JUNE 2005 General Meeting Minutes

Discussion of flowers at Prospect Park:
In the past, Gary Clark has bought and donated flowers to be planted at Prospect Park on Ypsi Pride Day. He has been out of town for the last couple of Ypsi Pride Days and so no new flowers have been planted. Jane Schmiedeke suggested we could take up a collection in April or May for flowers at Prospect Park.

Acknowledgement:
Jane Schmiedeke was in Europe at the time of the newsletter printing. In her absence, Kate de Fuccio did the newsletter. Her work was much appreciated.

Reminder:
Our new web site, created and maintained by Brian Robb, is http://www.hesna.org.

Freight house Update:
Lesley Chace from the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freight house updated us on the state of the freight house. This organization is made up of volunteers and has no paid staff. The current treasurer must step down and the organization is looking for a new treasurer.

After City budget cuts cause the Ypsilanti frieght house in Depot Town to be closed, FOYF got 501c designation for the site. The agreement was that on 1/1/2005, FOYF will operate the freight house, but the City will still own it. The City has no funds to repair the building enough to get a Certificate of Occupancy.

A fundraiser held at the Firehouse Museum raised over $17K. The FOYF has a total of $40K in the bank. Commitments to this cause include $20K from the Depot Town Association (to be made available in increments of $5K a year for 5 years), $10K from the City, and $25K from the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO).

The building was closed for a variety of reasons. The building is not falling down, but does need some stabilization. The wood stove needs to be sealed shut in order to address the fire safety concerns, but bull still be maintained for its historical value. The heating ductwork was inspected and will need to be replaced soon. The accumulation of junk under the deck is considered a fire hazard and needs to be cleaned out. It will need to be enclosed eventually. Ramps and handrails need to be added. Progress is being made.

Work is being done on reaching and agreement with SHPO on a scope of work to be done and a timeline for the work to be done. This will be a lengthy process.

The next FOYF meeting is June 11th at 3:00PM. Their website is http://www.foyf.org.

Historic East Side Neighborhood Association web site:
Brian Robb gave us an update on the web site. It is up and running. We can use it to facilitate neighborhood communications. It has a mechanism for people to submit ideas and discuss issues.

WiFi:
Washtenaw County has proposed a countywide wireless internet by 2007. Brian Robb has suggested regions of the county could be wireless much faster than that, including the Ypsilanti East Side. Brian is proposing putting a wifi antenna at his house and making it available to anyone in the neighborhood. There were discussions about security and privacy. Everyone who uses it should have a firewall on his or her computer. More information is needed about encryption of information over the wireless connection. However, casual web browsing not involving personal information (online money transactions, banking, etc.) should not be subject to security issues.

COPAC Update:
Rod Johnson and Officer Troy Fulton gave an update on the Michigan Avenue Crime-Free Zone. It involves Michigan Avenue and blocks north and south of Michigan Avenue from Miles Street to Hamilton Street. The target is prostitution. It is a crime for any offenders, prostitutes or clients, to return to the zone until their case has been adjudicated. The neighborhoods adjacent to the zone should be alert to any activity moving just outside the zone and report it to the police. The police will evaluate the need for modification to the zone boundaries as they gain experience with its effectiveness.

The police also reported on a new program, the Volunteer Service Corp. This is a citizen foot patrol that currently operates from Hamilton to Washtenaw to Normal to Michigan Avenue on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. They use police radios to call in any problems. They do not engage perpetrators, leaving that to the police.

The police reported they had arrested four people in the past ten days for larceny from cars. This might significantly reduce the rash of personal property theft. Reminder: Everyone should lock their cars and leave no valuable visible from the outside. Even something that looks valuable can tempt a thief to break into a car. As always, porch lights are a great deterrence to crime. Finally, the police find it very helpful when responding to dispatches if they can read the house numbers. Large, well-lit house numbers are a great aid even when the dispatch is close to a house whose lighting or visibility is poor.

Luna Lake Update:
In addition to the current update in the newsletter, the following information was shared: Chanda Wilbanks has contacted a wetlands expert who inspected Luna Lake and made some suggestions. We should also continue to coordinate with the Ypsilanti Parks & Recreation Department.

City Council Update:
Both Ward 3 Council Members, Barry LaRue and Brian Filipiak, were present. The City budget will be passed by the end of June, maintaining status quo with last year's budget. This will be accomplished by the sale of some City property, a one-time opportunity.

City Council passed the Vacant Buildings Ordinance and has identified the 30 worst buildings in the City.

City Council is working on improving the Begging Ordinance, spelling out exactly what activities are illegal. This will help make arrests and convictions easier.

The City is still evaluating parking, paying close attention to the needs and tailoring the rules to each part of the City. Some areas will have some 15-minute spaces where quick transactions such as paying a bill or making a bank deposit are common. Depot Town will not have meters in its parking lots.

Thompson Building Update:
JC Beal took over receivership from Barnes & Barnes. They are evaluating their options.

Visteon Plant Update:
If the plant closes, it will result in approximately $460K less revenue for the City and additional revenue losses for other taxing authorities such as Ypsilanti Schools and the Ypsilanti District Library. It will impact YCUA revenues as well.

Water Street Project Update:
Biltmore is not the developer any longer because they didn't like the Brownfield nature of the project after soil contamination was found to be more than originally thought. July 29th is the deadline for new proposals from developers to submit their plans. The plans (architecture, parks, roads, etc.) will probably change to accommodate the needs of the new developer.
City Income Tax Study:
The Blue Ribbon Committee on City Finances will make a recommendation soon.

HENSA Treasurer's Report:
$2103.56 in the Luna Lake Fund
$253.88 in the General Fund