Seward Neighborhood Group, 4/23 meeting
SNG Treasurer Diann Anders said she hopes to be able to e-mail the April financial statements out before the May meeting.
A motion was brought before the board to amend the bylaws to state that all purchases made by the organization in excess of $1,000 must be recorded in a fixed asset log. The motion passed unanimously.
Board approval was sought for two contracts with community organizers. Board President Sheldon Mains said Bernie Waibel will be working on two assignments: the graffiti prevention project and the Franklin Avenue Planning project. The board approved paying Waibel a combined $8,750 for both tasks. Erik Riese has volunteered to reorganize the Seward Community Arts Network (SCAN) committee and raise money for the Seward Arts Festival. Mains said per Riese’s contract, he will not get paid until he raises money. Specifically, Riese will be paid $400 for the first $2,000 he raises, and $50 (or 5 percent) for every additional $1,000 after that. Also in Riese’s contract, a clause that states Riese will be considered for the Seward Arts Festival coordinator position, should enough interest and money be raised that the fair actually takes place this year.
Southeast Publications Presentation:
Southeast Publications board member Katie Fournier said the board is looking for representation from the Seward neighborhood. She asked those present to consider joining. Fournier also asked for people’s input and ideas on how the neighborhood might better be covered, and if they might have ideas for new advertising opportunities.
Anders said because of SNG’s recent financial crisis a lot of the board’s efforts are currently focused on communicating with the neighborhood, so she shouldn’t be offended if no one has time at the moment to serve on the Southeast Publication board. The Bridge helps with some coverage of the neighborhood, Anders said, but right now the neighborhood group needs to do even more to keep neighbors informed.
Fournier asked SNG to consider linking the organization’s website to The Bridge website. (The Bridge website currently links to SNG’s webpage.)
News from City Hall:
Ward 2 Council Member Cam Gordon said the $50,000 Franklin Avenue Planning grant originally awarded jointly to SNG and Seward Redesign has been reduced so that three more proposals “could get something besides $0.” Mains expressed disappointment, saying, “$50,000 would have been better.”
On a separate subject, the Midtown Eco Energy facility failed to meet the terms of their purchase agreement with the city, Gordon said. “So basically the plan is in serious jeopardy,” he told those present. Although the city has given the project 60 days of “leeway,” Gordon said he still doesn’t think those behind the project will be able to get what they need to proceed with the purchase agreement. The whole thing is “a lot closer to being over… which is what we eventually want to hear,” he said.
Gordon also mentioned that former Second Ward intern Annie Welch is again returning to work for his office this summer.
Committee Reports:
Environment committee: Board member Hal Johnson said SNG was asked to sponsor the Philips Community Environmental Justice Forum and Feast (also sponsored by state representative Karen Clark.) Sponsorship would only require promotion (no financial commitment) and would not use any staff time. A motion to become a sponsor was brought before the board and passed.
Johnson brought a motion before the board (passed earlier by the environment committee) stating that the SNG environment committee wanted to become an affiliate of Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERT). Anders moved to table the issue until next month’s meeting so that more information could be gathered before a decision was made. Also, she said if there was a partnership formed with CERT, SNG would need to become the affiliate, not an SNG committee.
Crime and safety: Last month’s meeting was cut short to accommodate a community meeting about a level three sex offender moving into the neighborhood. According to a representative from the Minneapolis Police Department, the individual will be living in the neighborhood until the end of June, crime and safety chair Ross Gabrick said.
The guest speaker from the April crime and safety meeting agreed to reschedule and appear at next month’s meeting (May 11.) The subject of the May meeting will be child protection.
Development committee: The development committee did not meet.
Archive/ History committee: Committee chair Dick Westby said the archive/ history committee met, but did not have a report.
Franklin Avenue Planning:
Over 100 people participated in the Franklin Avenue Planning Walks, one-third of them Seward Towers residents. Mains, who attended the walks, said it wasn’t hard to get people talking. “I had trouble writing down all the comments they had,” he said, about there being so many remarks and suggestions.
Mains said recommendations varied from big ideas — like repaving Franklin Avenue — to much smaller ones — like getting certain business owners to refinish the wood outside their buildings.
The playground by Seward Towers West was brought up several times for having a poor access point. Mains said residents suggested a crosswalk be installed at a specific park entrance to prevent kids from darting into the street. Mains said he recalled there being a crosswalk at that spot at one time. Others said they thought one had been there, too. Council member Gordon confirmed there had been a crosswalk, but that it had been removed because it crossed four curved lanes of traffic, making it too dangerous for pedestrians. SNG board member Charlie Hoffman suggested closing the gap in the fence to prevent kids from crossing at that point, if a crosswalk could not be re-installed safely.
Garage sale:
Sign-up sheets were available for the May 16 and 17 sale. Anders said participant sign-up is “going swimmingly.”
Peace Garden:
To date, SNG has received $2,070 in donations for the Seward Youth Peace Garden, Anders said. Additionally, $2,100 has already been pledged by area businesses, individual donors and the Seward Civic and Commerce Association. Anders and Mains commended the effort thus far, but said it would be helpful to raise even more for the project.
Gabrick added that $1,600 from the graffiti prevention grant can be applied to next year’s Peace Garden program.
May Board Meeting at Matthews:
SNG will host a special board meeting next month celebrating six months of keeping “our collective heads above water” after discovering the organization’s financial crisis, Mains said.
Mains suggested holding future meetings at Matthews Park. Matthews might be easier for community members to find than the Advantage Center, Mains said. Several people said they liked the consistency of Seward Towers East and the fact that the space was air conditioned. Hoffman said the issue could be discussed after the May meeting.
Tracking volunteer hours:
Mains called on board members to begin tracking the amount of time they contribute to SNG each month. Board members will need to report their time contributions quarterly; executive committee members will have to report their time contributions monthly, he said.
2006 Financial Audit:
Mike Wilson, the CPA who conducted SNG’s 2006 audit, said “not a lot has changed” since he first reviewed the draft audit with the board in February. Wilson said one lesson that can be taken from SNG’s recent financial crisis is that it’s risky having any one person in-charge of all phases of a transaction.
The idea of having someone with a background in accounting on the finance committee is an excellent idea, Wilson said. “I would not underestimate the value of having someone like Robin [Westcott, CPA] with you right now,” he said. Looking back, Wilson said it’s important to “ask how things were done and how they got past the board,” so that similar mistakes are not repeated in the future.
The idea of training board members about reading and interpreting financial statements was mentioned. NRP director Bob Miller said when NRP started it offered numerous board member training sessions for boards and neighborhood organization directors. Over time, Miller said participation dropped significantly, which is why the trainings aren’t offered very frequently.
Wilson said one of SNG’s biggest problems is its use of — and reliance on — unrestricted funds. “It’s a hole that you need to work through,” he said, adding that expenditures should be broken down more thoroughly. Better accounting through the use of time sheets, for example, would help to more accurately calculate administrative costs versus program costs, he said.
Wilson acknowledged that while there were some cases where it appeared two different sets of financial records existed, the format of SNG’s financial statements was also to blame for the board’s unawarness of the financial situation. If the statements had been presented in a better format, the board might have seen certain problems a lot earlier, he said.
Miller pointed out that SNG did have a treasurer during the peak of the crisis, who should have been a link between the board and the executive director. “That is part of your responsibility,” he said to the board, about making sure that the treasurer they select is an effective go-between.
After the final version of the 2006 audit was approved by a vote of the board, Miller said the organization should consider acknowledging several individuals who worked tirelessly to keep SNG afloat after the financial crisis. Miller acknowledged board member and former interim treasurer Kevin Brown and former board president Jean Johnstad. “Without her, you wouldn’t be in business today,” Miller said, apeaking specifically about Johnstad. Mains, Hoffman and Gabrick proposed honoring the two at the May board meeting.
The next SNG board meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 28, 7–9 p.m. at Matthews Park Community Center, 24th St. E and 28th Ave. S. Food will be served. (NOTE: This is a change from the regular venue.)
Contact:
Seward Neighborhood Group
2323 Franklin Ave. E
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Phone: 612-338-6205
www.sng.org
last revised: May 1, 2008