Fremont Neighborhood Council – Annual General Meeting – April 22, 2013
Board members present: Stephanie Pure, Elfreide Noble, Eric Pihl, Toby Thaler, Shawn Mulanix, Norma Jones, Linda Clifton, Kevin McClain, Matthew McCauley, Judie Clarridge.
Stephanie opened the meeting and invited everyone to introduce themselves.
Minutes: Norma moved to approve the March minutes as presented. Kevin seconded. Motion passed.
Announcements:
• Jessica Vets reported that the Fremont Solstice Parade will begin at 3 pm on Saturday, June 22. This is a change from the regular starting time of noon because the Rock and Roll Marathon is being held the same day. The City did not want the events to overlap. The Fremont Fair will open at 10 am. She said the Fremont Arts Council would appreciate donations to help with the cost of the parade.
• Jessica also announced that “Bite Fremont” will be held May 13 to 31. $4 plates are being offered by 20 Fremont restaurants. Taste at least 10 and you can enter a drawing for prizes.
• Linda asked that we check out the FNC’s Facebook page. Several Fremont residents who came to the meeting said that they came because they saw the meeting publicized on Facebook. Others said they came because of the letter they received.
• Stephanie reported that she and Christian Silk held an informal barbecue at 39th and Phinney to get neighbors’ input on pedestrian safety on N. 39th. They gathered 2 pages of signatures on a petition to be sent to SDOT asking for traffic calming measures on the street. Christian may ask the FNC for money for publicity and other costs regarding this issue.
• Toby reported that the mosaic mural that the FNC has helped fund will be installed at Hazel Heights P Patch in May.
Treasurer’s Report: Shawn explained that a large portion of the FNC funds came from the developers of large projects in Fremont.
Checking: $ 3,522.39
Money Market: 56,070.60
Savings 5.00
Paypal: 316.29
Total 59,914.28
Committed funds:
46th Street Mural: 566.39
Hazel Heights: 256.56
Election: Stephanie presented a slate of officers and board members to the membership for vote:
President Stephanie Pure
Vice President Toby Thaler
Secretary Judie Clarridge
Treasurer Kevin McClain
Board members: Matt Gasparich, Elfriede Noble, Shawn Mulanix, Norma Jones, Linda Clifton, Matthew McCauley, Amanda Boyle, and Erik Pihl.
It was moved and seconded that the names offered be approved. The membership voted to approve.
The FNC acknowledged Dic Selin for over 25 years of service on the Board. Dic notified the Board recently that he did not wish to continue as a Board member.
The Board also expressed appreciation to Shawn for serving as treasurer. Stephanie noted that among the things he accomplished was consolidating accounts at a number of different banks into a single one at a credit union.
Speaker: Sally Clark, President, Seattle City Council
Stephanie introduced Ms. Clark.
Sally said that there is relatively good news for the City budget for 2013. A slight increase in revenue is projected. Most City departments have a target of a 1% reduction in their budgets; the reduction in public safety departments is less. With the State’s privatization of liquor sales, the City is waiting to see how liquor revenue sharing with local governments will be impacted. She also spoke about the impact of Federal sequestration: Because we are dependent upon retail sales tax, if people are not spending money, City revenue decreases.
The issue of how to fund affordable housing has been in the news. Large developers have requested significant departures from zoning regulations in order to include workforce affordable housing. Sally said that an expert panel is being formed of individuals who do not have a financial stake in the issue. They are hoping to have recommendations within 9 months.
Other topics: She talked about long term planning in 2014 and recent discussion about another crossing of the Ship Canal in order to improve transit service. This would be a big undertaking and would have to be approved by the Corps of Engineers. There will be a national search for the new police chief. Because this is an election year for the mayor, candidates for the position may be hesitant to commit until after the election. Ms. Noble commented that the chief from Palo Alto was a strong candidate when Chief Diaz was selected.
There was discussion about open space. Should we increase open space or work on keeping and maintaining what we have already? Toby said that the Ernest Park Addition is an example of the City being unable to develop or maintain land it has already purchased. Erik said the same is true about the land around the Troll.
There was discussion about commercial and residential developments in Fremont. Erik said that Skanska met with the community and worked to address concerns in the construction of the N. 34th and Stone Way project. There was discussion about how developments can add value to the neighborhood. There should be an incentive to have retail tenants lined up rather than build first and have the space stay vacant. Linda noted that crime has decreased along Aurora Avenue; the City Attorney was very helpful in dealing with difficult apartment managers / property owners. There was also discussion about revisiting the Neighborhood Plans.
Matthew raised the issue of traffic calming. There was discussion about people wanting arterials that move traffic quickly yet residents want traffic calming to ensure pedestrians are safe.
The FNC expressed appreciation to Sally for speaking at the meeting.
Land Use and Transportation Committee: Toby said that the by-laws require a vote by the Board on committees. Board members with interests in land use and transportation have met. They would like to have a joint committee because the two issues impact each other. They recommend that Toby be the chair and Erik be the vice chair. Members would include Shawn, Matthew, and Kevin. Their goal is that more people would join the committee.
MOTION: Norma moved that the committee be established as Toby presented it. Linda seconded. The motion passed.
National Night Out / Night Out Against Crime: Will be Tuesday, August 6th. This is an opportunity to meet your neighbors and learn more about crime prevention, safety, and emergency preparedness.
Meeting adjourned. The next meeting will be on Monday, May 20, 2013.