Mitman Neighborhood Association

Mitman Neighborhood Association Board Meeting

November 1, 2023

PRESENT: Ali Bickford, President, Robin Steinberg, Vice President, Mary Martin, Chief Financial Officer, Susan Patania, Chief Information Officer, Jennifer Beard, Advisor, Harold Hallikainen, Advisor

The meeting was held at Ali Bickford’s house from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. It was dedicated to reviewing ongoing projects from past years and establishing goals for the future. Transparency and providing access to all neighbors were identified as priorities.

The discussion began with basic logistics:

• Board meetings will be held monthly according to a fixed schedule, e.g., first Tuesday of the month. The schedule and agenda will be posted on Mitman.org., along with minutes of previous meetings. Meeting rooms at Murphy-Wilmot library or Ward 6 offices were suggested as future locations. Ali Bickford will follow up.
• All neighbors will be invited to the monthly meetings and will be encouraged to participate, however only Board members will formally vote. Board decisions will be made by a simple majority vote.

Ali presented an informal agenda of issues carried over from past year(s), and those raised by neighbors at the Annual Meeting:

• Advisor Jennifer Beard gave an update on the ongoing multitude of problems caused by the Love Cabaret strip club on Speedway. The latest nuisance is intense glare from lights recently installed in the back parking lot. Jennifer has advocated on behalf of her 1^st St. neighbors for years. To date, the club’s efforts to get a liquor license have failed.
• Advisor Harold Hallikainen is looking into the requirements for obtaining 501(c)(3) status for the Association.
• Robin Steinberg and Harold Hallikainen are working on a final draft of the Association Bylaws. Their draft will be reviewed and voted on by the Board.
• Electronic applications like Venmo or Paypal will be made available for payment of dues or donations.
• Ali described her successful effort last year to obtain funding to turn the empty lot just N. of 5^th St. on Van Buren into a pocket park with greenery and water harvesting. Board leadership at the time was not supportive, and the grant money was returned. It may be possible to re-submit the grant application.
• Traffic circles and speed bumps have improved the safety of our streets. The Board would like to expand neighborhood improvements to the next level by participating in the city’s GSI (Green Stormwater Infrastructure) and Street Calming infrastructure programs.

The Annual Meeting took place at 10 a.m. in Harold Hallikainen’s driveway; with a total of 41 neighbors signing in. The Treasurer collected $220.00 in dues and donations. Vice Presidential nominee Robin Steinberg began the meeting by introducing herself and the current Treasurer, Emily Endreson. Neighbors introduced themselves with names and addresses.

After a brief explanation of the Board’s purpose, Robin announced that a vote would be held for all officers, namely President, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (Treasurer), and Chief Information Officer (Secretary). Harold explained that additional information would become available via the neighborhood web page, which he created and continues to develop. Robin invited the group to share any comments about issues they would like the Board to address:

• Concerns about MNA operating like a Homeowners Association, i.e. reporting people who failed to maintain their yards.
• The possibility of having a neighborhood garage sale.
• Suggestion made for a plant cutting exchange.
• Suggestion by Harold for board meetings to be public events with a published agenda at least one week prior.
• Suggestion made for watershed management at the well site to create a pocket park.
• Question about whether another site exists in the neighborhood for a playground.
• Suggestion for sharing produce grown in the neighborhood (e.g. citrus, peppers, etc.).
• The multitude of problems caused by the presence of Love Cabaret on Speedway.
• Bike boulevard extending to Sahuara Street.
• Continued addition of traffic circles and speed bumps.

Jennifer Beard responded to the concern about MNA behaving like an HOA by summarizing the issues created by the Love Cabaret and persistent squatters in a house on 1^st Street. She explained how she and other residents worked to resolve these problems through the city’s Code Enforcement and Police Departments.

Sylvia Berman, the outgoing President, reviewed the Association’s many achievements in improving the neighborhood, especially by installing speed bumps and traffic circles. She received a round of applause in appreciation of her leadership in working with the city to make these improvements.

Robin led a hand vote on officers nominated for the Board. The newly elected Board is:

President: Ali Bickford

Vice President: Robin Steinberg

Chief Financial Officer (Treasurer): Mary Martin

Chief Information Officer (Secretary): Susan Patania

Neighborhood Advisors

Emily Endreson

Sabina Ahmad-Post

Harold Hallikainen

Jennifer Beard