GB Notes in lieu of Minutes, Steering Cmte, 21Dec98

- All StCm members present

- Two individual property-owners' requests reminded them CNA needs to develop policy in this area.
    1. 1105 E. 32nd. Oddly zoned 1/2 commercial - 1/2 residential (an artifact of the history of I-35). Owner (Detour Film Studios) wants all commercial or neighborhood-office zoning. City proposes all "Neighborhood Office." Nearby residents divided. Planning Commission makes recommendation to Council 12 Jan '99
    2. 3715 Robinson. Owner wants to build carport closer to street than City Code allows. Board of Adjustment makes recommencation to Council 11 or 25 Jan '99.  StCm decided CNA is not yet ready to take firm positions on questions like this.  On the 32nd St zoning case, a letter will go to the Planning Cmsn stating CNA concerns over non-residential "creep," parking, and precedent. On the Robinson St variance, the StCm is not opposed but a member may attend to speak if CNA is misrepresented before the Board.  A committee will try to come up with a policy to recommend to the Membership in April

- More discussion: how to handle the tension between a StCm acting in a timely way but also acting with Membership approval.

- MOTION: raise Flea ad (business-card-size) to $30. Passed unanimously.  Rebecca kohout has all but 2 ads sold for Jan '99 edition

- Discussion: producing and keeping proper Minutes of StCm actions

- MOTION: approve Bennett Donovan's plan for Flea distribution (basically, each StCm member gets a mapped route and one or more volunteer helpers). Passed unanimously
    1. Discussion: how to include renters in large apartment complexes
    2. Discussion: need to make sure neighborhood businesses get delivery

- Discussion: how to organize StCm work into liaisons, committees, standing committees, etc. Some activities are self-contained (AISD policy, Beautification/Cleanup, Communications, Crime, Hospitality, Nominations). Other
activities are closely intertwined and ultimately depend on development of a neighborhood "vision" (Airport, Planning, Policy, Traffic, Zoning).

- Jan meetings:
    1. StCm will meet Sun, 10 Jan, 3:00p, at Quackenbush's in Hyde Park, to prepare for:
    2. General Membership, Wed, 27 Jan, Maplewood School, 6:30-9:00p (Flea to arrive a few days beforehand)

GB notes in lieu of Minutes, CNA Steering Committee meeting, 23 Nov '98, Asbury Methodist

All newly elected Steering Committee members except Mike Damal, plus four others, attended. 

After introductions, the group decided to catalog important issue in a "bottom up" process to get started. Girard Kinney framed it as a "consensus process."

Steve Kreger hoped the Steering Committee "tail" would not wag the Membership "dog." This led the group to take up for awhile balancing the need to act quickly sometimes without waiting for the next quarterly membership meeting against the need to act only in ways the membership would approve. All agreed the balance would likely swing back and forth, and Girard offered that a continuing debate on this would be healthy.

Buzz brought records he had accumulated during his 2 years as President. The group sorted them into rough piles by subject and later divided responsibility for provisionally looking after each pile=s issue.

Arranging a scheme of committees proved too much for the first meeting, so Steering Committee members volunteered as provisional "Liaisons"

Turning to officer elections, each Steering Committee member one by one told the group which offices they would accept if elected. In a pyrotechnic display of community spirit and energy, several people spoke for each position and rounds of voting were required to break ties. When the dust settled, Jim Walker emerged as Chair, Priscilla Boston as Co-Chair, Lisa Carroll as Secretary, and Rebecca Kohout as Treasurer.

In conclusion, Bennett Donovan voiced a plea for help with Flea distribution. Your response to this plea is needed and would be much appreciated.

GB notes in lieu of Minutes, CNA General Membership Meeting, 10-28-98, 6:30-9:00pm, Maplewood Elementary

(Roberts Rules of Order has this to say about proper Minutes. CNA has never followed the procedure. Probably we should --/gb)

"In keeping the minutes, much depends upon the kind of meeting, and whether the minutes are to be published. In the meetings of ordinary societies and of boards of managers and trustees, there is no object in reporting the debates; the duty of the secretary, in such cases, is mainly to record what is "done" by the assembly, and not what is said by the members. He should enter the essentials of a record, as previously stated, and when a count has been ordered or where the vote is by ballot, he should enter the number of votes on each side; and when the voting is by yeas and nays he should enter a list of the names of those voting on each side. The proceedings of the committee of the whole. or while acting as if in committee of the whole, should not be entered in the minutes, but the report of the committee should be entered. When a question is considered informally, the proceedings should be kept as usual, as the only informality is in the debate. If a report containing resolutions has been agreed to, the resolutions should be entered in full as finally adopted by the assembly, thus: "The committee on ..... submitted a report with a series of resolutions which, after discussion and amendment, were adopted as follows:" then should be entered the resolutions as adopted. Where the proceedings are published, the method shown further on should be followed. If the report is of great importance the assembly should order it "to be entered on the minutes," in which case the secretary copies it in full upon the record.

"Where the regular meetings are held weekly, monthly, or quarterly, the minutes are read at the opening of each day's meeting, and, after correction. should be approved. Where the meetings are held several days in succession with recesses during the day, the minutes are read at the opening of business each day. If the next meeting of the organization will not be held for a long period, as six months or a year. the minutes that have not been read previously should be read and approved before final adjournment. If this is impracticable, then the executive committee. or a special committee, should be authorized to correct and approve them. In this case the record should be signed as usual, and after the signatures the word "Approved," with the date and the signature of the chairman of the committee authorized to approve them. At the next meeting, six months later, they need not be read, unless it is desired for information as it is too late to correct them intelligently. When the reading of the minutes is dispensed with they can afterwards be taken up at any time when nothing is pending. If not taken up previously, they come before the assembly at the next meeting before the reading of the later minutes. With this exception the motion to dispense with reading the minutes is practically identical with the motion to lay the minutes on the table, being undebatable and requiring only a majority vote. The minutes of a secret meeting, as for the trial of a member, should not be read at a meeting that is open to the public, if the record contains any of the details of the trial that should not be made public.

"Minutes to be Published. When the minutes are to be published. in addition to the strict record of what is done, as heretofore described. they should contain a list of the speakers on each side of every question, with an abstract of all addresses, if not the addresses in full, when written copies are furnished. In this case the secretary should have an assistant. With some annual conventions it is desired to publish the proceedings in full. In such cases it is necessary to employ a stenographer as assistant to the secretary. Reports of committees should be printed exactly as submitted, the minutes showing what action was taken by the assembly in regard to them; or, they may be printed with all additions in italics and parts struck out enclosed in brackets in which case a note to that effect should precede the report or resolutions. In this way the reader can see exactly what the committee reported and also exactly what the assembly adopted or endorsed."

Called to order 6:30pm by Pres. Buzz Avery.

Officer Carlos Casas, District Rep for Charlie 5/6, visited briefly. Our new Steering Committee should consult with him about a strategy for dealing with burglaries in general and Malik in particular, To get local crime statistics, we should make a request through him. His pager number (posted on our Web site under PROJECTS/Security/Contacts) is 622-3436.

Mike Damal announced our tree-planting this year would be Sat, Nov. 21

Someone passed out samples of a doggie litter bag pet owners can get from Tomlinson's

A gift of a pair of gloves for Sharon Edmonson, in appreciation for all her contributions, was displayed.

Jim Walker and Helen Davis reviewed the recent work of the first Nominating Committee. The NomCom had drafted a map of six Cherrywood "regions" and sought to have at least one Steering Committee member from each one. Nominees gave 30-second introductory statements, following which the slate published in the Flea was elected unanimously with 40 people voting.

Someone passed out literature promoting all 12 City bond propositions.

There was (mostly critical) discussion of AISD's "Campus-Level Input Sessions" being held at every school to discuss boundary policy. Maplewood's session was occurring simultaneously across the hall. AISD was distributing a questionnaire that aroused more suspicions bordering on hostility than it did lend an aire of sweet reason to the boundary rearranging process. (Subsequent developments will be posted on our Web site, Maplewood page)

Since the first SteerCom meeting could not be announced, it was agreed a special Flea distribution would be used for the purpose.

UT Architecture/Planning students studying traffic around the School distributed a questionnaire for Maplewood parents. Jim Walker added he was compiling a list of people interested in traffic and transportation issues.

Jim Walker gave an update on Mueller redevelopment panning. Gordon Bennett moved CNA formally associate with a group coming to be known as the Mueller Neighborhoods Coalition. Passed unanimously with 1 abstention

The "hat was passed" to replenish CNA's small treasury. $100 was collected.

It was informally agreed after some discussion that the new SteerCom should deal with the rezoning issue at 1105 E. 32^nd (lot zoned residential commercial -- Detour Film Studios would like it changed to all commercial).

There is some action on the homeless encampment behind Maplewood. Capital Metro is more aggressively clearing its tracks. The City and Monarch Foodstore are installing a bright light back there.

The City has a rebate program for low-water-usage clothes washers for residents. A couple people commented these machines were of high quality.

Girard Kinney reported TxDOT is slowly but inexorably redesigning I-35, and that CNA might have some positive inflluence on this design process. (Meetings, hearings, etc. all will be posted on our Web site, PROJECTS / Transportation / Chronology)

After more discussion of the SteerCom's early agenda (planning, sidewalks, traffic calming), the meetimg was adjourned at 9:00pm.