Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association
Board Meeting Minutes
DRAFT
Date: August 9th, 2026
Board Members: Steve Beckman (Secretary), Mike Benedict (Communications), Nella Davis-Ray (President), John Hays, Matthew Kazmierski (Vice President), Denise Moore, Judy Putnam, Alice Schehr (Treasurer), Rhoda Wolff
Call to order: Nella Davis-Ray called to order this meeting of the Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association Executive Committee at 4:04 p.m. in a meeting at Ellison Brewery and Spirits at 4903 Dawn Ave.
Roll Call:
- Roll Call: Steve Beckman, Mike Benedict, Nella Davis-Ray, John Hays, Matthew Kazmierski, Denise Moore, Judy Putnam, Alice Schehr, Rhoda Wolff
- Absent: None
- Others in attendance: None
- Quorum present: Yes
Approval of Past Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the updated minutes from the Board meeting held on April 26th, 2026 as presented. The motion carried without objection.
Treasurer Updates:
- The current BHNA account balance at MSUFCU is $4,312.87
- Six new tree guards were recently purchased and applied to recently-planted street trees
- Six new tree guards were recently purchased and applied to recently-planted street trees
Old Business:
- Environment Committee updates
- Ten trees were recently lost. Eight were cut down by the City during their recent trimming cycle and two were damaged by weather.
- There are currently 13 spaces available for replacement trees. Replacement trees will be purchased and planted this fall.
- The City no longer requires stumps to be grinded down 30 inches below the surface before replacement trees can be planted nearby and will grind one stump in the neighborhood in October
- Ginkgo trees will be planted in the locations that are suited for medium-sized trees
- A $600 donation was received from a property owner on Maplewood with a request that the money go toward purchasing a new maple tree for their street tree area. The City Arborist is considering allowing only one new maple tree to be planted in the neighborhood due to the goal of increasing the diversity of tree species in the area. Alice will contact the property owner regarding their options.
New Business
- 2026 Annual Meeting and Picnic
- This year’s meeting will be held in Nella’s front yard at 164 Maplewood on Sunday, September 13th beginning at 4:00 p.m. Vehicles will be parked on the side of the road in front of nearby houses in an effort to reduce the speed of any traffic passing through.
- Mike will update his draft of the upcoming newsletter that announces the meeting to include these and other details and share it with the other board members for review. The printed newsletter is to be mailed to residents no later than Friday, August 28th.
- The newsletter will also be posted on the BHNA website and shared via the BHNA Facebook group
- Mike will update his draft of the upcoming newsletter that announces the meeting to include these and other details and share it with the other board members for review. The printed newsletter is to be mailed to residents no later than Friday, August 28th.
- Meeting guests
- Rob Prince (son of Kathy Prince on Oakland Dr.) would like to record interviews of neighborhood residents for his WKAR podcast MI Michigan Story https://mimichiganstory.com/ and will be invited
- Nella will contact city council members Steve Whelan and Erik Altmann to see if they would be interested in attending and speaking about the council’s current and upcoming actions
- Nella will contact the East Lansing Police Department to ask if our designated neighborhood officer would be able to attend and provide a safety report
- Chelsea Beckman will attend and share information about plans for the 2027 Garden Walk
- Matt will invite Mark Warner to attend and perform live music, which he did at last year’s picnic
- If Mark performs, his microphone will be used by board members and guests to address meeting attendees. If Mark doesn’t perform, Nella will contact Philip Eisenlohr and ask to borrow his microphone and speaker.
- Matt has the yard signs that display the meeting’s day, time and location and the neighborhood banner at his house. He will place the yard signs around the neighborhood prior to the meeting and bring the banner to the meeting.
- Board terms for Denise, John, and Nella are expiring
- Nella will run for reelection. Denise and John will not.
- At least two new candidates are needed. Current board members will reach out to other neighborhood residents about the upcoming vacancies.
- Water dispensers and paper cups leftover from the 2025 Garden Walk will be provided. The newsletter will ask residents to bring their own beverages if they would like other options.
- Tables, tents, table covers, paper plates, hot dogs, buns, plasticware, and fans (to keep insects away from food) will be provided by current board members
- Judy will purchase the plates, hot dogs, buns, and plasticware (if needed) and be reimbursed with BHNA funds by Alice
- Mike stated that he may already have plasticware that could be used
- Judy will purchase the plates, hot dogs, buns, and plasticware (if needed) and be reimbursed with BHNA funds by Alice
- A link to an online form for picnic attendees to list any potluck food items they will bring will be included in the newsletter
- Steve will create the form and share the link with Mike
- Setup for the picnic and meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m.
- The newsletter will ask neighborhood residents to bring yard games/activities to the meeting
- Meeting agenda topics will include the annual luminaria event, the 2027 Garden Walk, and a tree report from Alice
- Steve will bring printed sign-in sheets to record attendance and Alice will accept payments of the annual association dues
- Entries on the sign-in sheets will be used to update records in the neighborhood directory as needed
- This year’s meeting will be held in Nella’s front yard at 164 Maplewood on Sunday, September 13th beginning at 4:00 p.m. Vehicles will be parked on the side of the road in front of nearby houses in an effort to reduce the speed of any traffic passing through.
- Updates to BHNA website
- Matt will add recent newsletters and the updated street tree information and board resolution regarding tree replacements
- Matt will update entries for past tree reports to link to updated tree reports
- New property owners
- Nella spoke with residents of 264 Hagadorn, which was last sold in 2024, about the BHNA and they seemed interested
- Three neighborhood properties have been sold since April 2026. Nella has sent welcome letters to the new owners.
- Annual luminaria event
- The 2026 luminaria event will be held on Monday, December 21st (the winter solstice)
- Volunteers are needed to help fold bag tops, place bags along the streets, and light the candles. A signup sheet will be available at the annual meeting.
- Alice will purchase new candles and lighters using BHNA funds. There are enough bags and sand left over from last year’s event.
- Concern regarding multi-resident housing that is not licensed as a rental property
- Nella asked a question about this topic during a recent meeting of neighborhood association presidents. A contact was provided for reporting suspected violations.
Open Discussion:
- None
Action Items:
| Name | Action | Deadline |
| All | Try and find at least two neighborhood residents to run for the vacant board positions during the upcoming election | 2026-09-12 |
| Alice | Contact the resident of Maplewood Dr. that made a recent donation about a replacement street tree for their property | 2026-08-28 |
| Alice | Purchase new candles and lighters for the luminaria event | 2026-12-01 |
| Judy | Purchase enough paper plates, hot dogs, hot dog buns, and plasticware (if needed) for the meeting and request reimbursement from Alice | 2026-09-12 |
| Nella | Contact Steve Whelan and Erik Altmann about attending the annual meeting as guests | 2026-08-14 |
| Nella | Contact the East Lansing Police Department about our dedicated neighborhood officer attending the annual meeting as a guest | 2026-08-14 |
| Matt | Contact Mark Warner to ask if he would be interested in performing live music at the annual meeting | 2026-08-14 |
| Matt | Update the BHNA website with recent newsletters and tree information | 2026-08-28 |
| Matt | Place yard signs with the annual meeting details around the neighborhood | 2026-08-31 |
| Mike | Update the draft of the newsletter to include the annual meeting details (date, time, address, agenda, guest list, food and beverage information, potluck sign up link, board elections, request for yard games/activities, etc.) and share with all board members for review | 2026-08-21 |
| Mike | Determine if additional plasticware will need to be purchased for the picnic | 2026-08-14 |
| Steve | Create online form for potluck food sign up and share the link with Mike | 2026-08-14 |
Adjournment:
- A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 5:24 p.m. The motion carried without objection.
Next Meeting Date, Time, and Location: Annual meeting and picnic at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 13th, 2026 at 164 Maplewood Dr.
Minutes submitted by: Steve Beckman
Minutes approved by: TBD