Neighborhood Meeting Minutes: September 2024

by

Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association 

Annual Meeting Minutes

Date: September 8th, 2024

 

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

 

Call to order: Matt Kazmierski called to order this annual meeting of the Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association at 5:05 pm ET on September 8th, 2024 on Maplewood Dr.

 

Roll Call:

  • Property owners from the following addresses were in attendance:
    • 144, 152, 164, 175, 192, 205, and 237 Maplewood
    • 103, 120, 131, 136, 147, 155, 158, 164, 205, 216, 219, 224, 236, 237, 244, 245, 252, 261, 274, 277, and 284 Oakland
    • 1511, 1547, 1625, 1635, 1645, 1653, 1707, 1715, and 1724 Roseland
  • Quorum present: Yes – 37 of 94 property owners
  • New neighbors: 204 Oakland, 147 Maplewood, 184 Maplewood, ? Grand River

 

Approval of Past Minutes

A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the annual meeting held on September 10th, 2023 as presented. The motion carried without objection.

 

Treasurer Updates

  1. Alice Schehr stated the association’s current account balance is $2,371.55
  2. Three replacement trees were purchased and planted in October 2023
  3. Materials for the 2023 luminaries event cost $300

 

Neighborhood Covenants Renewal

  1. John Hays spoke about the neighborhood covenants and how they prevent the building of multi-family homes, multi-story apartments, and other types of buildings in the neighborhood
    1. The covenants were renewed in March 2024 for the next 25 years
      1. The Board recognized Alice’s efforts contacting neighborhood residents and personally becoming a notary in order to notarize signed renewal documents
    2. The racially-restrictive language could not be removed at this time because signatures from 100% of association property owners could not be obtained
    3. Matt recognized John’s efforts regarding the covenants over the last several years

 

Tree Report

  1. Pat Robinson and Andy Gordon, the current City of East Lansing Arborist / Natural Resources Technician, spoke about the street-level trees in the neighborhood and plans for how future trees will be replaced in partnership with the city
    1. Pat will no longer be monitoring the neighborhood’s street trees after doing so since the 1970s
      1. The Board presented Pat with a bouquet of flowers as a gift of appreciation for her efforts
  2. Three replacement street trees have been planted over the past year. The replacement trees on Maplewood Dr. are not thriving yet.
    1. The purchase and planting of new replacement street trees could cost upwards of $2200
  3. The city developed a tree manual and a list of approved street tree species and will no longer plant maples due to how many already exist
    1. Maples have a common trait of developing cavity decay / hollowing out
    2. Tree monocultures will be avoided to reduce the potential of all trees of the same species eventually becoming infected and removed
    3. The newly-formed Environment Committee will review the list of species approved by the city and identify a shortlist of options that would be preferred for the neighborhood
  4. The city is now following a seven-year cycle for street tree trimming
    1. Our neighborhood is scheduled for pruning in spring 2026
  5. Andy stated that he can be contacted directly at 517-337-9459 Ext. 6531 or andyg@cityofeastlansing.com if a neighborhood resident would like to report a tree of concern
    1. The city will try to be proactive about the removal of trees of concern after completing annual neighborhood tree surveys
  6. The Lansing Board of Water and Light coordinates with the city and Wright Tree Service for regular tree trimming near utility lines
    1. They must receive approval from the city before removing a tree
    2. Our neighborhood is next scheduled for utility trimming in 2029

 

Safety Report

  1. Steve Whelan reported that incidents of crime in our neighborhood have been low, but nuisance-related issues (noise, traffic, etc.) continue to be raised
    1. Residents who leave vehicles parked outside overnight were reminded to keep them locked as the most frequent report is unlocked cars having items removed from them
    2. ELPD officers occasionally monitor the stop signs in our neighborhood for full compliance by drivers
  2. Steve asked drivers to pay particular attention for bicyclists on Hagadorn Rd after the recent road diet added bike lanes as there have already been a few incidents involving vehicles and bicycles
  3. The total number of ELPD officers on the force has been consistent over the last year even with officers leaving due to retirement

 

Board Member Elections

  1. The three-year terms for Board members Steve Beckman, Gail Lytle Lira, and Alice Schehr have expired
  2. Elizabeth / Eli Hoffman, Steve, and Alice were nominated by meeting attendees
    1. A motion was made and seconded to accept all three of the nominees. The motion carried without objection.

 

New Business

  1. Chelsea Beckman presented information about this year’s upcoming luminaries event in December and a Garden Walk in 2025
    1. Volunteers are needed for both events
    2. A meeting about the Garden Walk will be held in January

 

Open Discussion

  1. Matt stated that the BHNA website https://brookfieldneighborhood.net/ will be transitioned to a new platform and redesigned over the course of the next several weeks and the email mailing list will be updated
    1. Content will be limited to neighborhood business

 

Adjournment

  • A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 6:04 pm ET. The motion carried without objection.

 

Minutes submitted by: Steve Beckman

Minutes approved by: Residents at 9/14/2025 Annual Meeting