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Chair Aaron Weissman called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. Councilors Erin Tropila, James Super and Alvina Sayers were present. Patty Cadwell, Neighborhood Council Coordinator, and concerned citizens were also in attendence. The Pledge of Allegiance followed the call to order.
The November minutes were approved.
NC 7 Chair- Aaron Weissman was elected. Other officers and the bylaws will be discussed at a subsequent meeting.
Tax Appraisal Issues- Chuck Pankratz, Montana Department of Revenue, discussed the formulation of the new residential property tax structure for the state. Issues relative to the structure included questions about valuations of empty lots and tax protests.
Neighborhood Watch Training- Mac McGiboney, RSVP Citizen Corps Coordinator, reviewed how Watch works and how to increase participation.
Discussion of 2010 Council Goals- NC 7 intends to build a set of goals for the year. A draft of some ideas was handed out for development and discussion.
Problem Properties/Property Improvements-
Junk at 202 8th Street North and gunshots on the south side were discussed.
Kudos to property improvement at approximately 920 3rd Avenue North.
Longfellow traffic accident- the incident was discussed and further discussion of speed limits and traffic patterns is suggested.
City Commission-
New City Commissioners are to be sworn in at the next CC meeting and discussion of the 20-foot smoking ordinance in the city is on the agenda.
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 pm. The next meeting is Monday, January 11, 2010 at the Great Falls Recreation Center, 801 2nd Avenue North, at 7 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Tropila
Neighborhood Council 7
Meeting called to order at 7:00 PM by Chairman Aaron Weissman
Approval of October Minutes
Carol Bronson, Director, Weed & Seed Program Site
Gave information about help for downtown police. Wanted to know what the program can do for the Council example handout survey -- weed out crime
What does neighborhood need ?
Greg Madson gave report on Pit Bull attack on 3rd Avenue North
Council Election Results: More candidates that slots. New Council Members, A. Weissman, A. Tropelia, A. Sayers, K. Volk, J. Super.
Max Baucus sent letter thanking the Council for interest in Black Eagle Post Office.
Lower speed limits on Park Drive - Letter sent to DOT by City
Whittier & Longfellow Speed Petitions - Met with City
Gibson Park Lighting - Status unknown - No information
N.C. sponsored City Commission Forum - Good job by high school - good turn out
Problem Properties -8th ST & 4th Avenue No - owner unknown
Other Old Business - Train whistles - Continued Dec meeting
City Commission - Request for Traffic Studies
Council of Council - Met in October
Discuss Pea Pods Neighborhood Garden - 3rd Ave N and 9th St
Eliminate parking meters - feasibility of promoting swim pools - new long term goals for new council after Jan.
Call for adjournment 9:30 PM
Submitted by Jim Super
Council Members in Attendance: Aaron Weissman, Erin Tropila, Jim Super and Donna Hartelius
Meeting called to order by Aaron Weissman
Approval of September minutes
Status regarding 8th street 4th/5th Ave North, 811- 4th Ave N is listed with a realtor and for sale. 801 4th North continues to have multiple police calls. 800 – 5th Ave North seems to have fewer problems in this last month.
Lowering speed limits on Park Drive near Gibson Park, Aaron Weissman will ask Great Falls City Commission to request the State of Montana to do a traffic study.
Speed petitions for Whitter and Longfellow Schools, Patty Cadwell will follow up on status.
Gibson Park lighting, no status to report.
Conditional use request for River of Hope at 111 – 6th Street South. Victor Garza from the River of Hope gave a presentation related to the worship facility. Mr. Garza stated they had about 30 parking spots secured. NC 7 approves/supports the conditional use.
Council of Councils meeting is October 28, 2009.
BNSF train whistles at night; Representative Carly Boland will check into stipulations regarding train whistles at night. There are approximately 6 railroad crossings in our area.
Problem properties, under old business.
City Commission: Request for traffic study to state of Montana
Other Reports: Police Advisory, Chief Grove reported that within the new hires of police officers, a downtown officer will not be provided.
Next meeting – November 9, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at Great Falls Recreation Center
Acting Chair, Erin Tropila, called the Neighborhood Council 7 meeting to order at 7 pm. Council members present were Donna Hartelius, James Super and Greg Hall. Patty Cadwell, Neighborhood Council Coordinator, and concerned citizens were also in attendence. The Pledge of Allegiance followed the call to order.
Ryan Hart, new Whittier Principal, introduced himself and discussed issues important to the school including the hire of a full-time counselor for 2 years using granted American Stimulus and Recovery Act funds (commonly referred to as stimulus funds.) There are 3 counselors total hired for the school district with these funds for Title Schools. He also reported that Governor Schweitzer spoke to Whittier students for 45 minutes and brought Jag along.
Aaron Weissman assumed the Chair position at 7:20pm. The August minutes were approved.
Neighborhood Violence- Discussion of the homicide on 5th Avenue North included reiteration by Traci Hronek of the importance of Neighborhood Watch and neighbor interaction and familiarity.
Neighborhood concerns- Complaints about conditions at 801 4th Avenue North included garbage and debris around the building, cars parked on the sidewalk and potential businesses being run on the exterior of the property in violation of code. Complaints about conditions at 800 5th Avenue North included minors living in an apartment without parental supervision and the removal of two minors from same property. Vacant properties such as 811 4th Avenue North and problems with vagrants accessing vacant properties were discussed as well with the mentioned property said to be monitored by the real estate company handling it. Potential drug trafficking at 1106 5th Avenue North was mentioned.
Boulevard Trees- comments about the sad condition of many of the city’s trees were met with the information that the city is waiting for an insurance settlement to fund the trimming of storm-damaged trees. This has not been verified with the city.
Lowering Speed Limits on Park Drive near Gibson Park- interest remains in continuing the effort to lower the speed limit. MDOT participation is crucial.
4th Street closure beside County Courthouse- permanently tabled until further developments are disclosed.
Whittier and Longfellow speed petitions- traffic studies need to be requested and discussion of implementing Senate Bill 88- School Safety Zones- is desired.
Gibson Park Lighting- the project continues, the CTEP application has been accepted and the Harvest Thunder Triathlon donated $1000 to the project.
Weed & Seed- Carol Bronson is the new director.
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 pm. The next meeting is Monday, November 9, 2009 at the NeighborWorks conference room at 509 1st Ave S at 7 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Tropila
Neighborhood Council 7
Council Members in Attendance: Aaron Weissman, Erin Tropila, Jim Super and
Donna Hartelius
Aaron Weissman, Chairman, called meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Approval of June 2009 Minutes
Speed limits on Park Drive near Gibson Park. Greg Hall presented idea to lower the speed limit in this area. Montana State Representative Carly Boland will send letter to Jim Lynch (Montana Dept. of Transportation) requesting a traffic study.
Whitter and Longfellow Schools speed limit petitions; Aaron Weissman will follow up at next meeting.
Gibson Park Lighting, CTEP grant update; Patty Cadwell will contact Marty Basta with City Park and Recreation Department, and follow up at next meeting.
Weed and Seed radio ad, update. The radio ads are currently on the local radio stations, these ads are in support of the Mill Levies for Police and Fire Departments in GreatFalls.
Problem Properties:
811 – 4th Ave North Vacant property, transients living in
801 – 4th Ave North repeated police visits to building, blocking ally
802 – 5th Ave North neighboring resident’s complaints of fights, bullying children walking by, noise and frequent come and go traffic.
Neighborhood Council Filing Date: August 20, 2009 is deadline to file.
Officer Jesse Slaughter, special projects with GFPD, presented information on the Police Mill Levy and Citizen’s Academy. The Police department needs lower north side residents to attend the citizen’s academy. Application to the citizen academy is on the GFPD website.
Downtown Loan Fund, Brett Doney presented proposal by the Great Falls Development Authority to create a revolving loan fund utilizing public and private funds to assist with financing for commercial investment and mixed use real estate development projects.
Closure of Black Eagle Post Office, Erin Tropila drafted a letter of support to keep the post office open. The letter was signed by NC7 members.
NEXT MEETING: September 14, 2009 at NeighborWorks 509 1st Ave S., 7:00 p.m.
Chairman Aaron Weissman called the Neighborhood Council 7 meeting to order at 7 pm. Present were Councilors Erin Tropila and Greg Hall and NC Coordinator Patty Cadwell. Concerned citizens and speakers were also in attendence.
The April minutes are not completed and were not approved.
City Recycling– Jim Reardon discussed current city recycling, future requirements and wishes for the city regarding the program including reinstituting glass and plastic recycling and establishing more collection points for the program.
Grant for pedestrian safety groups- Sheila Rice and NeighborWorks will initiate the grant petition process for the safety study and accompanying funds for the project.
Hub Zone- Sheila Rice encouraged attendees to write letters to Senators Baucus and Tester and Congressman Rehberg to not eliminate the existing Hub Zone in Great Falls.
Neighborhood Council election filing- dates are June 21 to August 3, 2009.
Neighborhood Pools/ Electric City Water Park- Tim Austin from NC 3 is concerned about fee increases at Mitchell Pool as other neighborhood pool fees are not increasing this year and requests more information about fee breakouts for the pool vs. the water park.
County use of 4th Street- Brian Clifton, County Planning Director, discussed various design treatments for changing the useage of 4th street between 3rd and 2nd Avenues North to include parking for the county. The county asks the council for comments on the useage which includes two-way traffic, expanded parking and speed bumps at either end.
Public Safety Levy- a mail in ballot for 2 levies will be mailed to voters in August and includes levies for Fire and Police services. NC 7 intends to use Weed & Seed money for a general PSA to generate support for our Firefighters and Police.
Gibson Park Lighting- the CTEP grant process is progressing.
Beautiful Minds Walk- Greg Hall is asking for the NC 7 team to submit pledges for the walk on June 20, 2009.
Problem Properties- there is significant graffiti on an empty house at 515 6th Street North.
Downtown Condo projects– development of condo projects is progressing at 416 Central with 8 units in development, 7 units at the Montana building and 3 units at the Johnson building on the 5th floor.
Citizens Police Academy is complete and another tentatively scheduled for the fall.
The meeting adjourned at 9:25 pm. The next meeting is Monday, June 8, 2009 at the Community Rec Center, 801 2nd Avenue North at 7pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Tropila
Neighborhood Council 7
Chairman Aaron Weissman called the Neighborhood Council 7 meeting to order at 7 pm. Council members present were Donna Hartelius Erin Tropila James Super and Greg Hall. Concerned citizens were also in attendence. The Pledge of Allegiance was waived and the meeting was called to order.
The February minutes were approved.
Police Advisory Board- none
City Commission - none
Other Reports - none
Beautiful Minds Walk – Greg Hall – A quick recap on the commitment by NC7 to form a team and challenge other Neighborhood Councils to do the same. Chairman Weissman requested Greg Hall as NC7 BWM Captain. Position was accepted. Members were in support of the June 20th fundraiser for mental health.
Traffic Issues around the C.M. Russell Museum – Jaason Goad – A PowerPoint presentation was brought forth to alert the Council of traffic flow issues surrounding the Charles M Russell Museum. Pictorial images of several recent wrecks and some data collection made the Council aware of the importance of this neighborhood problem. Some recommendations were made as well as Chairperson Weissman recommending a traffic study by the City of Great Falls (Jerry McKinley).
Proposed Public Safety Levy – Discussion – In August there is to be a by-mail vote on the public safety mill levy. All council members were strongly in favor of this measure. It was also maintained that it will have plenty of opposition due to current financial situations in our community and the Council needs to help this levy by full support from NC7 as well as from a city-wide approach.
Neighborhood Concerns - Again various properties were brought to the attention of the Council. From barking dogs(by Councilperson Super) to possible vehicles used for business(Jensen Apts.) in the residential areas of our region, Chairperson Weissman recommended we use the “The Neighborhood’s Guide to the Municipal Code of Great Falls” brought to the citizens by NeighborWorks and Weed and Seed. The code clearly outlines the violations and who to contact and how to get resolution.
Councilperson Hartelius reviewed the ongoing problem at her address and the attempts to resolve the issue.
Downtown Police Officer Petition- in progress with signatures still being collected.
Problem Properties – widely discussed in the Neighborhood Concerns portion of meeting.
Other Old Business – Sheila Rice from NeighborWorks was in attendance and requested that if anyone knew of boarded houses in the region, please contact her. NeighborWorks may be able to help improve those rundown and abandoned properties.
Council of Councils Meeting – Tuesday March 31st 2009 @ Gibson Room Civic Center
Gibson Park Lighting Project – The People’s Park and Rec Foundation will be at Icebreaker sign-up. The project has received backing by some civic organizations and both Chairperson Weissman and Councilperson Hall have been attending various meetings to promote the cause.
The meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm. The next meeting is April 13th 2009 at the Community Rec. Center 801 2nd Ave N at 7 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Greg Hall
Neighborhood Council 7
Chairman Aaron Weissman called the Neighborhood Council 7 meeting to order at 8 pm. Council members present were Erin Tropila and James Super. Concerned citizens were also in attendence. The Pledge of Allegiance followed the call to order.
The January minutes were approved.
Police Advisory Board
The Citizens Police Academy is scheduled for March 11, 2009 and seeks 16 north side residents in addition to other city residents for the program. The application deadline is February 20, 2009.
Greg Hall was appointed to the vacant NC 7 position.
Senate Bill 88 (Revise and clarify school speed zone law) Everyone is encouraged to write letters of support to legislators.
Neighborhood concerns- Traffic concerns discussed were the running of red lights and stop signs in various locations in the north and south sides of Great Falls. Also, failure to remove snow and ice in the 24-hour period stipulated by the city was discussed.
Whittier and Mountain View elementary schools are participating in the “Safe Walk to School” program in 2009 to encourage increased physical fitness in this age group, encourage better air quality with decreased vehicle use and promote safe and established routes for walking and biking to school.
Downtown Police Officer Petition- 250 signatures are gathered at present.
Weed & Seed project- NC 7 respectfully declines additional project money.
Gibson Park Lighting project continues and discussion with groups such the Audubon Society continue with agreement to cap the lights to radiate light down from the sky.
Beautiful Minds Walk – scheduled for June 20, 2009 with teams of 5 members walking for pledges.
The meeting adjourned at 9 pm. The next meeting is Monday, March 9, 2009 at the NeighborWorks conference room at 509 1st Ave S at 7 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Tropila
Neighborhood Council 7
Meeting called to order by Chairman Aaron Weissman. Scheduled speakers were also in attendance.
The December minutes were not available, so the December agenda was approved as the minutes.
Change in the agenda was brought up moving guest speakers to the first item on the agenda. This was approved.
Wendy Weissman from Whittier School PTA spoke about getting a grant for playground equipment from the block grant monies. Council 7 to send letter to support this effort.
Dan Shannon proposes to purchase church parsonage for the purpose of a new law office. After discussion motion made and second it to approve support of the Shannon law office with the following conditions:
1. Any conditional-use zoning for property revert back to residential zoning upon any future sale of property.
2. Mr. Shannon work out parking plan with City.
3. Mr. Shannon work with City Traffic Dept to ensure that entrance and egress from his office does not add to traffic stress on 9thSt.
Election of Officers: Chairman, Aaron Weissman; Secretary will rotate.
A new member will have to be appointed at the Feb meeting replacing Ole Johnson, who resigned.
Read Senate Bill #88 pertaining to make school zones safer from Senator Tropila. Send a letter to Senator Tropila supporting the bill.
Discussion with Chris McCuhen about City Evacuation.
Shelia Rice from NeighborWorks wants letter of support from our council for grant from CDBGF for foreclosure money for the WRS Building. Letter to be sent.
Discussion on Citizen Academy. We need 15 Northside or Black Eagle residents to enroll. Applications on the City of GF website.
Discussion on snow and ice removal from sidewalks. Send letter to Heather Rolf, Code Enforcer to see if some assistance for correcting situation is possible.
Park Lighting Grant still going ahead making progress. Possibility of lighting Park by Fall of 09.
Problem Properties: None
Meeting Adjourned at 9:00 PM. The next regular monthly meeting will be February 9, 2009 at the Community Recreation Center at 7:00 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
James Super,
Neighborhood Council 7
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