Oread Neighborhood Association
Thursday, February 26, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
Plymouth Congregational Church – Heritage Room
Minutes

Approved as Submitted:  April 23, 2009

Board Members Attending:  Candy Davis, James Dunn, Marci Francisco, Ellie LeCompte, Beth Reiber, Jerry Stubbs, Kyle Thompson, and Carol von Tersch

Absent Board Members:  Ann Blackhurst, Rene Diaz, Charity Grace, Christy Kennedy

Guest:  Jim Cooley, Nancy Dunn, Linda Haskins, Jane Liebert, Laura Lutz, and Bob Sanner

Westar Energy Presentation

Laura Lutz, Westar Energy Efficiency Account Manager, spoke with neighbors about steps that they can take to make their homes more energy efficient.  

No cost and low cost energy saving tips…
•	Install a programmable thermostat.  If properly adjusted, this will pay for itself.  
•	Reduce daytime thermostat in the winter, maintaining 68° to 70° temperature.
•	Reduce nighttime winter thermostat setting 5° to 8° or more.
•	Increase daytime thermostat in the summer, maintaining a 78° to 80° temperature.  
•	Inspect, clean or change furnace filters once a month.
•	Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL).  CFLs used two-thirds less energy and last up to ten times longer.
•	Install switch plate and outlet gaskets to reduce air infiltration.
•	Add insulation to your attic if it has less than 6 inches of cellulose or 7 inches of fiberglass insulation.
•	Add storm windows or doors to your home if not already equipped.

Things you should know…

Phantom or Stand By Power
Many appliances use power 24 hours a day; VCRs, televisions, air conditioners, etc.  This power use is referred to as phantom power or stand by power.  Stand by power consumes 5 percent of all residential energy use in the United States.  Using a Smart Strip can eliminate the use of stand by power by monitoring computers and other devices and turning them off when they’re not in use.  Smart strips sell for about $35 and can pay for themselves in as little as six weeks.

CFL Disposal
Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury within the glass tubes.  Mercury is what allows the bulb to be efficient.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that consumers use local recycling options for disposal of CFLs.  CFLs can be recycled at the following Lawrence locations:
•	City of Lawrence – Douglas County Hazardous and Household Waste Collection Site (for residents of Douglas County only):  Located at 711 East 23rd Street.  Drop offs are by appointment only.  Please call 832-3030 at least 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment.
•	Home Depot:  749-2074; 1910 West 31st Street

Lawrence Service Center
Westar is working with the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce to schedule an open house / ribbon cutting event for a new facility that will house the Lawrence Service Center.  The new building will include “green” components that may be of interest to neighbors.  If the timing is right, this event will be announced in the spring newsletter.

Tour of Lawrence Presentation

Bob Sanner, Lawrence Convention & Visitors Bureau, spoke with neighbors about a cycling event that is being proposed for July 3rd thru 5th.  This is historically a slow period for hotels and restaurants and the goal is to put “heads in beds” and generate revenue for the community.  The campus race, to be held on Sunday, July 5th, will include the University’s main campus and surrounding neighborhoods; including portions of the Oread, West Hills and University Place neighborhoods.  The Lawrence City Commission will be considering approval of the proposed event at their March 31st meeting.  

Neighborhood Inquiries / Comments Included:
•	Will there be water stations along the route?  
o	Response:  “Feed Zones” will be set up either on campus or near the Edgehill Road area.  These will be designated areas where cyclists can hydrate themselves.  It is not know at this time where these will be located.  
•	Will streets be closed on Sunday during the event?  
o	Response:  Streets will be closed during the times when cyclists are in the circuit.  There will be several races throughout the day for different categories of cyclists (i.e.:  professional, juniors, etc.).
•	How can the neighborhood support this effort?  
o	Response:  The Convention & Visitors Bureau is hoping for a letter of support from the Oread Neighborhood.  When a formal request is made to the city, it will be important to share with the City Commission what the neighborhoods are thinking.  A formal request needs to be ready by Thursday, March 5th.
•	There is mention about the race around the campus because it offers a architectural and cultural background.  It would be beneficial if the presentation made to the City Commission could advocate the importance of the historic neighborhoods that enhance the desirability of drawing visitors to our area.  Appreciation for the core neighborhoods is important to sustaining the unique, historic areas in our community.
o	Response:  The Sunday event will be the feature event of the weekend.  They’ll do their best to carry the message from the neighborhood forward.
•	Does this have anything to do with the Sunflower cycling race?
o	Response:  It’s been two years since the Sunflower Bike Shop has had the Sunflower race.  They are sponsors of this race.
•	Will this race compete with other, similar events?
o	Response:  No it won’t.
•	Is it known at this time how many participants there will be?
o	Response:  The current estimate is right at 800.

MOTION:	Write a letter of support for the Tour of Lawrence cycling event.  Beth Reiber, ONA Secretary, will write the letter and this will be provided to Mr. Sanner on or before Wednesday, March 4th.  Appreciate for selection of historic neighborhoods will be highlighted.

VOTE:	Approved Unanimously

Coordinator’s Report

Review January 2009 Neighborhood Meeting Minutes
The January 2009 meeting minutes were approved as submitted.  If recommendations for change are identified following the meeting, those can be forwarded to Jodi.

Environmental Blight:  Oread properties reported to the city.
•	920 Missouri:  Furniture stacked on porch.  The City has sent a letter and a re-inspection is scheduled for Friday, March 13th.

•	1218 Tennessee:  Excessive trash and vermin coming from a trailer stored on the property.  The City has noted that the property owner has done some straightening and has surrounded the old RV with some kind of bamboo or something.  The next step will be to meet with the owner on the site.  Dan Johnson expects to do that sometime next week.

•	1632/34 Tennessee:  Excessive trash, cars are being parked on the front lawn, and trash cans stay at the curb for extended periods of time.  Re-inspection scheduled for Monday, March 9th.  

•	1232 Louisiana:  When inquiries about this property have been sent to the city in December, January, and February, they report that there has been no progress and that the property owner may take this back to the City Commission to request a waiver from the documentation requirement.  
o	02/26/09:  An e-mail was sent to Lynne Zollner, copied to Scott McCullough and Brian Jimenez, to inquire about Resolution No. 6791; approved by the City Commission on August 12, 2008.  Demolition was approved because it was determined that the structure was unsafe, dangerous and a detriment to the neighborhood.  The resolution also states that if documentation of the structure was not submitted to the city within 30 days from adoption of the resolution, the city may produce the documentation with any cost assessed to the property.  A response is pending from the city.

1208 W. 10th needs to be added to the list of properties reported to the city.  Residents are parking on the front lawn at this address.

Discussion Items

Expansion of Rental Licensing and Inspection Program
This was discussed by the City Commission at the February 17th meeting.  The city is in the process of drafting another proposal to be considered by the city commission.  The feeling is that the city will ultimately do something.  Perhaps all landlords should pay some kind of fee because they are using city services.  This would be a fee for doing business.  There is a safety issue with aging structures and something needs to be done.  The potential for fire is a prominent concern.  Requiring adherence to minimum safety codes would encourage property owners to maintain their properties instead of allowing them to fall into a state of disrepair.

When asked if neighbors were still in support of this effort, only one person indicated that they were opposed.  Not all tenants are concerned about how their rental units are being maintained.

Neighborhood Plan Update – February 25, 2009 Meeting
The following goals have been identified:
•	Land Use:  Maintain a variety of housing types to provide a balance in the diversity of people living in the neighborhood while maintaining viable neighborhood scale commercial areas.  Encourage owner-occupied residences.
•	Preservation:  Preserve and improve the character of the neighborhood by encouraging the preservation of existing historic structures and features and by supporting architecturally compatible infill development.
•	Infrastructure:  Promote existing infrastructure improvements and maintenance on a regular basis, and upgrade infrastructure when redevelopment occurs (i.e.:  repair brick streets/sidewalks, stormwater damage, tree root damage to sidewalks and foundations, alley maintenance)
•	Neighborhood Atmosphere:  Promote a healthy and safe living, working, studying, and celebrating environment with a sense of community.

According to the timeline, it is anticipated that the preliminary draft will be completed on or before March 19th.  This will be followed by an internal review which will be finished by the end of March.  The internal review process will ensure that whatever is included in the plan is not in conflict with other city policies.  The first draft will be completed and presented to the public in late April.  This will be considered by the Planning Commission on Wednesday, May 20th.  

Overlay districts may be implemented in the neighborhood at the time the revised neighborhood plan is implemented.  Spot zoning was another consideration that was discussed.  This is when a small area of land or section in an existing neighborhood is singled out and placed in a different zone from that of neighboring property.  

Limits need to be set on how long a property can remain appraised by the county in a poor condition; thereby resulting in lower property taxes.  

Oread Inn Progress
At the January 27th meeting held with neighborhood and University representatives, it was established that the existing street closures will be retained until the end of this year.  

Changes to the Inn’s Final Development Plan will be considered by the City Commission at their March 3rd Meeting.  These include:
•	More guest rooms (99 approved; 109 proposed) 
•	Fewer condominiums (10 approved (1, 2 and 3 bedroom)); 8 1-bedroom units proposed)
•	Retail space along Indiana Street increased 
•	Restaurant, banquet, bar space increased; spa, exercise and theatre space decreased 
•	Off-street parking decreased from 200 to 187 spaces (still meets minimum required) 
•	Nine feet added to the height of the structure 
•	Add temporary enclosures to the 5th floor, lower / upper observation decks (to be used seasonally) 
•	Four poles added to the north elevation of the structure for communication equip (flag poles occur on multiple leves of the project)

Historic Survey – District 1 – Area North of the Stadium
The city has received notice that a grant has been awarded for the survey of the area north of the stadium.  The following consent agenda item will be considered by the City Commission on March 3rd:  
•	Accept Historic Preservation Fund Grants for a Historic Preservation Planning Intern in the amount of $14,000 and the North of Stadium Historic Resources Survey in the amount of $18,000 and authorize the City Manager to enter into grant agreements with the Kansas State Historical Society for these projects.  

The City will need to come up with “In-Kind/Cash Match” funding for the Intern ($9,600) and the Survey ($11,998).  Because this is such an important project for the neighborhood, it was recommended that ONA contribute to the funding needed for this project.  This will alleviate some of the financial burden being placed on the city and also serve as a “thank you.”  Funding generated from the Oread Homes Tour will be used for this purpose.

MOTION:	ONA will donate $300 to the city to offset some of the “In-Kind/Cash Match” expense needed for the grant award.

VOTE:	Approved Unanimously

Board Member Elections
Elections were held and the following is a roster of the ONA board members:

Title / District	Name	
President	Kyle Thompson (District 3)	
Vice President	Candy Davis (District 2)	
Secretary	Beth Reiber (District 4)	
Treasurer	James Dunn (District 2)	
District 1	Linda Haskins	
District 2	Rene Diaz	
District 3	Ellie Lecompte	
District 4	Carol von Tersch	
District 5	Marci Francisco	
District 6	Christy Kennedy	
At Large Members	Charity Grace (District 4) and Jerry Stubbs (District 2)	

Miscellaneous Reports

Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods
There was not a LAN meeting in February.

Community Development Advisory Committee (formerly NRAC)
The committee reviewed a report that documented which neighborhood associations have been submitted their progress reports.  The Oread neighborhood was the only one that has responded to all of the requirements and was the only neighborhood that had submitted a progress report for the second quarter. The CDAC voted to fund neighborhoods for the 2009-2010 budget year.  

The Oread water meter / hand pump capital improvement project is still slated for funding.  There was some concern about how many neighbors this would help.  The garden is available to the entire community and excess produce goes to food pantries as well.  The garden just happens to be located in Oread; it’s not just for Oread neighborhood use.  

Stimulus funding may become available for CDBG projects.  There will probably be another round of applications accepted.  We need to be thinking about ‘shovel ready’ projects that could benefit from this funding; this could be something that would benefit the neighborhood or the city as a whole.  

CDBG funds became available from the federal government in the 1970s when entire blocks of blighted areas were being torn down and replaced with urban re-development.  This would displace people and wreck neighborhoods.  High rises were often built to replace the blighted neighborhood that had been torn down.  Community Development Block Grant funding was made available to facility neighbor involvement in the proposals to re-build or preserve existing neighborhoods.  The funding provided a means for addressing the needs of blighted neighborhoods.  The money is to be spent to help stabilize neighborhoods and assist low- and moderate-income families.  Capital improvement projects are an important target of CDBG funding.  Community-wide projects would be good to focus on.  

FYI and Reminders

Financials:  Due to the length of the agenda, ONA account information and BY2008 membership income will be available for review at the March neighborhood meeting.

Blight Survey:  Neighbors will revisit the blight survey initiative at the March 2009 meeting.  Properties identified with poor or very poor structural condition ratings will be discussed.  Property owners will be identified and appraiser’s office property condition information will be included in the report that will be reviewed in March.  

1043 Indiana (KU Property):  There has been no decision about the public sale of this property.  The University has narrowed their options so this should be finalized soon.  

Demolition Permit Applications:  None received since the January meeting.

City Agendas:
•	Board of Zoning Appeals, February 5th Agenda:  There were no Oread properties listed on the February BZA agenda.  
•	Historic Resources Commission, February 19th Agenda:  There were no inquiries submitted for the remodel/addition being considered for 903 Alabama.

1232 Louisiana:  Demolition approved by the City Commission on August 12, 2008.  The city did not have anything new to report concerning the demolition of the blighted structure when the neighborhood inquired about this on February 22nd.  Demolition was approved with conditions that included: 
(1)	Neighborhood Plan:  This will need to be updated prior to building a replacement structure.
(2)	Parking:  Following demolition, the property cannot be used as a parking lot.

Over-Occupancy Violations (RM District – Code Amendment):  Currently on hold because the city is considering expanding the rental registration program to include structures that are 50+ years old.

Graffiti Removal:  Check out http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief38.htm