Woodlawn Neighborhood Association General Meeting Minutes

Tuesday July 5th, 2022 07:00pm

(minutes are in draft until approved at the next meeting)

Your voice matters in our community-let it be heard here.

All are invited and welcomed.

7:00 – 7:15 Welcome and Introductions.

• Chida Chaemchaeng led the meeting in place of Melody.
• Board members present: Anjala Ehelebe (land use chair & neighborhood historian), Chida Chaemchaeng (co-chair), Dennis Kennedy (treasurer), Liz Kennedy, Shirley Minor (member-at-large & NECN member-at-large), Keith Baich (Farmers Market representative), Thelma Diggs (member-at-large), Barbara English, Krista Reynolds (secretary)
• Neighbors/friends: Deanna, Michael
• Board members absent: Melody Randolph (co-chair), Nancy Flynn (member-at-large)

7:15 – 7:20 Approve June meeting notes and July agenda

• The June minutes and the July agenda were approved by the board – all in favor.

7:20 – 8:00 General Business

1. Housekeeping
   1. Correction from last meeting: Liz Kennedy has been a member of the Land Use and Transportation Committee for years and done great work.
      1. Two new members have also volunteered – John Laurence and Jeff Siri.
      2. Please contact Anjala or Liz if you are interested in joining this committee.
   2. One more round of gratitude to Rick Reynolds for organizing and to all those who helped make the Woodlawn Cleanup a success.
      1. Check out the recap here: https://tinyurl.com/Cleanup22recap
      2. See this Metro article that also highlights the event.
      3. Chida: What made this year’s event more of a success? Rick: Marketing (mailed postcards and flyers posted in the neighborhood) and there were more volunteers. Approximately $1884 went to the WNA and $1884 to Woodlawn School.
2. Multnomah County Budget Advisory Committee accepting applications
   1. No budgeting or financial expertise is necessary! Just an interest in the programs and budget process of the County and availability to attend meetings.
   2. Info and application here: multco.us/oci/cbacs
3. August Events, traditionally, National Night Out at Woodlawn Park
   1. Volunteer(s) needed to organize
      1. Liz is interested in helping to coordinate but not run the event. August 2^nd was the proposed date, but we are not locked into that.
      2. The event has historically included music, face painting, grilled food, and food vendors.
      3. Originally it was a safety and security event where EMTs, fire, and police personnel participated.
      4. We have records of what’s been done in the past.
      5. Rick suggested that August 2^nd is too soon. Perhaps early September would be better for marketing? The group decided August 30^th is a good alternative date.
      6. For National Night Out, you don’t have to pay a fee because it’s a citywide event. Liz will check to see what might need to be done if we change the date of the event to August 30th. Maija Spencer is a good contact. NECN provides “slip and fall” insurance coverage for our official WNA events.
      7. Liz, Anjala, Thelma, Shirley, Deanna, and Keith volunteered to form a planning committee. The committee formation was voted on and all approved.
   2. Ideas for other events?
4. Woodlawn Help Crew-sign up to assist our neighbors
   1. https://tinyurl.com/woodlawnhelpcrew
   2. Thelma asked for clarification about what the purpose of the sign up is. Chiba clarified it’s a list of volunteers who can provide resources in case we learn about Woodlawn neighbors who need help with various household/yard work tasks. It’s not clear who has access to the list of submissions beyond Melody.

8:00 – 8:20 Board Business

1. Treasurer’s Report – Dennis Kennedy
   1. We have over $10,500 in the account. $3767.87 gross profits were made from the cleanup event. Dennis will write the check to Woodlawn School this week. This is by far the most we’ve earned from the cleanup event, even after splitting the proceeds with Woodlawn School.
   2. Rick thanked Dennis for writing the checks to vendors so quickly. We were able to support several BIPOC neighborhood businesses. Shout out to Paper Chase Shredding and Rick at Able Arm Recycling. Thanks to the vendors who donated food – Woodlawn Coffee and Pastry and Ranch Pizza.
   3. Chiba asked if there a document that has details about how the event was planned. Rick has a document to which he’s been adding notes.
   4. Dennis said past National Night Out events in the past cost approximate $1500. He suggested we plan to budget $2000 due to inflation. The motion to reserve $2000 for National Night Out expenses was voted on and passed unanimously.
   5. Rick: Metro Presort is the company that sent mailers for the cleanup event. Anjala said volunteers have put up flyers in the neighborhood for previous events.
   6. Shirley: Tony Coleman was the individual who barbequed at past National Night Out events, and Shirley now has his contact information.
2. Land Use and Transportation – Anjala Ehelebe
   1. The residence at 6243 NE 19th is scheduled for demolition.
      1. The property has been in disrepair for quite a while. Anjala asked if the building has any historical significance. She does not feel there is any reason for the WNA to appeal its demolition. The board has some power with its appeal. If the board appeals, the developer must respond to the appeal. The City has recently changed rules about the demolition of older buildings.
   2. Neighbors have until July 7th at 11:59pm to appeal.
   3. Rick: Historic neighborhood signs are stored in the Classic Foods storage room.
   4. Anjala: Land Use and Transportation also has an odd power – we can approve or decline liquor licenses and the location of marijuana dispensaries.
   5. Rick: Thanks to Anjala for her work on the committee. Anjala has published a book (Portland’s Woodlawn Neighborhood) which is about Woodlawn neighborhood history.
   6. Anjala: Doug Decker, an Irvington resident, does historic walking tours in the Vernon neighborhood.
   7. Anjala’s Woodlawn tours will be in July and August. Anjala will forward the info when Doug produces the marketing materials.
      1. Anjala’s tours will be 7/23, 8/6, and 8/27 at 11am. Sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4caaaa2aa1fac70-historic1
3. Farmer’s Market – Keith Baich
   1. The market is held Saturdays, 10-2
   2. Keith is working with Beneficial State Bank to remove Dallas (former market manager) from the account.
   3. There is a little over $12,000 in the market’s account.
   4. There are fewer requests for matching SNAP funds this year than in the past; the market is in good shape financially.
   5. Anjala: Who covers the SNAP match funds? Keith: There’s a grant for some of it ($2500). Sales of items at the market info booth and vendor fees cover some of it. Donations also support some of SNAP matching. Donations can be made through the market website.
4. NECN – Dennis Kennedy
   1. Nothing to report.
5. NET – Erin Cooper
   1. Erin was not present.

8:20 – 8:30 Final thoughts, announcements, other upcoming events

• Thelma thanked the board for supporting the Meals on Wheels fundraiser. More than $20,000 was raised.
• Should we hold an August meeting? It would be August 2^nd (first Tuesday in August). The board agreed to meet August 2^nd in order to plan National Night Out.
• Thelma: How will we communicate to neighbors we won’t hold National Night Out on August 2^nd?
  • Liz will investigate. We should consider having the meeting at the park in case folks show up for the event.

8:30 Meeting adjourned (at 8:03 pm)

Thank you for coming! Hope to see you Tuesday, August 2nd for our next meeting.

Location: To be determined. Please check the August agenda, which will be posted at https://gowoodlawn.com/meeting-notes-agendas/