2008-06-24

Marylhurst Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes June 24th, 2008 OPENING: The regular meeting of the Marylhurst Neighborhood Association was called to order at 7:02 pm on Tuesday, June 24thth 2008 at the West Linn Adult Community Center by President Jeff Treece Present: 10 association members were present. Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Arlo Martendale and seconded by Ralph Olson to approve the minutes of the March25th, April 22nd and May27th minutes. This motion was approved on a voice vote. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Jim Koll stated there was no change in the account balance. He also explained that the city would be issuing debit cards to two board members in lieu of the expense reimbursement method of the past. Neighborhood Representative to Land Use Pre-Applications Conference Report Karie Oakes reported there were no new land use applications in the neighborhood. At the request of Mrs. Oakes, some discussion took place subsequently regarding the possibility of expanding the ability of the neighborhood to monitor and report on city hall activities to best facilitate the goal of keeping the membership informed. The possibility of additional committees was discussed. It was decided that a standing agenda item would be added where members who had attended a hearing or were aware of a pending hearing topic of interest to the neighborhood association could provide a brief overview. President Jeff Treece asked that such presentations be kept high-level and informational only, and that the topics discussed be of relevance to the Marylhurst NA. OLD BUSINESS: Selection of a Gathering Tree for Future Marylhurst Park Jim Koll displayed a catalog of trees he had obtained, and indicated that he and Teri Cummings had identified a few species of Oak that would be most suitable. Discussion ensued, during which it became evident that the middle of summer was not the appropriate time to be planting a new tree. Mr. Koll was pretty sure the city would allow a funds rollover of the 2007-2008 balance, so that a tree could be purchased in the fall. He offered to confirm that could happen by contacting the city. Marylhurst Neighborhood Plan President Jeff Treece provided a summary of what had occurred regarding this issue. He reminded the membership of the issue, wherein language in the Marylhurst Neighborhood Plan was changed by the City Council and staff to contradict the intent of the neighborhood with regard to flag lots and sub-divisions. As of the meeting in May, the city had communicated that there was a scriveners error, with the word “only” being left out, and recommending that the neighborhood accept the modified language with the word “only” included as originally intended – thus “support only the creation of flag lots consistent with …” as opposed to “support the creation of flag lots …”. Mr. Treece informed the membership that since there had not been a quorum for several months, the board had decided to accept the recommendation of the city. NEW BUSINESS: City Meetings with Neighborhood Association Presidents President Treece informed the membership of two recent information gathering meetings sponsored by the city. The week previous, there was a meeting with the City Council at which the topics of boundary and name changes for neighborhood associations was discussed. There was also discussion of the new neighborhood grant funding via debit cards. Lastly, there was an initial outline of a new Committee for Citizen Involvement that the city needs to establish per state guidelines. Mr. Treece indicated that there was some concern voiced by neighborhood presidents on each of these topics, as well as some constructive input. Earlier in June there had been a meeting moderated by a hired mediator. At that meeting, the primary topic of discussion was the future of the Stafford Triangle area. Generally, Mr. Treece felt the idea of such meetings was good, but the execution could be improved. He noted that none of the neighborhood representatives had any idea what the topics of discussion would be prior to showing up. This then means the city is essentially asking one individual to express the voice of their association without having had time to get the opinions of the neighborhood membership. Some discussion ensued, during which it was generally agreed that this process would be improved if the topics of the meeting were announced in advance, and there was enough notice prior to the meetings for the neighborhood presidents to discuss the topics with the neighborhood association membership. Mr. Treece volunteered to draft a letter to the city council expressing this view. Neighborhood Outreach President Treece then opened a discussion on Neighborhood Outreach activities that might be of interest. He informed the membership present that the board had proposed holding an Ice Cream Social on Sunday July 13th in Marylhurst Park. This was regarded as a good idea. Some discussion took place as to the time and format, as well as how best to notify the residents of the neighborhood. Karie Oakes volunteered to draft a flyer. Several members stated they would distribute those flyers door to door. President Treece asked if there were other ideas for events, adding that he had some interest in a neighborhood walking tour of gardens. Teri Cummings mentioned the possibility of a “Pot Pot-Luck” at which neighbors could bring plant clippings for transplanting and swap them. Generally, it was agreed that the Ice Cream Social was a good starting point, after which further events could be considered. Neighborhood Web Site Jim Koll introduced a topic that had been discussed at the most recent board meeting, being the concept of a web site for the neighborhood association. He noted that several other associations have their own sites, and mentioned the Skyline Ridge as an example of what might be appropriate. In addition to information and meeting agendas and minutes, the site lists current garage sales and other neighborhood events. There is a members only page that includes a membership directory as well as a list of neighborhood teens in search of small jobs such as yard work and babysitting. Mr. Koll stated that the cost would be about $166 to have a domain name registered and a site hosted for two years. Clark Park questioned how much maintenance would be required and whether there would be someone to keep the site up to date. Mr. Treece indicated he would be willing to do some of the initial setup, and that if a design similar to that chosen by Skyline Ridge was adopted, maintenance would be pretty easy and could certainly be addressed by several members of the current board or anyone with moderate technical inclination in the future. A motion was made by Brian Eastman and seconded by Clark Park to take further steps towards establishing a web site for the neighborhood association. This measure was approved on a voice vote. Mr. Koll indicated he would check on domain name availability. He further stated that he would work on this project quickly if the city would not be carrying forward 2007-2008 funds into next budget year, otherwise he would start the registration once the debit card had been issued. Neighborhood Announcements Teri Cummings spoke about the upcoming Willamette Neighborhood Centennial Parade on July 19th. She invited anyone interested to participate in the parade with the League of West Linn Neighborhood float, and to come at 8:00am if they wanted to enjoy breakfast with other parade goers prior to the 10:00am parade start. Mrs. Cummings also spoke about a resolution proposed by the League of West Linn Neighborhoods and other concerned citizens regarding West Linn’s ownership in the South Fork Water Board. The resolution they are asking the City Council to adopt would require that any action to reduce West Linn’s share in the SFWB be put to a public vote. It was agreed that this topic should be placed on the July meeting Agenda for more in-depth discussion and possible NA action. Agenda Items for Next Meeting: •Resolution regarding South Fork Water Board ownership Adjourn A motion to adjourn was presented by Ralph Olson and seconded by Arlo Martendale. The motion passing, President Treece adjourned the meeting at 8:28 pm. The next regular association meeting will be at 7:00pm on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at the West Linn Adult Community Center. Minutes submitted by: Brian Eastman, Secretary