Come to ONE meeting to help with all of our committees:  Outreach, Safety, Clean & Green!

Committee(s) Meeting
Tuesday, March 5th @ 7:00pm
Mount Moriah Church
410 Wharton Street
Questions?  email info@dickinsonquarewest.org

We’ll be discussing our upcoming Spring Clean Up (April 13th), proposed bylaws and more.  Forward this email onto a neighbor today!

Join us the third Tuesday of the month,
THIS Tuesday

Dickinson Square West
General Membership Meeting
Tuesday, February 19th
Mt. Moriah Church (410 Wharton Street)
7pm – 8pm

Missed the last meeting?  Check out our draft minutes from that meeting.

Resolve in 2013 to improve the neighborhood!
Please note we’ve moved all our meetings to Tuesdays!
Join us the third Tuesday of the month…

DNCA General Membership meeting
Tuesday, January 15th
Mt. Moriah Church (410 Wharton Street)
7pm – 8pm

We’re considering a name change, what do you think?  Got an idea?  Suggestion?
Here’s some of our top contenders:

• West Southwark Neighbors
• 456
• Dickinson Narrows (keep the same name)
• Washington Square West
• West Moyamensing Neighbors
• Sophia

We’ll be voting in a new name at our January General Meeting or send your name change nomination to info@dickinsonnarrows.org

Monday, December 17, 2012

Mt. Moriah (410 Wharton)
MINUTES – Proposed: To be approved on 1/15/13

1. 7:05 PM Call to Order.

2. 7:05 PM President’s Welcome & Message. The President welcomed all residents who were in attendance, announced that, beginning in January, the Board/Community meetings would be held on the third Tuesday of each month, and committee meetings, with the exception of the Finance Committee, would be held on the first Tuesday of each month. He then asked the Officers and Directors to introduce themselves. He also announced that the Agenda for this meeting was “light”, so that everyone could enjoy each other’s company over pizza and “goodies”.

3. 7:10 PM Roll Call. Present were:

• President Wiesner
• Secretary Savage
• Vice-President Hicks
• Director Lavini
• Treasurer Hostettler
• Director Winkel

4. 7:10 PM Minutes Adoption. The President asked for a motion to approve the Minutes of the November 19, 2012 Board Meeting. The Vice-President so moved; the Treasurer seconded; and all present so approved.

5. 7:10 PM Reports of Officers, Board Members & Standing Committees.
A. Bylaws. The President reported that the Committee has identified provisions that are unclear or with which there are disagreements. Bylaws of neighboring civics are being examined. It is the intention of the Committee to report to the Board in January with a list of issues to be resolved. Thereafter, a draft of the new Bylaws will be approved by the Board for submission to the General Membership for consideration and then a vote. He noted that timing is important, since new Bylaws must be part of our 501(c) 3 application to the IRS for non-profit status.

B. Finance Committee. The Treasurer reported that the DNCA account has a balance of $9,503.78, with a few routine expenses yet to be paid. She stated that she and the Committee will be preparing an annual report, which should be ready for the January meeting. She reminded all present that we do have money for Committee expenditures and urge all with ideas to contact her or the Committee Chairs.

C. Outreach Committee. The Vice-President reported that the Committee continues to discuss the design and distribution of door-hangers for January meeting of the Board, improving our website, considering ideas for a welcome package for new neighbors, and social events in February and thereafter. He asked anyone with pictures of our neighborhood, of events, of residents, etc. please to give them to the Committee for use in future fliers, on the website, etc.

6. 7:25 PM Old Business.
A. Civic Association Name. The President explained that many residents have suggested that our civic change its name. If we were to do so, that change should be in the new Bylaws. He noted that on the reverse side of the Agenda is a listing of most of the suggested names and asked all present to take a few moments to take an informal vote for the name(s) they prefer.

B. Office Space. The President reiterated that the Board is seeking office space to store records, to house our printer and other equipment, and, hopefully, to be used for Board and Committee meetings, and that several Board members are pursuing possible locations. He asked that anyone with ideas contact him. The President noted again that included in the budget submitted with the application for the Golden Rule grant was money for such purposes, and that, in order to enhance our prospects for receiving another grant next year, it would be very important for us to have demonstrated the use of the grant monies as projected.

7. 7:35 PM Announcements & Events.

• Next Board/Community Meeting, Tuesday, January 15th, 7 PM, Mt. Moriah
• Finance Committee: 2nd Monday, January 14th, 7:30 PM, Treasurer’s home.
• Unified Committee Meeting: 1st Tuesday, February 6th, 7 PM, Mt. Moriah
• Zoning Committee: 4th Tuesday, January 22nd (if needed), 6:30 PM, Parsons Bldg.
• TreeCycling: Saturday, January 5th, 10 am – 4pm, Columbus Square (12th & Reed)

8. 7:40 PM Adjournment. Pizza, music, social.

“Meet Your Neighbors”

Studies show stronger neighborhoods where neighbors know each other, are safer neighborhoods!  Come get to know your neighbors!

DNCA General Membership meeting
Monday, November 19th
Mt. Moriah Church (410 Wharton Street)
7pm – 8pm

Missed the October meeting?  Check out our draft minutes from that meeting.

Sincerely,
Dickinson Narrows Civic Association
Board of Directors
www.dickinsonnarrows.org

DNCA BOARD MEETING
Monday, October 15, 2012
Mt. Moriah Church (410 Wharton)
Minutes

1.  7:05 PM     Call to Order.

2.  7:05 PM    Welcome & Message from the President.  The President welcomed all residents who were in attendance and asked the Officers and Directors to introduce themselves.  He proceeded to acknowledge that this meeting marks the first in the second year of the current board, and that in that time period a website was created, a database of members has been created, and that the location of the monthly Board meetings has been moved to a location within DNCA boundaries (Mt. Moriah).  He congratulated the Committees, which have worked hard this past year and stated that later in the meeting one of the Directors would review the past years accomplishments.

3.  7:10 PM    Roll Call.  Present were:
President Wiesner        Director Armistead
Vice-President Hicks        Director Lavini
Treasurer Hostettler        Director Winkel
Secretary Savage

4.  7:10 PM     Minutes Approval.  The President asked for a motion to approve the Minutes of the September 17, 2012 Board Meeting. The Vice-President so moved, Director Armistead seconded.  All present so approved.

5.  7:10 PM     Reports of Officers, Board Members & Standing Committees.

A.    Bylaws. The President reported that the Committee has been identifying provisions that are unclear or with which there are disagreements.  There has been an examination of the Bylaws of neighboring civics.  The Bylaws are now posted on our website.  Director Armistead suggested that a copy be laminated and available at each Board meeting.  The Committee will report to the Board with recommendation and thereafter possible action.

B.    Finance Committee.  Director Armistead reported on the status of our application to the IRS for 501(3)c status and said that the Committee is working with the assistance of a “free” attorney for guidance.  She also gave an update on the Board’s application for a Directors and Officers (D & O) Insurance policy.  The President clarified how DNCA received the grant from the Golden Rule Foundation.  Since DNCA is not yet recognized by the IRS as a non-profit, Manton Street Garden applied for the grant on our behalf, and after its receipt of the monies graciously asked for only $100 for their expenses.  Hence, DNCA received the $9,900 balance.

C.    Green & Clean Committee.  Since the Co-Chairs could not attend the meeting, the Treasurer and others announced that Manton Street Garden won an award for outstanding gardens in the City.  She also displayed a “Green Map”, which the Committee prepared from surveys of the vacant lots in our neighborhood, including 7 city-owned vacant lots.  She explained that the Committee is looking for neighbors that want to help DNCA procure these lots for parks, community gardens or similar.  DNCA can provide resources to interested residents.

D.  Outreach Committee. The Vice-President reported that the Committee has discussed the distribution of door-hangers for either the November of January meeting of the Board.  Ideas include a door hanger with a rubber band to make it easier to deliver, a listing of the Board meetings for the year, and urging members to sign up for emails about important notices, events and activities of the DNCA.

E.     Safety Committee.  Gina Caruso reported that she has been attending the meetings of the Police Department Advisory Council, which, at one meeting urged residents to identify their personal property with special UV light pens, decals, etc., in order to help identify person property, which the police may recover.  She said that any questions should be directed to P/O Michael Duffy, 215-686-3030, ext. 101, or Michael.Duffy@phila.gov.

F.     Zoning Committee. In place of the Zoning Chair, the Treasurer reported that one application for an open space variance at 443 Cross Street scheduled to be heard at the upcoming November 7th hearing.  Some residents attending asked about the proposed 11 apartment buildings at the southeast corner of 6th & Federal, which did not require ZBA approval.  Nicole asked if they could discuss after the meeting.

6.  7:35 PM    Old Business.  9th Board Member.  The President explained that last September only 8 persons ran for positions as Officers/Directors, although the Bylaws call for 9 Board members.  He said that the Board is accepting applications for the vacancy and that the instructions for applying and the process are available at the meeting room entrance.  In summary, applications must be submitted with a postmark no later than Monday, December 3, 2012; candidates will meet with the President and other Board members, between December 4, 2012, and Monday, January 21, 2013; and the President will announce his appointment, pursuant to the Bylaws, at the January 15, 2013 Board meeting.

7.  7:40 PM     New Business.

A.    Name Change of DNCA.  The President announced that the Board has discussed a name change for our civic, but that such a change may have legal issues. He asked all members with ideas to send them to info@dickinsonnarrows.org .

B.    Review of Master List.  Director Armistead highlighted the items on the Master List of issues created at a Board meeting last October and the 2011-2012 Accomplishments of DNCA.  That Master List and Accomplishments were published on the Agenda and are incorporated herein by reference to the Attached Schedules A and B.

8.  7:55 PM      Guest Speaker.  Kathy Cruz, Philly 311, Community Engagement & Program Coordinator, Office of Managing Director (www.phila.gov/311).  After introductions, she told the members that 311 was established in December, 2008, as an alternative to 911 for non-emergent matters.  Initially the hours were 24/7, but it became apparent that the weekend activity was mostly emergencies, so now 311 operate M-F, 8 AM to 8 PM.  She has developed a neighborhood liaison program to make the use of 311 more widespread and useful.  So far 311 has received over 5 million calls.  Philly 311 accepts primarily service requests by phone, Facebook, Twitter, email, the neighborhood liaisons, and now the new mobile application.  When a service request is received, 311 determines to which City department it should be referred.  There has been established a time frame, within which the department must act.  For example, in the case of property maintenance, within 30 days notice must be given and, if no action is taken by the property owner after 90 days, the matter goes to court.  Philly 311 maintains statistics, and each month the department to which a request has been submitted must report actions taken to the Mayor and Managing Director.  She said that, if there were enough interest by DNCA members, she would be happy to conduct a group training session.

9.  8:10 PM     Announcements & Events.

• Next DNCA BOARD MEETING will be Monday, November 19th, 7:00 PM at Mt. Moriah.  All welcome
• Dickinson Square Farmers’ Market, every Sunday, 10AM – 2PM through October.
• TreePhilly applications due October 29th for free street trees available at door.

Committee Meetings:

• Bylaws:  To be determined, info@dickinsonnarrows.org
• Outreach:  Tuesday, November 6th, email outreach@dickinsonnarrows.org for location
• Zoning:  Wednesday, November 7th, 6:30 PM, Parsons Building in Dickinson Square
• Green & Clean:  Wednesday, November 7th, 7:30 PM, Parsons Bldg in Dickinson Square
• Finance:  Monday, November 12th, 6:30 PM, Nicole’s house (email finance@dickinsonnarrows.org)

10.  8:15 PM     Adjournment.  S O C I A L –  “Neighbor’s Night” at The Industry (Reed & Moyamensing).

Respectfully submitted:  Ted Savage, Secretary

Block contacts signed up

Finance Committee
Golden Rule Foundation $10,000 grant
Attorney services through the VIP program
Finance Guidelines
Clybourne Park fundraiser
Zoning Committee
Zoning Guidelines
Heard 7÷ zoning applications in a public forum
CDAG representation a membership
Registered as an official RCO
Safety Committee
Official representative at PSA 3

DNCA has 8 Board members, where bylaws allow 9 positions.  Therefore, we are calling for interested residents to submit letters of intent.  All applicants will be subject to the current DNCA bylaws that the existing board members were elected under, which are available for review here.

1. Provide a signed letter of intent with the candidate’s name, address of residence, telephone number, email address and verification of residency.  The verification of residency includes all of the following, which must show the same residence within the boundaries of Dickinson Narrows Civic Association:
   • A copy of a current voter’s registration card or can find it online, and
   • A copy of a current driver’s license or non-driver’s state identification, and
   • A copy of the face page of your redacted U.S. tax return for the year 2011, and
   • A current criminal background check (under our current bylaws, a person with a felony conviction shall not be eligible to be a candidate for a DNCA office)
2. Mail your letter of intent with residency verification documents to the DNCA mailbox at the following address: Dickinson Narrows Civic Association,℅ Board Member Candidate,P.O. Box 63891,Philadelphia, PA 19147. All submissions must be postmarked no later than Monday, December 3, 2012.
3. Candidates will meet with the President and some Board members between December 4, 2012 and Monday, January 14, 2013.
4. The new board member will be announced at the January General Membership meeting on Tuesday, January 15, 2013.
5. In accordance with Article 5.10 of the current DNCA bylaws, the President will appoint the Board member with approval of the rest of the board members.