Boylan Heights Association Meeting Minutes

March 26, 2002

 The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m.

The meeting opened with general updates on projects as follows: 

1.      Over Boylan Bridge

The station would be located at West Street, with tracks going over the Boylan Avenue bridge. Because the grade of the station would be too steep to meet sound engineering and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, this option appears to be the least likely. 

2.      Raise Boylan Bridge

This station would be located at West Street, with tracks going under the Boylan Avenue bridge. The bridge would be demolished and rebuilt higher than it is currently. The City of Raleigh appears to prefer this alternative because they believe it would connect better to a future high speed rail station. A higher bridge would intrude visually on the historic character of the n’hood, plus require the bridge grade to start farther back down Boylan. 

3.      Under Fuquay

The station would be located at West Street, with tracks tunneling under the Fuquay rail line and under the Boylan Avenue bridge, then bringing the tracks up and immediately curving them into the station. Concerns here are that the tracks would have a “roller coaster” effect. 

4.      Under Alternative

The station would be located at West Street, with tracks tunneling under the existing rail lines and the bridge. This is more expensive because it requires more length of tunnel. There may also be some drainage issues due to the water table. A pedestrian walkway would connect from the intersection of Boylan and Hargett to the station. This is the alternative overwhelmingly favored by BH residents at the January meeting and it is looking like it is the most likely possibility. 

The TTA Board will meet to discuss the alternatives on April 24. A motion was made to support the “Under Alternative” mitigation by Joseph Huberman. It was seconded by Harrison Marshall and passed unanimously. 

Police Update—Deanna Kerrigan asked for comments on whether things have improved in the n’hood following the January walk-through with Chief Perlov. All in attendance agreed that there is better police presence in cars, on bikes, and on horses throughout Boylan Heights and that response times have improved dramatically. A concern was raised that police not feel like they can unduly harass people. Deanna will send a letter to the chief of police thanking her and her staff for their work. Copies will be sent to the city manager and city council. Beat officers will be invited to attend the Memorial Day picnic. We will invite the Chief to do another walk-through or attend a meeting this spring. 

The BHA is still raising funds for the second sign. 

Demolition by Neglect 

Deanna began by describing the intent of Demolition by Neglect as identifying structures with such comprehensive problems that their existence is at risk. The goal is to identify the totality of problems with specific structures, not just isolated issues. Commission members take their task very seriously and assess all proposed properties with great care. The Historic Districts Commission has asked all downtown historic neighborhood associations to serve as coordinator for demolition by neglect submissions and the BHA is following the criteria and guidance of the Commission in recommending properties. 

Four Boylan Heights residents served on this year’s committee to develop the list of potential properties (Paul Myer, Chuck Dopler, Jeff Groves, and Stella Boyd). They reviewed the properties carefully in light of the Commissions criteria and based on samples of previous demolition by neglect reports. They met together to discuss the list and based on the criteria, suggested nine properties. 

Based on neighborhood feedback, Paul Meyer suggested an alternative process whereby property owners would be given an opportunity to respond prior to the list being voted on by BHA members. We need to be more sensitive to the dignity of property owners whose homes are in bad shape, as we balance the needs of the neighborhood to protect historic properties. There was substantial discussion about insuring that anyone with a property on the list receive information on tax credits and other financial assistance to restore historic properties. Officers stressed that the program is not intended to be punitive, however, it was noted that several properties show up on the list every year, with no attempt by property owners to address the deterioration of their properties. 

Based on this discussion, the following was accepted: 

1.      The demolition by neglect criteria will be published in the BHA newsletter prior to any discussion of which properties are on the list.

2.      Properties identified by the neighborhood committee will be discussed at a spring meeting, but will not be published in the newsletter.

3.      All property owners with properties on the list will receive a letter and time to respond prior to voting on the properties.

4.      A final list of only those properties recommended to the Historic Districts Commission will be published in the newsletter.

5.      Properties returning to the list will receive more aggressive treatment than those on the list for the first time, especially if promised improvements are not made. 

A sample schedule might look like this: 

February            BHA appoints task force and reviews criteria

                        Neighborhood survey of properties 

March              Demolition by neglect criteria published in the BHA newsletter

                        Letters sent from task force to property owners

                        Discussion of potential properties at the meeting 

April                 Review of properties by neighborhood residents

Voting on properties to be recommended to the Historic Districts Commission 

May                 Final list of properties forward to the city published in the BHA newsletter 

 

Dorothea Dix Chimes 

Deanna gave an update on the church chimes at Dorothea Dix, which have been playing loudly, very late at night. Apparently some tech folks at Dix decided it would be good to have the church bells play through the campus PA system. Unfortunately, they also mixed up the programs a.m. and p.m. settings, causing the bells to ring at 9:00 p.m., midnight, and 3:00 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m., noon and 3:00 p.m. The chaplain is working on the problem and has not only left the office where the program is located unlocked, but he has also left instructions on how to turn the system off with the information desk staff. If you hear the chimes during the night again, call 733-5540. 

Memorial Day Picnic 

Project Enlightenment will begin staging for their construction project in early May. This means that the entire lot will be closed with a construction fence and we will not have access to the property for our picnic. Because the Dix staff have invited us to use their property in the past, we will pursue acquiring permission to use the gazebo and property on the east greenway. All agreed this seemed like a good solution and would keep the picnic close to the neighborhood. 

Election of Officers 

The Memorial Day picnic will also include the election of BHA officers for 2002-2003. If anyone is interested in running for office, please contact Deanna Kerrigan at 821-4172 or deanna.kerrigan@ncmail.net. We will publish the potential slate of officers in the April and May newsletters. 

Ken Babb also mentioned that due to his schedule he will not be able to continue as Neighborhood Watch chair next year. 

The next meeting of the BHA will be on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m. 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.