[Durham INC] Nov/Dec draft minutes

[Pat Carstensen]

Please let me know about changes or additions.  Thanks, pat



November/December Delegate Meeting of the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham

Via Zoom

December 9, 2020



Attending the meeting were:

Neighborhoods

Cross Counties – Pat Carstensen

Falconbridge – Richard Ford

Forest Hills – Sarah Morris

Long Meadow – Pakis Bessias

Morehead Hill – Rochelle Araujo

Northgate Park – Keith Cochran

Old West Durham – David Eklund

Trappers Creek / Greymoss – Will Wilson

Trinity Park – Mimi Kessler

Tuscaloosa-Lakewood – Susan Sewell

Watts Hospital Hillandale – Tom Miller


Visitors

Lynwood Best – Neighborhood Improvement Services (NIS), City of Durham

Constance Stancil – NIS

Faith Gardner – NIS

Eli Meyerhoff – North Durham Mutual Aid

Lucia Constantine – Old North Durham Mutual Aid



President Will Wilson called the meeting to order, and those present introduced themselves.  There were no adjustments to the agenda. Tom moved and Sarah seconded to approve the September and October minutes; this passed.


The Equitable Community Engagement Blueprint is at

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/durhamnis/pages/592/attachments/original/1543332399/Draft_Equitable_Engagement_Blueprint_%2818%29_11.06.pdf?1543332399

Neighborhood Improvement Services (NIS) has been working on the Equitable Engagement Blueprint since 2018.  NIS will be taking the most recent version to Council, which has “accepted” it but now needs to “adopt” it as a mandate to all departments; NIS wants to consult the community first, conducting conversations with different populations in Durham.  The first equitable engagement plan was done to make more equitable engagement about the Durham Beltline, but once the process was developed, it was seen there was an opportunity to make it into a blueprint to use in other cases in which the city wants community comment and engagement.  The effort involves building more openness within (17 other departments) and outside (finding out where and why people haven’t been involved in the past) the government. NIS used the blueprint in a number of projects in engaging the community, such as asking what to do with the Driver Street property.  They are now doing some training of community partners to have them work as partners in community engagement. In doing research, they learned about building trust -- that it is important to be honest about what “parameters” the public can really affect and that engagement has to be an on-going process, not just started when a project comes up.  Other keys are to remove barriers (for example, provide child care) and to collect / analyze data.  Ultimately engagement is the willingness to share power, instead of listening and nodding and then do what you were going to do anyhow; this is a culture change that will be a challenge.  When asked for feedback from city departments, neighborhoods need to ask whether that department is using the Engagement Guidelines and if not, why not; also we should be asking whether a consultant who doesn’t have the a rich set of connections across the city is really necessary.  We want to encourage not only the city talking to the community, but also the community discussing among themselve.  The LED lights and trees controversies show the value to talking to the community first.


Sarah Morris, Eli Meyerhoff and Lucia Constantine shared information about Durham Mutual Aid.  Durham Mutual Aid is about how neighbors can support neighbors, with solidarity not charity.  The types of help can include food distribution, financial help, and emotional support.  In disaster relief, often the first responders are neighbors, before government helps.  There were at one point 12 active mutual aid groups in Durham; but with mergers and other changes, there are now 5-6 active.  Old North Durham / Duke Park Mutual Aid did flyers and a survey, and learned less about needs and more about offers to help.  They then did door-to-door outreach handing out free masks.  They got over $3000 in Food Lion gift cards for families at Durham Nativity School, gave 52 households $300 in rent relief, and “re-distributed” stimulus check money to 4 families.   They also did some non-financial things.  North Durham Mutual Aid (Northgate Park and Colonial VIllage) has reached outside the formal boundaries of their neighborhoods, such as to the big apartment building west of the neighborhood.  They are delivering groceries to 10-12 families bi-weekly, with 20-30 families having gotten food this year; they have also done some help with rent.  They were engaged in North Durham Alternatives to Policing as a way to use mutual aid as an alternative to calling the police.  They are trying to figure out how to be more sustainable, and trying to get the recipients more involved to create a more democratic model.  If you want to get involved, there is great guide from AOC’s office, donate to Bull City Mutual Aid cash fund, and check out the website durhammutualaid.org.  Generally the Mutual Aid groups are simply clearing-houses between those with need and those wanting to help.  Long Meadow has had a non-financial mutual aid group for a long time.


OLD BUSINESS


Development Project updates -- A neighborhood meeting was scheduled to look at changing the zoning for a single property from the suburban to the urban tier; we don’t know enough to decide what we think about it.   The City has decided to do a small area plan in the Olive Branch Road area; the Planning Commission has been turning down proposals in area because the proposals have been so pitiful, not looking forward to what suburban development could be with better standards, but isn’t against development in the area.  The Planning Commission is asserting itself in a way it has never done before; the Policy Committee is coming up with its own ideas about how the rules can be better (initially, block lengths in new subdivisions).  There will be an opening on the Planning Commission if you want to apply.


Dues will be due in January.


Susan moved to adjourn.  Tom seconded and we adjourned.



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