Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association
Board of Directors Meeting
Saturday, May 11 at Machacek Library
Present: Pat Acquisto, Sara Davis, John Harris, Milton Murry, Tim Nowell, Greg Roggeman, Lisa Roggeman, Adam Rustige, Jenna Stout, Emily Yale
Apologies: Carol Hofer, Brian Kolde, Bret Narayan, Greg Todd
A motion was made to approve the Minutes from April 17, by Lisa Roggeman, and seconded by John Harris.
The Board discussed the upcoming general membership meeting’s guest speakers. Adam is trying to secure Major Tishaura Jones for the June meeting. If Jones is unable to attend, Animal Control will speak at the meeting if given at least one week’s notice. Lisa emphasized time management and the use of microphones for speakers. Adam plans to work on keeping speakers within a set timeframe. The agenda for the membership meeting will be shared on social media and the website. Greg Roggeman requested that the agenda be shared with him by the Friday before the meeting to allow for posting on the website. Adam also broached the idea of inviting local realtors to talk briefly at each membership meeting. He plans to reach out to Realtor Bridget Rodriguez as a potential speaker.
Neighborhood Meeting: to be held at Watson Terrace Christian Church, June 3rd at 7pm
- Guest speakers – Mayor or Animal Control
- LPNA Business
- Elected Officials
- LASM & Machacek
Aldermanic Report (Bret not in attendance):
Bret emailed a brief report with the following:
- Lindenwood Park updates:
- Gotten the go ahead on the Lindenwood Park Building project.
- Delay in mulching near the swings; waiting for Parks to make bulk purchase of playground mulch.
- Shooting Incident off Ivanhoe and Scanlan:
- “I spoke with Chief Tracy about it, and it appears to be a drug related drive-by shooting. All parties were known to SLMPD and the victims of the shooting were cooperating with the police department as to the identity of the shooter. Additionally, I worked with several people who own property nearby and was able to provide security footage of the incident to SLMPD, which should be helpful in prosecution. SLMPD anticipated making an arrest in the near future, however, I have not spoken with the Chief since Thursday, so I am not positive if they have made an arrest at this point. I will be following up with him on Monday on the matter.”
- Board Bills: Session has just begun, so few controversial bills advanced to the debating Bills in the queue regarding sales tax increase, temp tag loans, short term rental taxation, vacancy tax (higher tax rate on unutilized land) and City workforce retention.
NIS Report (Brian not in attendance):
Brian emailed a brief report on problem properties:
- 62xx Pernod – vacant property with ongoing family probate situation. Added to Forestry’s mow list. Seeking assistance for the remote family to gain a clear title.
- 36xx Berger – vacant property with absent owner. Attempting to reach the owner. Fence is down on Pernod side, allowing neighbors to see if activity is happening in rear yard and giving Forestry access to the yard to mow.
- 65xx Scanlan – apartment at Scanlan and Ivanhoe where shooting occurred. Property added to Tuesday’s Crackdown meeting review with the City Counselor’s Office to consider for nuisance designation. Not a huge pattern of police calls there, but new owners do not screen tenants. Will try to address this issue. Not known if tenants involved were new or inherited by the new owners.
Committee Reports
Events:
- Meetup: Next meetup will take place at Biggie’s on Wednesday, May 22, from 6-8pm.
- Flea Market: The event will be held from 7am-1pm on Saturday, May 18 at Watson Terrace Christian Church (same day as their BBQ). Lisa noted that 15 tables have sold this year, compared to 29 tables last year. Volunteers will assist with setup on Friday evening, starting at 6pm. Lisa is still gathering donations to sell at the flea market.
- LinFest: Lisa provided an update on planning for LinFest (Saturday, October 5). There are currently 4 sponsors, 1 vendor, and 4 artisans who have paid. This does not include those who have committed, but haven’t submitted payment yet. The City has promised 1 big tent, 5 picnic tables, and 5 trash cans. Festive-goers will need to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets, similar to Lindenwood Live. Bret’s assistant Garrett is looking into securing a dumpster for the event.
- Lindenwood Live Concerts: The concert series is all set to kick off on May 26. Greg Roggeman reported that 6 food trucks are confirmed for the series. Tim noted that all bands are lined up and all permits secured. Tom Acquisto will put up signage around Watson Road and Tim will put up other signage in the neighborhood to advertise the concert series.
- Lawn & Garden Contest: Pat gave an update that the judges will be meeting in June.
Beautification:
- Park: Emily reported on the success of the recent park cleanup. She also noted Park building repairs that are needed, including to a vent pipe. Compiling a list of other repairs to follow up with Parks Commissioner Kim Haegele. Park building project is out to bid with work anticipated to be done in August.
- Community Garden & Wabash Garden: Milton noted that production in the community garden is going well. It’s a thriving growing year with lettuce and radishes being harvested at this time. The Wabash Garden currently has flowers blooming. The topic of cicadas was discussed. As cicadas mostly impact young trees, Milton has not encountered any issues with the gardens.
- Green Team: Tim reported on the recent cleanup. MoDOT is phasing out the Adopt-A-Highway program, so the Green Team members have to pick up their own bags from highway cleanups. Tim and Milton plan to dispose of a few bags. Pat noted that complaints on the cancellation of the program should be voiced. Emily would like to bring up the topic at the general membership meeting.
Communications
- Greg Roggeman is continuing to update the LPNA website, including the calendar. Additional updates will be done over the weekend to improve content and user experience.
Membership:
- A total of 31 welcome packets will be sent out in May, waiting on NIS materials. Each packet contains about 25 items.
- 274 current members (down from 281 in April). Utilizing reminder emails and social media to encourage membership sign-ups/renewals.
Safety:
- A small gathering of committee members met on April 18.
- Adam is focusing on a safety item each month, in addition to the crime statistics that are sent out.
Block Captains:
- Pat has an upcoming meeting scheduled with Block Captain Chair Laurie.
- Next meeting is scheduled for June.
Century Homes:
- The plaque sale cycle deadline is May 15. A dozen plaques have currently been sold.
- Committee members have utilized email reminders and social media to increase sales.
Treasurer’s Report:
- Total deposits = $1058.16. Total deductions = $140.99. April’s closing balance = $6237.92.
Old Business
- Ward Mural: Adam is looking into the timeline for the mural project in Lindenwood Park Neighborhood.
- Youth Music Event: Adam and Tim reached out to the Parks Department regarding potential event logistics. The pavilion would need to be rented ($85 fee) as gazebo would not provide rain coverage in event of inclement weather. Lisa mentioned the need for signage and rental contact information at the gazebo and pavilion buildings. Emily is planning to follow up with Kim Haegele about signage.
- LPNA Banner: Pat is working on getting a new banner ordered. The Board discussed the design requirements (e.g. new logo, high contrast lettering) for the banner.
- 501(c)3 Status: This topic will be explored at a future meeting.
New Business
- Spam Email: A Board member recently received and distributed a spam email. Pat emphasized the formal procedures for authorizing financial transactions. It was noted that Carol and Adam must be included on all requests for money.
- Honey Moon Tattoo: A landlord-tenant issue has occurred at the property. No complaints from neighbor of the business.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:21am.
Respectfully submitted,
Jenna Stout