2024-07-24

by

Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association 

Board Meeting Minutes

 DRAFT

Date: July 24th, 2024

 

Board Members:  Steve Beckman (Secretary), Nella Davis-Ray (Communications), John Hays, Matthew Kazmierski (President), Gail Lytle Lira, Denise Moore, Pat Poli (Communications), Alice Schehr (Treasurer), Mark Warner

 

Call to order: Matt Kazmierski called to order this meeting of the Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association Executive Committee at 6:04 pm ET on July 24th, 2024 in a meeting at 252 Oakland and available online via Zoom.

 

Roll Call:

  • Steve Beckman (Secretary), Nella Davis-Ray (Communications), John Hays, Matthew Kazmierski (President), Gail Lytle Lira, Denise Moore (remote), Alice Schehr (Treasurer), Mark Warner (Vice President)
  • Absent: Pat Poli (Communications)
  • Others in attendance: Steve Whelan
  • Quorum present: Yes

 

Approval of Past Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the Board meeting held on April 21st, 2024 as presented. The motion carried without objection.

 

Treasurer Updates: 

  1. Alice provided a report that stated the association’s current account balance is $2,371.55
  2. Creating a PayPal account that could have its ownership transferred to future BHNA treasurers was unsuccessful because each account requires a unique phone number for identification. We will continue to use the MSUFCU Member2Member feature for digital transactions.

 

Old Business:

  1. BHNA website
    1. Will not be transitioning to https://www.eastlansingneighborhoods.com/ due to limitations of that service
    2. Will continue to use A2 Hosting but will eventually downgrade the account type to one with a $131.88 annual rate, which is $30 less than our current rate
    3. Platform/design transitioning to WordPress
      1. The board recognized Carl Lira’s contributions to this effort and stated their appreciation for his time
      2. Mark and Matt will work together on the WordPress design and will add content and functionality to the site. They hope to have everything ready by the annual meeting in September.
  2. Tree maintenance
    1. The Environment Committee still needs to be assembled. Jennifer Castner, Gail Lytle Lira, Pat Robinson, and Alice Schehr have expressed interest in joining.
    2. The new City of East Lansing Arborist, Andy Gordon, met with Pat Robinson to discuss his plan for tree maintenance and planting in our neighborhood
      1. The city has a list of tree species they will allow to be planted and it does not contain any maple species
        1. Andy will work with the Environment Committee to identify specific tree species to plant in our neighborhood
          1. If agreements about tree species can be made, will transition to using trees purchased by the city for future replacements, removing the financial burden of tree replacements from the BHNA
      2. Andy will make a presentation near the beginning of the annual meeting
        1. Consider sending a survey to neighbors after the meeting to provide their input on tree species and aesthetics
    3. The dead tree at the corner of Grand River and Hagadorn was removed by the city
  3. Social Committee updates
    1. The 2024 Neighborhood Garden Tour was canceled due to a lack of neighbors willing to participate
    2. A survey was shared with neighbors asking for their input about potential organized social activities in the neighborhood
      1. The top three activity responses were for a garden walk, potluck, and community service projects
      2. The top responses to when events should be held was quarterly and during evenings and/or on weekends
      3. Some write-in suggestions were for a Euchre tournament and an evening walking group
    3. If the winter solstice luminaries event is going to be held again additional volunteers will be needed to help
  4. Neighborhood documents
    1. Matt continues to try to arrange a time with former BHNA President Jeff Johnson to take possession of the collection of physical BHNA documents
  5. Safety report
    1. Steve Whelan reported that there has been a low volume of safety-related events lately
      1. No shootings have occurred in the city so far this year. The activities of local anti-gun violence groups have contributed to this achievement.
      2. Nearby road construction projects have reduced cut-through traffic in the neighborhood

 

New Business

  1. 100th anniversary of neighborhood covenants
    1. The neighborhood itself began 101 years ago. The covenants were made official 100 years ago in 1924. This milestone should be noted at the annual meeting.
      1. Matt will collect historical information about the neighborhood and either present it at the annual meeting himself or ask another neighbor to do so
  2. 2024 Annual Meeting
    1. Will be held from 4-6 pm on Sunday, September 8th near 164 Maplewood, with the rain date being September 15th
      1. Steve Whelan stated that he would assist with gathering signatures for the road closure
    2. Additional meeting topics will include: the status of the neighborhood covenants, the history of the neighborhood, tree maintenance and planning, and the winter solstice luminaries event
    3. Written notice to neighbors is to be delivered no later than Saturday, August 24th
      1. Nella and Pat will work on a newsletter
        1. An increase to the annual membership dues from $20 to $25 was approved during the 2023 annual meeting and a reminder should be included in the newsletter
    4. The board will hold an additional meeting on Sunday, August 25th, at a time and place to be determined, in order to finalize details of the annual meeting
    5. Board terms for Steve Beckman, Gail Lytle Lira, and Alice Schehr are ending this year
      1. Alice and Steve stated they would be willing to return. Gail stated she will not return. One or more new board members will be needed.

 

Open Discussion:

  • None

 

Action Items: 

Name Action Deadline
All Identify potential new board members 2024-09-07
Matt Contact Jennifer Castner, Gail Lytle Lira, Pat Robinson, and Alice Schehr regarding the creation of an Environment Committee 2024-08-24
Matt Contact Jeff Johnson regarding the transfer of existing BHNA physical documents 2024-08-24
Matt Arrange for a presentation about the neighborhood’s history at the annual meeting 2024-09-07
Matt and Mark Update website with new design 2024-09-07
Nella and Pat Print and distribute the latest BHNA newsletter 2024-08-24

 

Adjournment:

  • A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 pm. The motion carried without objection.

 

Next Meeting Date, Time, and Location: Annual Meeting Planning on Sunday, August 25th, 2024. Time and location to be determined.

 

Minutes submitted by: Steve Beckman

Minutes approved by: TBD