Neighborhood Council 5
Minutes 2009

January 19, 2009 | February 16, 2009 | March 16, 2009 | April 20, 2009 | May 18, 2009 | September 21, 2009 | October 19, 2009 | November 16, 2009

NEIGHB0RHOOD COUNCIL # 5 MEETING MINUTES
Monday, November 16, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th Avenue South

Council members present:

Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
John Stone
Jean Stone
Stan Meyer

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The October 19, 2009 minutes were read and approved.
  2. Committee Reports:
    1. Great Falls City Commission Meeting: Jean Stone presented the Charles Russell Park improvement project to them.
    2. Police Advisory Board: Has not met since the last meeting
    3. Council of Councils: Tawny attended October 28 meeting. She reported that they discussed Leadership Great Falls’ Vision Expo Survey, (due April 17, 2010), long term parking issues, and increased participation of Neighborhood Councils through the New Technology Bandwagon. This program will be presented to the City Council by the Council of Councils.
    4. Russell Park Committee: The City Park and Recreation Department has ordered the equipment and will install it in the spring. A letter of appreciation was presented to Bernice Karnop for her help with this project.

NEW BUSINESS:

Lorri Brown, Governor’s Office for Community Services, presented a program on Map Your Neighborhood, Family Emergency Planning, and Community Emergency Response Team training.

Neighborhood Concerns: One of the slides on the present play structure at Russell Park is broken. The Park Department has been notified and will take care of it.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Carol Fillmore is the new 17th Avenue South Neighborhood Watch Coordinator.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

The next meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2010.

Thanks to Gloria Bedker and Tawny Newth for refreshments.

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NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL #5 MEETING
October 19, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th. Ave. So.

Council members present:


Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
John Stone
Jean Stone
Stan Meyer

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The September 21 minutes were read and accepted with one correction. Under Old Business, delete last sentence of Paragraph b (4)(d) and include under October 19, 2009 minutes, as this was learned after the September 21, meeting.
  2. Committee Reports:
    1. City Commission Meeting : Tawny Newth reported the youth council, is to meet twice a month. In addition to a web site being constructed, the youth council is working on future plans and activities.
    2. Action Team: The date of the next meeting is to be announced.
    3. Police Advisory Board: No report
    4. Russell Park Committee
      1. Tawny was pleased to announce, according to Bernice Karnop’s e-mail, the Park Advisory Board approved our grant request of $5412.50. They usually award grants in January, however, in this case, they granted our request on the spot at their 12 October 2009 meeting. Tawny Newth further stated total contributions received to date is $5,118, with $294.50 yet to be raise to meet our share of $5412.50 equaling the matching grant.
      2. Gloria Bedker has one correction to make on the application, Park Trust Fund Matching Grant, City of Great Falls that had been submitted. In paragraph 4, under Anticipated project period, sub paragraph 4, other business donors: Change Noon’s contribution from $200 to read $300. Gloria Bedker will write a personal letter to Noon’s thanking them for their generous contribution.
      3. All attending the meeting recognize this project would not have been possible if it hadn’t been for the vision and tremendous effort on the part of Bernice Karnop. Our hats are off to you, Bernice.
      4. Patty Cadwell suggested someone from Neighborhood council #5, attend the 20 Oct City Commission Meeting at 7:00 p.m. to thank the City entities for their participation in making this project to install new playground equipment at the Russell Park a success. Jean and John Stone will attend this meeting representing Neighborhood Council #5.

OTHER OLD BUSINESS Stan Meyer gave a brief report on the Weed Pull in June at Russell Park. Although the group gathered to pull noxious weeds made only a small dent in the problem, and it doesn’t look as though there will be much of any effective follow up action, we can say we tried our best.

NEW BUSINESS:

  1. The Council of Councils meeting is next week, 28 Oct at 7 p.m. Tawny will speak to them to see if any of the other councils would be interested in holding a noxious weed pull.
  2. Neighborhood Council sponsored municipal candidate forum for City Commission Candidates will be held 21 Oct. 7 p.m. in the Gibson Room. The public will have an opportunity to submit questions in writing. Please e-mail questions to Mr. Weissman ASAP. There are four Commission Candidates. Allotted time for the forum is 90 minutes.
  3. Neighborhood Concerns: Gloria Bedker brought up the missing signs in the west side of Russell Park. Patty Cadwell will check into this item.

OTHER BUSINESS: Our next Neighborhood Council meeting is scheduled 16 Nov, same time and same place. Gloria Bedker will bring a treat in Nov. Tawny will bring a beverage. We discussed the Dec 21 meeting. Stan Meyer made a motion to eliminate the Dec meeting; it was 2nd by John Stone. Motion carried.

Meeting Adjourned: There being no further topics for discussion, the meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Nov 16, 2009 same time and place.

Respectfully submitted by

Jean P. Stone
Secretary)

Attendance List

Tawny Newth
John Stone
Jean Stone
Stan Meyer
Patty Cadwell
Gloria Bedker
Donald Bedker

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NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL #5 MEETING
September 21, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th. Ave. So.

Council members present:


Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
John Stone
Jean Stone
Jake Karnop

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The May 18, 2009, minutes were read and accepted.
  2. Committee Reports:
    1. City Commission Meeting : Tawny Newth reported the youth council, serving as an advisory to the city council, was approved
    2. Action Team: The Action Team met in June. They discussed the up-coming events in Black Eagle and improvement proposals. No date is available for the next meeting.
    3. Police Advisory Board: Jake Karnop reported the Police Advisory Board met three times since our May 2009 meeting and discussed the following:
      1. The impact of the police mill levy and its failure to pass which affected both community and conventional policing.
      2. A community police manning grant was approved, which resulted in four new officer positions.
      3. Newly employed officers hired and others leaving,
      4. MT. ANG officers returned and some officers leaving,
      5. Drug and gang activity,
      6. The next session of the Police Citizens Academy is scheduled for April 2010.
    4. Russell Park Committee: Bernice Karnop gave a report on our current status on both the financial situation and equipment listed for possible selection. For full details see attached copy of Bernice’s report.
      1. Janet Haffner has provided a donation designated for a swing set which has already been ordered and which may be installed this fall. Thank you so much Janet.
      2. One manufacturer is offering a sale on items purchased through 15 November which includes free freight.
      3. Per Mr. Giles from Parks and Recreation we will have to go with a gravel base as wood chips are not available from the City. Glenda Evans will approach United Materials to see if they would furnish the gravel.
      4. We discussed the matching grant from The People’s Park and Recreation Foundation. If we are to take advantage of the sale on the equipment items and receive maximum saving on the equipment we would like to purchase, we are going to need to raise an additional $2000 and see if we can get an early authorization for the grant money. The Park Board meets October 12th. At 3 p.m. Some members of the Russell Park Improvement committee will attend that meeting to discuss the Park Trust Fund and the grant. We learned we will not be able to insert a flyer on this fund raiser through the Wednesday packets taken home by the children at Mountain View School.

NEW BUSINESS: Neighborhood Concerns - None

Meeting Adjourned: There being no further topics for discussion, the meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. The next meeting will be held on October 19, 2009, same time and place.

Respectfully submitted by

Jean P. Stone
Secretary)

Attendance List

Tawny Newth
Jake Karnop
John Stone
Jean Stone
Bernice Karnop
Patty Cadwell
Gloria Bedker
Donald Bedker
Glenda Evans

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NEIGHB0RHOOD COUNCIL # 5 MEETING MINUTES
Monday, May 18, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th Avenue South

Council Members Present:
Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
Stan Meyer
Jake Karnop

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The April 20, 2009 minutes were read, amended and approved.
  2. Committee Reports:
    1. Great Falls City Commission Meeting: The next City Council meeting will be held on May 19, 2009.
    2. Police Advisory Board: Has not met since the April meeting
    3. Council of Councils: No report
    4. Russell Park Committee: The flyer was printed and we’ve started fundraising. Jake deposited $155 in the Park Foundation account.
  3. The Neighborhood Noxious Weed Pull will take place June 13, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Flyers were available for distribution. The weed pull will be in place of the June Neighborhood Council meeting.
  4. The Russell Park clean up went well and Stan Meyers thanked Gloria and Don Bedker for hosting treats at their house following the activity.

NEW BUSINESS:

Jim Reardon presented the city’s program for recycling and the proposed changes to the program. The city may levy a $1 to $1.50 fee as refuse collection charge to help cover the cost of recycling.

Neighborhood Concerns: Construction debris along the south side of Whispering Ridge from construction activity. Jim Reardon will have the city take care of the problem.

OTHER BUSINESS:

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

The next meeting is scheduled for September 21, 2009.

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NEIGHB0RHOOD COUNCIL # 5 MEETING MINUTES
Monday, April 20, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th Avenue South

Council Members Present:
Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
John Stone
Jean Stone
Jake Karnop

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The March 16, 2009 minutes were read amended to reflect Saturday April 25, 2009 as the date for Russell Park Cleanup and approved.
  2. Committee Reports:
    1. Great Falls City Commission Meeting: The next City Council meeting will be held on April 21, 2009. The major item will be the public hearing on proposed swimming rate increases. The Council has approved the city/county land swap affecting the access to the New Federal Courthouse and vacation of Fourth Street between the Old Jail and the Cascade County Courthouse.(the County Proposal).
    2. Police Advisory Board: The Board met on March 19, 2009. The main topic of discussion was the need for the Police Safety Mill Levy. The election is being scheduled for August 2009. The guns right bills in the Senate Judiciary Committee were discussed. The impact on law enforcement agencies is not good. The local gang activities were also discussed.
    3. Council of Councils: The Meeting was held on March 31, 2009. The major items discussed were the Police/Fire Department Safety Mill Levies, West Bank Development, Joint Land Use Study Committee member appointment, and Council of Council delegate input items/concerns.
    4. Russell Park Committee: The park improvement brochures have been developed and are being printed for distribution. The funding goal is $20,000. The desired construction period is the summer of 2010.

Weed Pull Planning: Tawny Newth will contact the principal parties and establish an acceptable June 2009 date.

NEW BUSINESS:

MAPRIL Cleanup: The Russell Park cleanup will be held at 9:00 a.m. on April 25, 2009. Gloria Becker will post notices on the park benches. Refreshment will be provided.

Neighborhood Concerns: The net on the tennis court has been replaced.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Stan Meyer was welcomed as a Neighborhood Council # 5 member.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 18, 2009.

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NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL #5 MEETING
March 16, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th. Ave. So.

Council members present:


Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
John Stone
Jean Stone
Jake Karnop

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The February 16, 2009, minutes were read and accepted
  2. Committee Reports:
    1. City Commission Meeting: The City Commission will be discussing the Great Falls Transportation Plan and a city zoning change request for 12th Ave So between 43rd and 47th Street So for development, etc.
    2. Police Advisory Board: The board meets19 March.
    3. ACTION Team: A specific date for this meeting has not yet been set.
  3. Problem Property at 3225 14th Ave So: The situation at this address is being resolved through the city. The owner is now aware that the vehicles should not be stored in the yard area and he is in the process of obtaining a building permit for a garage, etc. Reference 24 Feb 09 and 13 Mar 09 emails for further details. He supposedly is not operating a business at this address.
  4. Nelson property at 3225 13th Ave So: The issue of all the vehicles and stuffed in the back yard is being worked.
  5. Conditional Use Permit Request – Raegen Breeden. Ms .Breeden has withdrawn her request for this permit. No further action.

NEW BUSINESS:

  1. Appointment of New Member: Nominations were opened for this appointment to fill the vacant council position. Tawny Newth nominated Stan Meyer. There were no other nominations. Jake Karnop made a motion to appoint Stan Meyer to this position. John Stone 2nd the motion. Motion carried. Mr. Meyer will be sworn in and be ready to fill this position at our April meeting. Mr. Meyer will remain in this position through 31 Dec 09, after which newly elected council members will be in place.
  2. Beautiful Minds Walk—Center for Mental Health: Greg Hall gave a presentation on the walk to help the center raise funds. The kick off for this function is April 1. Funds need to be turned in by June 10 and the walk will take place on June 20. For more details contact Mr. Hall at 868-0738.
  3. Emergency Preparedness: Kristal Kuhn gave an information presentation, which included the organizational structure and function. Reference the city web site for educational information.
  4. Neighborhood Weed Pull: Marta Basta, Park & Recreation Director, discussed the need for weed control and specifically noxious weeds and Spotted Knapweed. The suggestion was for Neighborhood Council 5 to sponsor a “weed pull” in the neighborhood district as a springboard to get other Neighborhood Council Districts to get on board with neighborhood “weed pul”l events. To do this we need to establish a date, time, place, etc. A suggestion was made to use our June meeting night for the weed pull. The council felt it best to concentrate on the Russell Park and Mountain View School area. There would be an educational session on site which will cover identification of weeds to be pulled, etc. Jake Karnop made a motion to do the “weed pull” and establish the time and date, etc. at next council meeting. Jean Stone 2nd the motion. Motion passed. Tawny Newth is the temporary contact point. Marta Basta requested he be contacted as soon as a date is set.
  5. Mapril Clean-up: We will hold our MApril clean up at Russell Park on Saturday the 26th of April . If the weather is inclement, we will hold it on the 2nd of May.
  6. Bernice Karnop reported there are many good choices for playground equipment in the catalogs. The Park Committee will begin their organizational meetings soon.

Other Business: Council of Councils meeting will be held 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 31Mar. in the Civic Center Gibson Room. Jake Karnop will represent Neighborhood Council 5 at this meeting; Tawny Newth will be the back up if Jake is unable to attend.

Meeting Adjourned: There being no further topics for discussion, the meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. The next meeting will be held on April 20, 2009, same time and place.

Respectfully submitted by

Jean P. Stone
Secretary)

Attendance List

Tawny Newth
Jake Karnop
John Stone
Jean Stone
Bernice Karnop
Patty Cadwell
Gloria Bedker
Donald Bedker
Marty Basta
Debbie Kimball
Greg Hall
Stan Meyer
Kristal Kuhn
Eric Hanson
Vanessa Fitzgerald
H. Nelson

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NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL #5 MEETING
February 16, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th. Ave. So.

Council members present:


Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
John Stone
Jean Stone
Jake Karnop

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The January 19, 2009, minutes were read and accepted
  2. Committee Reports:
    1. City Commission Meeting: No Report
    2. Police Advisory Board – The board meets in March
    3. ACTION Team – John and Jean Stone attended this meeting. They discussed the ACTION group’s purposes; more exposure on the welcome packets, councils are to use this group for activity support or ideas, and they changed their meeting to be held on a quarterly basis.
    4. CLI Meeting: This meeting was combined with the ACTION Team meeting. They discussed Landscaping improvements in the Black Eagle area and the processes of permits and fund raising. For more details reference the Action and CLI Meeting minutes)

OTHER OLD BUSINESS: Russell Park Bumps: Parks and Recreation will resolve this problem when the weather warms up.

NEW BUSINESS:

  1. Appointment of New Member: The council has received official notification of Nancy Anderson’s resignation. We will be looking for someone to fill this fifth position.
  2. Conditional Use Permit request – Raegen Breeden, 3305 12th Ave So. – Ms. Breeden was not present to discuss this. We did learn this was a request for a zone change (permit) surrounding a need to expand a day care facility. This change needs to be presented first to the Neighborhood Council, then to the Planning Board and then it goes before the City Commission. Patty Cadwell will call Ms. Breeden.
  3. Emergency Preparedness: Kristal Kuhn was not present for this presentation.
  4. Russell Park Improvement Project: Bernice Karnop and Tawny Newth reported on the meeting held with Parks and Recreation held on February 6, 2009. The intention is install a playground system on the North West side of the park suitable for ages 2 through 5 and also suitable for special needs children. Funds could be raised with a combined effort through our neighborhood fund raising, The Peoples Park and Recreation Foundation and a matching grant through the Parks and Recreation Department. We discussed leaving some of the older equipment in place, however, this may be a safety issue. Patty Cadwell can help us to advertise this project by printing flyers, etc.

    One of Parks and Rec’s major concerns was cars being parked on the grass over by the nursing home during soccer practice. The neighbors need to let people know this is not legal parking and ask them to move or call the police. A neighbor in attendance then mentioned the need for parking on the far west side of the park for soccer practices, etc. This will be brought to the attention of the Parks and Recreation Department.

    They also discussed other area of concern within Russell Park such as the exposed rough edges of the concrete on the newer equipment in the West side, a sprinkler head protruding up from the ground as you step off the edge of the gazebo, the path to the gazebo, removal of loosely stack rocks and heaving of asphalt on the walking path The Park and Recreation Department will resolve these issues (see minutes of the Parks and Recreation Meeting held February 6, 2009 for further details).

    Russell Park Committee: A neighborhood committee will be formed to follow through on these improvements

  5. Mapril Clean-up: Fill gopher holes, clean up doggie doo, pick up rocks that may damage the mowing equipment and stack them for the Parks and Recreation Dept. to pick up. More to follow.

ISSUES OF NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERN:

It was noted a neighbor mentioned a potential violation of city regulations at 3225 14th Ave So. This will be checked out.

Meeting Adjourned: There being no further topics for discussion, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. The next meeting will be held on March 16, 2009, same time and place.

Respectfully submitted by

Jean P. Stone
Secretary)

Attendance List

Tawny Newth, Chair Person
Jake Karnop
John Stone
Jean Stone
Bernice Karnop
Tim Shanks
Patty Cadwell
Gloria Bedker
Donald Bedker

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NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL #5 MEETING
January 19, 2009
Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center
3000 15th. Ave. So.

Council members present:


Tawny Newth (Chairperson)
John Stone
Jean Stone
Jake Karnop

There was a quorum present. The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

OLD BUSINESS:

  1. The December 15, 2008, minutes were read and accepted
  2. Russell Park Bumps: Item Open: The walking path located in the east side of Russell Park is heaving causing tripping hazards, etc. Marty Basta will see what they can do:
  3. Committee Reports:
    1. City Commission Meeting and Council of Councils Meeting Reports: Nancy Anderson will give reports on these meetings at our February meeting.
    2. ACTION Team – Next scheduled meeting is January 26, 2009. 5:15 p.m. Jean and John Stone will attend this meeting.
    3. Police Advisory Board – Jake Karnop reported on this meeting. Among other items discussed were manning/personnel and funding short falls, etc. The downtown officer position won’t be filled any time soon.

OTHER OLD BUSINESS: None

NEW BUSINESS:

  1. Election of Officers: Tawny Newth was nominated for chairperson, Jean Stone, Secretary, and Jake Karnop, Police Advisory with John Stone as alternate. Disposition of the Official Delegate currently held by Nancy Anderson, will be considered at the February meeting. Jake Karnop made a motion to maintain in positions the persons currently servicing as chairperson, secretary and police advisory for 2009. John Stone seconded motion. Motion carried.ween June and August 2009. He also furnished a feasibility report. We had a question and answer period.
  2. Presentation from City of Great Falls Emergency Planner – Kristal Kuhn. There was no presentation, as Kristal Kuhn was unable to attend our meeting. .
  3. New Projects: As Neighborhood Council Five, we discussed looking into new projects in which we could become involved. Jean Stone will contact Mountain View School to see if they may have any needs that we, as a neighborhood council, can help. We also discussed possible improvement in Russell Park, mainly the West Side playground equipment. Members from Council Five will schedule a meeting with Parks and Recreation for possible ideas.

ISSUES OF NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERN:

  1. Snow on Sidewalks: Great Falls has recently received heavy and frequent snow falls. We have many driveways and some sidewalks where snow removal has not been accomplished. There is an ordinance covering this subject, however, this can also be an opportunity for neighbors to help neighbors. Help your neighbors clear these areas where and when you can. It was also noted that if you call the Golden Corral telephone number, they may be able to send someone out to help you with this chore.

Meeting Adjourned: There being no further topics for discussion, the meeting adjourned 8:10 p.m. The next meeting will be held February 16, 2009, same time and same location.

Respectfully submitted by

Jean P. Stone
Secretary)

Attendance List

Tawny Newth, Chair Person
Jake Karnop
John Stone
Jean Stone
Bernice Karnop

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