SOSNA Board of Directors Meeting

June 28, 2006, 7:00 p.m., St. Anthony Senior Center
An observer’s report

SOSNA tends to be a little slow off the mark in circulating board minutes, so I’m sharing this report.

The start of the meeting was delayed by about a half an hour while board members tried unsuccessfully to locate a key to the meeting room, which was locked. It was called to order at 7:35 – we met in the lobby, most folks standing. Board member Sharon Melvin kindly gave me the only chair, which she had found.

I believe ten board members were present: Richard Gliniak, Gail Harrington, Sharon Melvin, Anthony Moretti, John McHugh, Sam Porter, Les Robbins, Larry Shaeffer, and Bernie Woodard. A slightly larger number of community residents was present: Hiram Precise, Sean O’Rourke, Jim Campbell, Doerte Smith, Ann Hoskins-Brown, Lisa Parsley, Peter Ehrenkranz, Mark Scott, Barbara Failer, David Zuzga, two people whose names I didn’t catch, and me. There is no list of SOSNA board members available on its website, so I may not have listed the board accurately.

The minutes of the previous meeting not having been produced and/or circulated, acceptance of those minutes was waived.

Chris diCicco of the Citizen’s Alliance attended to present SOSNA with a check in the amount of $6,040 toward the planting of trees in our neighborhood. This project, spearheaded by board member Larry Schaeffer, has resulted to date in the planting of 130 trees in the neighborhood, at a cost of $115 per tree. At the suggestion of neighborhood resident Doerte Smith, I photographed the official presentation. [View photo] Chris diCicco then left.

Anthony Moretti presented a treasurer’s report. My understanding from the oral report is that funds in the current account include approximately $6,000 in escrow for the purposes of payment of invoices for a former consultant – from which I infer that the invoices are in dispute. SOSNA is waiting for payment of some $46,000 in invoices from OHCD and has another $15,500 in invoices in the pipeline. SOSNA has expended (or is about to expend) $2,000 in contributions to two dog-parks, an expenditure offset by a contribution from the office of Babette Josephs. Moretti explained SOSNA’s plan to improve financial forecasting and reporting: the accountant is working with the SOSNA support staff and will come to the August meeting to explain new procedures to the board. A closed meeting of selected board members (including Robbins, Moretti, Shaeffer and possibly others) with the new executive director will address issues of cash flow and forecasting. Tom Strybuc is working on SOSNA’s Form 990, which is required by OHCD if SOSNA is to respond to the RFP to renew its contract as a Neighborhood Advisory Committee (these contracts support the neighborhood meetings, prorated office expense, and salary for the NAC director, and have historically been in the range of $60,000-$70,000). Eve Lewis is preparing the response to this RFP.

Doerte Smith, representing the SOSNA CDC (a separate organization) asked when the CDC could expect repayment of the funds, totaling $10,000, it had loaned SOSNA in anticipation of repayment from Pathmark funds. Moretti believes this has been repaid, and that it was only $5,000 in the first place. Smith offered to provide bank records to indicate that this is not the case. She will discuss this further with Moretti and Robbins.

Larry Shaeffer reported on a meeting that he and Eve Lewis, SOSNA’s newly appointed executive director, had recently had with representatives of the RDA regarding the property at 1627 Christian, as well as the properties at 17th and Carpenter. Shaeffer explained that 1627 had been seized for drug dealing and that now the former owner seeks to be re-vested in the property. Shaeffer seemed hopeful, based on the conversation, that SOSNA might be able to secure a developer and to develop the property as market rate housing. John McHugh asked if the full board had been provided with copies of correspondence between treasurer Moretti and Kathleen Murray, special assistant to City Council President Anna C. Verna, regarding this issue. Robbins responded that he saw no need to circulate it to the full board, to which McHugh responded that he believed it to be Murray’s intention that the full Board receive copies. Robbins observed that Murray’s correspondence contained a good deal of her personal opinion as opposed to official position. Shaeffer commented that the RDA representative “wasn’t too concerned” about Murray’s letter. [Photo of 1627 Christian]

There was some discussion of Shaeffer/Lewis’s exploratory discussions on revisiting the 17th and Carpenter project, with John McHugh pointing out that the board had resolved not to pursue the development at its January meeting. Robbins commented that it’s not inappropriate for board members to have exploratory conversations and that any actual proposal for development would require a board vote. McHugh countered that in this case it would require a 2/3 majority to overturn a resolution. Sharon Melvin expressed some interest in partnering with Habitat for Humanity but also observed that since this was such a divisive issue for the board she’d prefer that it not be reopened if it would result in additional dissension. Richard Gliniak commented that he doesn’t think SOSNA should be involved in development. There was some concern about the availability of funding for affordable housing in the SOSNA service area, but Moretti expressed optimisim that such funding would be available. In responding to McHugh’s observation, Moretti said the board had to make certain there is no conflict of interest behind a suggestion that SOSNA not develop a property.

Larry Shaeffer suggested that SOSNA convene a subcommittee to consider a name change for the neighborhood. It was agreed that discussion of this suggestion be deferred until the board could hear the report of the economic development committee.

Peter Ehrenkranz reported on the Economic Development Committee’s work on current projects and plans for additional projects. Work is going forward for weekly street cleaning by the Center City District of South Street, Grays Ferry Avenue, and 22nd Street. The committee also expended $500 for cleanup of the Catharine Thorn (“Triangle”) fountain area at 23rd and South, and $5,000 for tree planting. Contemplated future projects include another $20,000 investment in the Catharine Thorn area, $10,000 to a future “Friends of the Park” group to develop the property at 22nd and Carpenter, $1,500 for creation of a business directory and expanded web presence, and $50,000 for the creation of a comprehensive neighborhood economic development plan.

The committee has received proposals for the plan from three well-known urban planning firms: Kise Straw & Kolodner (http://www.ksk1.com ), Wallace Roberts & Todd (http://www.wrtdesign.com ), and Econsult (http://www.econsult.com/ ). The board was provided with copies of all three proposals, and there was some discussion of how to proceed with the selection process as well as the funding for the project.

Regarding process, it was agreed that the board would review the proposals and that the three firms be invited to the July 26 board meeting to make brief presentations. If the board then feels it has enough information to make a decision, it will go into closed session, according to chair Robbins, to make the decision. (It’s possible that when Robbins said "everyone must leave" he was referring to the consultants, not to observers – I’m not sure what the SOSNA bylaws say about closed sessions for vendor selection.)

Regarding funding, Moretti asked Ehrenkranz whether he had pursued alternate sources of funding for the proposal. Ehrenkranz responded with a request for some clarification on what funding from the two $100,000 annual economic development grant payments from Pathmark would be available for the committee to expend on program. Moretti stated that this information had been presented to board member David Hanley to share with Ehrenkranz and expressed surprise that Ehrenkranz had not received it, but that the available funds were $80,000 give or take $5,000 or $10,000. In response to several questions from the floor, Robbins explained that there were expenses such as fringe benefits and insurance and contribution to office overhead that had to be covered.

Asked again about the apparent expenditure of some $120,000 on non-program expenses, Moretti commented that he had been reading "the blogs" and that former board members were making inaccurate and inappropriate comments there. [Full disclosure: I am a former board member; by my count, there were at least three former board members in the room.]

It was pointed out by some attendees that, issues of the use of the $120,000 notwithstanding, a full $50,000 project could be scheduled such that the expense could be spread over two years, thus making the project affordable. It seemed unreasonable to several attendees to expect this committee to add fundraising to its current mandate when an economic development plan is manifestly the linchpin of any economic development activity and SOSNA will be receiving $1,000,000 over a ten-year period for this purpose.

It was also agreed that the issue of (re)naming the neighborhood would be part of the economic development plan. Peter Ehrenkranz commented on the recent Craig LeBan review of the Sidecar and his concern that the neighborhood might be re-named by "realtors and restaurant critics."

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00 p.m.

--Laura Blanchard