Lewton-Rich Neighborhood Association

March. 16, 2006

1.     Welcome—Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

2.     Pledge

 

3.     Introductions:  19 adults and 1 child were present

 

4.     Minutes:  The minutes were read and approved.

 

5.     Treasurer’s Report:  Dick Stuckman reported that they opened a new checking account and deposited $167.67.

 

6.     County Commissioner’s report:  Vic Celentino came, but had to leave early for a judiciary meeting.  He brought Ingham County Directories for everyone.  (If you need one, please contact him.)  He is working on the Waverly Road issue. He is really working hard to get Waverly Road resurfaced. They worked with the road commission to resurface two parts of Waverly—the railroad to St. Joe, and Saginaw to Willow.  The rest of the road will be done in 2008.  The two parts that are worst will be done first. Construction would start in early June.   A discussion ensued about the bridge on Waverly at Mt. Hope and the lack of a sidewalk to the west, after the bridge ends. (the current sidewalk ends at the first driveway. )  The continuation would be a part of Lansing Township, and Vic said that he would look into it.

 

7.     Police Dept’s report:  Jason reported that there was a robbery at D-R school, and they are investigating it.  There was a B & E on Cooper; they got a fingerprint, but aren’t sure who it belongs to.  They are continuing to investigate. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet month.  They are expecting to be busy with the upcoming warmer months.

 

He cautioned us to be careful when backing out of our driveways, due to increased walkers.  He has been concentrating on the Lewon School area with speeders.

 

Thanks were given to Jason regarding the removal of the “parked car on the curve” that has been removed. 

 

Jason told us that Officer Jerry Bloe is the new night shift policeman for our area.

 

A question was raised about a rash of burglaries occurring in garages—that one of the neighbors heard about; Jason hadn’t heard about this other than one on Cambridge, but it was due to the gardener leaving the door open.  He did mention that if you do have a burglary, to please make sure that it is reported.  If you don’t report, it will not be known to the authorities and you do no favor to yourself or your neighbors when you keep it to yourself. 

 

There was an accidental shooting down on Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, March 14th.  The story kept changing, and it actually wasn’t in our neighborhood.

 

8.     Guest Speaker:  Adalberto Zavala, Jr. spoke to us.  He is the Outreach Worker for the Southside Community Coalition.  He brought information about the programs that the Southside sponsors.  They provide ESL classes, Teen groups, Quit Smoking Assistance, Senior Coffee Hour, Remembering Pets program, Ingham Healthy Smiles Dental Center, and the Food Commodity program.

  

There will be a St. Patrick’s Day Party on March 17th, at 6:00 p.m. at the Southside Community Center (2101 W. Holmes Rd., next to Quality Dairy). (For the commodity program, the income level must be below $1500.00 per month).  You can call for further information.

 

9.     Neighborhood Watch Reminder: 

 

a.   Do not leave bikes in front of your house unattended.  Don’t give the bad guy a chance to

drive off on your bike.

b.   Leave your porch light on at night to deter crime.  Also, playing your radio/TV while you are gone is helpful.

 

10.                       City Council Report:  Carol Wood brought the Potential Budget Balancing Strategies from the Administration for the 2007 budget.  There are 30 strategies proposed, and there is a TV broadcast on March 27. Carol talked about how important public input is in the process, and that council listens to us.

 

There will be meetings held on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at Foster, at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Gardner.  City Council needs to cut $10 million, and they need a lot of community input.  We can also call City Council members to give input.  The secretary’s number is 483-4177, and you can leave a message for a council member. 

 

Carol mentioned the Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy and the School for the Blind. This issue has been in the paper lately.  Our new mayor also wanted to do something with this property, and made a proposal. 

  

Currently there is a plan to purchase the property and put some houses on it;   The Academy was offered the 3.5 acres. They wanted the entire area, but is now counter-offering and wanting for 6.9 acres.  There was a public meeting, and the people wanted a compromise, with less density than was proposed. 

 

Council will probably make a recommendation, but there is nothing for council to really make a decision on, due to a lack of ability. 

 

The Zoo was another issue that was brought up, and the idea of making it a regional zoo, not just city.  Many city attractions are funded by the city, although used primarily by non-city people.  We are urged to make our voices heard.

 

11.                       Code Compliance Officer’s Report: Greg Scrimger was present and talked about the neighborhood and the areas that he was working on. 

 

He has been working on areas with trash and debris violations. There were 494 red tags in January, and they’ve decreased by 21 in two months. 

 

He also talked about front yard parking.   It is not legal to park on your grass.  You must get any parking not in the driveway approved.  (483-4485 is the number to call to go through the zoning appeals, and the person’s name is Susan). 

 

He stated when doing home repairs, material to be disposed of must be appropriately taken care of.  He mentioned that grass over 8” is a violation, and citizens have 24 hours to remove any snow. Parking is not allowed on the street between 2 and 5 a.m.

 

The fence issue is a big one also.  You may not have more than a 6’ fence in the front yard. Greg’s number is 483-7620.  He will follow up on any violations.  Board of Water and Light deals with city lights and potholes, and you can access these numbers on the website.

 

12.                       Public comment:

 

a.   Comment was made about being appreciative about the emails sent to neighbors, being helpful.

 

13.                       Old Business:

a.   Street Sign Toppers:  We wrote a grant to get street toppers last year and we will be getting them up very soon according to the Transportation Dept.

 

14.                       New Business:

a.   Underage Drinking Forum in East Lansing, Hannah Center on March 21st from 7-8:30 p.m.  Free Admission.

 

15.                       Comment on Agenda items:

a.   Next month our speaker will be an attorney who will be talking to us about wills and powers of attorney

 

16.                       Raffle

17.         Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Micki

Micki Fuhrman, Secretary