MHCA Area Directors' meeting minutes

Midvale Heights Community Association
Board of Directors Meeting
September 27, 2005

Minutes

Present: S. Sussman (presiding), G. Poulson, J. Sweet, M. Hoffman, M Silbernagel, P. Baker, D. Lamb, C. Bunge, T. Jarvis, R. Rotter, J. Sherwood, C. Robida, J. Gary, C. Henige, G. Merriman

Also attending: Cindy Thomas, Carousel Bayrd, Stephanie Miksell

1. Introductions: Those present at the meeting introduced themselves.

2. Minutes: The minutes of the June 28, 2005 meeting were approved as distributed.

3.Treasurer’s report: R. Rotter distributed a report, showing an ending cash balance of $17,822,35, including details for various areas of activity. The Board discussed various aspects of the report.

4. County report: R. Fyrst was unable to attend the meeting, and there was no county report.

5. City report: C. Thomas made a brief report on various city issues. Board members asked questions and shared ideas with her.

6. Midvale Heights sign repair update: S. Sussman announced that the MHCA sign at Odana and Segoe had been replaced at a total cost of some $2,200. The City of Madison has a fund that covers such replacement, and he will submit a request for payment to the appropriate office.

7. Vacancies: S. Sussman announced that Dan Nason had resigned as Area 10 Director, due to his wife’s illness. A thank-you card was circulated among Board members for signature. The positions of garage sale coordinator, Santa visit coordinator, and newsletter advertisement coordinator are vacant, also. Stephanie Mikesell informed the Board that she would be willing to coordinate the Santa visit program if she had someone to work with her on recruiting persons to act as Santas. After discussion, the Board directed that all these vacancies be mentioned in the Messenger.

8. Gateway Project Update: J. Sweet reported that the seeding of the Gateway area around the bison had been completed by the landscape company. The area will have low maintenance grass.

9. Bulk mailing of the newsletter: This matter was tabled until a later meeting.

10. Midvale Plaza community input: S. Sussman and D. Lamb reported that the owner and developer of Midvale Plaza had been very cooperative in providing information on plans for upgrading Midvale Plaza. Difficulties in getting definite information from the City regarding the expansion of Sequoya Branch Library had been holding things up. A meeting was scheduled for October 18 to gather information and ideas from neighborhood residents regarding the plaza area.

11. Odana pond and senior center updates: S. Sussman announced that the Parks Commission had approved the building of a senior center in Odana School Park. Fundraising will be required for the project to go forward. S. Sussman announced that neighborhood residents still had concerns regarding taking water from Odana Pond for the groundwater recharging project. More hearings were planned.

12. Annual meeting: Usually, the annual meeting of the Association is held in October. Due to the shortness of time to plan such a meeting, the Board decided to delay the annual meeting until November. A note will be placed in the newsletter announcing that the annual meeting, without any special programming, will be held November 22, 2005.

13. Garage Sale update: C. Robida reported that the neighborhood garage sale was a success, with 73 individuals holding sales. Revenue over expenses amounted to over $300.

14. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned 8:45 p.m.

Charles Bunge, Secretary

Midvale Heights Community Association
Board of Directors Meeting
June 28, 2005

Minutes

Present: S. Sussman (presiding), G. Poulson, J. Sweet, M. Hoffman, M Silbernagel, P. Baker, D. Lamb, R. Meihsner, C. Bunge, T. Jarvis, R. Rotter, C. Brown, C. Henige, K. Reuter-Krohn, G. Merriman

Also attending: Kate Anderson, Rachel Martin

1. Introductions: Those present at the meeting introduced themselves.

2. Minutes: The minutes of the May 24, 2005 meeting were approved as distributed.

3.Treasurer’s report: R. Rotter distributed a report, showing an ending cash balance of $13,335.53, including details for various areas of activity. He pointed out that he had written a large check for T-Ball program expenses. Money from 2005-2007 memberships, which were coming in nicely, had not been deposited.

4. County report: R. Fyrst was unable to attend the meeting, and there was no county report.

5. City report: C. Thomas was unable to attend the meeting, and there was no city report.

6. Midvale Heights sign repair update: S. Sussman announced that the MHCA sign at Odana and Segoe had been hit by a car and damaged extensively. He had been in contact with the company that made and installed the sign, and a representative was to provide information later on the cost of repairing the sign, which would be on the order of a few hundred dollars. Motion was made, seconded, and passed authorizing the President to spend the necessary funds to get the sign repaired and installed.

7. Tornado remembrance picnic wrap-up: S. Sussman and other Board members commented on the success of the potluck and on how much those in attendance enjoyed it. The President extended the Board’s thanks to C. Robida and others who helped with arrangements. Board members commented favorably on the amount of media exposure the picnic gave the Association and hits history book.

8. Traffic Committee: Rachel Martin told the Board that she has been acting as chair or coordinator for the Association’s traffic committee. The committee has been rather inactive, in part because of a vague mission or charge. She proposed broadening the committee’s function to include transportation issues in general. Board members reacted positively to this idea , and R. Martin agreed to write an article for the newsletter proposing this idea and inviting ideas from neighborhood residents.

9. Cob Wall Design: R. Martin told the Board that the people coordinating the development of a cob wall for the Midvale Elementary School grounds were at the design stage. She invited Board members to call her with ideas or concerns.

10. Gateway project update: J. Sweet told the Board that the Gateway area required continuous maintenance of various sorts, including weeding and mulching. The response for the last work evening for mulching was not very good. She asked the Board to think about how the necessary maintenance can be coordinated and accomplished. Board members suggested putting up a sign at the site, inviting passersby to participate in maintenance work. R. Meihsner volunteered R. Meihsner to look into this idea. J. Sweet reported that one idea that she and others had developed was to replace the mulch with low-mow grass. This would cut down substantially on the work required to keep up the area. Motion was made, seconded, and passed to authorize J. Sweet to arrange for grass to be planted at the Gateway site and to have the City put a valve on the nearby hydrant for watering the area, subject to consultation with S. Sussman when cost figures are known.

11. Block Captain route update: C. Henige pointed out that no one has an up-to-date list of Block Captains and their routes. She distributed maps to Board members and asked each to mail to her and to S. Sussman information on their Block Captains and their routes.

12. Bulk mailing of the newsletter: C. Brown pointed out that there are a number of Block Captain vacancies and that delivering the newsletter can be challenging in bad weather. She suggested that the Board consider mailing the newsletter to neighborhood residents with the Association’s bulk mailing permit. After discussion, the Board decided to explore this idea further at the September 2005 Board meeting.

13. Midvale Plaza community input: R. Martin suggested that the Association be more active in providing input to developers and City officials regarding changes in Midvale Plaza. Board members expressed frustration at the lack of information and movement from the developer. G. Poulson volunteered to seek out information and to email Board members. D. Lamb and R. Martin volunteered to form a committee to gather and pass on community input. S. Sussman, M. Hoffman, and M. Silbernagel expressed interest in being on this committee.

14. Miscellaneous business: T. Jarvis announced that the calendar feature of the Association’s Internet web site was available and easy to use. He invited Board members to post meetings and other items there.

15. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned 8:30 p.m.

Charles Bunge, Secretary

Midvale Heights Community Association
Board of Directors Meeting
May 2005

Minutes

Present: K. Reuter-Krohn (presiding), N. Goldberger, G. Poulson, J. Sweet, M. Hoffman, P. Baker, D. Lamb, R. Meihsner, R. Meihsner, C. Bunge, T. Jarvis, R. Rotter, C. Robida, J. Gary, C. Henige, G. Merriman

Also attending: Cindy Thomas

1. Introductions: Those present at the meeting introduced themselves.

2. Minutes: The minutes of the April 26, 2005 meeting were approved as distributed. During the discussion of the minutes, the Board was informed that Rachel Martin had decided not to apply for a community enhancement grant this year.

3.Treasurer’s report: R. Rotter distributed a report, showing an ending cash balance of $17,325.00, including details for various areas of activity. He pointed out that there was quite a bit of income from the T-Ball program. J. Sweet pointed out that the Association’s history book was selling well and bringing in income.

4. County report: R. Fyrst was unable to attend the meeting, and there was no county report.

5. City report: C. Thomas made a brief report on city matters. There will be a neighborhood meeting in June regarding redevelopment plans for Midvale Plaza.. Plans for a new westside senior center building will be discussed at a meeting on June 29. C. Thomas pointed out that the MHCA traffic committee needs more members.

6. Garage sale: C. Robida informed the Board that he was willing to coordinate the neighborhood garage sale effort. Board members expressed their pleasure at this development. C. Robida distributed packets of fliers to Board members for delivery to neighborhood residents.

7. Tornado remembrance: C. Robida suggested that the Board consider having MCHA sponsor an event commemorating or remembering the 2004 tornado that hit the neighborhood. He volunteered to coordinate such an activity. Board members reacted positively to the idea and thanked C. Robida for his offer to coordinate planning for it. Motion was made, seconded and passed that MCHA sponsor a potluck party to commemorate the June 23, 2004 tornado, with C. Robida as coordinator, and that expenditure of up to $500 be approved for the event.

8. Membership drive: R. Rotter distributed draft copies of the 2005-2007 membership drive mailing. Board members made suggestions for editing. R. Rotter stated that he would have to forms printed and mailed as soon as possible. During this discussion, the Board agreed that the flier announcing the tornado commemoration potluck should be mailed with the membership forms.

9. Plantings update: J. Sweet announced that the replacement plantings for the Tokay Blvd. median cost 462.70, of which the City paid half. The plantings, cleanup, and mulching have been done. JoAnn Prange will take over coordination of upkeep of the Tokay median plantings. The Gateway plantings need weeding, and a weeding group needs to be developed.

10. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned 8:00 p.m.

Charles Bunge, Secretary

Midvale Heights Community Association
Board of Directors Meeting
April 26, 2005

Minutes

Present: S. Sussman (presiding), G. Poulson, J. Sweet, M. Hoffman, M. Silbernagel, P. Baker, R. Meihsner, R. Meihsner, C. Bunge, T. Jarvis, R. Rotter, D. Nason, J. Gary, C. Henige, C. Brown, G. Merriman

Also attending: Denise Lamb, Rachel Martin, Nancy Gutknecht, Craig Robida, Kate Anderson, Cindy Thomas

1. Introductions: Those present at the meeting introduced themselves.

2. Minutes: The minutes of the March 22, 2005 meeting were approved with the addition of Mary Silbernagel to those attending.

3.Treasurer’s report: R. Rotter distributed a report, showing an ending cash balance of $9,602.09, including details for various areas of activity. There was a brief discussion of the report.

4. County report: R. Fyrst was unable to attend the meeting, and there was no county report.

5. City report: C. Thomas expressed concern regarding her role with the Association and its monthly Board meetings, saying that she had not felt entirely comfortable at past meetings. Several board members expressed appreciation for her work on behalf of the residents of the neighborhood and urged her to continue her past role of attending meetings, sharing information, and taking the Board’s ideas and opinions into account in representing the residents of the neighborhood.

6. Vandalism issue: S. Sussman stated that he had been called by a neighborhood resident regarding vandalism at his home. S. Sussman asked if other Board members had experienced or heard of vandalism in the neighborhood. None had. Cindy Thomas said that she had not heard of any pattern or trend of vandalism in the neighborhood.

7. Midvale Elementary School Building Bridges project: Rachel Marten and Nancy Gutknecht presented information on the beautification and enhancement project for the Midvale Elementary School grounds. A grant has been received for the Cobb Wall part of the project, and it will go forward. However, more money is needed to make this part of the project successful. It was moved, seconded, and passed that the Association contribute $500 to this part of the project. R. Martin stated that project advocates wished to apply for a city community enhancement grant, to be used to develop a community garden on the school grounds. Since such a grant application must come from a neighborhood association, they hoped that MHCA would sign off on such an application. Board members wondered if the Westmorland neighborhood association might not be the more appropriate association to make such an application, given the fact that the school ground is in that association’s area. After some discussion regarding whether or not the Board wished to take on the responsibility for the project implied by making application for and receiving such a grant, the following motion was made, seconded, and passed: MHCA will be the grant applicant and recipient if it is not possible or feasible for the Westmorland neighborhood association to play this role.

8. Senior center update: S. Sussman stated that he had been informed that the Westside Coalition for the Aging had asked the city Parks Commission to approve building a new westside senior center at Odana School Park. Action by the commission had been delayed in order to have input from neighborhood residents. S. Sussman asked if Board members wished to provide such input. Various points of view were expressed, which S. Sussman and Cindy Thomas could take back to the commission and other city officials.

9. Formal questions and candidate answers for alder and supervisor elections: S. Sussman reminded the Board that it had discussed the need for better advance planning for gaining information from alder and supervisor candidates at election time. Further discussion brought out the need for a calendar of necessary actions by the Board, leading up to such elections, as well as the need to develop questions and guidelines for answering them. G. Merriman pointed out the usefulness of the Association’s web site for distributing such candidate information to neighborhood residents and others. S. Sussman stated that he would appoint a committee to develop an action plan for alder and supervisor elections. D. Nason volunteered to serve on the committee.

10. Delinquent newsletter advertisers: R. Rotter announced that most of those advertisers who hadn’t paid their bills, as mentioned in the March Board meeting, had paid their bills since that time. He and Kate Anderson agreed to see if it would be feasible to have advertisements paid for before they ran in the newsletter.

11. Election: Craig Robida was nominated to serve as Co-Director for Area 11. The nomination was seconded and passed with no negative votes. Denise Lamb was nominated to serve as Co-Director for area 5. The nomination was seconded and passed with no negative votes.

Miscellaneous matters: S. Sussman announced that Chad Joswiak will be moving out of the neighborhood and will no longer coordinate the Santa visits program. He urged Board members to think of people who might do this. A request for volunteers for this position, along with that of neighborhood garage sale coordinator will be run in the newsletter. R. Rotter indicated that the membership drive would get underway soon. Board members made suggestions for changes in the membership application form. In the discussion of this matter, the Board agreed to leave the cost of membership dues the same as for the past membership period. The history book will not be given free to members joining in 2005-2007. J. Sweet announced that replacement plants for the Tokay Blvd. median had been ordered, that the city would share the cost, and that a day for planting them had been scheduled.

12. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned 8:00 p.m.

Charles Bunge, Secretary

MIDVALE HEIGHTS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
MARCH 22, 2005

Minutes

Present: Nina Goldberger, Gary Poulsen, Jean Sweet, Margaret Hoffman, Dennis Lamb, Rita Meihsner, Reinnie Meihsner, Tom Jarvis, Jane Sherwood, Dan Nason, Colleen Brown, Janice Gary, Scott Sussman, Kay Krohn, David Krohn, and George Merriman

Also attending: Jim Baumann, Paul Borowsky and other gentlemen from the Westside Senior Coalition

1. Introduction: Those present at the meeting introduced themselves

2. Minutes: The minutes of the February 22, 2005, meeting were approved

3. Treasurer’s report: R. Rotter was not present but he did provide a detailed paper report, which showed an ending cash balance of 6,933.02.

4. County report: R. Fyrst was unable to attend the meeting, and there was no county report.

5. City report: C. Thomas was unable to attend the meeting, and there was no city report.

6. Senior Center: Paul Borowsky and other gentlemen from the Westside Senior Center reported to the board that the West Madison Senior Coalition were strongly considering looking to build the new West Madison Senior Center at the Odana School Park. The purpose of the presentation was to inform the neighborhood association and get input about the board’s thoughts on this matter. The board asked a number of questions and seemed generally supportive of the idea. The board asked that it continue to be updated as further progress is made on the possible Senior Center at the Odana School Park. The West Madison Senior Coalition also provided Scott Susman with a draft copy of the their proposal for a New West Madison Senior Center.

7. Odana Pond: The board heard a presentation from Jim Baumann about his concerns with the Madison Gas & Electric diversion of water from Odana Pond. The board also received a copy of his letter to various officials on this matter. The board determined to form a committee to work with Madison Gas & Electric on this matter. On this committee were Gary Poulsen, Jim Baumann, Dennis Lamb, and Jean Sweet. Jean also mentioned that other area residents may be interested in joining this committee and would ask them if they were interested. Gary Poulsen advised the board that he would seek out to talk to the appropriate gentlemen about this matter.

8. Midvale Plaza: Concerns were expressed about the lack of information about future development of the Midvale Plaza. The board unanimously adopted an editorial to be placed in the Midvale Messenger, Wisconsin State Journal, and Capital Times to express the board’s concerns. In addition, the board formally asked Gary Poulsen to contact the owner’s of the Midvale Plaza to inquire about how they planned to inform the neighborhood association and neighbors about their future development plans.

9. Formal Questions for Candidates: Some potential questions for Scott Sussman proposed candidates for future elections. The board supported the idea of having questions, but decided to hold off on adopting questions until other board members had an opportunity to develop other ones. It was recommended that the board address this issue at its next meeting in April.

10. Advertisements in Messenger: It was noted companies that had previously advertised in the Midvale Messenger owed that over $1,600. It was also noted that Ron Rotter and his wife this past Sunday March 17 had sent bills to the various companies whom had not previously paid their bills. Scott Sussman mentioned that Ron Rotter had suggested that the bills be paid in advance in the future to avoid this problem. The board held off a decision on this matter until the next meeting.

11. Grant Application: It was noted that Rachel Martin had sent an initial letter of application for the City of Madison’s 2005 Neighborhood Grants Program. This grant application is for funds to conduct a community building project at Midvale Elementary School. A copy of her letter was distributed to the board.

12. Safe Community Coalition crosswalk: The board determined it did not want to participate in this program.

13. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:40.

Midvale Heights Community Association
Board of Directors Meeting
November 22, 2004

Present: K. Krohn (presiding), C. Henige, G. Poulson, J. Sweet, M. Silbernagel, M. Hoffman, N. Goldberger, R. Rotter, J. Watson, D. Nason, J. Gary, R. Meihsner, T. Jarvis,
G. Merriman (newsletter)

Also Present: Rachel Martin, Nancy Gutkenchet, Jerry Kotnour, John Fahrney (city) &
Michael Trotter (city)

1. Introductions: Those present introduced themselves. The board created an agenda for tonight’s meeting.
2. Minutes: Minutes of the 10/26/04 meeting were approved.
3. Treasurer’s Report: R. Rotter presented the report. Specifically the revenues and expenditures for the 50th anniversary party were reviewed. R. Meihsner presented a report on the 50th anniversary party. J. Sweet asked about what was available for Tokay Blvd replanting. Jean reminded members that the city has a matching fund for those expenditures. The board discussed water use at the Gateway. Greg Bell prepared a watering plan. The extra cost of the water to the Schappe’s was minimal. As a thank you to the Schapee’s for use of their water, Jean Sweet moved that the board provide a cash gift of $ 50. The motion was adopted.
4. Mr. Fahrney and Mr. Trotter described the sidewalk replacement program, its goals and timetable for Midvale Heights replacement work. A description of the review process was also provided. At the heart of the program are the ADA regulations. The cost of replacing a segment is $ 180 which the city contributes ½. Jerry Kotnour raised several questions regarding the City’s process on reviewing and marking sidewalks. He feels that his sidewalk segments are fine and that he could repair cracking much cheaper than the city. Also he feels that other nearby dangerous sidewalks have been ignored. Mr. Fahrney raised citizen liability if the owner of the property repaired sidewalks not according to city specifications. It was suggested that city representatives meet with Mr. Kotnour again to review his specific concerns.
5. Members were told that the History books would arrive on December 1st. They will divided by area and area directors would pickup their arrive and distribute.
6. A presentation made by Rachel Martin & Nancy Gutkenchet about a landscape and entry way project at Midvale School. A model of the project was presented. The idea would be to install this entryway feature on the Midvale side of the school near the ball diamond. The hope was to partner with the school and nearby neighborhoods for the financial support and installation. There are also several public grant programs that could be approached. It could be a communitybuilding project. It would also create a beautiful public space. This presentation will be made to the Westmorland neighborhood. The initial feedback from the school was positive. The Board deferred action until a specific amount was requested.
7. Rachel also provided information concerning upcoming hearings regarding the Monroe/Regent intersection and the impact that redesign could have on users of the Southwest path. The meeting was initially set for December but will delayed be until January.
8. Tom Jarvis reported on some enhancements to the website to make navigation easier.
9. It was reported that 26 people took part in the fall clean up of the Tokay medians.
10. Elections for officers was postponed until the next meeting.
11. Meeting adjourned @ 8:50 pm.