After the jump, the minutes from our April General Membership meeting:

1.     7:05 PM     Call to Order.

2.     7:05 PM    Welcome and Message from the President.  
The President welcomed all residents who were in attendance and asked them to sign in at the door, if they had already completed a membership form.  If not, he requested that they complete that form at the front door.  He also congratulated the members on their participation of the 5th Annual Spring Cleanup.  He then announced that, beginning May 21st, public meetings will be held at Mount Moriah Church, 410 Wharton Street, barring any problems with the insurance policy owned by the Church (which policy will be available for review by the end of this week.

3.   7:10 PM    Roll Call.  Present were:
        President Wiesner        Director Armistead
        Vice-President Hicks        Director Lavini
        Treasurer Hostettler        Director McCabe
        Secretary Savage        Director Winkel
               
4.     7:10 PM     Minutes Adoption.  
The President moved that the Minutes of the March 19, 2012, Meeting, be approved.  Secretary Savage said that, since the Treasurer wanted to add to the Zoning Committee report, approval of the Minutes will be postponed to the May meeting.

5.     7:15 PM     Reports of Officers, Board Members & Standing Committees.

1. Treasurer & Finance Committee.  
1. The Treasurer reported that the Association has $90.00, thanks to the Arden Theatre special “DNCA Night” to view the award-winning play, “Clybourne Park” and an anonymous donation. She also reported that the Board had approved the financial policy guidelines, developed by the Committee; and that the Committee hopes to finalize a 501(c)3 application at its May 14th meeting. The President reported that efforts are being made to seek grants for the Association, and he asked all Committees begin considering projects, which may be funded by such grants.
2. Clean & Green Committee. 
1. Co-Chair Smith-Bashore reported that the Committe is preparing a “Green Map” of our neighborhood, which should be ready within the next few months, and will identify green spaces, gardens, parks, etc.  She announced that the next PSCA/DNCA pruning event will be on April 21st, starting at 13th and Federal.  The Treasurer added that, beginning in May, pruning will be on the 1st Saturday of each month.  The Co-Chair also reported that the Committee is working on organizing a workshop with Urban Jungle.
3. Health/Safety Committee.  
1. The President announced that several volunteers have agreed to sit on the Committee, but no members have agreed to Chair or Co-Chair the Committee.  Discussions at the last meeting were about making homes and cars safer, as well as the recent shootings in the neighborhood.  In that regard, he hopes that the Police Service Area 2 representative will attend a future public meeting.
4. Outreach Committee. 
1. Chair Guha-Roy reported that the Committee had discussed ways to promote the Spring Cleanup; how to educate the members regarding the new voter ID law; and the creation of a “welcome packet” for new neighbors.  Contact has been made with David Beckham of PhillyRising, which is a City-sponsored collaborative that establishes partnerships with community groups to address quality of life issues.
5. Zoning Committee. 
1. In the absence of Chair Seal, the Treasurer reported that the Committee will be hearing 3 applications at the May meeting:  525 Snyder to  expand a 3-story structure into a 3-unit dwelling; 1729 South 5th for new construction of a 3-unit structure with an open space and parking variance; and 525 Wharton, previously denied for an open space and rear yard setback variance, seeking to legalize a duplex. The Committee continued its study of the new zoning code and how it will effect the neighborhood, dumpster ordinances, and the activities of CDAG (www.centraldelawareadvocacygroup.workpress.com).

6.    7:35 PM    Old Business.  Future meetings location.  
The President announced that, barring any unforeseen insurance problems, the next and future public meetings will be held at Mt. Moriah (410 Wharton) on the 3rd Monday of each month. Emilie Davis also discussed the “no flyer” stickers and the need to complete the application, since, without doing so, the City will not be able to follow-up on any complaints.

7.    7:40 PM     New Business.
None.

8.    7:40 PM     Guest Speaker.  
None, but Emilie Davis presented the propoesd Actual Value Initiative (AVI) reassessment process being undertaken by the Office of Property Assessment.  She presented the progress of the Tax Fairness Coalition, which are representatives from civic associations throughout the First Council District that met for the first time to address the concerns of the proposed AVI.  She reported that Councilman Squilla has introduced legislation that would halt the process, until all information has been collected and processed.  The Mayor wants the process to be completed by July 1st, in time for the 2013 budget.  

9. 7:55 PM     Announcements & Events.

• Next DNCA Public Meeting: Monday, May 21st at 7 PM, at Mt. Moriah Church.
• South Philly Coop apparently already has the 200 households of the 250 needed to move to the next phase of development.
• DNCA Committee Meetings. The President urged all members to go to our website for details of these meetings and other events.
• Safety:  Tuesday, May 1st, 6:30 PM, Mount Moriah
• Outreach:  Tuesday, May 1st, 7:30 PM, Mount Moriah
• Zoning:  Wednesday, May 2nd, 6:30 PM, Parsons Building
• Clean & Green:  Wednesday, May 2nd, 7:30 PM, Parsons
• Finance:  Monday May 14th, 7:00 PM (finance@dickinsonnarrows.org)

                                           
11. 8:05PM     Adjournment – S O C I A L