June Minutes 2013

Monthly Membership Meeting—June 25, 2013

FLS Energy Board Room, 130 Roberts Street, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 UPCOMING EVENTS + ANNOUNCEMENTS 

  • Asheville Design Center Community Workshop to help with bridge design features on the bridge: Monday, July 1 from 4-6 p.m. at bridge site

    • Material and cash donations are needed:  find out more here avldesignbuild@wordpress.com or by contacting Luke Perry at perrylw@gmail.com ; need to come up with $10,000 for this foot bridge, which increased in scope based on codes from the City—what is this foot bridge worth to your business.  Checks go to Asheville Design Center and are tax-deductible.

    • Need concrete donated now, if anyone is willing to donate concrete.  Does anyone know Southern Concrete?  Please contact Luke Perry if you can help: perrylw@gmail.com

    • Kudos to everyone who has helped!

  • Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts Crowd Funding Campaign is still going—if anyone is interested in donating: indigogo.com/potsforlife

Meeting Items:

 

Housekeeping

  • Welcome new folks!

 

May Minute Approval

  • Move to accept minutes from May, Tim Schaller–approved

Membership Update: 2013-2014 Dues ($100) deadline July 1, 2013

Membership Drive: tell your neighbors!  Membership form and details here:http://radbusinessassociation.wordpress.com/membership-information/

  • Need help recruiting new members and letting people know that we exist.  Please tell your neighbors, encourage them to join us at the next meeting.

  • Darren will be walking around asking people to join, but please help out

  • Members are listed on our website, www.RADBA.org

Treasurer’s Report, $5,900 in the account (prior to new members joining today)

  • Will be looking at $8,000 or $9,000 in the account later this month.

Presentations: 

Riverfront Development Plan, Steph Monson and Tom Gallaher

  • Public Meetings: Attending other meetings to present three alternatives for development in the area and we can give feedback on those three options—combining meetings with East of the Riverway, and will let us know; come back and talk with RADBA to dedicate 30 minutes for input from RADBA

  • RFP last October issued for RADTIP II—to look at City-owned land

  • Put together a team of 6 firms: all local to work on this project—signed contract and starting to work on the Riverside Drive

  • Will be coming around to talk with business/building owners

 

Luke Perry, Asheville Design Center, Foot Bridge under West Asheville Bridge

  • Working with a group of 10 interns to design/build pedestrian bridge crossing creek at Gene Webb Park in 10 weeks, in week 4 right now

  • Working with Riverside Drive Development Plan group

  • Will be future foot bridge for greenway going through the area

  • In permitting process, discussion of footers, working out technical construction of bridge

  • Overview shared with those in attendance

  • Community workshop to help with bridge design features on the bridge: Monday, July 1 from 4-6 p.m. at bridge site

  • Material and cash donations needed:  find out more here avldesignbuild@wordpress.com or by contacting Luke Perry at perrylw@gmail.com (see above)

SASHTO, Carli Adams from Convention and Visitors Bureau

  • Southeastern Association of State Highway Transportation Officials—over 1000 delegates coming to town

  • Help send delegates to local businesses—give $25 in SASHTO dollars, take play money to visitors center and they write you a check as a local business

  • Trying to help get participation for this

  • In 2001, wrote a total of $28,000 in checks to local businesses

  • This group bought 800 GO Local Cards, translated into contribution to Asheville City Schools Foundation

  • RADBA members will get an email on this, with a form to complete and send in to participate

 

Project Advisory Committee: Update + Discussion of naming of Committee (RAD PAC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8GUm5IIyLw

Members: Tim Schaller, Hedy Fischer, David Lookingbill, Dave Campbell, Joe Ransmier, Brian McCarthy, Darren Greene

  • This is a way for RADBA to coordinate and communicate with developers, elected officials, and encourage conversation and communication

  • City Council likes to have neighborhood feedback; it’s a useful tool sifting through neighborhood changes

  • RAD PAC: River Arts District Project Advisory Committee—conduit between RADBA and what’s going on

  • In order to be a viable, walkable community—encourage cross-walk signage and to obey cross-walks—this is what RAD PAC is working on now

  • Have already met with Harry Pilos about the Dave Steel site

  • Will bring information back to RADBA to gather information from members; bring a recommendation to this group

  • Vetting rumors is also the job of this group

  • AARRC is also reaching out to property owners, so it would be helpful to coordinate together

  • Meet with AARRC to clarify roles and goals

 

One Neighborhood Project Update-Tim Schaller

 

  • Goal to engage underserved children to work one-on-one with artists

  • Working with Big E at Randolph to work with children—he knows the kids and help make the connection with children

  • Ginger Huebner, Roots + Wings School of Art is coordinating with artists for 4-week programs with artists (4 teens doing this)

  • Going to happen this Summer 2013

  • RADBA sponsored these scholarships

  • Randolph is putting a modular unit down at Wesley Grant Center for two-years – even closer neighbors, looking for community partnerships

 

Requests for Funding from RADBA: process of donations from RADBA—how to handle donations?

  • Update on Asheville GreenWorks-Green the RAD (Matt Sprouse): one of the first projects that RADBA supported as an organization and as individual businesses ($5,790 worth of donations supported the beautification of Clingman Ave.)

    • $6,700 in maintenance costs—it’s getting easier to maintain because landscaping is growing in and taking over weeds

    • Eventually goal for City to take this over, but guess is that City will not take this over this year—letter submitted through Gordon Smith to City Council—was not a good time to do this

    • GreenWorks would like for RADBA to consider another donation—short $1,000 for maintenance that has already been done

 

  • What do we do with our RADBA money and how do we decide where to donate money?

  • We chose in 2012 not to become a non-profit.

 

Discussion:

  • Make a motion when something comes up, as needed

  • Have an application process so we get everything at once—may not be realistic

  • We know $3,000 comes in each year—what percent do we need for operating costs?  What percent to neighborhood groups?  Maybe set a percentage.

  • Need a subcommittee to look after finances?  Finance group could come up with the policies and help define this process.  Parameters for who can apply for grants.

  • Would it make more sense to have the board make these decisions and bring it back to the members rather than adding a Finance Committee?

  • It is an opportunity to get other members involved.

  • Would want a member of the Board on the Subcommittee

  • We did a survey in the past, perhaps it’s time for another survey to assess how to spend our money?  Define our priorities.

  • If you address stuff as it comes up, if you give away all in the first couple of months, you may have nothing left if something comes in later.

  • Maybe set up a twice/year process where donations are made.

  • Is there a marketing committee?  (this is another conversation and large conversation)—perhaps add it to the next agenda

  • Time for RADA and RADBA boards to meet

  • Would it be helpful to have the RADA marketing person give an update at the next meeting?

  • This center’s around next year’s plan, so all these questions

 

  • MOTION: Pattiy moved, Dave seconded: work with a few other people to get this Finance Committee together and bring it back to the group in July; RADBA Treasurer on the committee; 100% approved

 

  • MOTION to donate $1000 to Asheville Design Center for footbridge (Joe Ransmier)—amend, reduce to $750 to ADC toward their bridge project, Tim Schaller second; 100% in favor

 

  • MOTION to donate $750 to Asheville GreenWorks—motion was made but not seconded, tabled to July meeting; request to have AshevilleGreenWorks present in July and then make a decision

 

 

Police Community Resource Officers

 

 

Evan Coward—252-1110 (non-emergency number)

 

  • Fixing curb on Park toward the old bridge

  • People coming to Wedge lately from underneath RiverLink bridge, stealing tips from food trucks

  • Please call when this happens—we may not get them immediately, but we’re good at gathering intelligence and then make an arrest later

  • Take their photographs and share them with APD

 

New Business

 

  • Congratulations Eileen is now on Chamber Board of Directors

  • All Souls Pizza opening soon

  • Sake guys might join soon

  • Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts Crowd Funding Campaign is still going—if anyone is interested in donating: indigogo.com/potsforlife

 

 

RADBA 2013-2014 Board of Directors, as of July 1, 2013

 

Rotating off: Tim Schaller-past Vice President and Susanne Hackett-past Secretary

Coming on: Darren Greene-President Elect and Jenny (Greer) Fares-Secretary

MOTION: To adjourn, Tim Schaller, Jenny Fares