Stockade Association Board Meeting
July 7, 2015
First Reformed Church, Poling Conference Room
Board Members Present: Stephen Boese, Vice President; Keith St. John; Sean Philpott-Jones; Colleen Macaulay; Beverley Elander; Carol DeLaMarter, President; Bob Stern, Corresponding Secretary; Suzy Unger, Corresponding Secretary, Diane DeMeo. (arrived at 7:16)
Board Members Not Present: Evan Euripidou, Bob Lemmerman, Treasurer
Others Present: Richard Unger, Greg Sauer
Spy Presentation by Greg Sauer: See attached hand out. Bob Lemmerman will serve as business manager of the Spy. Letter asking for ads will be sent out by August 8.
It was noted that the bow on Lawrence is rusting. It needs to be repaired properly. The city parks department will be asked to take care of this.
Ms. DeLaMarter called the meeting to order at 7:48 p.m. The minutes were corrected to include Beverley Elander's offer to explore the benefits of membership in the SA. Mr. Boese moved to accept the minutes as corrected. The motion passed unanimously.
Treasurer's Report: The treasurer's report was distributed (see attached). Bob Lemmerman, Treasurer, is away. Ms. DeLaMarter gave the report in his absence. Bob Stern has been reimbursed for web services. Diane DeMeo made a motion to accept the Treasurer's report. The motion was passed unanimously.
President's Report: Ms. DeLaMarter would like the various committees to meet this summer. She suggested that there be no meeting in August. A lot needs to be done in the meantime, such as survey information and the budget. She also suggested that we meet on September 1 which is before Labor Day. The general meeting will be on the third Thursday of September which is the 17th. Mr. St. John noted the need for an August meeting to discuss proposed bylaw changes .
Flood Mitigation Activity: Steve Boese summarized the recent meetings of the combined preservation/infrastructure committees regarding flooding. (See Attached)
Ms. DeLaMarter said there are more questions than answers and the community needs to be educated. At the moment, things are being done piecemeal when we need to explore all options.
Flood Insurance: Mr. Boese noted most owners do not have flood insurance. Of those who do, no one is paying the rates that have been publicized. Most who have insurance, have subsidized insurance if their house was built before 1972 and before the change in the law. Another disastrous flooding event will cause the loss of the subsidy. New owners can pick up the subsidized rate when they purchase a house with insurance. Historic houses are also eligible for subsidized flood insurance. He noted the Gazette did not cover the full picture.
Ms. DeLaMarter said a letter was written to the mayor in April asking for a comprehensive study. Another was written in July with more background information on the need for a study.
Mr. Boese said there are two home owners who have grants from New York Rising to raise their houses. It is very expensive and he questioned whether most homeowners will have the ability to pay on their own. It is possible the neighborhood will wind up with two raised houses and no solutions for the future. Mr. Boese said this is an issue for Senator Schumer. He will support a study if there is consensus. Mr. Boese suggested that once we are more organized, the SA may approach Senator Schumer.
It was noted that the City Council meets next Monday, July 13 at the same time as the Historic District Commission. It was agreed to provide public comment at the council meeting and that while the HDC would be taking public comments, it was not going to make a final decision at this meeting. Ms. DeLaMarter said there will be a need to continue to press this issue at the general membership meeting and that we may need to meet again after the HDC meeting. John Samatulski has offered to participate.
Neighborhood Survey: Sean Philpott-Jones designed a neighborhood survey on Survey Monkey. He talked to Evan Euripidou during this process. He wants to do this quickly in order to generate new memberships. Mr. Philpott-Jones noted we need to be careful about making assumptions. The purpose is to raise awareness about the association. The survey will be sent out via the Internet and door hangers will be used to alert those who do not automatically receive an email online. Results will be displayed. Mr. Boese said the membership email list has everyone who has ever been a member, since it has never been culled. The goal is to get a neighborhood survey out in August in a series of targeted blasts.
Marketing and Outreach: Mr. St. John said the committee needs help understanding its charge. He had volunteered to hold a meeting. We need to make sure a group is assembled to take Mr. Philpott-Jones' suggestions on how to improve our web presence. Mr. St. John's interest is in making the web presence more robust and sensible.
Standing Committees:
Spy: Mr. Boese moved to continue publishing nine issues of the Spy with the proposed higher ad and subscription costs. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Boese made a motion that the higher prices would be $35 for an individual ad and $250 for an ad in all nine issues. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Philpott-Jones made the motion that the annual subscription be increased to $15 a year. The motion passed unanimously.
There was concern about unsigned editorials in the Spy. It was agreed that unsigned editorials would be approved by the SA board and all others would be published over the author's name. The board expressed its support of Mr. Sauer's judgement as the editor. It was agreed he would consult with Ms. DeLaMarter before publishing opinion pieces, especially controversial ones.
Finance: Ms. DeLaMarter drew attention to the current YTD Income and Expense (see attached). Committee chairs need to begin to think about what the income/expense proposals are going to be. The finance committee will be meeting to look at targeted donations. No new revenue is anticipated through August. The board may have to loan the Spy funds for the September issue.
Historic Preservation/Zoning: Colleen Macaulay said a backyard has been cleaned up on North College Street. She is also contacting the parks department about the Indian.
Infrastructure: Richard Unger reported that the committee has not met since February when there was no quorum. The committee has finished its goals of mitigating anticipated traffic impact of the Casino. The ad hoc Traffic Committee has become the permanent Infrastructure Committee. The objective of pedestrian safety fits in well with the need to develop a sidewalk improvement plan. There is a question of who should serve on this committee. Ms. DeLaMarter has replaced Mary D'Alessandro as an ex-officio member. Mr. Unger has talked to two Stockade residents who have expertise in architectural design about joining the committee. Ms. Macaulay suggested Kelley Marr as another possible member.
Membership: Beverley Elander submitted a list of membership benefits. She noted the YMCA membership teaser didn't work. Others suggested coupons at Arthurs and premiums such as coffee mugs and tee shirts with the Stockade logo.
Mr. Philpott-Jones left at 8:53.
Bylaws: Mr. St. John reported that he met with Colleen Macaulay and Greg Sauer. They reviewed bylaws and made recommendations to present at the November general meeting. (See Attached) One more meeting has been scheduled. These proposed changes need to be presented at the August board meeting in order to be approved at the November general meeting. Notice of proposed changes needs to go into the meeting notice for September.
Mr. Boese left at 9:05.
Sidewalk Sale: Diane DeMeo reported on the results of the sidewalk sale. $234.00 was made for SA at its table on Front Street. Twelve members and 19 nonmembers participated.
Website: Bob Stern said he would work with Greg Sauer so he could post Spy items on the website. Ms. DeLaMarter noted the website needs to be updated.
Park at Lawrence: Suzy Unger brought a proposal by Susanna Sherwood to plant a perennial garden at the Indian. She said that Mrs. Sherwood has a commitment for $2,000 so far for the planting and maintaining of the garden. Mrs. Sherwood is asking the board to approve the plan and offer to accept donations on behalf of the garden so donors could receive a tax deduction.
There were a number of concerns: Peter Rumora does not want flowers in the garden, just evergreens in a more classical design. Mr. St. John asked that Mr. Rumora be consulted before any changes are made. Ms. Elander agreed. Mr. Stern expressed concern about accepting donations. Mrs. DeLaMarter said she would talk to Mr. Rumora. Since there was no longer a quorum, no decision on the garden was made.
Fireworks: It was noted Fourth of July fireworks had generated a lot of letters and comments. Ms. DeLaMater agreed it would be a good idea to raise awareness in neighborhood.
Picnic in Park: It will be held on July 28. People will be invited to bring their own dishes, cutlery , etc. There will be no tent.
The next board meeting will be on August 11, 2015.
Ms. DeMeo moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 9:44 p.m.