuss options for getting this completed building staffed and opened. Is there some way to get it opened even for 3 days per week or limited hours 5 days a week? Can just a portion of the building be opened? Can a tenant be found for part of the building that will help pay to maintain and staff the remainder, a café, for example? There is a Friends of the Bascom Library sponsoring this brainstorming session. Loui has received an email about this event and will forward it to the BVNA yahoo group so everyone will have the information.
BVNA Phone Service. The existing phone service needs to be renewed. It was suggested that we get a “google voice” service for $10. Jose said he could arrange for this service and he may be able to get the existing phone number transferred. He will have any voicemails sent to president@bvnasj.org, which is currently being forwarded to Robert Solis.
Minutes of BVNA General Meeting 2/22/2011
2011 CAP Grant. Robert will be preparing an application for a CAP grant to cover on- going administrative costs. Applications are due this month. Grants are for a minimum of $500, and up to $5000. This will cover things like a Dumpster Day in the spring, a newsletter (printing and postage), etc.
Membership. Membership is $25 per household. Dues can be paid on the BVNA’s website, by mailing or giving a check to Sabine (Treasurer), bringing a check to the next BVNA meeting, or mailing a check to the PO Box.
Elections. Elections will be held in July. Robert will be involved in another theater production and cannot continue as president. We need to start thinking about new officers.
Park Maintenance. John reiterated the need for committed volunteers to maintain the Buena Vista Park once it is built.
He plans to canvas the homes along Mayellen. If enough volunteers can be found, he
hopes to set up 8 hours a year as the commitment level needed to maintain the park. [The fewer the volunteers, the more hours each volunteer has to work.] He also plans to solicit NAC members. While he’s out there he plans to talk to residents about all community issues, such as the Bascom Library,
John was scheduled to meet with Evelyn (who has been very responsive), but the meeting had to be cancelled. She was going to bring “real” drawings showing the plans for the park, including the ‘transitional area’ (where the fence, utility pole, wires, etc. are located) that will make the park look like one BIG park instead of two lots that were stuck together.
Should we plan a celebration with respect to the new park? A ground-break ceremony? A Foundation Removal Ceremony? Perhaps in May/June after the rain has stopped.
Budget. There current budget proposal before the City Council to out-source all park maintenance, not opening any libraries current on line, eliminating crossing guards, closing some of the small community centers, reducing the number of fire stations and reducing police and firefighting staffs. There has been discussions of furlough days for non-public safety positions. They would rather cut salaries than eliminate jobs.
Redistricting Commission. Chris Shumb, Commissioner for San Jose Redistricting Committee, spoke to the group about the Redistricting Commission. On the left side of the City’s website, there is a link to the Redistricting Committee.
Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census information is out, the City needs to redraw the
district lines to balance the population representation. The population in the City’s districts have to be within 10% of each other. They need to redraw the lines sensitively using various criteria so as to maintain the natural boundaries for the City’s neighborhoods.
There will be 11 public meetings between March and May, held in all seven districts; public comment is always welcome.
They need to look at future growth through development and/or annexation. They also need to avoid diluting votes (and therefore power) by gerrymandering or isolating certain populations, or carving business districts away from the populations they serve. No - they will not just erase all the boundaries and start from scratch. The goal is to make the minimal changes in order to balance the served populations.
Minutes of BVNA General Meeting 2/22/2011
The Moorpark Mess. John has been working on talking to administration of San Jose City College about doing something about the litter on the north side of Moorpark which is a de facto parking lot for San Jose City College. [Moorpark spelled backwards = “krap room”]. He has a meeting scheduled with the new SJCC President Barbara Cavalier about possibly getting a key club involved, or sending their own grounds crew over once in a while. The SJCC administration is changing and hopefully this will be a positive change, and they will listen to the concerns of the community around the college. SJCC is reportedly very close to losing accreditation and they are very concerned. If they do lose accreditation, credits earned there will not transfer out to 4-year colleges which will decrease the incentive for students to attend SJCC.
West San Carlos Business Association. This association is working to become a “commercial improvement district” but there is insufficient support to tax themselves. About 25% of the members favor a self-tax, 50% are neutral and 25% are opposed.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The next BVNA meeting will be on Tuesday, March 29 at the home of John and Marisol Leyba at 323 Mayellen.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 PM.