Historic Atkins-Porter Neighborhood Association (HAPNA)

Meeting Minutes, April 19, 2017, 7:00 pm

Neighbors in attendance at the Bethel Building (adjacent to HCMC Imaging Center) were: River Byrd, Kathy Collins, Mark Duncan, Karen Krysowaty, Bob Leach, Julie Leach, Shannon McFarlin,Cat McGavin, Ed Roberts, Pat Terrell, Rachel Terrell, Pat Stephens, Stone Robers, Shelley Tucker andLinda Warlyn. Guests were Mary Hickman (USDA, Paris) and Joel Howard (USDA, Union City).

6:30 – 7:00 – Social time with drinks and snacks

Speaker – River Byrd presented “Garden Talk.” Questions were taken on when to prune azaleas – after spring bloom - which is normally in June. He suggested over-seedinglawns in the fall and continuous care for grass and weeds.

Helping Hand Auction - HAPNA raised $1,457 thanks to its contributions and bids during the live radio auction. HAPNA will apply for 2018 Helping Hand fundswhen the organization begins taking applications in the fall.

HAPNA Yard Sale- Rachel Terrell shared information and asked for lots of participation. This is a community event and is not a fundraiser for HAPNA. May 13 is the date of the yard sale. Rain date is June 3. Cost per household is $5 and should be sent to Rachel Terrell at 317 Walnut Street by May 5 for listing on the community map. Maps for yard sale locations will be printed and distributed for participants on Friday, May 12 so customers can plot their course through the neighborhood. The $5 pays for multiple advertisements and signs that will be placed around the neighborhood. Ads and articles will appear in the PI, Peddler, WENK/WTPR and Facebook. There is no need for individual registration with the city when participating in the neighborhood sale.

The Little Library – This projectis moving forward. It will be located outside of the AP Rec Center. Designs are being settled and books have been collected.

Kroger HAPNA Rebates - Annette Douglas provided written instructions for setting up a Kroger card so HAPNA can receive rebates from purchases. Instructions are also onNextdoor. Kroger will send quarterly checks to HAPNA directly. There is no cost to the cardholder. Normal grocery coupons/discounts and are unaffected.Please encourage everyone with a Kroger card to sign up.

311 Jackson Street (aka Red Roof Inn) - Through generous contributions of several neighbors, HAPNA is purchasing the house and property at311 Jackson Street. The purchase will be completed in April. A committee was formed to provide recommendations for the use of the property after demolition. Committee volunteers include: River Byrd, chairman, Shannon McFarlin, Annette Douglas, Mark Duncan, Pat and Rachel Terrell, and Julie Leach. The first meeting was scheduled for May 1.

Suggestions for the property included a small park area and a community garden. Demolition should occur over the next few months. Shannon McFarlin suggested including a plaque or signage to honor the original house, which was built by the Maxwell family.

USDA Rural Development - Mary and Joel (USDA) discussed services and funding available through grants and other means via the USDA Rural Development program.

There is help to low-income homeowners and potential homeowners. For example, there is a $20K maximum loan available for repayment at 1% for up to 20-years for a homeowner needing to make home repairs if their income is in the low $20k range. Another example is a program that works with the city on lots owned by the city. A potential homeowner can build a home on the lot, the city provides the lot to the homeowner at no cost, and an interest rate ranging from 1-3.25% could be available. Minimum credit score of 640 is required and the homeowner would have immediate equity in the property. Another outlet for supporting home ownership is available to higher income families (i.e. $79K/year) to provide a 30-year fixed rate note with no down payment to qualifying homes and buyers. And yet another example that might be applicable in our neighborhood is a one-time grant of $7,500 to someone over 62-years-old for house repairs. The city can match up to 50%.

Mary Hickman will provide this information to Annette to upload on Nextdoor.com. Annette Douglas is to provide HAPNA 501c3 registration, Bylaws, and TN non-profit registration to Joel Howard so HAPNA can be approved for USDA funding and grant participation.

There was lively discussion on how USDA could potentially help with two projects currently have underway – 1) the cost of the little library, and 2) the cost of converting the 311 Jackson Street property into a community garden, park, or other recommendations that could come from the committee. Help is available through the USDA on these projects once HAPNA has been accepted into the program. Results are expected in May.

Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted with special thanks to Annette Douglas,

Susan Jones, secretary