RNA 11/19 Agenda; 10/15 Minutes

Riverwest Neighborhood Association

MONTHLY MEETING:
Tuesday, November 19
7 PM
YMCA CDC Office
604 E. Center (& Booth)
parking available in lot across the street

AGENDA:
Discussion of RNA name situation.
Where do we go from here? (Part 3)
Report on meeting with Jesse Greenlee concerning future of
CDC.
Discussion of possibilities concerning Center St. office.
Goals for 2003.
Reports from Committees:
• Holton St. Revitalization -- Holton St. INRS funding
update.
• Guardians of Green Space -- Kilborn/Reservoir Park
Update, Garden Park Meeting.
• Development Group -- Report on monthly meeting.
• R.I.S.E. -- Report on monthly meeting.
• Bylaws.

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MINUTES
Riverwest Neighborhood Association
October 15, 2002
YMCA CDC OFFICE

Present: Supreme Solar Allah, Truth Born Allah, Jay Kirk,
Sonya Jongsma-Knauss, Tanya Cromartie-Twaddle, Vincent
Baltizar, Kumud Krishna, Tom Nehrbass, Pam Wittenberg,
Christopher Johns, Tom Stocco, Jerry Patzwald, Jan
Christensen, Tess Reiss, Brad Montgomery, Kelly Johnson,
Joseph Rosin, Willie Johnson, Jr., George Singleton, Vince
Bushell.

1. Invocation by Jan Christensen

2. Participants introduced themselves.

3. Minutes of the RNA Meeting of September 17 were approved
as distributed.

4. Announcements:

a. Tom Nehrbass provided maps of Reservoir Park on which he
labeled the surrounding streets.

b. The Riverwest Currents is sponsoring the grand opening
of Nessun Dorma, a local restaurant and bar, Saturday,
November 23. A $5 charge at the door will cover
entertainment and food, and will go toward a Riverwest
Currents fundraiser.

c. The Riverwest Co-op will be having a potluck brunch on
Sunday, November 3, at 10 a.m., the first anniversary of
the opening of the Co-op.

d. A Garden Park stewardship meeting will be held on
Monday, November 11, at 7 p.m. at the YMCA CDC office.

e. As a follow up to the Kilbourn/Reservoir Park design
workshop held on October 9, the architects promised to
return with a draft design for the park based on the input
from the neighborhood. The meeting will be held Wednesday,
November 20, at COA.

5. Mian’s Gas Station Update: Tess Reiss updated the group
on the status of the renovation of Mian’s gas station at
Holton and Burleigh. At the Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA),
RNA members and others discussed the planned renovation
with Mr. Mian. After much discussion, he withdrew his
request for a variance and will meet with Harambee and
Riverwest neighbors to discuss the building plan. A meeting
had been scheduled for the Monday following the BOZA
meeting; however, Mr. Mian had personal business outside
the country and requested that the meeting be delayed until
January or February. The Harambee Ombudsman Project
Incorporated (HOPI) strongly supports an open, walk-around
convenience store.

Jerry Patzwald, Chair, Development Committee, brought
forward a motion by the Development Committee in regard to
the Mian gas station:

“The Riverwest Neighborhood Association (RNA) strongly
encourages Mr. Mian to build an attractive new gas station
at the corner of Holton & Burleigh. Doing this will improve
perceptions of Holton Street and very likely will improve
the revenue that he will derive from this location. New
initiatives are in process on Holton including the
renovation of the old Kohl’s store by Lena’s grocery.
Further, the Integrated Neighborhood Revitalization Grant
(see cover story) will provide funding for several
initiatives on Holton. Mr. Mian will find that he is well
positioned to reap the rewards of the continued
revitalization of the Harambee and Riverwest neighborhoods
and the increased auto traffic from the northern suburbs.
In light of these developments, the Riverwest Neighborhood
Association would be willing to support Mr. Mian’s future
requests for zoning changes if the following conditions
were met.

• The building will use the same ration of rusticated
block, brick and transparent windows as the station built
by Mian Oil Corporation on Forest Home.

• The canopy should mimic the canopy of the Mian Oil
stations on Forest Home.

• No public phones will be located outside the gas station.

• The store within the gas station will be constructed in
an open fashion so that customers may choose the food items
they wish to purchase and bring them to the cashier for
payment. The vending area should be open whenever the
station is open. Further, no outside vending window should
be created.

• A landscaping plan that includes brick piers, wrought
iron fencing, and plantings must be reviewed and approved
by the Department of City Development after consultation
with the Alderpersons from the 3rd and 6th Districts and
area residents.

The draft motion was passed and is to be considered for
final approval at the RNA Meeting on November 18.

6. Where do we go from here? (Part 2)

RNA co-chair George Singleton noted that during
conversations with Jesse Greenlee, Director of the YMCA
CDC, he discovered that funding for the Center Street
office and for two part-time positions through March of
2003 is possible.

If other funding sources were found, the funds would need
to be distributed via an organization such as the YMCA CDC.
Greenlee has offered to provide such assistance. Two
foundations were suggested as possible sources of funds to
keep the YMCA CDC - Riverwest open: The Charles Stewart
Mott Foundation and the Unitarian Universalist Veatch
Foundation. These sources will be investigated.

An Integrated Neighborhood Revitalization Grant has been
received to revitalize Holton Street. Vince Bushell
prepared the grant, which will fund various initiatives to
renew the economic viability of the Street. Intersections
such as Holton and Center have been targeted for commercial
rejuvenation. The grant provides $110,000 to be shared with
NMIDC. Guidelines and goals for the grant are still being
developed.

Postage or cash for mailings is still needed. Please
forward any donations to Christensen. All recipients of
mailed agenda have been contacted and asked to indicate if
they could just as well receive an e-mail copy of the
agenda or if they would like to continue to receive a
printed agenda. Those individuals who do not respond to the
request will be assumed to no longer be interested and will
be deleted from the mailing list.

The motion for RNA to seek designation as a non-profit
organization passed at the last meeting was tabled. Further
information needs to be gathered.

7. Reports from Committees:

a. Singleton noted that more volunteers were needed for the
Holton Street Revitalization Committee.

b. Guardians of Green Space – Two articles on Garden Park
were published in recent issues of the Riverwest Currents.
The goal of these articles was to inform and to generate
interest in the future of the Park. The City of Milwaukee
has indicated that it would consider transferring ownership
of the Park to another organization. A meeting to initiate
planning has been scheduled for Monday, November 11, 7
p.m., at the YMCA CDC office at 604 E. Center Street.
Interested community members are encouraged to attend.

c. Development Committee – A written report of the
Committee was distributed via e-mail. The primary action of
the Committee was the creation of the Mian Gas Station
motion brought to the RNA above. Action on the draft
gentrification position paper was deferred to the next
Committee meeting to allow time to work on the gas station
motion.

d. R.I.S.E. –

• Brad Montgomery reported briefly on the Mayor’s
Commission on Crime that had begun before the RNA meeting.
Individuals from several agencies described their
contributions to work in this area. Many strongly-felt
concerns were expressed.

• The Medical College of Wisconsin is gathering statistics
on where firearm injuries and deaths occur. After gathering
this data, the information will be collated and a plan to
cope with the issue will be developed.

• Regular meetings are held with the Fifth District Captain
on the first Thursday of each month at 5:30pm at the fifth
District Station. The group is asking for more current
updates on the crimes in the neighborhood.

• Montgomery is going door to door to increase awareness of
crime related issues and trying to develop block clubs, if
they do not exist. He is asking for others to participate
in this activity. It usually takes about an hour. He plans
to continue this activity Tuesdays at 5:30pm. Please
contact him if you are interested.

e. Bylaws – No report.

8. The next RNA meeting will be held at 7 p.m., Tues., Nov.
19, at the YMCA CDC office at 604 E. Center St.

9. New Business - A question was raised regarding the
timing of the RNA meeting and the publication of the
Riverwest Currents. It would be useful to have the meeting
agenda in the Currents so that the community would know
what issues were being considered. To accomplish this the
publication date or the meeting date would have to be
changed. It was moved and seconded that the monthly RNA
meeting be moved from the third Tuesday to the second
Tuesday of the month. The motion was approved for this
change to be voted on at the next RNA meeting.