January 8, 2007 | February 12, 2007 | April 9, 2007 | May 14, 2007 | June 11, 2007 | September 10, 2007 | October 8, 2007 | November 12, 2007 | December 10, 2007
Chairman Aaron Weissman called the Neighborhood Council 7 meeting to order at 7:00pm. Council members present were Aaron Weissman, Erin Tropila, Donna Sadler, Ole Johnson, Mike Taylor and NC Coordinator Patty Cadwell. Jim Reardon of Public Works and Jerry McKinley of traffic were also present as were seven other concerned citizens.
Ole Johnson was installed as interim Neighborhood Council.
November minutes were accepted.
Deb Little presented a problem with the kids crossing 9th st and 6 ave. s. she is concerned about cars that are stopped to make a left hand turn and the cars that are behind them go around them on the right side. Deb said there have been many close calls of children getting hit when this happens. Jerry McKinley said this should not be a problem if the kids are crossing on a green light. Deb Little also said that on many occasions there is no crossing guard or he is late. Boys and Girls club also meet at night and have to cross on their own. Jim Reardon said he would check into making a left turn lane and repainting the crossing.
512 6th ST N. Is boarded up.
516 6th ST N. Has a permit to fix it up.
916 3rd Ave, N. A Judge has ordered it to be fixed up but the property has been sold we are waiting to see what is going to happen next.
116 and 112 Complaint between two neighbors one of them retaliated and egged the others house. Police made him clean up the egg mess.
New graffiti found at the skate park it had something to do with killing of police.
Discussed Weed and Seed Youth Art Project for skate park
Jim Reardon was asked if there were any plans of water main replacements on the lower north or south sides. Jim said they have no plans at this time.
Absentee Landlords were discussed and it was brought up that maybe there could be some kind of a license so they could be held accountable for what goes on with their properties.
Change meeting times from 6:30pm to 7:00 pm for all our NC meetings.
Weed and Seed --------------- No report
Downtown Task Force------- Erin Tropila gave update.
Police Advisory Board------- Donna Sadler gave update. One of the things discussed in the Police Advisory Board was that in the near future the state would be letting a lot of people out of prison. The sex offenders might be sent to Great Falls for their probation. The reason that Great Falls was mentioned was that we were the best-equipped city in the state to handle these people with our resources such as councilors and probation officers.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm
The next meeting will be January 14, 2008 at the Heisey with the Neighborhood Watch at 6:30pm.
The Neighborhood Council meeting will start at 7:00pm
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Taylor
Neighbor Council 7
Traci Hronek called the Neighborhood Watch meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Traci wanted to remind the people who were in Neighborhood Watch to turn in the time they spend watching the neighborhood. This is the only way the Neighborhood Watch gets its funding. She is going to talk to Mac about E- mailing our time in.
Chairman Aaron Weissman called the Neighborhood Council meeting to order at 6:45 p.m.
Present were council members Aaron Weissman, Erin Tropila, and Mike Taylor. Other citizens preset were Melanie Lattin, Traci Hronek, Jaci Braaten, Carlie Boland, Sheila Rice, and five more concerned citizens.
October minutes were accepted.
Problem properties:
512 and 516 6th St. N. are suppose to be empty. It was brought up that, there may be somebody staying in them at night. The doors are open and some of the windows are broken out. Aaron Weissman will speak with Officer Stinar concerning this issue.
916 5th Ave. N. was our next property discussed. Sheila Rice gave an up date on this property. Sheila said some remodeling has been done and the property owners are continuing to work on it.
Aaron Weissman has tried to contact newly elected Member, Matt Anderson. Matt has not responded yet.
Melanie Lattin of the Animal Foundation explained the plan and fund raising for the new Dog Park. A suggested site by the City Park and Recreation was at 9th street and River Drive.
It was suggested that we rotate our meeting through out the neighborhood. It was decided that once every two months we would meet with the Neighborhood Watch. The next meeting will be at the Longfellow School.
Carlie Boland, a candidate for the Montana House of Representatives introduced her self and expressed her interest in the Neighborhood Council.
Sheila Rice discussed the Magic Downtown. Great Falls downtown has potential. She talked about key properties, downtown housing, and incentives for people to develop downtown and Restaurants and entertainment. She also explained permanent affordability.
Concerned neighbor Gudrun Linden, has been having trouble, with a neighbor who will not keep up his property at 1021 5th Ave. N. He refuses to work with her on the matter. The council suggested that she speak with Heather Rolf concerning city code violations. Aaron Weissman will follow up on this matter.
Weed and Seed/ Jaci Braaten, gave an update on the graffiti art at the Skate Park.
Downtown Taskforce/ Erin Tropila, gave an updated report.
Council of Councils/Aaron Weissman, gave an up date of that council.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. and the next meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2007 at Longfellow School.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Taylor
The Neighborhood Council 7 meeting was called to order at 6:30pm by Chairman Aaron Weissman. Council members present were Donna Sadler, Aaron Weissman, Mike Taylor and Erin Tropila.
The September minutes were approved.
NC 7 supports the idea of an urban art wall or bringing in an artist to promote urban art at the skate park and advised the city commission of our support at the commisson meeting regarding the park.
The ongoing idea of a round-the-clock public access broadcast of the park was revisited with support.
We were advised that NW will take the summers off and the council will be in contact with Traci Hronek prior to meetings to confirm Heisey building access for non-summer meetings.
Bob Gaskell is not returning to meetings. The council wishes to swear in the newly elected member(s) at the first available opportunity rather than wait until January.
Aaron Weissman intends to write a Letter to the Editor thanking the Department of Public Works officials for implementing the pedestrian median on 9th Street. Erin Tropila relayed verbally thanking Marty Basta for the successful project.
916 3rd Ave S- some new paint and roofing is reported.
Guest Mike Witsoe expressed interest and involvement in a bicycle identification program in conjunction with the Great Falls Police Department. In lieu of police involvement, he expressed a desire to build a community database for stolen or lost bike identification.
Free bus transport to the single-polling location was reconfirmed with transport starting at the downtown transfer center and running roundtrip all day.
Times and locations for debates related to the upcoming city commission/mayor races were verified.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:35pm and the next meeting is Monday, November 12, 2007 at 6:30pm at the Heisey.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Tropila
Neighborhood Council 7
The Neighborhood Council 7 meeting was called to order at 7pm by Chairman Aaron Weissman. Council members present were Mike Taylor, Donna Sadler, Aaron Weissman and Erin Tropila. Community members present were Billie Treat, Dona Walker, Ron Walker, Sean Kraus, Bill Bronson, Ben Rangel, Phil Kiser, Ed McKnight, Tonya Jorgensen, Andrew Finch, Sergeant Stiner and JC Braaten.
The August minutes were approved.
At the request of the Business Improvement District, Andrew Finch, Senior Transportation Planner for the City of Great Falls, discussed the history of the traffic configuration for the city, changes over time and the proposal to reassign 5th Street, 6th Street and 1st and 2nd Avenues South back to two-way traffic.
The city is not offering a specific recommendation on this issue, for or against the idea, but Mr Finch offered that goals for why there should be a one-way conversion should be better formed and integrated with broader downtown redevelopment plans.
The major concern of residents of the city appears to be the projected cost of $500,000 to make changes. Other concerns expressed are bus depot flow issues, slowed traffic flow and the possible result of displacing traffic from current routes to overused routes such as 9th Street. Mr Finch relayed that traffic on 9th should not increase specifically relative to the implemented change to any one ways. Mr Kiser stated that 9th Street traffic will increase naturally.
Mrs Treat said that she has not noticed any significant amount of traffic in general on 6th Street and does not feel that the current volume of traffic is noisy or detracting.
512/516 6th St N- Apartment is condemned and the house must be brought to code. The city may fine the tenant for not picking up the outside garbage.
916 3rd Ave N- Reported non-compliance on the variance to bring to code may bring the issue to Municipal Court.
601 5th Ave N- Ongoing problems and neighbors call owner to assist with some success.
515 5th Ave N- Apartment over occupied after tenant left, but all of his relatives are reportedly sleeping in the back. Drugs are reportedly present.
Sergeant Stiner commented that an assembly or similar with parents present might be more effective than presenting information to students only.
Council Members agreed that letters to the editor regarding policing of the schools and thanking the Department of Public Works for the pedestrian median on 9th Street were in order.
Ideas floated were an urban art contest with a nationally recognized artist to encourage non-vandalizing and non-gang related activity and a graffiti art wall. The question of why not fence off the area was asked and the response was that the city prefers a community involvement approach.
A comment was made that perhaps Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art may be helpful in this proposed project.
JC Braaten reported that $1500 in Weed and Seed money has been earmarked for a youth leadership program and potential use of the money may include a youth website designed by Skyline School students. Other ideas are a public access broadcast 24/7 of skate park activities.
If NC7 should continue to meet with NW was discussed and it was decided that we needed to make certain that someone from the NW was indeed coming to the meeting and would unlock the door to the Heisey.
JC Braaten reported that public transportation from the downtown bus depot to the 4 Seasons single-polling location and back would be provided free of charge on election day.
A public meeting is set for discussion.
Sergeant Stiner from the GFPD reported:
Public school bus drivers are doing a good job of reporting vehicle violations at loading and unloading buses. A comp time reward may be offered to encourage drivers to turn in forms.
The total number of Neighborhood Watch programs in NC7 has reached 17. Ad Club is assisting NW programs.
A Citizen’s Academy volunteer training program is planned. Training is for nine weeks and is one night per week for three hours on Wednesdays from 7pm-10pm. One Saturday training session is required as well.
An awarded 5013C grant will pay for training and equipment purchases and is not tied to city money.
Council members decided that the upcoming election would address the vacancy issue.
Plans are to fix up a pre-selected home and volunteers can contact Shad Moyer at NeighborWorks.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:12pm and the next meeting is Monday, October 8, 2007 at 6:30pm at the Civic Center, Gibson Room.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Tropila
Neighborhood Council 7
Neighborhood Council #7 meeting was called to order at 6:25pm by Chairman Aaron Weissman. Council members present were Mike Taylor, Donna Sadler, Aaron Weissman and Erin Tropila.
The May minutes were approved.
The potential drug issue reported at 824 6th Ave N was discussed and 2 council members reported that Susan Sanford, initial reporter of problems, had had no contact from the Community Policeman. The council agreed to contact the city regarding area drug activity at this location and others and refers to such locations as “problem properties” henceforth.
Other problem property updates at 512 6th St and 516 6th St were discussed and possible impending loss of water supply was mentioned as the main is broken.
9th Street Traffic
The Cop’s Corner mention of 9th St issues was mentioned as was the traffic survey that was initiated by the city. The question of how the survey is used, etc. was discussed and the council hopes for an update when available.
Mitchell Pool
Guest Renata Birkenbuel voiced concerns that Mitchell Pool lap swimmers are being denied access to the pool. The city had stated times for the pool to open for lap swimmers, but was not open when she arrived to swim. Aaron Weissman replied that he would contact Patty Reardon to investigate the issue. Also mentioned was the lack of public mention for potential swimmers regarding the hours and costs in general.
Senator Mitch Tropila
Reported information regarding the last legislative session and discussed funding for Meth Courts ($1M) and his ongoing interest in Weed and Seed.
Single Polling Location
Present council members signed a letter authored by Aaron Weissman to the city stating their opposition to the new single polling location and its negative impacts on our council area citizens.
Erin Tropila suggested more public service announcements regarding absentee voting and postage-paid returns on absentee ballots.
916 3rd Ave N
Guest Angel Turoski discussed her ongoing concerns about this property as a problem property. She resides at 914 3rd Ave N and has been battling issues at this non-occupied property for approximately 4 years. The owners Larry and Cheryl Winship reportedly purchased the property as a repossession from the VA and it has largely been abandoned.
At issue- massive quantities of pigeon debris, gang graffiti /graffiti in general, broken glass, weeds and a cooling appliance hanging unsafely between the houses. Council members agreed to contact Mayor Dona Stebbins and Heather Rolf and ask for an update from the city attorney.
Mitch Tropila agreed to contact Corky Grove.
Angel Turoski agreed to contact the County Health Department.
Riverfest Booth
Council members were asked to work a 2-hour shift at the NC booth at Riverfest if schedules allowed. All agreed.
Aaron Weissman reported his comments at the last City Commission meeting as ongoing concerns about 9th St, problem properties, graffiti and the idea of a graffiti mural at the skate park.
It was reported that the Weed and Seed application has not been approved nor denied.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm and the next meeting is Monday, July 9, 2007 at 6:30pm at the Heisey Center.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Tropila
Neighborhood Council 7
The Neighborhood Watch portion of the meeting was called to order by Mac McGiboney at 6:30 p.m.
Mac started the meeting by reminding the Watch people about the all-Watch meeting June 5 at the Police Station which will be presented by the Gang Task Force. He also mentioned the upcoming National Night Out on August 7 and the Business Watch starting in the area of 7th Street to 10th Street on Central Avenue. Neighborhood Council chair Aaron Weissman let Mac know that his business on 10th Street and 1st Avenue North would like to be involved. Lastly, Mac asked for additional volunteers for the Police Department.
Traci Hronek mentioned that the Northside Mapril Cleanup was a success. Approximately 50 residents participated. She offered thanks to all the workers.
Resident Susan Sanford mentioned problems at a multi-family property across the alley from her: fighting, disturbances, lots of traffic in and out, and grafitti.
The Neighborhood Council meeting was called to order by Chairman Aaron Weissman. All members were present with the exception of Bob Gaskell.
Although it was out of the meeting order, the first order of business was Denise Cardinal, representative of Alltel Wireless, who approached the Council with information of a proposed radio antenna that would be placed on the Printing Center building roof at 9th Street and 2nd Avenue North. The antenna would stand 10 feet above the building roof. Aaron made a motion to support the placement of the Alltel antenna. Motion was seconded and approved.
The minutes from the March 2007 meeting were approved as presented.
The council discussed the animal ordinance appeal process. Aaron would like a copy of same.
The council members present discussed the acute traffic and pedestrian crossing problems on 9th Street, especially at 4th Avenue North. Possible solutions discussed were a citizen petition to the City Commission for changes to 9th Street and legislative action.
The graffiti at the Skate Park was brought up by Aaron Weissman. He will bring this to the attention of the City Commission at its next meeting and will propose a juried art competition at the Skate Park as a possible solution.
Officer Jesse Slaughter reported police action at a particular problem property on 6th Street North. He encouraged citizens to field their complaints on this property directly to him. If the complaint is about graffiti, please call Heather Rohlf at 455-8574. Officer Slaughter reported that the PD is losing officers due to health, job changes, etc., so the force is somewhat short. He gave information on area crime statistics and reported that the single beer can ordinance was still alive. Officer Slaughter is moving from Special Projects to Patrol—his replacement in July for downtown is Officer Jason Mitchell.
Betty Meyers presented information on the Gatekeeper and Guardianship programs from the elder-abuse organization LifeCycles. These programs target elderly citizens who can not care for themselves. She also mentioned that the Post Office Carriers perform the Carrier Alert program, which includes reporting homes where the mail has not been picked up for some time to the Adult Protective Services personnel.
Sheila Rice from NeighborWorks Great Falls (NWGF) presented information on Lend A Hand Days, June 7 and 9, being held durings NWGF’s NeighborWorks Week. She asked for volunteers who help yard work, etc. for residents who were not able to perform the work themselves. She also updated the Council on the Gibson Townhomes on 5th Street North—6 of the 9 have contracts for sale already.
The Council members discussed the proposed Council boundary changes and decided they would like to see them remain the same as they have been.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:25
Respectfully submitted,
Patty Cadwell
Neighborhood Council Coordinator
The Neighborhood Council #7 meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. Council members present were Mike Taylor and Aaron Weissman. A quorum was not established. Guests present were Peggy Bourne, David Todd and Patty Cadwell.
Neighborhood Council boundary change proposal
City Clerk Peggy Bourne brought maps with the proposed changes to the council boundary lines. She explained that Deb Mart from the Cascade County Elections office had asked if the Neighborhood Councils would look at boundary changes that would better line up with the voting precincts. That is what the Option 1 map showed. The Option 2 map proposes changes that would better represent core neighborhoods.
The Councils will decide respectively on the proposals at their next meetings and then they will vote to change or not to change at the May Council of Councils meeting. If changes are decided, they will be made before the June election sign-ups.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. The next meeting will be May 14, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. at the Heisey Center
Respectfully submitted,
Patty Cadwell
Neighborhood Council
The Neighborhood Council #7 meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. Council members present were Mike Taylor, Donna Sadler, and Erin Tropila. Guests present were Gudruin Linden, Jon Thompson, Drew Fenton, Sarah McCafferty, Gary Nowell, Phil Kiser, Tonya Jorgensen, David Todd, and Patty Cadwell.
The minutes from the January meeting were approved as presented.
Jon Thompson and Sarah McCafferty gave a presentation on the proposed Natural Areas Management Program. Great Falls owns a large amount of land that could be considered natural areas. These parcels are currently unmanaged and are in all states of condition. Jon talked about why Great Falls would want to manage its natural areas and showed a map of where these areas are situated around the city. If the Council is in favor of this proposed plan, he asked that they send him a letter stating their support.
New RSVP VISTA volunteer Gary Nowell introduced and spoke about his project for his year of service. He will be seeking people to volunteer to be mentors and/or advocates for foster children in CASA, teens in Juvenile Drug Court, and high school students in the Excel Program.
Phil Kiser and Tonya Jorgensen from the Business Improvement District spoke to the Council about their desire to change 5th and 6th Streets and 1st and 2nd Avenue South from their current status as one-way streets to 2-way streets for better traffic flow in the downtown area. Phil quoted statistics from recent traffic surveys that indicated all of these streets had far less traffic than was originally planned and that the traffic continues to decrease rather than increase. He also stated that most of the downtown businesses were in favor of this change. Phil asked the Council to send a letter to the City Commission requesting these streets be changed to handle 2-way traffic.
Mike Taylor addressed the other Council members on his concern about problems surrounding absentee landlords. After attending the Community Leadership Institute in October, he has collected some information that might be helpful in addressing some of Great Falls’ problems with absentee landlords. He said the instructor of the class he took at CLI has offered to help, if needed. Erin and Donna said it was worthy of further research. Mike will take the lead.
Richard Gladue is a new Neighborhood Watch Captain in he lower Southside. He lives at 308 10th Street South. He’s very concerned about crime in his neighborhood and wants the police to patrol his area. He also said the response time for calls to the PD is very slow. Council members will consider meeting with the lower Southside Neighborhood Watch on alternating months.
Donna and Erin are still very concerned about the inability of pedestrians to cross 9th Street. Patty will contact Sgt. Stinar to request that Special Projects do a PSA on crosswalk laws.
Erin reported that she did address the City Commission with the Council’s concerns with traffic and pedestrian crossings on 9th Street, both north and south.
Mike spoke on the ACTION Team’s project—the new neighbor packets that are being developed.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
The next meeting will be March 12, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. at the Heisey Memorial meeting room in collaboration with the North Side Neighborhood Watch.
Respectfully submitted by,
Patty Cadwell
Neighborhood Council Coordinator
The Neighborhood Council #7 meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. Council members present were Mike Taylor, Aaron Weissman, and Erin Tropila. Guests present were Traci Hronek, Mac McGiboney, Abby Zent, David Todd, Oliver Brown, Mary Jolley, Bethany Fowell, Baxter Kay Tumley, Brittany DeBolt, Matt Arthur, Kylie Irish, Alysa Ulsh, Jason Wallon, Nathen Paulich, Brandon Kelly, Josh Wojciechowshi, Ben Laveson, Paul Zallek, and Patty Cadwell.
Mac asked the Neighborhood Watchers to turn in the number of hours they spent “watching.”
Mac announced that he and Neighborhood Watch volunteers would be manning a table at the Westside Albertsons on Feb. 3rd to sign up new watches. Council members are invited to participate, if they wish. He said they would do the same each month at one of the other grocery stores in town. He said they would probably be at the downtown Albertsons in March.
Mac instructed Neighborhood Watchers or anyone to report suspicious situations to the police. He said to call 911 or the non-emergency number, 771-1180, and ask for Sgt. Stinar. He also mentioned the CrimeStoppers number, 727-TIPS.
The minutes from the November meeting were approved as presented.
Traci Hronek said that St. Ann’s had been contacted by the School District about parking for the Whittier teachers. As yet, there is no word on an outcome.
Patty talked about an abandoned property at 826 2nd Avenue South. She said the neighbors had asked her to report that the house may have squatters who used candles to see in the dark. The neighbors were very concerned that the house might catch on fire and endanger their homes. Patty said the City was trying to gain entry to the home but had to find a way to do that lawfully. Council members planned talk to the City Commissioners about this problem.
Officer Jesse Slaughter gave a report on police activities in GF. He mentioned that he had been assigned to pay attention to the goings-on at 1012 7th Avenue N. He asked those present to keep an eye on it also.
He updated the Council on the single beer can ordinance and said the Ordinance will end up being around 20 pages long to include all types and brands of small containers. He asked the Council to give the Ordinance their support when it comes before the City Commission.
Officer Slaughter said the Downtown Association is going to give office space for an office for the downtown officer (himself, at present). He thinks it will be located at #6 5th Street North. He will know more by next month.
Officer Slaughter mentioned the PD is now recruiting for volunteers to work within the police department, beginning in the records department. If anyone is interested they can contact RSVP and must be willing to have a background check.
Officer Slaughter read the 2006 crime statistics for the Council 7 area and said they were very high in comparison to other parts of the city.
Aaron asked Officer Slaughter if he had crime statistics for the 9th Street corridor. He mentioned his concerns around crossing 9th Street and asked if a crosswalk might be installed. Aaron said he would bring his concerns to the City Commission.
Aaron asked about the status of the B & B Loan building that had burned last fall. Patty reported that the owners were in negotiations with the insurance company and expected a resolution within the month.
Aaron asked how the City could erect an “overtly religious symbol (the nativity scene at the Civic Center) on municipal property.” Patty reported that she had questioned the City Attorney and received a copy of a letter stating the City’s position which she shared with the Council members. A resident in attendance asked Aaron if he was representing himself or his neighbors. Aaron said it was strictly his concern.
The Council members discussed possible topics for the upcoming Council of Councils meeting that included:
The Council members discussed the absence of member Bob Gaskell and said they “want him to come back” to the meetings. Patty said she would give him a call to see if he is ok.
Aaron will be the Delegate to the Council of Councils meeting.
Resident Paul Zallek asked how the City could allow the graffiti at the skate park when citizens were required to remove graffiti within 72 hours. The Council members discussed the unintended consequences that have arisen at the skate park. They will have Patty ask a representative of the Park and Rec Department attend their next meeting. Aaron remarked on the “first class job” that had been done with the recent renovation of the Natatorium.
Mike Taylor distributed information to fellow Council members on absentee landlord projects he had learned about at the Houston Community Leadership Institute. He would like to talk about it at the next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
The next meeting will be February 12, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. in the Gibson Room at the Civic Center.
Respectfully submitted by,
Patty Cadwell
Neighborhood Council Coordinator
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