EACA Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, August 14, 2018

EACA Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Agenda
Welcome & Announcements – Lewis Cartee, President
EAV RunFest, September 2
East Atlanta Strut, September 22
Neighbor in Need Gala, October 13
Atlanta Police Department – recognized upon arrival
East Atlanta Kids Club, Jill Sieder – Director
Saving Skyhaven, Margaret Spalding Brady
National Register of Historic Places Nomination
Land Use and Zoning Updates
Closing Remarks and Adjournment
Meeting start at 7:04pm
Community Updates
EAV RunFest, September 2 – www.runeav.com – prices go up today 8/14.
East Atlanta Strut, September 22nd – eastatlantastrut.com – looking for volunteers – sign-up and sign-up a friend. Bands, vintage market, big wheels coming back! Need to request alcohol permit from community. Need for volunteers during tear down. EAPN will be there. Best day in East Atlanta! For volunteers, name goes in raffle, free t-shirt, wristband ($5) 2 free drink tickets and coupons for local restaurant. Money made goes to EAPN, NiN, Schools get grants. Over $25K back to the community. 100% run by volunteers. Building a train this year. Llamas will be there.
Neighbor in Need Gala, October 13 – 3rd annual Viva Las EAV – vintage casino night. Located in farmers market space. $50 entry at 8pm 3 drinks, unlimited food; $100 VIP hour early, unlimited drinks and food and special show with entertainers. There will be casino games. Goal is to make $40K; NiN does ~$35K in repairs for local residents. Donations are appreciated (Miles, Vacation Rentals, EASP memberships (???) – will protect the gala as well) Raffle baskets – last year we had street baskets. Individual or group themed baskets for the prized pool, average donation per neighbor was ~$20. T-Shirts for $12 at East Atlanta Copy Center – shirts in black/white. Call Nikki and she can print one up for you. Since 2012 NiN has done ~$190K in repairs, 167 projects. Mission is to keep seniors in their homes. Food, medication and/or taxes. Hire contractors to go in and fix those items for them. If interested in joining NiN, always looking for volunteers.
Atlanta Police Department – J. Hines: No recent crime trends. Newer bright red F450 wrecker stole a Camaro. Tickets to 311 regarding taggings to buildings; lack of response from assigned officer since July. Natalyn is planning to follow-up. Tagging is getting worse; code enforcement is to notify the owner. Suggest following up with Major Klotzer as well.
East Atlanta Kids Club: Celebrating 20th anniversary this year. Kids in East Atlanta and surrounding neighborhood. Brownwood Bike Rally on Sept 15th is their signature event. Founded in 1998 by local residents. Jill’s home backs onto Brownwood Park. Sat activities, Tue & Sat – eventually grew. Always based at BW Park. Serve ~80 – 100 kids annually. Safe and nurturing environment. Tutoring, vocational, field trips, community service, STEAM curriculum. Amechi Okoh – Program Director 60% of youth show improvement; work hard with kids to improve test scores, 50% improvement in Math. Increased and starting paying for tutors. Free play, homework, snack, physical activity. Teen: Snacks, talk to them about what is going on, cycle with both groups. Computer skills training – Coding. Specific programming 4 – 6 – 8-week programs. Code.org – learned scratch; things they are able to do at home. Learning basic computer skills. PressPlay – partnership with WonderRoot. Brought a team of journalists, activists. Instructors for 6 – 8 weeks and created podcast on a social issue they experienced. Listening party. PeaceJam (4 girls were able to attend) Youth Leadership Program in Florida – University experience. Art instructors, Community Service (Game night at Branan Towers, MLK Day Project – created meals for the homeless) Gearing up for new year of projects. Cycling and seeing the kids using it appropriately (helmets). Various cycling events (OneLove, Brownwood Bike Rally) Healthy eating – long stand relationship with EAFM. Volunteer Opportunities for afternoon programs and event. Brownwood Bike Rally – annual fundraiser. Annual cycling event for 400 + kids & adults. Promotes fitness, cycling & bike safety. Includes a health & fitness fair. Builds community. All net proceeds support EAKC programs. Sponsors with the community and Metro Atlanta. Trophies, medals and bragging rights. Need 130 volunteers to pull it off. www.Brownwoodbikerally.com. Annual Easter Egg Hunt – Annual event for 250 + kids & adults. Includes egg hunt, crafts, spoon egg relay race. Promotes use of the park, Builds community. History with Brownwood Rec Center – Negotiated with CoA managed and operated by EAKC since 2009; do not pay rent, but do cover all operating expenses. EAKC permitted to operate out-of-school time programs year-round. EAKC also facilitates building rentals and other community uses of the rec center. EAKC brings other resources to the park and rec center through partners and donors. Open M – F 10 am – 6:30 on Sat 10 – 2. Church service on Sundays, Meditation groups, yoga classes, boy scout/girl scout meetings. Easy to rent. Working on making the community tech center more accessible. Just received a grant – a million matters; only one and very competitive. $100K grant. Picking up at BPA, King, McNair, MJHS. EAKC is open to all kids in the community. Sliding scale free for most, ~$50/month for middle class. Kitchen renovation – not up to code and turn into commercial kitchen. A/V center with pull down screen/projector. New computers, revamping network. Spending ~$100k annually. Mural in the park. Would like to invite everyone to get involved!
Saving Skyhaven, Margaret Spalding Brady: Would like to form a group to save the Skyhaven property; unclear whether it is at risk. Property of Skyhaven elementary was closed in 2012 demolished last year. Owned by DeKalb County; hope is for it to be purchased and make a greenspace. Saving Skyhaven FB Page. There is a ball field; heavy forest leading to entrenchment creek. Catherine Cole is coming for a site visit. Serves a ton of wildlife as well as residents. Benefit – get more Unincorporated DeKalb residents involved. Former students ~250 people. With their support, funds and rallies…people will hear us. Offered to connect to get information to Larry Johnson. Short-term goal is to get people together.
Alex Levy – Parks & Greenspace: Skyhaven and Brownwood Park encourages people to visit. Greenspace guardians. Working with Trees Atlanta. Volunteers to remove invasive plants. Volunteers from US Army ~60 people knocking out invasives by ripple water creek. Native wildflowers growing that were covered. Neighborhood tree maintenance along the curb south of Glenwood will be maintained over the next few weeks. Trees Atlanta still providing trees for the curb – CoA. Tool Bank just gave us a library box – will put this one in BW Park (Garden and Environment themed). Box is painted bright blue – if any artists are interested in making it more EAV(ish) please contact Alex at parks@eaca.net. Plan to have up in the next few weeks. Need for gravel to allow people to pass without going through the mud. Trail improvement. Re-visit parks master plan – Ideas that were desirable 12 years ago may no longer apply. Allows us to make better use of the park.
Updates from Natalyn Archibong: 8/15 hosting a MoreMarta meeting 6 – 8pm at VaHi Church. Concerns relating to the eastside. Sept/Oct Board meeting is when they will make a decision regarding TSPLOST funds. Eastside has a lot of unique things. Encourage attendance or email Natalyn or Marta. Will they be discussing the rail car on the beltline? Yes. 3 ATL board members are going to have the most sway – they will be making the decision. City Hall. Coan Park debacle – use of pavilion permit for 200 / 2000 showed up. Someone was shot; EMS could not get through. Almost race discussion in KNO. Nancy Carpenter – amazing asset to our community. Nancy was an angel – family was awarded $$$$ and are able to make improvements. Invest Atlanta looking at NiN model to maximize the dollars ~$5 – 7M *70 households with $190K imagine with $5 – 7 M ~119 households.
Ormewood Forest – Sept 6th – Comm King is going to open the design studio to look at Ormewood Forest. Prefer weekend – if not weekend, evening. Expanding scope of visioning to look at triangle – perhaps start with OF and have larger discussion with the community. Are we interested in site planning as opposed to community planning; NA wants the commissioner to see the triangle. Park Commissioner – Mayor asked her to stay until September. B ATL trail – better design than it currently has. listed and projected start date. Have folks come out and refresh. Hard to do anything if no one is in charge. Lots of change at City Hall.
National Register of Historic Places – East Atlanta Nomination: Working on proposal – coming before National Georgia Aug 24th at 10am. Continuing to work – if approved for Georgia it moves on to National. Document is on the EACA website for review.
Jeanne Fore – Education: School Supply Drive – Strange items – including socks and underwear. Both sexes all sizes 3T – Adult M & L.
Land Use & Zoning – Meetings 1st Tuesday of the month at Village Church. Full NPU – 4th Wednesday at 7:30. Andy can be reached at land use@eaca.net.
Garbage – Ed Gilgor: Is everyone aware that trash pick-up has moved to Mondays? Recycling, garbage and trimmings (anything that fits in the bag) Bulk waste will be collected. Confusion about the curb – if you put in the street they leave in the street or on the curb, they still put in the street. Discussions on either EACA FB page on garbage collection experiences. The Commissioner that made the new schedule has left. We are down 40 garbage trucks, fingers crossed new schedule will work. Will take about 300 days to get the trucks that we need. We are in a crisis right now. Some trucks equipped and/or can be retrofitted with snow plows. Week of 13th is bulk collection. NC2 rewrite is being done through LUZ Committee run by EACA, next committee meeting is this Thursday 8pm 710 Flat Shoals Avenue.
Porch Press – Howard Fore CoB and web geek. Nomination today – nominee is Péralte Paul; fulfills requirements; willing to be a working board member. PP covers SAND, GP, and EACA. Each neighborhood has 3 reps. Previously held by Jeannie Strickland who has left.
Motion to approve July minutes & spend for July. Approved.
Meeting ended at 8:25 pm.