Minutes, May 17, 2016

Minutes from May 17, 2016 Clarksville CDC Monthly Meeting

Aubrey Carter, Malcolm Greenstein, Paula Hern, Kim O’Brien, Mary Reed, Chris Thomas, Greg Tran

1.     On a motion by Malcolm, seconded by Greg, the minutes from the April 19, 2016 Annual and monthly board meetings were approved.

2.     Mary presented the financial reports. We showed a net of $3,196 in April, and had $22,107 in checking and $42,322 in savings. We have moved our banking to Frost Bank.

3.     Mary presented Rose’s property management report. The reports states that all but one tenant are current on rent, but a payment from that tenant was in the mail box. Major expenses this month include erosion control and tree work at the Neighborhood Center.

4.     On a motion by Malcolm, seconded by Chris, the following officers were elected: President, Mary Reed; Vice-President, Chris Thomas; Secretary, Kim O’Brien; Treasurer, Teri Taylor. They will serve until May 2017.

5.     Terms for three members of the Tenant Selection Committee are expiring this month: board member representatives Chris Thomas and RuthAnn Brown, and community member representative Chris Crane. The board members are interested in serving another term Kim will contact Chris Crane to see if he wants to continue to serve. This item will be on next month’s agenda

6.     Kevin Sims, owner of 1701 Waterston Avenue, presented plans for the home he is planning on building. It will be located behind the existing house on the property (which is a contributing house he has recently rehabilitated.) Kevin intends to live in the back house when it is completed, and rent out the front structure. He has obtained a variance to build the back house, but needs a historic review so that he can obtain his building permit. Kevin stated that he has done his best to adhere to CCDC guidelines and Department of Interior design standards. The proposed house will be 1623 square feet (twice as large as the front structure, but Kevin has intentionally designed a lowroof ridge so the back house will essentially be the height of the  front house. Kevin is sensitive to the Haskell House being next door. There will be a functional design difference between the contributing house and the new one, but it will mostly be concealed from the street. And there’s a 12 foot wall of bamboo between the Haskell House and Kevin’s new addition, so it will not be visible from there. Siding on back house will be board to board. Roof will be a slight butterfly membrane material.

On a motion by Aubrey, seconded by Kim, the board unanimously agreed to send a letter of support to the Historic Landmark Commission.

7.     Mary reported that marketing for a development going in at 1010 West 10th Street, located a block west of N. Lamar, has been touting the project as being located in Clarksville Mary contacted the developer to protest this statement. She was passed her on to the president of company they hired to market the project, who stated that it’s general opinion that all of Old West Austin is considered Clarksville. Malcolm and Mary then sent letter to him stating that marketing the development as being in Clarksville was a deceptive trade practice. In response, they agreed to change their marketing materials, and promised the billboard advertisement located on N. Lamar would come down in two weeks. Malcolm suggested a a blog post on the CCDC website to document their willingness to correct their mistake.

8.     There was no discussion regarding neighborhood history marketing efforts.

9.     Last Sunday’s Family FunFest was a great success. Sadly, attendance was down some, probably due to the inclement weather, but everyone who attended had a great time. Bonzo Crunch, a new addition to FFF was a big hit. Preliminary numbers look like we brought in about $1000 less than last year. The Silent Auction earned only $100 less than last year.

10.  The Clarksville History Scavenger Hunt, presented in conjunction with Preservation Austin, will take place next Saturday, May 21, at 9 a.m. 35 kids have signed up, a number Preservation Austin is very happy with. There will be 5 sites, with activities for the kids at each. Food and coffee will be provided by Galaxy/Zocolo.

11.  Under Other Business, Mary reported that she, along with John Henneberger and two City representatives, were on a panel talking about “missing middle housing.” One of the City representatives, who is working on Code Next, stated a goal of Code Next is to address this issue. As a side note, John argued that the code will be slanted toward developers which will allow the problem to continue.

12.  The board did not meet in Executive Session.

Notice of Electronic Vote:  

            On May 9, 2016, via electronic vote, the board agreed to contract for an annual audit. This action was of an immediate priority and could not wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Minutes (Annual and Monthly Meetings), April 19, 2016

Minutes from the April 19, 2016 Annual Meeting

Board members present: Aubrey Carter, Malcolm Greenstein, Rushmi Kumar, Mary Reed, Teri Taylor, Chris Thomas, Gregory Tran. 

1.  Mary Reed, CCDC President, presented the “State of the CCDC” Annual Report: We did these things this year to support our 3-pronged mission statement: Helped advance mission of advancing and preserving history of Clarksville by finally completing the walking tour brochure (which we started in 2005, put it on back burner, but now decided it's time), developing anew website, and sponsoring a scavenger hunt project (5/21/16) 21st, partnering w/ Preservation Austin; Supported our affordable housing program by making improvements to existing housing, finalizing details of affordable bond fund money, final details for low interest loan from HomeBase, and planning for the new house on Theresa Avenue; and, encouraged community involvement with successful events such as the FunFest, the Ice Cream Social, the Halloween Haunted House, and the Holiday Caroling event (events saw an uptick in volunteers.

2. Teri Taylor, CCDC Treasurer reported on the CCDC’s Annual Financial Status. We made about $160,000 last year, and spent only less. We showed a net gain of $33,000 and ended the year with no debt.

3. Rose Gabriel, CCDC Property Manager, reported on the CCDC’s housing program. We were able to perform many housing improvements because of tenant turnover. 1817 W. 10th saw the biggest improvements--gutted interior, bathroom, kitchen, interior/exterior paint, foundation work. At 1821 Waterston, demoed the bathroom, flooring, exterior paint. We also replaced the windows at the Haskell House.

4. Rose Gabriel, acting as the Election Administrator, announced the results of the Board Election. Six people—BJ Friedman, Malcolm Greenstein, Paula Hern, Kim O’Brien, Mary Reed, and Chris Thomas--were vying for 5 seats on the board. Malcolm, Paula, Kim, Mary, and Chris received the highest number of votes, and will begin serving 2-year terms in May 2016.

Minutes from the April 19, 2016 Monthly Meeting

1.     On a motion by Chris, seconded by Teri, the minutes from the February 16, 2016 monthly board meeting were approved with the following correction—add “Hunt” to “History Scavenger” in item #9. (Note: there was no monthly meeting in March.)

2.     Rose and Teri reported that our finances are in good shape, showing a net gain for the past 2 months. There was an expense for work on the LHD, paid to Alyson McGee.

3.     Rose gave the property management report. A couple of tenants are behind on rent. Maintenance in February and March was light--cleaned out crawl space under neighborhood center, removed mattresses from 1729A W 11th, plumbing and AC repair on two properties. 

4.     Mary reported on neighborhood history marketing efforts. The Walking Tour brochure was distributed door-to-door. GOt 4 inquiries for housing on the website

5.     Mary gave an update on plans for the Family FunFest (Sunday, May 15, 1-5 p.m.) We are down to the little details. Food will be chili pies with fixings, and RuthAnn BBQ plates. We intend to charge more for BBQ this year. The entertainment is set and it’s a great line-up, but sadly, Aubrey’s band will not be playing. Like the BBQ, we will charge more for face painting this year. Bonzo Crunch, this year’s clown, wll be making balloon animals and also entertaining. The poster is great, wondrously whimsical.

6.     Mary gave an update on the upcoming Clarksville History Scavenger Hunt, Saturday, May 21, 9 am-noon. Plans are progressing nicely. There is a blurb about the event in Preservation Austin’s newsletter.

7.     Under Other Business, Mary announced that she will be on a panel May 7th discussing missing middle housing in Clarksville and Old West Austin (Note: “middle housing” is 2- and 4-plexes and small apartments)

8.     The Board met in Executive Session regarding a housing matter.

Notice of Electronic Vote:

            On April 7, 2016, via electronic vote, the board agreed to move our banking from Horizon Bank to Frost Bank. This action was of an immediate priority and could not wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Minutes, February 16, 2016

Minutes from Clarksville CDC Monthly Meeting, February 16, 2016

Board members present: RuthAnn Brown, Aubrey Carter, Kim O’Brien, Mary Reed, Teri Taylor, Chris Thomas, Greg Tran

Others present: Rose Gabriel, David Webber, Rick Hamer

1.     On a motion by Aubrey, seconded by Ruthann, the minutes from the January 19, 2016 monthly board meeting were approved.

2.     Rose presented the Financial Report. In January, we showed a net gain of $5,327. The checking balance was at $7,405, the savings balance was $42,322. We are still negotiating the Home Base loan for the Alley Flat house, reworking the documents so that we will receive three $50,000 draws—one in April, one sometime in the Fall, and the final one sometime next year.

3.     Rose presented the Property Management Report, stating that one tenant is 3 months behind in rent his/her portion of the rent; the remaining portion is subsidized and CCDC continues to receive this amount. The board authorized Rose to notify the tenant of pending eviction if the arrears are not taken car of immediately.

Texas Gas is providing us with free furnaces for all units. We will only have to pay for installation and increased insulation. And plans are in the works to replace all hot water heaters with tank-less ones, with one shared unit per duplex.)  This will cause one “half” to have a slightly higher gas bill, but this can be addressed by a rent off-set.

4.     Regarding the landscape plan for the Pauline Brown Clarksville Neighborhood, Rose believes that it’s too late in the year to plant new trees (we lost 6 trees last year as a result of the drought), but we will move ahead on this and get the work done after the summer heat. Rose plans on purchasing pop-up tents to be used for FunFest and other events. On a motion by Aubrey, seconded by Greg, the board approved an expenditure of $4290 for grading by the driveway, along with addition of steps and a platform near the storage space.

5.     Mary reported that progress is being made on the new website. She hopes to have it finished by the end of the month. The Walking Tour brochure has been a bigger source of frustration, with multiple problems with from the printer; but hope springs eternal, and Mary and Teri hope that it will be complete soon.

6.     David Weber and Rick Hammer presented plans for the remodel of 1106 Toyath, a contributing home. The front of the house will not be altered. The planned addition on the back is modern-looking, but due to the slope of the back yard, the addition hardly will be visible from the street. The board approved of the plans.

7.     Kim reminded the board that 5 seats will be up for election on April 19, 2016. Current board members whose terms will expire are Malcolm, Rushmi, Kim, Mary, and Chris. Kim reported that she will be out of the country beginning the week prior to the election, during the absentee balloting period. Chris volunteered to be the collection point for absentee ballots. Kim will contact Barbara Harlow to see if she will serve as the Elections Administrator. She will also contact Rushmi to see if she is interested in running for another term on the board. (Malcolm, Kim, Mary, and Chris will be running for an additional term.)

8.     Mary reported that plans for the Family FunFest (Sunday, May 15, 1-5 p.m.) are firming up. She has secured community donations for all of the activities. The photo booth will be different this year, and a much more tech-savvy set-up. Also, the balloon clown promises to be a bit hit.

9.     Mary gave an update on the Clarksville History Scavenger Hunt. We are working with Preservation Austin. Mary and Brooke have identified 6 sites. Each site will have an activity for kids to do. In some case, we’ll need to get permission from adjacent property owners so that there is room for these activities. The hunt will be focused on neighborhood history.

10.  No Other Business was discussed.

11.  The board did not meet in Executive Session.

Minutes, January 19, 2016

Minutes for the January 19, 2016 Clarksville CDC Monthly Meeting

Board members present: Aubrey Carter, Malcolm Greenstein, Rushmi Kumar, Kim O’Brien, Mary Reed, Teri Taylor, Chris Thomas, Greg Tan

Others present: Rose Gabriel

1.     On a motion by Malcolm, seconded by Aubrey, the minutes from the October 20, 2015 monthly board meeting were approved.

2.     Rose reported that in October we showed a net loss (-$190!)for the first time in 5 years, but only because some rents came in late and checks were cashed late; no worries, merely caught off guard. Losses in October and November were offset by gains in December (a net gain of $6,441.)  Unusual expenses included contracts with Austin Housing Finance Corporation and Home Base, and $3,600 in electrical upgrades to properties. In regard to the Home Base loan, Rose is preparing an addendum for Malcolm’s review to clear up provision regarding our financial agreement, to show that it is more of a line of credit, rather than a traditional loan.

3.     Rose reported that one tenant is 2 months behind, but is catching up. Lots of improvements/repairs have been done to properties, including electrical upgrades in all bathrooms and kitchens, exterior improvements at 1009 Charlotte, and new bathroom flooring at the neighborhood center.

4.     The presentation of a landscape plan for Pauline Brown Clarksville Neighborhood Center was postponed until next month.

5.     The board decided that a committee (made up of board members) was the best way to tackle consideration of any possible changes to the current CCDC policy regarding changes in tenant qualification status during term of lease. This group will bring any proposed changes back to the board. Mary will email board members looking for committee volunteers. Rose will send out current information on how we currently qualify our tenants.

6.     In regards to the board’s neighborhood history marketing efforts, Mary reported that the walking tour brochures are at the printers. She and Teri hope to see a mockup within the week, and maybe the brochures by the end of the month. The website is slowly moving along; the copy is done, and photos are being selected and positioned. It should be completed in February. The history scavenger hunt, coordinated with Preservation Austin, will take place on Saturday, May 21, the week following the Family FunFest. The first meeting with Preservation Austin will take place on February 10, 11:30 at the Haskell House.

7.     Mary presented information regarding plans for 1622 West 10th Street, a historically contributing house. The board has already supported a variance request for this property. Builder Tom Blackwell is now seeking support for a partial demolition permit for an addition to the house that is non-contributing. On a motion by Aubrey, seconded by Chris, the board voted to send a letter to the Historic Landmark Commission stating our support of this request.

8.     Mary reported that she and Aubrey have met with the owners of 1612 West 11th Street, a historically contributing house. The owners have an interest in preservation, as does their architect, Richard Hughes. They are requesting a partial demolition. Mary and Aubrey made suggestions as to how all of the original house could be preserved, and the owners were receptive. The partial demolition is for a 1970s addition (non-contributing.) On a motion by Aubrey, seconded by Rushmi, the board voted to send a letter to the Historic Landmark Commission stating our support of their request.

9.     In Other Business, Mary discussed plans for the annual Family FunFest. The event is scheduled for Sunday, May 15, 1-5. A new addition this year will be Bonzo Crunch, who will make balloon animals, as well as be part of the entertainment line-up. RuthAnn will be making her delicious BBQ plates again, but Margaret Bruch, who in the past has donated her time and resources for much of the food at the festival, has moved out of state, so this year other board members will have to step up by donating both money and time to buy, prepare, and serve food.

10.  The board met in Executive Session to discuss a tenant issue.