January 8th, 2024 Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Steve Johns at 7:00 PM. Steve thanked the outgoing Secretary Mary Beth Wilker and President, Craig Stanton. This is Steve John’s first meeting as President he had everyone introduce themselves and identify how long they have been in the East End. After running through the agenda and asking if there is anything anyone wants to add, we moved on to the Police Report.

Police Report, Officer Rice
Officer Rice reported on B&E’s and other crimes committed in the neighborhood in the past month. The full report is provided by him on the back table at the meeting.

LeBlond CRC Report, Theresa
Youth to work program applications are open and available for junior counselors. The deadline is March 2, 2024 for those applications. Please encourage any youth that you know. Some of the open positions are lifeguard, working in the recreation center etc. The wage is $12.45/hour. Regina suggested reaching out to Old Coney for their lifeguards.

City of Cincinnati Human Resources Department representative- Steve Johnson
The City of CIncinnati is recruiting to identify city jobs as a career opportunity. Seasonal as well as full time work. Partnering with area high schools, colleges, universities and workforce development organizations to give students throughout the area to work seasonal jobs like lifeguards, etc. They youth need to be 16 years of age. They will be paid $15/hour. LIfeguards will start at $15, the second year $16/hr and their 3rd year $18/hr.

Financial Report, Kathy Schwab
December checks, Riverside Academy $500; Mt. Carmel Baptist $740; Gas cards $400. These three expenses fulfills our NSP grant.
The balance at the end of the month:
$8393 - checking
$8087.23 - savings
$16,480.23 Total Ending balance

The East End gardens were awarded a $1,000 grant from the Urban Agriculture department. This will go to pay for mulch, soil and tools.

The Keep Cincinnati Beautiful Grant ($2,400) that EEAC received for the community gardens, specifically to do improvements buffering/beautifying the area between the new parking and the garden and Spicer Park, must be spent by the end of April. Suggestions are wanted for plantings along that fence line.

President Report, Steve Johns

• Duke Energy has begun the demolition of their old pump station. The entire building will be torn down. There will be representatives at the February meeting. What questions would we like to ask them:
  • Is all the equipment removed?
  • Where are the pictures? Have they been archived?
  • Will the community be able to program the property and use it as a park?
• Energy Bill assistance is available for residents.
• Greater Cincinnati Water Works Main Replacement Project which started in January will continue through the summer with partial lane closings. They are currently replacing the service lines on both the south and north side. Sometime this summer the street will be shut down except for thru traffic.
• Calendar of events for the year:
  • East End Cleanup - April
  • Flying Pig Marathon - May 3-5, 2024
  • 3rd Saturday in June is the East End Day not Heritage Party
  • Paddlefest (august 2-3)
  • Queen Been Run (October 12)
  • Thanksgiving (November) Mt. Carmel Baptist Church
  • Holiday Toy Drive - (December) CRC, Riverside Academy
  • Light the Drive (December) - Connie Green
• Parking project is nearing completion. Joe suggested we direct all delivery trucks to Riverside and off Babb Alley. There is a concern that the huge food delivery/tractor trailers that use the paper alley (Garden Way) to back up into will damage the new pavers that the city has laid.
  The Council will speak to the manager of Eli’s who seems to be the offender. Kathy Schwab will reach out to the City Engineering department.
• Attention will be dedicated to replacement of the fence at Spicer Park and beautification improvements at Spicer Park as well as the Gateway Garden. This will be paid for by a KCB grant and a donation from the East End Business District.
• The EEAC assisted in the submission of a State Capital budget request for a new roof for the Pendleton Heritage Center. Of all the projects submitted to the local committee, the Pendleton was recommended to go on to the State. There is a difference between the State Capital Budget (which is state-wide capital funding for projects) and the City’s CBR (capital budget request) that happens every two years and is available for each city neighborhood to suggest up to 3 capital projects.
• We received a thank you note from Mt. Carmel Baptist Church for our donation.
• Would like to start a Facebook page for neighborhood news. No comments would be allowed.
  This would go a long way to getting more news and information out to more residents.
• MSD is installing a new plant on Kellogg. Construction is ongoing

NSP Report, Regina Moss
The Total NSP expenses for 2023 ($9,848) that have been submitted to Invest in Neighborhoods:

1. Communication - $3372
   • Techy OBM $1080
   • Beacon Audio Video - $2602
2. Neighborhood Beautification - $2600
   • Brown & Riverside – weed and clean up at Bus stop.
   • the benches by bus stops and other areas identified by residents.
   • Hoff Avenue Clean and expansion of city property
   • Maintenance at Collins
3. Community Engagement - $4000
   • Pendleton Center - $500 for Round Tables
   • Riverside East (see from General Funds)
   • Annual community engagement
   • Mural - community project

The NSP Budget for 2024 was presented. Regina broke down into the same 3 categories for a total of $7,375 available for the EEAC in 2024. Being proposed: $1,600 for our Communications; $3,800 for overall community events and $1,975 for Beautification for a total of $7,375. Regina asked if there was a motion to approve this budget for 2024 NSP funding for the EEAC. There was a motion to approve by Tim Hinde and seconded by Joe Zimmerman. The motion passed had unanimous approval (see attached sign-in sheet). This NSP budget for 2024 will be submitted to the Invest in Neighborhood Board.

Action Items
Working committees and leads have been set up if anyone is interested in helping with them:

• Spicer Park - Anna
• Garden - Michael
• Riverside Drive - Craig
• Beautification of East End - Tanya

Kemper Avenue Crosswalk and Delta at Riverside - no ADA access. . These are two areas we would like to see improvements. Propose Signage to say “no trucks” at Delta bridge and Stanley bridge these two problem areas. Steve asked for a motion to authorize the board to apply for capital money to address these two problem areas.

• motion to approve by Zack Davidson
• seconded by Richard Spicer
• no discussion
• motion approved with no dissents

Old Business
Spicer Park - The 3East business district has committed to $2500 in improvements and as part of the KCB grant, we have funds to add plantings to the Spicer Park. THe KCB grant has to be spent by April.

Zack moved to adjourn the meeting
Richard 2nd and the meeting ended at 8:00.