Boylan Heights Association Meeting Minutes

November 19,2002

#1 Beat Officers/ Crime Report

Cpl. K.S. "Ken" Newton of the Raleigh Police Department urged Boylan Heights' residents to call the police whenever they see suspicious people in the neighborhood. He suggested that homeless men are responsible for most of the petty crimes in the neighborhood including chair, plant and grill thefts from porches.

"You know who doesn't belong here, you know who does," he said. "If you're even in doubt whether to call 911, just call. Don't feel bad about calling 911."

Newton gave past BHA president, Deanna Kerrigan, his email address and asked that she update him about concerns and trends. Deanna will act as the middleman and pass information on to him and receive updates as well. Alert her to anything troubling you.

The Community Watch Committee has met twice.

ACTION POINT: Invite the city's animal control officer to attend one of the future meetings to address the issue of nuisance dogs.

#2 Dorothea Dix Development

Joseph Huberman, a member of DixCP, the group working to preserve open space at Dix, presented the draft master plan for the Spring Hill Precinct. The precinct sits on the west side of the Dix campus. NC State owns the property and hopes to develop it - with the help of corporate partners - as part of Centennial Campus.

The official master plan won't be developed until after the last meeting of the "Master Plan Advisory Group" Dec. 3.

Once the master plan is finalized, it will be submitted to city officials and a public comment period will start.

"The plan is sort of a wish list," Huberman said. "Nothing is going to happen for a couple of years."

DixCP makes eight points about the draft plan. They are:

• "We are very pleased that Barbour Drive, the tree-lined road is being preserved primarily for pedestrian and bicycle traffic and that vehicle traffic is being focused on the other side of the buildings along Centennial Boulevard.
• The Kendall Circle area should be preserved as a park (Kendall Circle is the NE most collection of houses and trees surrounded by a small paved road).
• The Green just south of Kendall Circle should be a public amphitheater connected to the Kendall Circle Park. There should be no building between these two areas.
• The building complex at the southern end of the plan is on a very steep slope, and it should be left natural, or "best building practices" must be observed to protect the character of the land.
• Options should be explored to minimize the impact of the road running parallel to Centennial Blvd., possibly incorporating parts of it into the parking areas.
• We are pleased that there is a substantial pedestrian path network and would like to see more thought put into the placement of the path from the perspective of the pedestrian particularly when walking in the hot summer sun.
• The Southern Access Road climbs a steep slope that will require much cutting and filling. Other means of access to that area should be explored.
• This property originally contained a self-sufficient farming operation within the hospital complex. An agricultural component focused on sustainable use would respect this historic heritage."

ACTION POINT: Meeting participants voted unanimously to say that BHA supports the DixCP recommendations.

SECOND ACTION POINT: Huberman also asked BH residents to select several recommendations they most care about and write university officials about the points before the Dec. 3 meeting. Send comments to:

The Office of the University Architect
Campus Box 7519
NCSU
Raleigh, NC 27695-7519

You can read more about DixCP at their website: www.dixcp.org.

#3 Report from BHA President Paul Meyer

A. Meyer continues to attend meetings of the Liveable Streets Partnership on behalf of BHA. The group consists of several hundred people working to develop a plan for downtown development. Issues include: whether and where to build a new convention center and changing one-way streets to two-way roads. The group meets next on Thursday, Nov. 21 to discuss transportation and downtown parking.

B. The West Side Coalition, also called the Gateway Coalition, has hired J. Davis Architect firm for the project's first phase. The coalition's goal is to develop a small area plan for the area that includes the Warehouse District, Boylan Heights and Heritage Park. It also wants to get the area designated as a redevelopment zone, making it eligible for city grants.

Phase I involves mapping out the district, identifying vacant areas and existing zoning and then deciding what to change.

C. Workers are set to break ground at the Old Depot (across from the Amtrak station) the first or second week of December. Tenants have not been revealed, but the spot is expected to include high-end shops and restaurants.

D. Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill invited BH to participate in their "Light a Luminary" project. Luminary kits cost $5 each and include eight white candles, bags and instruction kits. People gathered at the meeting decided to make the information available on the BH web site. BH residents can contact the Ronald McDonald House to buy the kits if they like.

ACTION POINT: Someone needs to talk to the Proctors to set the night in December for caroling. People suggested the luminaries could be lit that night.

#4 Artwalk 2002

Reminder: The Artwalk is scheduled for Sunday Dec. 8 from 1-5 p.m.

ACTION POINT: Volunteers still needed for manning tables where the BHA baked goods will be sold. Positions available include:

a.. 1 person to help with setting up the tables. Start time: 11 a.m.
b.. 1 person to work at the tables. Time: 1-3 p.m.
c.. 3 people to work at the tables. Time: 3-5 p.m.
d.. 1 person to coordinate hot beverage service
Email Paul at paul.meyer@ncacc.org if you'd like to help.

#5 Reformation of BHA?

Noting the consistently low attendance at BHA meetings, Paul Meyer asked what the association could do to make itself more attractive and effective. He has talked to people who suggest eliminating monthly BHA meetings in favor of quarterly meetings.

Most BH residents in attendance disliked the idea of quarterly meetings.

Joseph Huberman said he has been attending neighborhood meetings for 25 years and he finds the association works well. A core group helps to keep BHA running. Because of their efforts, BHA is able to respond well when big things happen in the neighborhood including - for instance - the plans to build the light rail station.

Deanna suggested making some of the meetings "workshop meetings" where residents could learn to repair old windows or compost.

The monthly newsletter has not been delivered in two months in part because residents failed to supply the coordinator with stories. There was some talk of limiting the newsletter to those BH residents who DO NOT receive neighborhood email updates. That way, the coordinator could simply fill the newsletter with content from the emails and minutes from previous meetings. Ultimately, however, most agreed they enjoyed receiving the emails and a hard copy of the newsletter.

ACTION POINT: The newsletter coordinator can edit information from the emails for the monthly update.