Woodland Heights Organization: August 2012

August 21, 2012

Tonight's 7:00 Meeting @ Smokey Row

Don't forget we have our AUGUST Woodland Heights Organization meeting at 7 pm TONIGHT at SMOKEY ROW at the corner of 19th and Cottage Grove.

The Agenda will be as follows

Guest Speakers:

Mary Neiderbach: Discussion of apartment building located at 2714 Ingersoll Avenue

Diane Weissman: Owner of Arabee (Hookah Bar) located on Ingersoll Avenue.

Jane Rongerude: Discuss the upcoming Woodland Heights planning process.

Old & New Business:

We will discuss the success of National Night Out earlier this month.

The idea of rotating the meeting place every month

Form a monthly meeting agenda process.

Make a decision on how long each item at a meeting can be discussed

August 15, 2012

March Meeting Notes

WHO – March 20, 2012

Tim O’Brien, Neighborhood Inspection Division (CODE ENFORCEMENT)

tjobrien@dmgov.org |515-283-4011 or 515-283-4046 | 515-208-0309 - cell

- 28^th Street – verbal 5 day notice (optional); 21 day notice; certified notice (2^nd wave) – city code more aligns with state code

- 658 27^th Street – abandoned property; cleaned yard – TX property owner

- 27^th Ingersoll – security coming through 4xs a night (west bank looking for owner)

- Graffiti at 28^th Ingersoll – taken care of

No issues at cemetery

Vince – SUV with dog at cemetery (repeat offender); trying to catch

- 26^th Center (kids) coming from Rollins (Russell Holders house); coming through his yard – throwing rocks; calling adults names; bullying; close to targeting individuals (wed. night most recent issue; patrol officer said to call Vince – shouldn’t be handled that way)

- No major issues in last 45 days

- New NBSD officer to east side/downtown (18 years of experience; sergeant)

- Pitching in for Drake NBSD officer (stroke)

- CAP Program – Rev. Ben Brown (lives on 33^rd street); kids responded to ministers in the neighborhood, etc.

- 958 22^nd street (olive ave) – lots of activity; watching house; gold Taurus parked on 26^th street; walked away and gone for hours (did several times); arrested individual that was wanted; reported to NARC suspected activity

- Distribute flier (teva) – blogspot; telephone numbers ;web numbers; notice of who we are; key numbers for officers, etc. neighborhood, dogs, neighbors, crime; etc. grant movement; etc.

- Telephone chain

May Meeting Notes

WHO Meeting – May 15, 2012

Guest Speaker

Dylan – Planner with DSM Area Metropolitian Planning Area (regional traffic patterns); work with 20 different governments

Tomorrow Plan

· Greater DSM area – transportation, housing, 40 year planning

· $2 million grant – Federal & others

· Public Outreach started Sept 2011

· Need public input – design my DSM (online tool)

· Need to plan 800,000 residents by 2050; how can we grow but still be sustainable for growth

· www.designmydsm.thetomorrowplan.com

· Walk/bicycle to work – growing desire for community

Tree Trimming – David Young, City Arborist

· Trees Forever Program – Trees planted in last 6 years on city property; cleaning up; staking up trees, etc. – past weekend of May 8

Bylaw Discussion – changed board numbers from 9 to 11 back in 2008 (?)

· Need to update board members; make amendment to change from 11 to 7 – 4 officers and 3 at-large representation

· Patrol Report – Vince

· New crimemapping application being rolled-out towards end of May

· Monthly “promo” during public TV spot on neighborhood and meetings/projects

· Ash Field Park – Soccer Clinic - Drake, Police Dept & volunteers – great opportunity

· Community Ambassador Programs

· Crimes

o 2301 Ingersoll (dine and dash on ChinaOne) – located on 63^rd street

o 2909 Woodland – Apt break-in; stole credit cards

o 818 29 Street – car theft

o Several break-ins in North of Grand neighborhood

o Friday & Saturday – Police open house

o Public works breakfast – next Tuesday (Russell, carol, lyla and Doug) – donate $25

Woodland Heights Cemetery

· Upgrades being made; Arch entrance – July 2012

· Replacing trees after cleanup is down (issues from storm)

· Restoration budget to be used on tombstone updates; mausoleum damaged in storm– have about $20,000/year

National Night Out – First Tuesday in August

Teva – Amber Lynch did map of neighborhood; will organize team to deliver content to neighbors – door to door

Welcome Packages – WHO – Claudia Brown to lead

June Meeting Notes

June 19, 2012 Meeting

Special Guest – Vince Valdez

· Change behavior of Callahan students; get them involved in community projects and then items we’re working on

· Met with Principal, seems to be an issue with students typically on Center street

· Fred: Tree complaints on Center Street – met with principal, notified police; have taken pictures of kids and shared with principal

· Is there an active PTA at Callahan? Can they also spread the message?

Suspicious incident in front of Doug’s house

· Parked car – watched man walk away; left for 3 days; belonged in Merle Hay area – owner is wanted in DSM & Oklahoma for theft

· Report through neighborhood watch program! Make the neighborhood less attractive to suspicious activity

Fred:

· 2 cars; suspicious activity

· Pacing in front of school parking lot

· Called police @ 8:30 – no one showed up; keep calling

Reports

Outreach Committee – Meeting held last week at Gateway Market

· End of July – distribute fliers & ask survey questions/script

· Reviewed survey from city planners & Teva is creating a draft of the survey

· Trying to get information for planning

· Fred – Volunteering to take Zone A

Old Business

· By-Law Discussion/Vote – 4 officers; 3 at large representatives/board (proposal) – 7 total

o Lyla motions; Barry 2nds – unanimous (9) approval for proposed change from 11 to 7

· Chairperson Nomination: Doug McBride

· Vice-Chair: Dan Robbins

· Secretary: Laura Tofteland

· Treasurer: Claudia Brown

· Board Members: Lyla Dozier (beautification / historic); Fred, Carol

Unanimous acceptance

New Business

· Meet at Smokey Row Coffee Shop (July/August) – unanimous

· NNO – Tuesday, August 7 – Chamberlin Park 5 to 8 p.m.

o Jeanne Aster – NNO main contact

o Doug, Laura, Dan to help pick-up items

o Judy Bradshaw – NNO invitation for officers, Fire Chief,

· Proposal to have quarterly board meetings

· Fundraising Group – partner with boy scouts?

· Yard Issues – call Polk County,

· Send snow parking concerns to Doug – will be meeting with City to discuss options

July Meeting Notes

WHO Meeting – July 17, 2012

Guest Speaker - Jennifer Bohac, Direct of DSM Dept. of Transportation

Mediacom issues of increased traffic; commercial business traffic on residential streets; also use the public street to park; loiter
Discussed potential options and next steps

New Business

Alice/Teva - Snow Removal

Discussed city plan/proposal for snow removal parking – no parking on streets during snow removal
Feel that this will be an issue for our residents; seeking out options

Jeanne Astor – NNO (Tues, August 7

· Delivered letters to request donations from ‘usual’ suspects – Dahls (told to call corporate in 2 weeks), Hy-Vee, Teds, Palmers (committed to cookies), Scottish Rite, etc.; Gateway?? Door prizes

· 4 p.m. to set up event

Sadie Hildebrand – City of DSM; City Planner

IA State comes on board in august; students will begin groundwork
Neighborhood to get survey out to share information with IA state
Sadie Hildebrand, Assistant Planner – DSM – srhildebrand@dmgov.org | 283-3753
Jane Rongerude, Phd, Assistant Professor – IA State – jrong@iastate.edu | 294-5289

Lyla – Meric Holding Company issue; firehouse/apartment building; would like to sell to couple (letter). Bank won’t loan to nonconforming (legal, but nonconforming);

2401 High Street
Vote to table discussion to a later date.

Hooka Bar – Ingersoll – It’s open for business; wants alcohol permit

Greenery – fundraising option; any interest?

August 21 Meeting - 7:00 p.m.

Don't forget we have our AUGUST Woodland Heights Organization meeting at 7 pm on Tuesday the 21st at SMOKEY ROW at the corner of 19th and Cottage Grove.