September 2017 Monthly Minutes

Indian Mound Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes from September 18th, 2017

Next Meeting: Monday, October 16th, 2017 at 6:30pm at North-East Branch Library (6000 Wilson Ave, KCMO 64123)

Donna Miller-Brown, Treasurer’s Report

Donna Miller-Brown, Bike meeting

KCMO Public works looking to put bike land down Independence Ave, down Gladstone, down Lexington
Representatives from each NE neighborhood were there
- Brought up issues with fast drivers
- Hope bike lanes will lead to traffic calming
Next meeting is Saturday, October 11 from 11am – 1pm at the Gem Theater, 1615 E 18th St.
$150,000 budget

Liz Harris, BikeWalkKC (liz.harris@bikewalkkc.org)

Event on November 4th, annual KC Tweed Ride (starts at 10am) @ St. John & Gladstone Blvd
- Parade-type ride (slow, social), people dress-up, end with a picnic
- Suggested donation of $15 for individuals, $25 couples, $35 families
- Prizes for outfits
Other efforts to help support bike/ped efforts in NE
- Geography can make this difficult
- Goal is to amplify voices of residents, build capacity among neighborhood associations, advocate for resident needs/wants
October 4th, National Walk-to-School Day
- BikeWalkKC is trying to reach out to James Elementary for this event
Brett Shoffner is the BikeWalkKC contact for events/efforts going on in Northeast KC (ecologicalplacemakers@gmail.com)

KCPD, Officer Patrick Byrd, Crime Report

Went over crime stats for August 2017
Changing seasons may affect crime. Consider holidays and tendency to increase property crimes (for example, packages getting stolen when they are delivered)
Bryan Stalder noticed that auto thefts are up
- Officer Byrd thought that people may leave their keys in the car?
- Increased theft of 2017 Ford F-150 trucks
Beth Beavers brought up speeding along Van Brunt Ave and Gladstone Blvd
Bryan Stalder was wondering if a recent crime reporting on Independence Ave was attributed to the CID Avenue Angels calling in?
Stella Morales wondered if there are increased reports of homelessness?
- Officer Byrd attributed that to increased abuse of substances in public spaces
Neighbor mentioned a recent incident where she had to call police, but didn’t get any response from 911. She was wondering if calls don’t go through, KCPD can still respond by locating where the call came from?

Jordan Schiele, Jerusalem Farm and Neighborhood Accountability Board

Jerusalem Farm does home repairs for low-income and fixed-income residents
Developed Neighborhood Accountability Board as a restorative justice process to help residents avoid fines
- Jerusalem Farm received a grant ($20,000) to help fund home repairs for Indian Mound residents that go through the NAB process
  - They get $14,000 upfront, and need to raise $3,000 which is then matched
  - Luckily, the money has already been raised, but they are still accepting donations
  - IOBY.org Jerusalem Farm crowdfunding campaign
Kevin will be taking over the role of Jimmy Thomas, who is leaving his AmeriCorps position soon
Beth wondered who IMNA should direct neighbors to if they would like some assistance
- Contact Jordan: Jordan@JerusalemFarm.org
Jerusalem is looking to hire someone to work with the NAB (5 hours/week, Spanish fluency preferred, ideally an Indian Mound resident)
Bryan brought up a recent award that Jerusalem Farm got from Westside Housing, “Community Capacity Builder” award for the work they are doing in Indian Mound through the NABs

Bryan mentioned the use of the NAB to deal with an issue going on at 5100 block of Thompson Ave

Mary Cyr, Director of NEAT, introduced Ana Ramirez

Ana is taking over the work that Michelle Hatch had begun
Originally from North Carolina, looking forward to working with the neighborhoods

Bryan Stalder gave updates about the Northeast News

The paper is going through a transition; visiting with the neighborhood associations to get feedback from residents
Scaled back deliveries in the past, looking to expand this to include all of Northeast
Funded through advertising, most of whom are small businesses located in the area, so it’s important to support those business
Front page will go back to featuring the articles, rather than advertising
The paper will publish letters to the editor that readers send in
Podcast recently added; available each week (30 minute interview) through most streaming services

Tamara Mills, KCMO City Codes

Asks that residents call 311 about trash on the right-of-way; she has noticed a large increase lately on certain streets

Fall Events:

Northeast High School is having their Homecoming Parade on Saturday, September 30th starting at 9am.
- IMNA and other neighborhood associations have been invited to participate.
  - We should organize a group to stroll through the parade (maybe get a truck or nicer car to drive?)
  - Contact Bryan Stalder if you have any ideas or would like to participate: president.IMNA@gmail.com
5415 Community Garden Clean-up Workday on October 7th, in the afternoon
NEKC Historical Society is hosting their Homes Tour on Saturday, October 14th
- They need volunteers to be docents
- Tickets can be purchased for $15 in advance.
Semi-Annual Fall Cleanup at Budd Park is on Saturday, October 21st
- Need volunteers to direct traffic, trucks to pick up large trash to bring to dumpsters, interacting with residents waiting in line to throw away trash
Pumpkin Patch/Fall Festival at Indian Mound Park on Saturday, October 28th, 1pm – 4pm
- Pumpkins will be available (maybe to carve)
- Highlight the walking trail along Gladstone Blvd and the single-track trail in Kessler Park
- Donna hoping to provide healthful, fall-season veggie dishes
- Lykins Neighborhood Association would like to collaborate to help plan this event with IMNA
Northeast Farmers Market continues every Thursday, 4-7pm, at 3001 Independence Ave.
- Weekly CSA (aka box of food) will be available from October 1 to November 19. Contact Jenna Wilkins at NortheastFarmersMarket@gmail.com.
Free Gun Locks at the Northeast Library on September 27th.