The meeting was commenced at 7:00 p.m.
Board Members:
Present: Dean Weinberg, Jesse Polhemus , Harriet Hemphill, Anthony Arrigo, Grant Dulgarian, Howie Gladstone, Claude Goldman, Kerry Kohring, Daniel MacLellan, Britt Page, Brad Pelletier, Sheila Perlow, Peter Sandby-Thomas, Thomas Schmeling, Jennifer Trayner
Absent: Mary Ann Rossoni
Guests: David Kolsky.
- The board unanimously approved a motion by J. Polhemus (2nd S. Perlow) to make the recording secretary a rotating position. The order will be alphabetical beginning next meeting with A. Arrigo. The minutes of all future meetings will be posted on the SNA website as soon as available.
- The Minutes of the previous meeting were approved with minor amendments.
- The Treasurer’s report was unanimously approved (Motion, Polhemus, 2nd Perlow)
- On a request by D. Weinberg, it was unanimously agreed to move the next Board meeting to April 21. D. MacLellan will confirm the site and inform the Board.
- The Board engaged in a general discussion of the year ahead and the tasks that SNA might undertake. The following conclusions were reached:
Neighborhood Mapping and Inventor of Resources. The Mayor’s office has encouraged neighborhood groups and associations to work together to provide lists and locations of community resources (churches, non-profits, etc). The proposal includes quarterly meetings of group leaders. A brief discussion followed in which the point was raised that SNA must be careful to not lose sight of its mission. No determination was made as to what course to follow.
Snow Shoveling. T. Schmeling & B. Page will set up a snow-shoveling program for next winter. D. Weinberg will pass on information gathered last year about need and resources.
By-Laws. T. Schmeling and B. Pelletier will meet to review the state of the By-Laws and make recommendations to the Board. D. Weinberg will distribute the current by-laws by email.
Community Garden. The following agreed to form a committee to explore establishing a community garden: Arrigo, Trayner, Page, Polhemus, Goldman, Weinberg.
“Bungalow Tour”. A. Arrigo suggested the creation of a tour of neighborhood homes. He pointed out that this is a potential money-maker for SNA. It was noted that we should possibly consult or coordinate with Providence Preservation Soc. or other groups that already conduct such tours in Providence. A committee to explore this was formed (Arrigo, Pelletier, Polhemus).
Yard Sale. There was an extended discussion of the yard sale, including the pros and cons of various options for organizing it. It was noted that the sale must appear in the newsletter twice, first to solicit interest and again to announce the sale. A committee to explore options was composed of Polhemus, Dulgarian, Gladstone, Trayner, and they agree to report back to the Board in April
Membership Committee. The membership committee consists of Jesse Polhemus and Harriet Hemphill. There was a brief discussion of possible ways to increase membership (discounts at local merchanges, etc). Harriet will contact Lizzie Weinberg about this before our next meeting.
Other Discussion and Reports:
Newsletter. K. Kohring will continue as newsletter editor. Plans are for a May and an August newsletter. The May newsletter contents will need to be finalized at the April Board meeting.
Music Festival. D. Weinberg reports that the grant materials have been submitted to the city and a response is expected imminently. Information about the Summer music festival will be available for the May newsletter.
North Smithfield Avenue. The removal of the telephone pole that is the main obstacle to turning N. Smithfield Avenue into a two-way street is on hold because the Board is still waiting to hear from Councilman Jackson about the disposition of funds which he committed to the project. No decision was made with respect to any action that might be taken to move this forward.
Overnight Parking. There does not seem to have been any movement on the plan to introduce overnight parking. An SNA survey of residents yielded equivocal results, with no strong majority for or against. SNA’s position at this point is simply to do what we can to make sure the process is transparent.
Crime Watch. D. MacClellan reported that there no developments to report.
North Burial Ground. T. Schmeling informed the Board that he had been asked by Dr. Francis Leazes to represent the SNA Board at a meeting to discuss a proposal for the North Burial Ground. The Board agreed to this will expect a report on the meeting.
The Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted- T. Schmeling