6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Maplewood Elementary School

Meeting: First meeting of the Cherrywood Neighborhood Planning Team

*Attendees:
Michael McLendon
Stephen Kreger
Priscilla Boston
Melvin Walenta
Jim Walker
Dan Mosley
Dixie Peterson
Caroline Beyer
Bree Buchanan
Dorthy Johnson
René Le Blanc
Lyn Estabrook
Gordon Bennett
Jules Vieau
Dave Westenbarger
Bo McCarver
Sharon Hernandez
Paul Smolen
Girrard Kinney

*(based on sign-in sheets and a circulating Neighborhood Planning Team list)

City Staff:  Gina Copic, Ricardo Soliz, and Mark Walters from PECSD/ Neighborhood Planning.

Meeting formally began at 6:45.

Gina Copic handed out agendas and Neighborhood Planning Team (NPT) lists to those in attendance.

Ricardo Soliz presented a power point presentation that covered
· The responsibilities and qualities of the NPT member and chairperson
· Identifying gaps in NPT representation
· A set of sample meeting ground rules
· Consensus building and using consensus as a decision-making process.

During and following this presentation, Gina Copic discussed the decision record and the NPT mailing list.

The people in attendance also recommended several additions and clarifications to the ground rules:
· Absent team members are responsible for getting caught up on the meetings they miss.

· NPT chair should use tact and good judgement when presenting their opinion on a subject.  In need be, they should temporarily grant control of a meeting to a co- or vice-chair when discussing an issue about which they have strong opinions.

· NPT Chair should become a meeting facilitator.

Decision:  The NPT added several elements to the NPT’s ground rules.

Discussion moved to outreach and how to divide the neighborhood planning area (NPA) into manageable sections for distribution of information and other outreach and planning tasks . This included discussion on including the University of Texas (UT) property located to the southwest of the NPA as part of the planning area.  By including the UT property, the NPT thought it could be a way to involve representation/involvement in the planning process.  Bo McCarver stated that the Blacklands neighborhood (located in the very southern part of the Cherrywood NPA) had been in dialogue with the University on issues concerning his neighborhood and he felt that it would be possible to include the University.

Decision:  The NPT decided to include the University of Texas properties located to the southwest of the NPA as part of the planning area.

The next point of discussion concerning outreach involved including more businesses in the planning process.  A preliminary outreach strategy was developed.  This included developing a thorough listing the businesses in the NPA:
· Fiesta
· Academy
· Hoover’s
· Eastside Café
· Pato’s
· Homesteam Cleaners
· Caps Rent-a-Car
· Airport Florist
· Royal Touch Cleaners
· Monarch
· Gabby and Mo’s
· United Way
· U-Haul
· Kestral
· Businesses other than Fiesta located in the Delwood Shopping Center
· Businesses along the I-35 Frontage Road
? Bob Robert’s Photography
? Day’s Inn
? Star Seeds Inn
? The wilderness/outdoor supply store

The business districts in the NPA were identified and noted on a map of the NPA.

Decision:  Michael McClendon volunteered to deliver invitations to all of the businesses in the NPA to ask them to get involved in the planning process.

Discussion switched to the importance of involving non-resident property owners in the planning process.

A suggestion was made and noted that the meeting notice flyers emphasize that the neighborhood planning process is an open one that is open to all the stakeholders in the neighborhood.

The next order of business was a broader discussion of dividing the NPA in order to facilitate outreach efforts.

Decision:  The decision was made to base these divisions upon the existing neighborhood association newsletter distribution networks.

At the kick-off meeting, concern was expressed that the name “Cherrywood” would discourage some people living in the NPA from joining the process.  To remedy this possibility, a suggestion was made to change the name of the planning area.  Several suggestions were made.

These names were suggested but were later dropped from consideration:
East Woods
78722
Maplewood

The following are the ones that made the “final cut”:
Wood Lands
North By Northeast
Upper Boggy Creek
Delwood
Manor-Airport
B.C.W.D

Decision:  At the next NPT meeting, the group will work on several other names and then possibly make a final decision.

The final order of business was to decide upon a meeting time and place.

Decision:  It was decided that  future meetings will occur every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, at 6:30p at the Maplewood Elementary School.  The next meeting is scheduled for October 24th.