MINUTES

 

Neighborhood Revitalization Board

St. Etienne Conference Room – Armory Building

October 1, 2003

 

Present:           Bob King, Mike Gibson, Nadine Hogate, Kimberly Hansen, Mike Kinter, Jean Minahan, Carol Bower, Dolph Pulliam, Joann Muldoon, Martha Walden, Pam Carmichael

 

Absent:            Willa Mae Allen, Betty Volm, Paul Sadler

 

Staff:                Kathy Kahoun (CD), Robert Schulte (CD), Mindy Miller (CD)

 

Guests:            Gary Dodge

 

The meeting convened at 5:03. In the absence of the chair, vice chair Hansen conducted the meeting.  The Board received a request to speak from Glen Townsend, who had failed to present his proposal for 2004 CDBG funds during the week of September 8.  The Board agreed to hear Townsend and King moved to amend the agenda to include him. Motion seconded by Carmichael and carried by unanimous vote. Muldoon moved to place Townsend on the agenda after approval of the minutes; seconded by Minahan; motion carried by unanimous vote.

 

King moved to approve the minutes of the August 20 meeting as amended, seconded by Muldoon, carried by unanimous vote.

 

Regarding the minutes of September 3, Minahan asked to change the date on them to read September 3. King moved to approve the minutes as corrected; seconded by Walden; carried by unanimous vote.

 

King moved to approve the minutes of September 13 as submitted; seconded by Minahan; carried by unanimous vote. 

 

EAST SIDE CHILD CARE ACADEMY.  Glen Townsend presented his proposal to use 2004 CDBG funds for child care on the East Side.  He said needs analysis showed there were few agencies providing child care in this area.

 

Carmichael asked what staff's recommendation had been; Schulte said this was a new agency, not currently operating any facilities, and staff recommended $0 funding because Consolidated Plan child care was currently being done through the Human Services Planning Alliance.  Kinter said it was a worthy cause, but the agency needed to have a physical location and a track record before they came to ask for funding.  Townsend said he had tried to obtain start-up loans, but the programs required collateral and a percentage of capital on the agency's part, and he didn't have any.  Hansen thanked Townsend for coming and told him to consider applying next year.

 

OFFICER'S REPORT/CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION. Kahoun said the East Walnut groundbreaking would take place next week.

 

REVIEW OF NRB LETTER TO COUNCIL RE 2004 CONSOLIDATED PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS.  Schulte said he and the chair had been working on the letter to Council conveying the Board's recommendations for the 2004 Consolidated Plan.  He distributed a draft incorporating changes Volm had requested. 

 

Muldoon said she wanted a study done on why Neighborhood Inspection isn't more self-sustaining and why more of the costs are not being recouped.  Schulte said on cleanups, the charges to the property owner were the same as the actual cost of the cleanups, while the inspection fees charged do not cover the entire cost.  Also any revenue generated by the Inspection Division does not stay with the Division, but returns to the General Fund.  Muldoon said any revenue generated by CDBG-funded activities should stay with the project.  She said she wanted to have a committee look into this and she wanted to be on it.  Carmichael said this may be premature, since the higher rental rates haven't been in effect a full year yet.  Kahoun offered to have Ben Bishop, NID Administrator come and present a report he recently did on rental inspections, cleanups, and demolition.  Kinter said he was concerned because demolition often costs far more than the lot, once vacant, is worth.

 

Hogate said the letter to Council wasn't correct regarding the Des Moines Public School Remodeling project.  She said the Board's intent was to give them funding for one house, but the letter said two houses.  Schulte said in the presentation the agency said they needed two.  Bower said what DMPS said was they need to complete two and the Board intended to give them the money for one and have them use proceeds of the sale to acquire the second house they need.

 

Regarding ISED, Carmichael said the agency contacted her and told her she should have addressed the concerns she expressed during the presentations to them instead of the monitor, and she would have received a different answer.  She said if reprogramming funds are available, they should be considered.  Muldoon and Hogate said they wanted the Board's recommendation to stand.

 

Carmichael moved to approve the letter and forward it to Council; seconded by Minahan.

 

Allen

out

King

y

Bower

y

Minahan

y

Carmichael

y

Muldoon

y

Gibson

y

Pulliam

out

Hansen

y

Sadler

out

Hogate

y

Volm

out

Kinter

y

Walden

a

 

 

 

 

Result:

9/0

w/1 abstain

 

 

Schulte asked that board members attend the Council meeting to support their recommendations.  Carmichael asked that the Board get a copy of the blue letter if time permitted.

 

NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT.  Kahoun said Neighborhood Development had received seven responses to the Ingersoll Corridor RFP for development of the concept and design plan.  Hogate asked if the project was initiated by the North of Grand neighborhood association.  Kahoun said it was a part of the Woodland Heights, Greenwood, and NOG neighborhood plans, and the City also wanted to do a study when Grand was identified for closure.

 

Kahoun said they had received a proposal to develop market-rate townhomes on the Celebrity Care site in Sherman Hill. Kahoun said that criteria for low income housing tax credits will be on the upcoming and agenda and she will forward the blue letter to the NRB.

 

COMMITTEE/REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS. Hogate said the member nomination committee needed to meet again and examine the current makeup of the Board.  She asked Kahoun to schedule a meeting.

 

Carimchael said NFC had a visioning meeting and reworked their mission statement.  She said there was much discussion regarding the expansion of low/mod areas reflected in the census and the percentage of NFC's funding set aside for use citywide.  They are considering what to do if requests exceed funds available.

 

OTHER BUSINESS.  Muldoon asked to have someone from the County come and discuss the County's property disposition practices.  Kahoun said she would ask them. 

 

Hansen asked the Board to congratulate Kinter, who just received a prestigious award.  His company was named by Qualified Remodeler's magazine as one of the top remodeling companies in America.

 

The meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.

 

 

                                               

Carol Bower, Secretary