Salemtown Neighbors Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes
February 27, 2017
Meeting was called to order at 605pm my Lindsey Cox (SNNA president). A list of the members and guests in attendance will be maintained on record. The previous meeting minutes (January 2016) will be reviewed and voted on in our March meeting.
1.Community Reports
a.Mitch Kornberg- Community Liaison Officer Metro Nashville PD
Sgt. Kornberg noted that the current crime statistics for our area are similar to his other recent reports. The majority of the reported incidents involve motor vehicle thefts and thefts from motor vehicles. He reminded neighbors not to leave valuables in their cars and to ensure that the car doors are locked when it is parked.
He also noted that there had been a couple of incidents at the Kroger at Madison and Rosa Parks. He said that all the incidents occurred on the poorly lit back and sides of the building. Sgt. Kornberg suggested that people only park in a well lit area and always be aware of your surroundings.
A neighbor requested an update on the theft of packages in the neighborhood. Sgt. Kornberg had not brought specific information regarding that issue, but he did encourage all who have had a package stolen to alert the police and file a report. He mentioned that this information would also be forwarded to the Postmaster as stealing mail is a federal crime.
b.Metro Councilman Freddie O’Connell
The Edgehill Neighborhood has developed an alternative to their zoning structure that allows them to have some say in the design and layout of new projects. He has been discussing their proposals with Lindsey, and SNNA may develop a similar plan.
Member Donnie Kraft expressed his frustration regarding the somewhat frequent neighborhood issues with theft and vandalism. Freddie agreed. Unfortunately, much of this activity is done by juveniles and if caught, the consequences don’t seem to be enough to deter further activity. He feels like our move from Central to North Precinct (and away from the detectives that specialize in the investigation of property crime) did not help our situation. He asked for neighborhood involvement to push city officials to make changes. In the meantime being active in your neighborhood, knowing your neighbors and looking out for them are among the most helpful things you can do to make this a safer place to live.
2.Committee Reports: The SNNA committees provide the real meat of SNNA. They are the ones that organize the events and put in the hours to make SNNA what it is. The goal of this association to positively affect the lives of the residents of this neighborhood by making it a safer, more beautiful and friendly place to live, could never be attained without the work of the people that serve on these committees. We are always needing more hands to help Salemtown be the kind of place we know that it can be. If you are interested in serving SNNA in any way, such as serving on the board, serving on a standing committee or in a new way, please contact a board member.
a.Neighbors to Neighbors (Social Outreach): There are a number of events on tap for Spring 2017
i.Annual Egg Hunt (in conjunction with Germantown Neighborhood Association)
April 9, 2pm at Morgan Park near the play structure. We will need volunteers for set up, clean up and a master of ceremonies to lead the event. We will also be seeking stuffed egg donations.
ii.Neighborhood Clean Up Day (In conjunction with the Mayor’s city wide clean up efforts)
Saturday April 22 from 9am to 11am, meeting at the corner of 5th and Buchanan. We will need volunteers to pick up trash. All supplies will be provided by Public Works.
iii.Teacher Appreciation Week (May 1-5) at Buena Vista Elementary
The Goal is to provide a fun treat for the educators and staff each day of this week. This project is in the planning stages and we are open to thoughts, but some of the ideas so far have been things like: Providing lunch, providing breakfast, making signs to decorate the teachers area, games with prizes of gift cards. We will need donations of gift cards, cash, food, artistic talent, and fun ideas. If you have availability in the daytime this week, we could use help organizing a team to deliver these treats to the school.
iv.Summer School Supply Drive
We held our first school supply drive for Buena Vista Elementary last summer, and plan on doing it again this year, starting in June with Pink Flamingo Happy Hour. They anticipate reduced enrolement next year, which is accompanied with a resulting drop in funding. Therefore donations of supplies, uniforms and technology will be even more important. If your company is looking for a place to make a donation, this would be a great opportunity as the school needs to replace computers and other high dollar items.
Another goal of N2N is to connect neighbors with social service projects that they are passionate about. If you are interested in volunteering in anyway, contact Mindy Quinn, and she will help you find a project. There are plenty of opportunities available performing a diverse set of services in and around our neighborhood.
b.Social Committee
The social committee has pulled together the event calendar for 2017. The list will include the Sip n’ Stroll garden tour in May, and Pink Flamingo Happy Hour every Thursday evening in June and July. Door hangers with the entire calendar have been ordered and will be distributed in the coming weeks.
3.Updates from Board Members
a.Treasurer: Rochell Pierce (given by Lindsey Cox)
We are currently collecting 2017 dues. It is still only $25 per household, which can be waived if the fee is a hardship. You can pay your dues on our website using Paypal or in person at the monthly membership meeting.
The numbers are in from the 2016 Halloween Block Party. Our event organizer and neighbor Jack Davis generously donated his share of the profits from the event to bring SNNA’s profit to $1000. We are still working on colleting the promised donation from the developer of the project at 4th and Garfield. Once that is collected, Lindsey will be producing a 2017 budget that will be voted on by the membership.
b.Secretary: Mindy Quinn
The website (www.salemtownneighbors.org) has been updated with the most recent meeting minutes as well as some photos from the Mardi Gras Mixer earlier this month. You can send me photos from events to put on the site.
You can follow SNNA on Instagram –Look for Salemtown Neighbors.
The Salemtown Neighbohood sign at 5th and Hume was knocked down by a large box truck last month. Lindsey has contacted the company, and is in discussion with them regarding reinstalling the sign.
The Salemtown Market at the corner of 7th and Garfield is for sale for $1 million. Salemtown does not have zoning for commercial property, but there are a few locations that were grandfathered in. This is one of those locations, however, that has expired, and any new owner would need to reapply for commercial status.
River North—the newly proposed development project to be located on the east side of the river from Germantown and Salemtown is underway. This is a 7 year project with proposed commercial and residential development along with some potential green space.
There are two ordinances before the Metro Council regarding the regulation of short term rental properties such as AirBnB . The first would put a one year moratorium on all Type 2 (Non owner occupied, single family or duplex) and Type 3 (Non owner occupied, multifamily) STRs. The second would make all type 2 and 3 STRs illegal in residential neighborhoods. Up to this time SNNA has not taken a formal stand in the STR debate other than encourage neighbors to follow current laws. Over the next month the association will be distributing the exact language of these proposed changes, and seeking answers to the questions of neighbors, in preparation for a vote regarding the official SNNA position on these two ordinances. There is also a bill before our state legislature regarding the limitation of city and municipal regulations of STRs. SNNA will be keeping an eye on this as well. If you feel strongly regarding the state issue, you should contact our representatives, Bill Beck and Thelma Harper.
Lindsey has been in contact with the Historic Germantown Neighborhood Association regarding a potential plan to facilitate regular street cleaning. This plan is likely to involve planning street parking to allow for the street sweepers to have better access to both sides of the street.
The meeting was adjourned at 715pm.
February 27, 2017
Meeting was called to order at 605pm my Lindsey Cox (SNNA president). A list of the members and guests in attendance will be maintained on record. The previous meeting minutes (January 2016) will be reviewed and voted on in our March meeting.
1.Community Reports
a.Mitch Kornberg- Community Liaison Officer Metro Nashville PD
Sgt. Kornberg noted that the current crime statistics for our area are similar to his other recent reports. The majority of the reported incidents involve motor vehicle thefts and thefts from motor vehicles. He reminded neighbors not to leave valuables in their cars and to ensure that the car doors are locked when it is parked.
He also noted that there had been a couple of incidents at the Kroger at Madison and Rosa Parks. He said that all the incidents occurred on the poorly lit back and sides of the building. Sgt. Kornberg suggested that people only park in a well lit area and always be aware of your surroundings.
A neighbor requested an update on the theft of packages in the neighborhood. Sgt. Kornberg had not brought specific information regarding that issue, but he did encourage all who have had a package stolen to alert the police and file a report. He mentioned that this information would also be forwarded to the Postmaster as stealing mail is a federal crime.
b.Metro Councilman Freddie O’Connell
The Edgehill Neighborhood has developed an alternative to their zoning structure that allows them to have some say in the design and layout of new projects. He has been discussing their proposals with Lindsey, and SNNA may develop a similar plan.
Member Donnie Kraft expressed his frustration regarding the somewhat frequent neighborhood issues with theft and vandalism. Freddie agreed. Unfortunately, much of this activity is done by juveniles and if caught, the consequences don’t seem to be enough to deter further activity. He feels like our move from Central to North Precinct (and away from the detectives that specialize in the investigation of property crime) did not help our situation. He asked for neighborhood involvement to push city officials to make changes. In the meantime being active in your neighborhood, knowing your neighbors and looking out for them are among the most helpful things you can do to make this a safer place to live.
2.Committee Reports: The SNNA committees provide the real meat of SNNA. They are the ones that organize the events and put in the hours to make SNNA what it is. The goal of this association to positively affect the lives of the residents of this neighborhood by making it a safer, more beautiful and friendly place to live, could never be attained without the work of the people that serve on these committees. We are always needing more hands to help Salemtown be the kind of place we know that it can be. If you are interested in serving SNNA in any way, such as serving on the board, serving on a standing committee or in a new way, please contact a board member.
a.Neighbors to Neighbors (Social Outreach): There are a number of events on tap for Spring 2017
i.Annual Egg Hunt (in conjunction with Germantown Neighborhood Association)
April 9, 2pm at Morgan Park near the play structure. We will need volunteers for set up, clean up and a master of ceremonies to lead the event. We will also be seeking stuffed egg donations.
ii.Neighborhood Clean Up Day (In conjunction with the Mayor’s city wide clean up efforts)
Saturday April 22 from 9am to 11am, meeting at the corner of 5th and Buchanan. We will need volunteers to pick up trash. All supplies will be provided by Public Works.
iii.Teacher Appreciation Week (May 1-5) at Buena Vista Elementary
The Goal is to provide a fun treat for the educators and staff each day of this week. This project is in the planning stages and we are open to thoughts, but some of the ideas so far have been things like: Providing lunch, providing breakfast, making signs to decorate the teachers area, games with prizes of gift cards. We will need donations of gift cards, cash, food, artistic talent, and fun ideas. If you have availability in the daytime this week, we could use help organizing a team to deliver these treats to the school.
iv.Summer School Supply Drive
We held our first school supply drive for Buena Vista Elementary last summer, and plan on doing it again this year, starting in June with Pink Flamingo Happy Hour. They anticipate reduced enrolement next year, which is accompanied with a resulting drop in funding. Therefore donations of supplies, uniforms and technology will be even more important. If your company is looking for a place to make a donation, this would be a great opportunity as the school needs to replace computers and other high dollar items.
Another goal of N2N is to connect neighbors with social service projects that they are passionate about. If you are interested in volunteering in anyway, contact Mindy Quinn, and she will help you find a project. There are plenty of opportunities available performing a diverse set of services in and around our neighborhood.
b.Social Committee
The social committee has pulled together the event calendar for 2017. The list will include the Sip n’ Stroll garden tour in May, and Pink Flamingo Happy Hour every Thursday evening in June and July. Door hangers with the entire calendar have been ordered and will be distributed in the coming weeks.
3.Updates from Board Members
a.Treasurer: Rochell Pierce (given by Lindsey Cox)
We are currently collecting 2017 dues. It is still only $25 per household, which can be waived if the fee is a hardship. You can pay your dues on our website using Paypal or in person at the monthly membership meeting.
The numbers are in from the 2016 Halloween Block Party. Our event organizer and neighbor Jack Davis generously donated his share of the profits from the event to bring SNNA’s profit to $1000. We are still working on colleting the promised donation from the developer of the project at 4th and Garfield. Once that is collected, Lindsey will be producing a 2017 budget that will be voted on by the membership.
b.Secretary: Mindy Quinn
The website (www.salemtownneighbors.org) has been updated with the most recent meeting minutes as well as some photos from the Mardi Gras Mixer earlier this month. You can send me photos from events to put on the site.
You can follow SNNA on Instagram –Look for Salemtown Neighbors.
- President: Lindsey Cox
The Salemtown Neighbohood sign at 5th and Hume was knocked down by a large box truck last month. Lindsey has contacted the company, and is in discussion with them regarding reinstalling the sign.
The Salemtown Market at the corner of 7th and Garfield is for sale for $1 million. Salemtown does not have zoning for commercial property, but there are a few locations that were grandfathered in. This is one of those locations, however, that has expired, and any new owner would need to reapply for commercial status.
River North—the newly proposed development project to be located on the east side of the river from Germantown and Salemtown is underway. This is a 7 year project with proposed commercial and residential development along with some potential green space.
There are two ordinances before the Metro Council regarding the regulation of short term rental properties such as AirBnB . The first would put a one year moratorium on all Type 2 (Non owner occupied, single family or duplex) and Type 3 (Non owner occupied, multifamily) STRs. The second would make all type 2 and 3 STRs illegal in residential neighborhoods. Up to this time SNNA has not taken a formal stand in the STR debate other than encourage neighbors to follow current laws. Over the next month the association will be distributing the exact language of these proposed changes, and seeking answers to the questions of neighbors, in preparation for a vote regarding the official SNNA position on these two ordinances. There is also a bill before our state legislature regarding the limitation of city and municipal regulations of STRs. SNNA will be keeping an eye on this as well. If you feel strongly regarding the state issue, you should contact our representatives, Bill Beck and Thelma Harper.
Lindsey has been in contact with the Historic Germantown Neighborhood Association regarding a potential plan to facilitate regular street cleaning. This plan is likely to involve planning street parking to allow for the street sweepers to have better access to both sides of the street.
The meeting was adjourned at 715pm.