Call to Order: 7:30pm.
Approval of the February meeting minutes.
President’s introduction.
GPNA President Robert Selby announced the following:
Our April Meeting will be in person! Location: Grant Park Rec Center with a Zoom option available. This will be the first meeting in-person meeting since the pandemic. Please join us and invite two neighbors along.
There are still four open Steering Committee positions: Fundraising, Legacy Neighbors, Community Development and Economic Development. Of the four, the Economic Development is probably the most needed at this time. GPNA could really benefit from someone streamlining and promoting the Sunburst program.
GPNA Treasurer, Travis Peterman, presented an update and shared the following: Monthly Income Statement (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16bNT9oCEnGVG9wppGQjqbj61CCCD7rF4/edit?gid=1571430190#gid=1571430190) & Balance Sheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16lUfv7bnis71hK-o-SlfFuJOQfPtz1wK/edit?gid=1613956177#gid=1613956177).
Committee Updates
Item One – Public Safety: Update by Loyal Charles, GPNA Public Safety Chair
Three applications for Grant Park activities were discussed at the Public Safety Zone 6 Leaders Meeting. The status of each application is as follows:
Heal Your House Project – Pending revised application – June 14
HAFI/Tau Chapter Charter Day Celebration – Pending revised application – May 3
Summer Shade Festival – August 23, 24 – Approved
Resident Steve Carr shared that steering wheel clubs are available and free at the Zone 6 precinct.
Item Two – Land Use & Zoning (LUZ): Update by Sky Hassan, GPNA LUZ Chair
The Intown Lutheran Church continues to move forward, with city permit docs recently granted. The church will be at Oakland and Woodward.
Phase 1 of the Tree Protection Ordinance was in 2023, and this year they are trying to adopt phase 2. The following link was shared containing docs to review for Ordinance Z-25-004 at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VBFUTrOfhtmOThHODE7aTswu0QkM9_E8.
There is also a discussion about an administrative variance proposal to save mature trees.
Item Three – Transportation: Update by James Austin, GPNA Transportation Chair
Announcement: Atlanta Streets Alive is back. The event is set for Sunday, May 18, going from Grant Park to West End.
The Atlanta Mayor recently discussed a commitment to having Beltline rail on Southside Trail. This is one of the sections that can handle the infrastructure better.
Finally, there was a discussion about the Sydney/Connally intersection. Neighbor complaints have been lodged about traffic coming too swiftly into the neighborhood. The Transportation Chair is helping to get these complaints heard and find a resolution.
Community Items
Environmental & Community Updates: Resident Steve Carr discussed some residents’ fears of construction contaminants getting into drinking water.
New Business
Proposal: Open Records Request: GPNA President, Robert Selby has taken the lead on an open records request for information on the Grant Park Gateway building that has been vacant for ~5 years. GPNA requested approval for $500 to fund open records requests related to issues impacting Grant Park. Our first request, quoted at $134.24, covers redacted emails between Savi Provisions and the City of Atlanta. We anticipate making additional requests to improve transparency and better understand decisions affecting the neighborhood. The $500 was approved. Resident David Y. Mitchell then proposed to up the amount to $1,000 with a 9 month stipulation. Any funds not used after nine months will be returned to the operating budget. The motion to increase the funds to $1,000 with a 9-month timeframe was passed.
Public Official Update
Sgt. Mckesey with the Atlanta Police Zone 6 joined a little late so he spoke now about public safety, new officers joining the zone and offered his direct contact information for anyone wanting to speak offline. He can be reached at 404-308-8897 and smckesey@atlantaga.gov. He also reiterated to keep your car clean of valuables and do not leave firearms in your car.
New Business
Presentation by Oakland Cemetery. We were joined by Oakland’s Director of Education & Youth Programs, Ted Ward, who can be reached at: tward@oaklandcemetery.com. He shared a presentation about the new visitors centers, and all the new and returning programs planned for this year. The presentation can be found at www.canva.com/design/DAGgx42EWpI/5YDuNWeyYsq25jKRYi7AuQ/edit. Plus, additional information on the Spring and Summer Youth Programs can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HUoqIsnr6wTF-rYCLdIpdZ6dZ-6Q3OJQ/view.
Presentation by Grant Park Conservancy. We were joined by Grant Park Conservancy Communications and Engagement Coordinator, Ceci Villanueva, who can be reached at CVillanueva@gpconservancy.org for an update on GPC. The presentation can be found at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NADPihVdtU2o_pkEMR0lt5d-AiNr13eU/edit#slide=id.p1.
Announcement: Summer Shade Festival. The festival is set for August 23 and 24. Visit https://summershadefestival.org for more information.
Open Floor: David Y Mitchell from the Atlanta Preservation Center reminded residents about Phoenix Flies 2025 which is a celebration of Atlanta’s historics sites. There are free city-wide events from March 3 to March 28. Tickets are on Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.com/signin/pre-auth?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.com%2Fo%2Fthe-atlanta-preservation-center-29143179165.
Adjournment: 8:30pm.
