[Durham INC] DRAFT June minutes

Sun Jul 22 19:52:59 EDT 2012

Just re-sending in preparation for the meeting on Tuesday.  Regards, pat

From: pats1717 at hotmail.com
To: inc-list at rtpnet.org
Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2012 07:42:27 -0400
Subject: [Durham INC] DRAFT June minutes

Please let me know about any corrections or additions.  The soft copies of the attachments had some changes in format (Microsoft can have its own ideas about how things ought to look).  Regards, pat

June
Delegate Meeting of the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham

NIS Conference Room, Golden Belt

June 26, 2012

Attending the meeting were:

Neighborhoods

Colony Park – Don Lebkes

Cross Counties – Pat Carstensen

Downing Creek – Dick Ford

Duke Park – Bill Anderson, Ian
Kipp

Falconbridge Community
Association – Rosemarie Kitchin

Golden Belt – John Martin,
DeDreana Freeman, Michael Lynsky

Lochaven Hills – Nate Brown

Magnolia Place Homeowners
Association– Darius Little

Northgate Park – Mike Shiflett

Old East Durham – Chloe’
Palenchar

Old Farm – Fred Foster, Jr.

Old North Durham – Pete Katz

Trinity Park – Philip Azar, Tony
Sease

Watts Hospital Hillandale – Mike
Woodard

Woodcroft – Scott Carter

Visitors 

Lynwood D. Best – City of
Durham, NIS

Will Wilson

Steve Cohn

Chris Dreps – Ellerbe Creek
Watershed Association

Lance Fontaine – City of Durham,
Stormwater Services

Sandra Wilbur – City of Durham,
Stormwater Services

Paul Wiebke – City of Durham,
Stormwater Services

Omar Beasley

Jim Wise – N&O

Ryan Lavinder – Duke 

Ben Nash – Brown & Caldwell

Mike Fowler – Brown &
Caldwell

John Martin called the meeting to order, and delegates and
visitors introduced themselves.  Mike Shiflett moved to approve the April minutes, Rosemarie Kitchin seconded,
and the motion carried.

Sandra Wilbur went over the proposal to use the site of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center for
stormwater management. The presentation, as well as the detailed study, is at: durhamnc.gov/ich/op/pwd/storm/Pages/DukeDietFitness/DukeDietFitness.aspx.  Falls Lake is not meeting standards in
chlorophyll A, which means we need to control nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) –
in Phase 1 getting back to 2006 levels and in Phase 2 getting a further 40%
reduction in N and 77% in P.  Two
drainages, Trinity Park and downtown, with a total of almost 500 acres, come
together at the site; there is little existing stormwater control in either
area, and the water quality coming into the site has other issues.  Most of the building is in the
floodplain and some is in actual floodway.  The state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources has
standards about constructed wetlands, so the stormwater management would take
most of the site.  Using the site
would cost $6-7M and take care of maybe 40% of the Phase 1 obligation (the rest
gets even more expensive). 
Stormwater Services does want to have discussions about amenities around
the edges of the site.  There was
discussion of having deeper channels to leave more space for amenities, looking
for better sites further downstream, and needing a holistic solution so the
stormwater solutions are assets to the neighborhoods they are in, not ugly
muddy ponds or making crime problems worse.  

INC successfully recruited three people interested in being
on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan
Steering Committee.  They are
Nate Brown of Lochaven, Natalie Spring of Cleveland-Holloway, and Matt Yearout
of Trinity Park.  Pat Carstensen
moved and Mike Shiflett seconded that we send in all three names to Beth Timson
and take credit for our recruiting efforts.  This motion carried.

The Neighborhood Hero
event will be at Motorco on October 23 (this is our normal meeting date).  Neighborhoods should start thinking now
about their heroes; we will post a form for submitting nominations on the
list-serve as soon as it is decided where the completed nominations should
go.  Bill Anderson is working with
newspapers on publicity, so nominations will be opened to non-member
neighborhoods in July.

There was an extended discussion of a Membership Drive Task Force. 
Dick Ford passed out a sheet answering, “Why would a neighborhood join
INC?”  Darius Little passed out a
document with his suggestions of how to better market ourselves.  Both are attached.  We ran out of time to discuss them in
detail.  Please send comments to
Dick and Darius.   

Announcements, reports, and miscellaneous news

·      
Everyone who reads a book in the library’s summer
reading program gets a prize: http://www.durhamcountylibrary.org/2012_sr.php

·      
Mike Shiflett distributed some information on the
transit plan: http://www.ourtransitfuture.com/

·      
Lynwood Best distributed a brochure on the Proactive
Rental Inspection Program: http://durhamnc.gov/ich/cb/nis/Pages/NIS_PRIP.aspx
or e-mail Pat for a soft copy.

Appendix A: Why Neighborhoods
Should Join

What We
Say On Our Website

Durham InterNeighborhood Council 

  Organized in
  1984, the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham (INC) is a coalition of
  Durham’s neighborhood and homeowner’s associations. Our mission is to promote
  the quality, stability and vitality of Durham’s residential neighborhoods.
  Just as many heads are better than one, neighborhoods gain strength by
  working together.

  Durham’s INC
  ·       Fosters cooperation among existing neighborhood organizations.
  ·       Encourages the establishment of neighborhood organizations where none
  exist.
  ·       Takes positions on issues that affect our member neighborhoods.
  ·       Collects and disseminates information to stimulate awareness and
  interest in issues.
  ·       Works cooperatively with the City and County of Durham,
  and makes sure the voice of the citizen is heard via individual
  neighborhood organizations.
  ·       Holds monthly meetings and invite government officials to deliberate
  issues, educate neighbors and brainstorm solutions.
  ·       Recognizes Durham’s neighborhood heroes through an annual awards
  program.

  By attending
  to both headline-making issues and everyday matters, the INC has been an
  effective advocate for neighborhood residents and an influential participant
  in making Durham a better place to live.

Recent
Events/Accomplishments over last six month:

1.   
2012 County Commissioners Primary Forum

2.   
Presentation by Durham Water and Soil Conservation
District on homeowner based conservation

3.   
Resolution to City Council for greater support for
neighborhood petitions for Historic Preservation

4.   
Neighborhood Hero Awards – Fall 2012

5.   
Presentation by Durham County Office of
Sustainability for homeowners

6.   
Presentation by Planning Department on Compact
Design Districts, elements of which will be used as Transit Plan is implemented
throughout County

7.   
Mike Woodard presented on City Incentives Plan -
how companies are incented to invest in Durham

8.   
Worked to improve mail delivery in East Durham

9.   
Received Update on City of Durham’s Strategic Plan

10.Transportation Dept presentation
on Alston Avenue Development

11.Continuing involvement in
neighborhood issues, such as tree clearing by Duke, proposed office development
at Hwy54 and Farrington Road, proposal to use Duke Diet and Fitness Center as
storm water retention site, progress at BBT site remediation of dry-cleaning
hazard. You hear it hear often before it appears in press.

Why
should your Homeowners Association join and support the InterNeighborhood
Council of Durham?

1.    Your Neighborhood will have
tested support when dealing with the City or County on a neighborhood issue

2.    All Associations have equal
standing and participation in INC, no matter your size or history

3.    INC is one off the first
venues City/County officials come to with plans, such as   Parks and Recreation coming to
INC soliciting a representative for their Strategic Plan Committee or INC
representation of City committee revising minimum housing code standards

4.    INC members share their
knowledge and techniques for resolving neighborhood issues

5.    INC participates in Durham
civic life through such activities as Forums, Awards and Resolutions

6.    You will be able to update
your neighborhood board on these issues

7.    INC is regularly covered by
local press

8.    When INC speaks, official
Durham listens!!

Appendix B: Marketing Plan

     Organizational Marketing Analysis and
Strategic Initiative Plan

Created by:  Darius Little

June 26, 2012

Purpose:  The purpose of this Analysis is to
assess the current state of the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham as it
relates to community relations/community perception – and propose a Strategic
Plan for the successful membership advancement/growth within the organization.

Table
of Contents:

1.     Organizational Purpose

2.     Current method of Advancing Purpose

3.     Relationship between ‘Organizational Purpose’ and the current
Method of Execution

Question: Who does the current Method of Execution benefit? Is it
marketable?

4.     Marketing Recommendations and Projections

I.              
ORGANIZATIONAL
PURPOSE of INC

The purpose of INC is to “Promote the
quality, stability and vitality of Durham’s residential neighborhoods.”  

II.             
Current
Method of Advancing Purpose

INC has demonstrated its ability to advance
its purpose via (a) Candidate’s Forums, (b) Presentations to the group from
City/County staff (Planning, Sustainability, etc), Elected Officials (City
Councilman Mike Woodard, etc), (c)Neighborhood acknowledgment via ‘Neighborhood
Hero Awards” being given annually, (d) involvement in Neighborhood Issues (such
as tree clearing at Duke, Office development at 54/Farrington Rd, etc), etc.

III.           
Relationship
between ‘Organizational Purpose’ and the current Method of Execution    Question: Who does the
current Method of Execution benefit? Is it marketable?

INC is an effective organization – to those
whose concerns are brought to the table.

Pro: 
The organization effectively addresses the needs of its membership

Con: As far as “membership advancement” is
concerned, INC is not marketable in its current state due to it not having many
sufficient “buy ins” for a prospective member.

Current buy-ins: (a) Presentations from
City/County staff (Information), (b) A body of support for causes (via Resolutions,
etc), (c) Annual Neighborhood Recognition

IV.           
Marketing
Recommendations on Projections

Summation:  INC is a “member driven” organization; meaning it lives and
dies by member participation. 
Therefore, the life of the organization is dependent upon the mood
swings, temperament and energy within the existing body of membership.

Also noteworthy is the fact that each of the
variables of the INC Purpose (quality, stability, and vitality) is subject to
individual interpretation and execution. This is not healthy from a
growth-marketing perspective.  An
effective organization, much like a Church,  experiences its best days when its “promise: is solidified by
its mission alone, not dependent upon the organization’s membership.  The “mission” should consistently pull
an array of participating is most effective when its future is solidified by
its mission, not membership.  The
“mission” should pull an array of participating members – not the members,
determining the effectiveness of the mission (which normally results in a cyble
of repeat customers / repeat clientele and repetitive leadership, instead of a
healthy turnover of both membership and leadership.  The result is a “whoever wants it can have it” atmosphere
that while managing the immediate needs of an organization, will neither
enhance, nor help it reach its potential.

The INC Membership has expressed a desire to
grow.  As such, I am proposing the
follow course of action:

First, INC must
have an atmosphere that exudes being:

·      
INC needs to immediately identify, and
tackle, an issue that is of no immediate
concern to its existing membership (this builds social / political
credibility)

·      
INC needs to create a “Public Relations
Sub-Committee.”  The roles of the
Sub-Committee should fall along the lines of: 

1.       
Solely handling ANY and ALL
communication to the community and media (with items being approved by the INC
President and the INC Executive Committee)

2.       
Sends all forms of media / press the
activity, positions and press releases on ANY and ALL current community affairs

3.       
Finds community events in which INC can
participate and secures participation

4.       
ALL activities as determined by the PR
Committee 

·      
INC needs to create T-shirts, first distributing them to
the following:

o  
All elected officials in Durham County

o  
All city / county department heads

o  
All PAC leaders

o  
All prominent pastors in Durham
(beginning with those of Durham’s larger congregations)

o  
Leaders of all communities groups in
Durham

·      
INC needs to begin an “INC Phonebanking Saturdays”
program.  This program is the
assembling, or participation (if no collectively, committed to do so
individually) of a few INC delegates, to make calls to various lists of
targeted, active citizen-leaders.

·      
INC needs to become more physically
accessible – this recommendation entails moving
the INC Monthly Meeting to a different location, around Durham, each
month.  Prior to the meeting, the
Membership Task Force will engage in heavy GOTN
(Get out the neighbors) efforts. 
The activity involved will be:

o  
Phonebanking the neighborhood which
surrounds the upcoming meeting locale

o  
Leafing the area with INC pamphlets /
brochures / door knockers / etc. as well as with an announcement sheet of the
upcoming meeting, in THEIR neighborhood.

·      
Creation of an INC Newsletter, which will be passed out to the responsive barber
shops, churches and a few targeting Durham restaurants and businesses.

·      
Brochure creation, which targets (1) African
American and (2) Hispanic populations (currently grossly underrepresented in
INC).

·      
Brochure which targets all upscale communities
in Durham (this will also enhance our fundraising efforts and membership dues,
which will have to be increased at some point)

I strongly feel that if implemented, the
InterNeighborhood Council of Durham should be able to easily enhance membership
by 5 Neighborhoods per month, after a 4-month infrastructural development
period.

LET’S GET TO WORK, TOGETHER.

Yours in Service, 

Darius

_______________________________________________
Durham INC Mailing List
list at durham-inc.org
http://www.durham-inc.org/list.html 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://rtpnet.org/pipermail/inc-list/attachments/20120722/749501a8/attachment.html>