Capitol View Neighborhood Association
MEETING MINUTES – April 16, 2009
The meeting was called to order at 7:08 p.m.
28 people were in attendance.
The March 19, 2009, minutes were read and accepted.
Officers’ Reports
President’s Report: Nothing to report
Vice President’s Report: Absent.
Secretary’s Report: Capitol View stickers are available from neighbor Andre Arriaga at 404-630-0577. The Tire Shop on Dill and Metropolitan has been closed, and an EPD ordered cleanup of the property is underway. The Church’s has also closed. No word yet on what will happen with those properties. A spring book sale will take place at Stewart-Lakewood library after the Earth Day festivities.
Treasurer’s Report: Tony Thaxton, Jr. reported that we have $2399.49 in our SunTrust account, $451.39 in our PayPal account, and $2167.12 in dedicated funds. The total of undedicated funds is $683.76.
New Business
House in the Park: Event will take place at Perkerson Park for the fifth year this Labor Day, September 6 from noon to 8:00pm. Organizers will have increased police support for the event. September 6th. Neighborhood enthusiastically endorsed the event. More information available at the website: ramonrawsoul.com, or by contacting Ramon at ramonrawsoul@yahoo.com.
City of New Hope: Emmanuel church is interested in redeveloping the block between Sylvan, Dill, Erin, and Hartford. Project would provide assisted living facility for seniors for 178 people. 15 retail spaces would provide 40 jobs in the community. Funding is available for micro-loans up to $35,000 for prospective businesses. Access for funding up to $10 million dollars for project. Consultant invested in the neighborhood by purchasing a home on Athens Avenue. Church is devoted to this project, but the neighborhood has reservations about the project. Concerns were expressed about its impact on the area across the street, as well as the current design of the building. Also, many were concerned about plans to tear down the current buildings on the lot. The church will unveil the project to the larger community on Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm.
Atlanta Housing Authority: Representatives from the agency are encouraging neighbors to report any concerns about problems with specific properties. Although the agency can’t reveal which houses are a part of Housing Choice (Section 8) program, it will respond to any concerns. The program was also explained. Families are now able to move to any place in the city. Families are required to be working a minimum of 30 hours of week, to be in school, or to be in vocational program. Families must go through Good Neighbors program. Concerns about specific properties should be reported to their Customer & Community Relations Center at 888-242-4968.
Nicole Thomas (Site Engineering) on the sewer issues: Contracted to discuss work on the sewer in Capitol View. Door hangers will be placed on door knobs at least 72 hours before work begins. Ms. Thomas says she is in the neighborhood if anyone has questions. There are two separate contractors working in the neighborhood, so concerns may need to be addressed to Lanzo-Thrasher. She can be reached at Nicole@siteengineeringinc.com.
Operation High Five: The neighborhood supported the submission of Perkins Auto Recycling to Code Enforcement for their latest operation, for officers to focus on five properties in each NPU. Many felt that Perkins Auto’s flagrant disregard for city codes made them a perfect candidate for this program.
Rep. Ralph Long: Expressed concern about city services. Willing to accept private calls from constituents who wish to discuss any concerns with him at 770-616-2130. He hasn’t endorsed any of the candidates for mayor yet.
Zone 3 police representative: Auto Theft across the zone has dramatically decreased, but burglaries are up and police are very concerned. Police are still aggressively investigating Perkins Auto, although their hands are tied on what steps they can take against the business. The APD are also investigating “The Playground,” an illegal club operating on Murphy Avenue in the Sylvan Hills neighborhood. The club was checked as recently as Monday. Unfortunately, it operates sporadically. The owner of the property is pursuing the proper licenses necessary to make this a legitimate club, and the neighborhood may need to act to prevent that in the future. The association thanked the officer for his help with issues of crime and enforcement in the neighborhood. The consensus was that safety had improved measurably since Capitol View was moved from Zone 4 to Zone 3.
Junction Street Properties: No update on efforts to obtain a delay in EPD order to clean up property at Exide Battery Plant. JSP hopes to develop property into residences, either condos or apartments. The neighborhood has previously opposed this delay, but JSP hopes to persuade the neighborhood to eventually endorse their plans for the site.
Feet on Atlanta: Survey is being made of metro Atlanta to determine the health of sidewalks and how much needs to be repaired. Property owners can be fined for sidewalks that are damages and need to be fixed, however, homeowners won’t be assessed for tripping hazards and root damage. People who participate can win a $75 gift certificate at a running shoe store. More information available at peds.org/take_action/feet-on-atlanta.
The Capitol VIEW: Lisa made desperate appeal for stories or any good contributions to the newsletter. She can be reached at info@capitolview.org. She also encouraged residents to participate in the cleanup to celebrate Earth Day is on Saturday at Perkerson Park.
Meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m.
Click here for the meeting minutes in MWord format: CVNA Minutes for April 2009