Inter-Neighborhood Council

Making Better Neighborhoods

Http://www.rtpnet.org/durhminc

Minutes of meeting of June 24, 2003

REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT

Administration and Announcements

President Melvin Whitley opened the meeting and members introduced themselves.

§ Some issues neighborhoods are facing are illegal signs, noise, traffic on power easements, tenants using front yards for parking/repair (if they run over water meters, they are in trouble), loose dogs (please call Animal Control), mosquitoes, misreading of water bills, and effects of new developments near neighborhood

§ The full first draft of the Uniform Development Ordinance is now on the city’s website, but they are already revising it.  We will try to roll out some short articles on it over the list-serve.

§ You can get a fire truck to come to children’s parade.

§ Gotta Save Project – Reopening of Oakleaf Substance Abuse Center

§ Chief Chalmers is putting together semi-annual report and would like to know what the community would like reports on.  The ComStat meeting discussed fact that violent crime is down but there is more property crime.  Contact Eric Hester if you want to help on Court Watch program to slow down revolving door on breaking and entering crime.

Upcoming Events and Organizing

§ July 1 – NCDOT meeting on I-85

§ Historic Preservation is having a clean-up

§ Greater St. Paul is having neighborhood open cook-out

§ Walltown and Trinity Heights sponsoring Peace Walk – July 17

§ Organizational meeting for Geer Street Cemetary Clean-up (June 26) (http://www.rtpnet.org/dukepark/geer_cemetery.html)

§ The 53^rd annual Watts Hospital – Hillandale parade is at 10 AM on July 4

§ PACs 4 and 1 and a number of churches are supporting a Boys to Men Conference on July 19^th (12-4) at Hillside Park

§ SW Historic Neighborhoods are putting together a big event at Shoppes at Lakewood

INC Business / Actions

§ There is $1424 in the treasury.  The minutes and treasurer reports were approved.

§ Mike Shiflett passed out a draft nomination form for neighborhood heroes, to be honored at a posh INC Awards Ceremony at the University Club, in September (date to be solid by 1 August).  The Herald-Sun is contributing a 1/2 page ad on this.

§ Newsletter article possibilities include mission of INC, history of INC, UDO, historic preservation, neighborhood news, info on how to get things done.  Please bring newsletters to the meeting to share.  Distribution will be a mix of electronic and paper.

§ Mostly the incumbents are OK for Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission.

§ Some houses from 60’s and 70’s have aluminum wiring, which is a fixable fire hazard.

§ The Billboard / Blighted Structure Bill (SB 534) is sill stuck in a Judiciary Committee in the NC Senate.  The danger is the bill might pop out when the legislature starts passing laws like crazy to get out of town in late June.  We will vote in July on a letter of thanks to the Durham delegation for their vigilance on this issue.

Neighborhood Agenda

Realizing that if we don’t identify specific neighborhood issues, we can’t blame leaders for ignoring our issues.  INC is leading a coalition (including CAN, People’s Alliance, NAACP) which will develop questions, ask candidates to respond with written solutions, and then tape their answers to make them public.  We need to have not only questions but also an “answer key” (including new laws, processes, and habits of listening) of what is a good solution.  Cheryl Sweeney moved, Vicki Schneider seconded, and the group passed the following set of issues:

§ Traffic calming – not one neighborhood or street against another

§ Parks and effectiveness of the park department

§ Sidewalks and pedestrian connectivity and safety (and again, a process that doesn’t set one neighborhood against another, competing for too few resources)

§ Maintain /enhance neighborhood character – what to do with abandoned commercial property, how to keep commercial operations vital and connected to community, how to keep commercial confined to appropriate space and scale, what to do with substandard properties in general, not having auto shops in residential areas, keeping parking/repair out of front yards, character of rentals, noise

§ Capital budget – again adequate so not one neighborhood against another.

§ General ordinance enforcement – noise, zoning, signs (need it worth the time to collect fines)

Other INC Business / Actions

§ Nominating Committee will be Carrie Mowry, Johnea Kelley, John Dagenhart, Mike Shiflett, and Risa Foster.

§ The two transportation solutions are Tom Miller’s bill on more noise protection and election of the DOT Board.  A committee of Pat Carstensen, Melvin Whitley, and Barry Ragin was formed.  Pat will put out a request for more volunteers on the List-Serve.

§ John Dagenhart has been investigating the problems with the noise ordinance.  One problem is that the penalty is laughable ($50 or 30 days in jail – it was set when $50 was a lot of money) – so the police sometimes use disturbance of the peace (maybe doing a dozen cases a year).  What people can do for boom cars is record license number of car and call 911 – if several people do this on a given car, 911 will note the pattern.  John will bring a further report to the next meeting.

§ The meeting was adjourned.