BUENA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION Minutes of the Meeting Tuesday, March 31, 2009 At the Home of Jerry and Ruth White at 431 Menker
Meeting called to order at 7:07 PM
PRESENT: [9 people present] Brian Ward (President) Robert Solis (Vice President) Loui Tucker (Secretary) Sabine Zappe (Treasurer) Sally Henning
Marty Lamb Steve Rogers Bruce Stevens Ruth White
MINUTES - Corrected and approved. TREASURER’S REPORT Sabine Zappe reported as follows:
Bank Balance: Outstanding bills Membership income
$454.12 $0.00
$195.00 [received at the meeting] $649.12
Sabine will check the post office box for additional dues checks that were mailed.
After some investigation, it was determined that the phone we have now is the best plan available and it is paid up for two years, so we will keep the phone number and program we have now.
At least one dues payment was made via the BVNA’s website. There is money in the BVNA’s PayPal account that needs to be transferred to the BVNA bank account. Loui will look into doing this.
Due to financial constraints and the cost of postage, the BVNA will no longer be mailing meeting postcard notices. The yahoo group announcements will have to suffice.
STATUS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Removal notices have been placed on the trees on Willard near Scott. Replacement trees will be provided, but sidewalk repair is now left to the property owners. They can either do the repairs themselves or the City will do the repairs and bill the property owner.
325 South Willard made the deadline placed on it by City Code Enforcement to get the back of the lot cleared.
The gutters at 428 Page Street have been dug out, but it is still not draining correctly following the patch job.
The huge hole at the end of Douglas was repaired and paved over.
Problems still exist at 403 and 408 Page Street. Loui Tucker reported that the Blight Report is not working very well. Reports of blight appear to be disappearing into a bottomless pit. It is best to email Nashmeel and/or Lara (which Loui will do).
Nothing new to report on the application for an alcohol license for the mini-market on Scott Street.
There is graffiti on the fence by the empty used car lot at the end of Mayellen and also on the wall facing Dana Street by the West San Carlos Shopping Center. Loui Tucker said she would email this and/or call it in to the Graffiti Hotline.
Minutes of BVNA General Meeting 3/31/09
Sally commented that the Menclair Apartment complex is being kept up by the owners/managers and graffiti is being painted over almost the same day it appears.
Abandoned shopping carts are becoming a problem which was discussed at the meeting. The “boots” on the Safeway carts don’t work because you just need a screwdriver to remove it. Sally mentioned a father telling his son to push a shopping cart down to the park. Safeway and FoodMax both have services which drive around picking up carts. Take the carts probably amounts to petty theft. Calling the sheriff or police doesn’t do much good because by the time someone arrives, the person and the cart are gone, and if the person can be cited, there is only a warning given. There was some thought to asking the stores to lock up the carts and charge a fee ($1? 25¢?) to use them. If you see a cart that is NOT being picked up you can call the numbers listed on the BVNA website.
Bruce Steven reported on the meth dealer who was raided next door at 398Menker. The police broke down the door, but it has since been repaired. The house was being rented from George, who lives a few houses south on Menker. It was not a meth lab, just a distribution center. There is some concern about what George will do now, possibly have his daughter move in to the vacant residence.
The For Sale sign on the tiny house next to Shelby and Larry on Menker is gone. Nobody knows if it sold or just taken off the market.
OLD BUSINESS
VTA Sunol Project. With respect to increased density as proposed by the developers, the City could either issue a variance, or rewrite the City’s Midtown Specific Plan. Currently the plans call for three 14-story towers (120 feet high). In addition, there would be six 5-story buildings and 14,000 square feet of retail space. They are proposing to solve the need for green space by putting parks on the tops of the parking structures and also add to the Del Monte park. 1.8 parking spaces per unit are being planned. This is better than before, but not ideal. The “massing” is better. We were again reminded that density and in-filling is coming and all we can hope to do is mitigate.
The BVNA Park Extension. The general plan has been updated and funding will be in place in May or June. Not sure who will actually build out the park. The cactus has been removed and the lot has been leveled. The concrete is still there but the grass is gone. Simian Mercado is in charge and he is definitely a “Friend of the Neighborhood.”
The Bascom Street Park. The property on Bascom that the local residents want for the park across from the Community Center that is under construction seems to be going on and off the For Sale list with the City. The City wants to sell the lot, but all of District 6 wants to keep it for a park. Councilmember Pierreluigi Oliverio reportedly wants to put in more businesses there. If it is for sale, who will buy it?
NAC Realignment. Robert Solis passed around the “Draft Neighborhood Priority Action Items.” Everybody will be fighting for what they want, what will benefit their immediate neighborhood.
Other Neighborhood Parks. The Cahill Park playground is in. Robert Solis attended the dedication. It is an “all ages” playground up to age 13. There is no shade yet, so canopies have been put up to shade the equipment. The field was butchered by the developers and will have to be leveled and repaired (cost approx. $2 million). Also - go visit the Hannah Street mini-park. It is a tiny but nicely done area at the end of Hannah at Auzerais, with tiles showing the pictures of cannery workers who once worked and lived nearby, plus some seating.
Minutes of BVNA General Meeting 3/31/09
The Home Tour. The Home Tour will be cancelled for this year. Only four homes could be signed on and the tour really needs five homes and six would be better. The Grant Funds will be redirected to a newsletter and Robert Solis will take care of doing that. Sally will contact the people who agreed to have their homes on the Home Tour to tell them it is off calendar. Northside Neighborhood also cancelled their tour this year due to “volunteer burn-out.”
Report on the Our-City-Forest Trees. Kyle Drager, the Eagle Scout who made a presentation to the BVNA in June of 2008, finally got the trees planted at: 494 and 532 Clifton Avenue, 509 Richmond Avenue, 360 and 390 Mayellen Avenue.
BVNA Yard Sale. It was suggested that the BVNA hold a yard sale and the proceeds would go into the BVNA Treasury. The date of Saturday, May 9, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM and it will be held at the home of Loui Tucker and Sabine Zappe at 153 Race Street. Loui will send out an email announcing this to the BVNA membership that is on the yahoo group email list.
Scott Street Celebration. Sally and Ken Henning have put together plans for a small party to celebrate the Scott Street improvements. The celebration will be on Saturday, April 11 from 2:00- 5:00 PM. Slider’s Restaurant will be providing hamburgers and hot dogs, tuna and cheese sandwiches, and there also be macaroni salad and a cake. Sally plans to have a group walk down to Scott Street and have a photo shoot.
ION Project. The Stevens home at 406 Menker is finally getting the siding replaced and they may be looking for ION assistance with the front yard. More information when the Stevens decide when and what they want done.
NEW BUSINESS
Signage. The City is planning some community meetings to discuss the updating of the City’s signage ordinances. The City’s Senior Planner Carol Hamilton is putting together a list of people who would be interested in attending such meetings and Loui Tucker has put the BVNA on that list for announcements.
The Red, White, and Rose Parade. July 4 the Shasta-Hanchett Neighborhood Association will be holding their Red, White, and Rose Parade along their neighborhood streets, ending at The Alameda where there will be a small street fair. Eva would like to borrow the BVNA’s racing bed to use as a float. It was agreed she could use the bed so long as some credit or recognition was given to the BVNA for providing the bed as a foundation for the float.
Immanuel Lutheran Church Questionnaire. Robert Solis passed around a questionnaire created by Immanuel Lutheran Church (corner of Moorpark and Leigh). The church is “seeking ways to build relationships with our neighbors and the community at large.” Anyone who would like a copy of the questionnaire can stop by the church and pick up a copy or email Loui Tucker and she will send you a copy by return email.
Stimulus. Brian Ward disclosed that the BVNA will be awarded $5 million from the U.S. govern- ment’s stimulus package. The next several meetings will be spent discussing what to do with the $5 million: The Freeway Park? A traffic light at Douglas and Meridian? A pass-through to the back of the Food-Max Shopping Center from Chiechi? Turn the vacant used car lots on West San Carlos into an old-fashioned public roller rink?
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The next BVNA meeting will be on Tuesday, April 25, at a location to be determined. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.