MLPA Board Meeting Minutes, June 10, 2002

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MLPA Board Meeting Minutes, June 10, 2002

Board members attending: Dianne Olansky, Norman McKay, Mike Banick, Mike Carew, Bob Silvia, Joelle Spain, Van Hall, Martha Porter Hall, Charlotte Gillis, Bill Ellis, Lee Kintzel, Steve Rowell. Also attending: Janet Kishbaugh for Councilmember Anne Fauver.

Call to Order: President Olansky called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.

Approval of minutes: Minutes of the April 8, 2002 meeting and the April 29, 2002 Annual Meeting were approved. Approval of May 13, 2002 minutes was deferred until the July meeting.

Committee Reports:

Parks: Charlotte Gillis reported that the Parks Committee is implementing a "Green Stewards'" program which will enlist participants to monitor parks, trees, sidewalks and other quality of life aspects of the neighborhood. The Parks Committee is monitoring implementation of the City Tree Ordinance. The Blank Foundation has turned down the "Wildwood Urban Forest" application for this grant cycle but encouraged the Group to apply again. Charlotte moved that we approve an invoice from Trees Atlanta for $100, the cost of two oak trees that were planted on February Parks work day. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Security Patrol: Mike Carew and Bob Silvia reported that April crime statistics from the Atlanta Police Department stated that we had a total of eight crimes: two auto break-ins and six house break-ins. May had ten crimes: two auto break-ins, five house break-ins, two grand theft auto and one larceny. Mike said that the perpetrator(s) of the house break-ins had apparently been watching for the residents to leave the house unattended. In the half-hour that the resident was gone, they broke in the door and stole a lot of computer stuff, electronics, just about anything valuable and negotiable. Mike urged us to be especially vigilant and by all means report suspicious activity or persons to 911.

Membership: Joelle Spain, our new membership chair, reported on several initiatives that she has undertaken to increase membership of the Association. She will email a welcome to all new members. She is considering sending out an email membership reminder in October, before our annual renewal mailing. Her top priority is to designate street captains, one or more for each street in the neighborhood. This job will entail annual distribution of the Directory and an annual door-to-door membership solicitation drive. Joelle is in the process of developing a welcome package for new residents. She is exploring ideas for a new MLPA T-shirt and asked for design suggestions.

Beautification: No report.

Schools: No report. School's out!  But while on this topic, Mike Carew stated that several classes from Morningside Elementary School had had end-of-the-year picnics in Lenox-Wildwood Park. The groups left their trash neatly bagged and stacked close to the trash receptacles, but the City will no longer automatically remove trash from parks after events. As a result, dogs or some other feral creature tore open the bags, strewing the contents and creating a smelly, ugly mess. Mike suggested that Joe Giardina ask the school to ask groups to remove trash after an event.

 Special Events: No report, but unanimous approval of Celebration of Summer and thanks to Mike McCool, Dan Cherrix and their hardy corps of volunteers.

Tour of Homes: No report

Traffic: Bill Ellis will meet with the City Bureau of Transportation Services this month. Anne Fauver has asked for suggestions for crosswalks to be striped. The City has issued the last check to MLPA for the URS study. Bill moved that we issue a check to URS for $522.50. The motion was seconded and passed. Bill and Dianne attended a presentation of the proposed Northern Arc. Bill pointed out that the Arc would affect traffic and transportation considerations in our area. Among other things, the Arc would suck a huge portion of governmental traffic funds into it and away from other projects. He urged us to become informed about this issue and to convey our conclusions to the appropriate officials.

North MLPA/Sidewalks: Lee Kintzel reported that two sidewalks have recently been completed and another is under construction. The sidewalk at the intersection of Morningside and Sherwood $1,100 and the one at 733 Cumberland cost $300. Lee moved that we approve no more than $1,500 for the two sidewalks. The motion was seconded and passed.

Treasurer's Report: No report.

Zoning: Steven Rowell presented three zoning cases for consideration.

V-02-124, 742 Courtenay Drive. Jane and Arol Wolford seek a variance to reduce the rear yard setback from 15 feet (required) to 7 feet to allow for an addition (an enclosed lap pool) to a single-family residence. The Zoning Committee recommended a deferral to allow for more negotiation between the applicants and their neighbors. A motion to defer was made and unanimously approved.

V-02-148, 1275 Pasadena Avenue. Nancy Wolk seeks a variance to reduce the rear yard setback from 15 feet (required) to 7 feet to allow for the installation of a new swimming pool. The Zoning Committee recommended approval on condition that the applicant's plan be changed to meet the requirement of no more than 50% lot coverage by impervious surfaces. Motion was made to recommend approval on condition that the applicant's plan be changed to meet the requirement of no more than 50% lot coverage by impervious surfaces. Motion passed, 7 in favor, 1 opposed, no abstentions.

V-02-151, 1676 W. Sussex Road. Andrew and Latrelle Scherffius seek a variance to reduce the half-depth front yard setback from 25 feet (required) to 16 feet to allow for an addition to an existing garage, and to increase the width of a driveway from 20 feet (required) to 26 feet to allow for an extension to the existing driveway. The applicant also seeks a special exception to erect a 4-foot wall in the half-depth front yard where only a 4-foot fence is allowed. The Zoning Committee recommended approval on condition that all dogwood trees that will be removed must be replaced with dogwoods, and that the total caliper of the replacement trees be equal to or greater than the total caliper of the dogwoods removed. So moved, passed unanimously.

Newsletter: Van Hall reported on the status of the summer issue. He than made a motion to approve payment in the amount of $2,587.05 for printing of the spring newsletter. Motion passed unanimously.

New Business: President Olansky stated that she had not received reimbursement for the cost of the OneCall message that was sent out to notify residents about the Annual Meeting. Motion was made to recommend approval of the reimbursement and a grateful Board voted unanimously in favor of the motion.

Old Business: Susan Drake reported on her search for an effective, quiet air conditioner for the Morningside Room of Morningside Presbyterian Church. One firm submitted a bid of $2,447 and Moncrief bid $1,000. Both are considerably higher than we had expected. President Olansky will ask the church and other neighborhoods in the NPU to go in with us on the purchase.

Bill Ellis made a motion that the Association join PEDS (Pedestrians Educating Drivers about Safety) at the $100 level. The motion was approved unanimously.   

Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 p.m.

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