Meeting Minutes, April 2, 2014

Preservation Station, Bonnie Anderson, presiding, Start Time: 6:30 PM

Board Member Attendance:

Term ending August 2014		Term ending August 2015
Anderson, Bonnie	x	Bloom, Greg
Boyd, Joe		Carson, Ann	x
Fink, Zoey		Grassel, Kathy	x
Gonzalez, Moisés	x	McGivern, Elaine	x
Grant, Steve		Neutra, Greg & Joni
Spittler, Lee	x	Thornton, Karla	x
		Trefethen, Salley	x

Minutes were distributed via email for review and approved at the meeting with no changes.

Mayor’s Spring Clean Up—Ann said anyone interested in participating could get trash bags at the station and leave them there for pickup by Solid Waste.

Tree Project—For our re-treeing project, the neighborhood should expect to receive $25,000 this fall and the second $25,000 in the spring of 2015. Neighborhood leaders will be named, who will endeavor to get promises to water and care for the trees.

Park Renovation—After a long period of inactivity re plans to renovate Highland Park, Councilor Isaac Benton had a meeting with city leaders and reports that monies have been released. The first change will be the children’s area, with the second change being converting the press club parking lot to walkways.

Boarded-up house at 222 High Street—Bonnie read a strong letter written by Amy and Ben Sturge to the City urging action on the long abandoned house on High Street.

Pop & Taco—LUHO was denied, leaving Subway the options of appealing to district court or to full city council. See previous minutes for details of the long-running effort by Subway to get permission for a drive-through, which the neighborhood has opposed. Moisés summarized the issues and made a motion to advise our councilor Isaac Benton that Huning Highland is not in favor of the appeal going to the city council. The motion passed.

Fire Station—Businessman Bo Bardwell attended the meeting to explain to the board his plan to convert the fire station to a BBQ restaurant. He already has two restaurants—one in Santa Fe and the other on Montgomery in the NE Heights—and wishes to open a third at the now vacant Fire Station. A long discussion ensued with the board and several neighbors in attendance, plumbing the pros and cons of a BBQ restaurant in a residential neighborhood. The board was convinced of the benefits and voted unanimously to support the venture. The vote did not represent approval, which must come from City zoning department, but rather assurance that the businessman wanted before he finalized his plans or committed to the purchase.

Meeting adjourned at 7:40. Next meeting is Wed., May 7, 2014.