Minutes of the Mueller Neighborhood Association (MNA) Steering Committee
July 7, 2022
The hybrid meeting was called to order at 7:10pm by Chair Koreena Malone. The meeting was recorded and archived.
Steering Committee (SC) Members present: Shelly Baldwin, Joy Butler, Brett Hall, Koreena Malone, Josh Rudow, Jason Sears, Sarah Seraj, Karen Swenson and Marta White, ex officio
Guests present: Andrew Clements, Angela Garza, Jeff Baloutine, Delia Hyman, Lisa Ramirez
The Minutes of the May 11, 2022 SC Meeting were approved.
Treasurer Jason Sears presented the Profit and Loss Statements and the Balance Sheets for March, April, and May 2022. Total equity as of May 31st was $20,866.81 including cash on hand, gift cards, and merchandise.
Koreena reported that some Block Grant applications had been sent to the wrong e-mail address and therefore hadn’t been processed in a timely manner. The application for the Fairy House required a decision at tonight’s meeting. Request is for $150 to cover some of the materials. Participants will be asked to chip in for the rest of the cost. Karen Swenson moved that the Steering Committee approve the request. The motion was seconded and passed.
Joy Butler shared an update on the Equity Team’s Book Club and the White People Working for Social Justice training coming up this fall. The Book Club is considering a number of titles. Response to the training series has been strong. Some neighbors from adjacent neighborhoods have signed up to participate. Joy is maintaining a waiting list.
Lisa Ramirez, one of the organizers of the Fourth of July Celebration, shared successes and recommendations. She expressed her gratitude to Marta White, Snow White, and Andrew Clements for all their help. Well over 1000 people attended the event and everyone seemed to have fun. Lisa cited the access to the Pavilion and collaboration with local businesses as being critical to the event’s success. She offered the following recommendations for next year: 3-6 months for planning rather than 6 weeks; 3 hours duration rather than 4; possible changes to the parade route to include streets east of Berkman and to avoid blocks with overhanging tree branches. In terms of event planning in general, Lisa recommends scheduling our four big events for 2023 very soon to allow time for planning, reserving the Pavilion, and locating and maintaining procedural files. Others mentioned the importance of considering security and the needs of the residents of Wildflower Terrace and the Overture Apartments.
On the subject of volunteer needs, Koreena reminded SC members of these openings: Fall Fest coordinator; SC liaison for Fall Fest, MNA Tech Support, Sponsorship Chair, Internal Review Committee, and Nominations Committee.
Shelly Baldwin reported that the Bylaws Committee had met four times to review and discuss the MNA Bylaws. Their first draft of recommendations is in the SC Google Drive for members’ review. Ultimately, the final amendments must be approved by the MNA Membership, ideally at the November General Meeting.
Bylaws review and board training will be on the agenda for the proposed SC “retreat” later this summer. Dates were discussed and Saturday, August 13 from 10am to 2pm seemed to work best for the majority of SC members.
Discussion turned to the 3511-3515 Manor Road project. Josh Rudow, Andrew Clements, and Delia Hyman from the JJ Seabrook Neighborhood Association shared their insights after studying the three proposals submitted to the City of Austin. They agree that all three proposals are good but have differing views about which one is best. Delia shared background on JJ Seabrook’s history and, specifically, its involvement with and commitment to affordable housing. JJ Seabrook Neighborhood Association strongly prefers the proposal submitted by Foundation Communities for multiple reasons, primarily because they see it as more family friendly. After Delia spoke, Josh offered a summary of the Transportation and Urban Planning (TUP) Committee’s extensive work and conclusions. The TUP rated the NHP Foundation’s proposal first and Foundation Communities’ second. Josh and Andrew have composed a letter detailing their recommendations that they will share with both the Steering Committee and the General Membership before July 16th. The letter will then be sent to the Austin City Council before its July 28th meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Hart, MNA Secretary
Note that all documents mentioned in these minutes are considered part of the meeting record.