[Durham INC] Improved draft July minutes

[Pat Carstensen]

Any further changes, please let me know.  Thanks, pat















July Delegate Meeting
of the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham

NIS Conference
Room, Golden Belt

July 24, 2014

 

Attending the meeting were:

Neighborhoods

Cross Counties – Pat Carstensen

Duke Park – Bill Anderson

Golden Belt – DeDreana Freeman

Morehead Hill – Paul Cornsweet

Northgate Park – Debra Hawkins, Mike Shiflett

Old North Durham – John Martin, Pete Katz

Old West Durham – Ginger Blubaugh, Vicky Welch

Stage Stop – Dolly Fehrenbacher

Trinity Park – Philip Azar

Tuscaloosa-Lakewood – Susan Sewell 

Watts Hospital Hillandale – Tom Miller

Woodlake – Katrina Portwood

 

Visitors 

Lynwood D. Best – City of Durham, NIS

Will Wilson – DOST

Jack Warman – Bike Durham

Adam ?? – Bike Durham

 

Vice President Philip Azar called the meeting to order;
those present introduced themselves.

 

Jack Warman gave a presentation on Bike Durham, which is a coalition of individuals and organizations
working for bicycle-friendly change in Durham. They collaborate with the DBPAC
but are different especially in their focus on advocacy.  They are doing education, such as a
winter biking seminar.  They are
supporting Durham’s application for a TIGER grant on traffic corridors and are
planning a major bike ride for August 23. 
Check out their website at www.bikedurham.org.


 

There has been a lot of discussion on list-serves about neckdowns on Club Boulevard.  Club Boulevard is unusually wide
because it used to have a trolley down its middle, and neckdowns narrow the
lanes to 10-12 feet, which slows traffic. The structures around Oval Park,
built in 2007/2008, have been very effective at slowing traffic (by about 8
mph), but they are extremely dangerous for cyclists.  With Hillandale becoming a complete street, Club Boulevard
will become even more important for cycling.  It looks like solutions might be emerging, and the relevant
INC committees will continue to monitor the issue.

 

A quorum having been achieved, Bill Anderson moved, and Debra Hawkins seconded, the
adoption of the June minutes.  The treasurer reported that all but one
of the neighborhoods present had paid their dues and that currently we have 20
paid neighborhoods.

 

Committee
Reports                                                                                                

·     
Membership and Outreach – We now have a facebook
presence; please “like” it. www.facebook.com/InterNeighborhoodCouncilDurham 

·      Nuisance Abatement –  Nothing new. 

·     
Speeding and Traffic – We’re waiting on Chief
Lopez’s presentation of their strategic plan, which we expect will include many
of our recommendations.

·     
Transit, Sidewalks, and Bicycles – Tour de Fat
was fun.

·     
Public Spaces and Environmental Issues – No
report, wrap-up soon.  

·     
Signs – It wasn’t clear which committee this
might go under, but with the controversy over the signs about the sheriff and
proposals to change the UDO’s section on signs (which is already hard to figure
out), the neighborhood interest is to not breaking the law when we advertise
neighborhood and non-profit events.

·     
Zoning and Development – The committee met with
planning staff on communications towers and there are still some issues (if height
of the tower is limited by the building height allowed in the underlying
zoning, what about commercial properties adjoining residential ones, for
example).  On the other hand, if we
don’t get something soon, this generation of towers will be built under the old
rules. 

 

9)   Old Business 

·     
Protest
Petition
legislative update – Protest petitions are a Republican idea and go back to
1923; they are meant to protect a citizen’s long-term real estate investment
and property rights.  SB 734, the
attempt to deny a citizen’s right to a protest petition, is still in the Senate
Ways and Means Committee.  If it
comes out, it will probably pass due to the number of other provisions that the
majority likes in the bill and the level of party discipline.  Tom Miller asked for help in
streamlining his e-mail alert process; Katrina
Portwood and
Adam ?? volunteered.            

·     
Mayor’s Task
Force on Poverty – A concern is that we don’t just build over existing
housing.   

 

New Business 


 Formation
     of Nominating Committee for New
     Officers – We will be electing new officers in September.  Philip Azar moved and Tom Miller
     seconded that we appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of Philip Azar,
     Tom Miller, DeDreana Freeman, John Martin, and Mike Shiflett.
 Planning
     for Neighborhood Hero Awards
     has begun, and details will be out soon.


·     
Resolutions on
Safe Disposal of Used Motor Oil and on Storm Water Management – There are
provided as Appendix A and B, respectively.  Tom Miller moved both resolutions and Pat Carstensen
seconded to get the resolution out on the list-serve for discussion.  Bill Anderson will talk to Scott Carter
about invitations to agencies mentioned in the resolutions to come to discuss
them at future meetings. 

·     
On Duke
Energy Tree Trimming, there is a map of the “targets.”  The city has a “treaty” with the
utility, so talk to the manager about any issues.  With the age-curve of trees in Durham, do we need to be
lobbying for more money for planting trees?

 

Neighborhood Reports and Announcements                                                            

·     
August 5th is National Night
Out.  There was some “best event”
boasting among neighborhoods (cake and ice cream in Old West Durham, German
festival at Tom Miller’s).  It’s
too late to get registered, but not too late to get organized.

·     
Deb Hawkins invited folks to the food truck rodeo
at Northgate Park.  https://www.facebook.com/events/745682428823450/    

·     
The Durham Soil and Water Conservation District
and the Sierra Club will be having a lawn clinic in September.

·     
Burch Avenue and other neighborhoods are hoping
to do something similar to a brochure on city services that Gainesville (FL)
did. This would be part of campaign to educate neighbors near party houses
about interventions available.  

 

The
meeting adjourned.

 




Appendix A:
Resolution on Safe Disposal of
Used Motor Oil

 

Because every
quart of used motor oil has the ability to contaminate one million gallons of
drinking water, we no longer spray it on dirt roads to keep the dust down.

 

And because
proper disposal of large quantities of used motor oil can be difficult and
expensive, and can tempt the owner to dispose of 55 gallon drums improperly.

 

And because the
environmental damage can be so profound from such large quantities, additional
safe guards would be a wise practice.

 

And because our
Storm Water Department has the authority to ensure proper storage, but that
only includes not storing large quantities outside.

 

Therefore when
Storm Water becomes aware of large amounts of used motor oil in the possession of
Durham residents, their authority should extend to ensuring the safe disposal.

 

 

 

 

 




Appendix B: Resolution on Storm Water Management

 

Whereas:



1) Durham City and County are in the same watershed(s), such that stormwater
management and funding should be a joint city-county effort;



2) The most effective, long-term and cost-effective stormwater management is
one that has a holistic, rather than a piece-meal, approach;



3) At a work session last November, County Commissioner Ellen Reckhow
questioned collaborative efforts between the city and county to minimize
duplication and costs related to stormwater management, and Assistant County
Manager Cummings said they would “consider revisiting” this issue;



4) The Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has, for years, installed
BMPs (“best management practices” like cisterns, rain-gardens and stream-bank
restorations) without any funding from the city until this year (and only
$10,000 funding from the city for 2013-14), and this free ride cannot continue without
the county raising taxes to fund the SWCD's services, thereby double taxing
city-water residents whose significant stormwater fees are already increasing
over the next five years;



5) The city’s Stormwater Services Department, with whom SWCD’s responsibilities
overlap, has declined when SWCD has offered expertise, collaboration and
services; and, despite SWCD requests for partnerships, the stormwater
department has actually competed with SWCD for state, federal and other grants.



Therefore, 



The InterNeighborhood Council of Durham hereby requests that the city and
county of Durham establish a Watersheds Improvement Committee similar to the
Joint City-County Planning Committee. The mission of this committee, which
would consist of city and county stakeholders (elected officials, reps from
SWCD, the stormwater department, County Engineering, etc.), would be to
eliminate redundancies and develop long-term, holistic approaches to
storm-water management and watershed improvements throughout the city and county.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 		 	   		  
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