Westcott East Neighborhood Association September 12, 2011 DRAFT Meeting minutes NEXT MEETING: Monday, Oct. 10, 2011 Persons registering as in attendance: WENA Board: Lori Brown, Tony Gigliotti, Alice Honig, Barbara Humphrey, Jill Ouikahilo, Doug Roth, Charles Tremper, Damian Vallelonga, Marilyn Zaleon WENA Members and Friends: Zhinao Dong, Officer Bruno Danielle, Kate Hammer, Lauren Luzinski, Karl Newton, Francesca Pignoni, Brandon Roe, Norman Roth, Winnie Schleider, Sheldon Williams WENA members and guests: NEED NAMES ADDED 1. Barbara Humphrey called the meeting to order at 6:30 2. Welcome and introductions were made. 3. Presentation of August 8 minutes for approval: Barbara Humphrey. Alice moved and Lori seconded their approval, pending corrections to attendance listing spelling of Joanne’s surname; passed unanimously. 4. Financial Report: No official report, but Barbara reported later in the meeting that WENA had made $150 on the garage sale day; membership dues also received. 5. Police storefront update: Officer Daniele reported that armed robberies in the Euclid area and streets to the south, as well as in the Salt Springs area, were continuing, with some 9 being reported. The suspects are black males, one taller, one shorter, wearing hoods. In addition, burglaries and armed home invasions have been reported; an arrest appears imminent in the latter cases. Parking issues were raised and Officer Daniele emphasized the importance of reporting problems. 6. Program/Outreach initiatives a. Networking with Other Neighborhood Organizations and the City i. WCC Newsletter Insert: None for October issue; Alice suggested a “thank you” paragraph in the newsletter thanking folks for their interest in WENA at the Street Fair. ii. Westcott Leadership Roundtable (WLR): meeting with the mayor on Sept. 22. Topics to be raised include: i. Pedestrian and bicycle safety; need for marking crosswalks, etc. ii. Jewish War Veterans house: need for a transparent process and “seat at the table” for community groups. iii. Westcott Business District: resources and leadership issues iv. Snow removal. v. Enforcement of parking rules. vi. Stickley House b. UNP i. Next meeting is Sept. 19 ii. Barbara had hoped to bring issues of safety (or lack of safety) to the August meeting, since safety was the issue identified in May as that issue that would be explored during 2011-2012, but few attended and discussion focused on group organization and dynamics, including facilitation. Barb is not sure if the September meeting will be productive, and if this group will opt to continue to meet. c. Westcott Business District i. Taste of India has opened, with 20% off discount ii. Winnie Schleider, an attorney for Norm Roth, opened a discussion on 508-510 Westcott, the former 7 Rays building. She then introduced 2 potential tenants who presented their proposals and then she and Norman Roth led discussions on parking and landscaping. i. Brandon Roe distributed his proposal for the Beer Belly Deli & Pub, an upscale eatery serving local foods, wine, and beer. Roe has experience at both Pastabilities and Empire Brewing. ii. Zhinao Dong distributed flyers from Oishi, a Japanese sushi restaurant, currently on S. Crouse and hoping to open a send location on Westcott. iii. Winnie and Norman Roth then discussed the larger development plan for the 3 properties: Papa John’s, Taste of India, and 508-510 Westcott, with a shared outdoor eating area and access to parking. Considerable discussion arose surrounding the adequacy of the amount of parking that will be available to accommodate 100+ new restaurant seats. Examples of current problems with the Harvard Street lot and failure to enforce parking regulations on the streets we cited. Winnie promised to send WENA the specifics of the plan (including the number of parking spaces) and keep the group informed as to when they will come before the Syracuse Planning Commission. 7. Old/New Business a. WSCF: Volunteers were solicited to sit at the WENA table (near the storefront). A list was circulated for sign up, results attached. More volunteers still needed. b. Gustav Stickley house: a letter has been drafted; Damian raised the need to involve other groups. Norman Roth offered advice on how to most effectively deal with the Audis (the current owners). c. CampusLifeNow: no report. d. WENA acts of kindness: report deferred until the next meeting. e. UNSAAC project updates: will discuss at next meeting i. Merchant Association: position description has been drafted for a part-time consultant. ii. Historic Walking Tours: Sam Gruber has proposed Oct. 16 as the date for the first tour. iii. Harvard Community Garden: No report. f. 2012-2013 UNSAAC planning schedule: No discussion. g. Retreat follow-up: No discussion h. Bike rack and public spaces projects: Installation of the racks deferred until after the Fair. i. I-81 challenge: No discussion. j. Remembrance Place: No discussion. k. Neighborhood watch groups: Barbara announced that Kate Hammer has been soliciting interest in setting up Neighborhood Watch Groups. Barb suggested that, in the absence of such groups, everything commit to spending more time on their front porches watching what is going on. Announcements and good news: Time ran out. 8. Upcoming Events: a. Eastside TNT: Tuesday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m., IT at Levy b. Plastics Exhibit (Sam Gruber), Thursday, Sept 15, 5-7 pm, Bird Library c. WSCF: Sunday, September 18, noon-6:30 p.m. d. Petit Mural Dedication/Celebration: Saturday, September 24, 3-4:30 pm e. Bulb project giveaway: Saturday, Oct. 1, at Westcott Community Center, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. f. TNT Citywide Neighborhood Summit, LeMoyne College, Oct. 22. Attachment: WENA Table Volunteers at Westcott Fair 11:00 am: 12:00 noon: Francesca Pignoni 1:00 pm: Karl Newton 2:00 pm: Charles Tremper 3:00 pm: Charles Tremper 4:00 pm: Barbara Humphrey 5:00 pm: Doug Roth 6:00 pm: Barbara Humphrey