NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING MINUTES

November 2006 = – December 2007

MINUTES FROM T= HE NOVEMBER 14, 2006 NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING

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Board members in attendance: Kristin Atwood (Chair), Stacey Ness, Andrew Rafuse, Peter Jonassen, C= ameron Speedie, Alex Kerr, Sharon Klein.

Board members absent: Thomas Guererro, Keyvan Shojania.

Other NPNA members in attendance: Leagh Hamber, Xane St. Ph= illip, King Tang.

Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM by Kri= stin.

Treasurer Elections:

Andrew nominated Xane to the Board in the capacity of Treasurer. Second by = Sharon. Carr= ied.

Chair’s Report:

Kristin reported that the playground in <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Central Park has now been completed. There was also= a planning meeting for an upcoming conference on sustainable housing. The fin= al meeting for the temporary shelter at St. John the Divine has been scheduled for November 27= th. Discussion followed on the shelter and communication with the City. Some concern was raised that the final report on the shelter may be biased, however Earle Anthony is a third-party person = and is thereby non-partisan. Further discussion on the shelter has been tabled to = the December NPNA meeting, after the final report is out and the Church’s meeting has taken place.

Board Duty Assignments:=

&nb= sp; Chair: Andrew nominated Kristin to continue the position of Chair. Second by Sharon. Carried.

&nb= sp; Secretary: Andrew nominated Stacey to continue the position of Secretary. Second by Sharon= . Carried.

&nb= sp; Additional Board Member: Stacey nominated Leagh to the boa= rd. Second by Andrew. Carried.<= o:p>

Board positions and subcommittees are as follows:<= /p>

Chair: Kristi= n Atwood

Secretary: Stacey Ness<= /p>

Treasurer: Xane St. Phillip

Membership Data/Website: Cameron Speedie<= o:p>

Business Liaison Committee: Alex Kerr, Sh= aron Klein, Peter Jonassen

Media Liaison: Peter Jonassen

Safety/Traffic: Keyv= an Shojania, Andrew Rafuse

Land Use/Heritage: Thomas Guererro

Arts and Events/Parks and Recreation: Sta= cey Ness

Fundraising: Leagh Hamber

Inter-Association Reps (CAN): all members= (take turns)

It was decided that Xane be added to our = bank account as a signing authority and Leigh Anne be removed. Stacey, Sharon and Xane will coordinate.

Review of NPNA Strategic Plan:=

Kristin brought several documents for the= Board to review and discuss. Our “current” Strategic Plan is five yea= rs old and needs to be updated. She requested that all Board members read the information and bring their comments to the next meeting. We also need to review our constitution. We may consult other associations to use their constitutions as a guide.

Brainstorming Session for Direction of NP= NA:

Some brainstorming was done as to what direction we should take in the next year. We need to decide on a few priorities that we will pursue. Some ideas were:

Safety is a priority

Neighbourhood Identity - Banners

Neighbourhood Awareness/Media contacts

Businesses liasionin= g together

Drug and Homeless issues - Our Place, nee= dle exchange, low income housing

Land Use – size of developments

More discussion to take plac= e in December and the New Year.

The December 12 meeting may be casual due= to people being away for the holidays.

December 2006 – No formal meeting

MINUTES FROM THE JANUARY= 9, 2007 NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING

Board Members in attendance: Kristin Atwood (Chair), Stacey Ness, Thomas Guerrero, Leagh Hamber, Peter Jonassen, Xane St. Phillip, Alex Kerr, An= drew Rafuse, Sharon Klein, Keyvan Shojania.

Other Members = Present: Jonathan Bleackley, Heather= Dekezel, Jim Harlick, Todd Doherty, and Kevin Farris.

Meeting called to order at 7:35 PM by Kri= stin

LAND USE:=

Community Meeting scheduled for Friday, J= anuary 12, 2007 to discuss Praxis Architect’s development proposal for 920-926 Caledonia Street= . Meeting will take place at 7 PM in the community room of the Police Station= .

COMMUNITY CENT= RE:

Leagh has done some research and found that mo= ney is available for the building of a Community Centre if we can get land from the City. This will be a long-term goal for the NPNA once we have finished visioning and updating the Strategic Plan.

STRATEGIC PLAN= :

Our old North Park= Neighbourhood Strategic Plan is outdated (2005). Some of the document inclu= ding the Mission is still accurate and current, but the NPNA needs to update the Goals, and to = that end we have identified three areas where we would like to focus our energy = on this year: Safety, Communication, and Unity.

COMMUNICATION:

Communication Committee: Kristin, Stacey,= and Cameron.

Focus on how to increase our communicatio= n with our members, the community, and the City.

Representative on the Community Associati= on Network (CAN): Todd Doherty offered to be our CAN rep.

Newsletter: Reinstate our NPNA Newsletter= . Goal is one issue this year.

Communication with the City: If we are having problems communic= ating with the City, we need to enlist the help of our City Council rep. Councill= or Dean Fortin.

Communication with Neighbours: Create a calendar of events for the website. Link our website with Fernwood’s. (Action: committee will update npna.ca)

Neighbours Communicating with Us: Keyvan offered his office to use for Fax or Phone mes= sages. (Action: Put these numbers on our Website).

Communication with the Public: Possibilit= y of creating a bulletin board on Cook Street or near Central = Park.

Increasing Our Membership: Possibility of working with/consolidating with Fernwoo= d. (Action: Todd will talk wit= h Fernwood)

SAFETY:

Safety Committee: Andrew, Keyvan, Thomas, and Jonathan.

Focus on safety concerns of the Southwest= part of North Park.

The NPNA may apply for a CPTED study to b= e done of Cormorant/Amelia/Mason Streets. This study is to determine ways to preve= nt crime through environmental design, such as better lighting, proper sidewal= ks, removal of large planters, etc.

Needle Exchange: Safety Committee to work= with AVI and the Needle Exchange (which is governed by the Vancouver Island Heal= th Authority) to find a better location for their services. The Committee will also encourage the City and the Police to deal with lawbreaking clientele of this service. (Action: Andrew to enlist help from realtor friends to scout = out possible locations for needle exchange in an Industrial/Commercial area.)

Traffic Issues around FIFA W= orld Cup. (Ac= tion: Safety Committee to ask the City.)

UNITY:

Unity Committee: Sharon, Peter, Alex, and Thomas.

Focus on creating a North Park Village<= /st1:PlaceType> along Cook Street.

Research: Three people from Quadra-Hillsi= de will come to our NPNA meeting in February to discuss the motivation behind, funding of, and community involvement for their Quadra Village project. Peter has spoken to Fernwood’s t= wo neighbourhood groups and will invite them to our February meeting.

Funding for Project: Sharon has resear= ched funding.= There is the possibility of getting a matching funding grant, although we may need this money to update our strategic plan. Also possibility of $5000 from City Spaces to have architect make a drawing of what the = North Park Village<= /st1:PlaceType> would look like. (Action: more research into funding possibilities.)

Structure: Unity Group will meet to narro= w down the ideas of what they want for the Village (banners, benches, etc.) Future meetings will include possibility of tying our annual Neighbourhood Festival into the Village Project.

Other Neighbourhood Unity Issues: Possibi= lity of NPNA having a raffle at the FIFA World Cup, or pairing with CAN to do on= e. (Action: Sharon to ask FIFA and Leagh to inquire about a Licens= e.)

CONFLICT OF IN= TEREST:

The NPNA currently has no Conflict of Int= erest Policy. It was discussed that if a conflict of interest comes up, the invol= ved member needs to declare so, and then needs to leave while the Board discuss= es and makes their decision. Leagh brought the Conflict of Interest Policy from the Gaming Commission. We will look at drafting a formal policy when we work wi= th the United Way on Board Development.

Andrew motioned for the meeting to be adjourned. Second by Stacey. Meeting adjourned a= t 8:55 PM.

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MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 9, 2007 NORTH P= ARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING

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Board Members Present: Kristin Atwood (chair), Thomas Guerrero, Sharo= n Klien, Cameron Speedie, Alex Kerr, Peter Jonassen, Stacey Ness.

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Other Members Present:<= span class=3Dapple-style-span> Councillor Dean Fortin, Brenda McBain (City Spa= ces), Jonathan Bleackley, Chris Tr= avis, Brian and Rosemary Neil, Jeremy, Kyle, and Tammy from the Soho.

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Guests: Elinor Rhynas, Shelly Gudgeon, and Doug Rhodes from the Hillside/Quadra Neighbourhood Action Group, = Paula from Fernwood NRG, Marni Offman.

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Meeting called to order at 7:28 PM by Kristin.

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K= ristin noted that the agenda was full, and that we might not have time to fully discuss the Victoria Recreation and Community Services Forum, which seems t= o be in the preliminary stages at this time.

Motion by Thomas to discuss this item by the board via email.= Second = by Stacey. Carried.

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Presentation By Hillside/Quadra Neighbourhood Action Group (N= AG) on Quadra Village:

Elinor, Doug and Shelly outlined the steps they took over 6 to 7 years to help Hillside/Quadra (HQ) develop the Quadra Village. In the 199= 0's HQ updated their

Neighbourhood/Land Use Plan. The design guidelines were developed by = the City and NAG. Phase One, the Streetscape and Saf= ety Project, was funded by the City and ICBC, as the intersection of Quadra and Hillside was one of the top ten traffic accident sites in Victoria. The improvements were mainly traffic calming, medians, and trees. The subsequent village improvements we= re funded by a $63 000 matching funding grant by the City. The village was a collaboration between the residents, business owners= and the City. The group encouraged every business to join in to make the effort all-inclusive. Quadra Village Day was created as a main method of raising t= he matching grants that were needed. The process not only resulted in improving the look of the neighbourhood, but also to increase the sense of community = in the area. Key tips the group passed on were:

Using Newsletters to communicate with the business owners and residents.<= /li>
Build trust by having transparent finances, and by physically talking with the Owners of the businesses.
Use your City Council R= ep as a resource.
Have a logo or key visu= al reference for people to identify the project with.

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T= he HQ NAG is an ad hock society with no City funding. They meet the first Monday of e= ach month at 7PM in the Blanshard Community Centre.= This year's Quadra Village Day will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2007.

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Committee Updates:

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Land Use:

P= raxis Architects Presented their proposal for a 10 unit town-home at 920= -926 Caledonia Street at a community meeting Friday, January 12, 2007. The response was generally favourable. The proposal has n= ot been presented at the Committee of the Whole yet.

T= homas met with Merrick Architect (development kitty corner to the arena) to discuss t= heir change to radius after their rejection at the Design Committee Panel. Some concerns the City had were dissatisfaction with the entrance, and concern of volume of people using the University of Canada West.

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Safety and Traffic:

S= tuart Johnston called a safety meeting for Mason/Amelia/Cormorant Street without inviting/involving the NPNA. It= was felt that this group was quite vocal, and the NPNA would like to get a sens= e of how the broader community feels about the Needle Exchange. Dean mentioned t= hat the City and the Police will be having a meeting about the Needle Exchange = on Thursday, February 15th. Thomas motioned that the NPNA host an internal NPNA Forum on the Needle Exchange in mid March open to all residents of North Park, which would lead to a City-wide Fo= rum.

Second by Cam. Carried= .

(= Action: Safety Committee to organize forum)

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J= onathan will meet with the traffic organizer for FIFA on Thursday, February 15th. T= he City is just starting to develop a traffic and parking plan to deal with the estimated 80-100 000 people attending the event over 4 days.

(= Action: Jonathan will meet with FIFA to represent North Park= )

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Communication:

T= he committee met and decided on a few priorities to improve communications.

(= Action: Stacey to develop a list of contacts on the stratas of condo buildings and apartment managers.)

(= Action: Cam to continue to update the website and create a calendar of events.)

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Business Liaison/Unity Committee:<= o:p>

T= he committee wanted to officially announce that they were changing their name = from the Business Liaison Committee to the Unity Committee. They have been meeting regularly to work on the North Park Village concept.

(= Action: The Unity Committee will apply for a raffle license for the FIFA event.)

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Board Development with the United Way:

K= ristin has been in touch with the Uni= ted Way for help developing our board.

M= ost board members indicated that they had returned the United Way questionnaire. The Board Development Workshop will likely take place in April.

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Meeting adjourned at 9:02 PM

MINUTES OF THE MARCH 13, 2007 NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING<= span lang=3DEN-CA style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-CA'>

Board members present: Stacey Ness, Cameron Speedie, Leagh Hamber, Jonathan Bleackley, Andrew Rafuse, Alex Kerr.

Other members present: Councillor Dean Fortin, Chris Travis.

M= eeting called to order at 7:32 PM by Stacey (acting Chair).

FIFA UPDATE:

J= onathan updated the board on the FIFA Parking plans. There will be a smaller game on March 27 to test the proposed parking plan. After the test run they hope to have a concrete parking plan for the FIFA event. They are so far planing to block the streets from Cook to Quadra one = or two blocks each direction from the park. They will open these only to residenti= al traffic. They will encourage people to park in the par= kades and will bus them in to the event. For the July 1st game they are planing on having extra police to deal with the crowd= .

N= o NPNA raffle will happen at the game as FIFA will not allow it.=

A= ction: Jonathan to email board members the pdf outlini= ng the City's preliminary plan, and will keep the board advised of further developments after the test game.

FORUM ON THE NEEDLE EXCHANGE:

T= he forum will take place as planned at 7PM Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at North Park Manor. The format will be a line up to speak, with a maximum time of four minutes. The venue holds a maximum of 75 people. Any extra people will be allowed to wait outside, or to submit their comments in writing (within a limited time frame). Kristin will introduce the meeting, and Thomas will em= cee.

Cam and Andrew will work the door. Kristin and Thomas will take down people's comments to send to the City.

A= ction: Thomas to print up a form for people to use if they want to submit written = comments, and to photocopy more membership forms.=

LAND USE:

T= homas sent the City a letter with the responses from the community for the development proposal of 920-926 Caledonia. The respo= nses were largely favourable with some concerns brought forth from a resident on= Greene Street.

W= ork has commenced on both Large and Co properties (Quadra at Bay and Princess<= /o:p>

S= treet.)

UNITY COMMITTEE:<= o:p>

Met last Saturday. Sharon and Alex have been working on the matching funding grant for banners, benches and garbage cans. The City of Victoria will be paying for 20 sets of = pole hardware for the flags along Cook Street, on top of the grant. Thomas has b= een working on the application for a special funding grant. Alex reported that = they have prices for the garbage cans and benches, and a few businesses have committed to sponsoring banners. The banners will have the supporting busin= ess' name on them.

P= reliminary discussions for the neighbourhood festival suggest that we would like the e= vent to take place in Central Park. Need to g= et permission from the City first. Looking to have festival later in the summer. Will discuss further at fut= ure meeting.

PARKS:

T= he Parks forum will take place this Saturday, March 17 from 10 AM to 12:30 PM.<= /o:p>

A= ction: Stacey will attend.

SAFETY COMMITTEE:<= o:p>

N= o meeting took place this month.

A= ction: Next meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 5th at noon at the Windsor Law Group meeting room.

COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE:<= o:p>

Cam has been updating the website.

A= ction: Cam to replace the logo on the web with our newer o= ne.

OTHER BUSINESS:

I= t was noticed by some board members that the Arena Videotron= sign seems to be getting brighter again and contains more third party advertising.

A= ction: Dean will check into this.

T= homas motioned for the meeting to be adjourned. Second by And= rew. Meeting

adjourned at 8:10 PM.

MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 10, 2= 007 NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING.

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Board Members present:<= span class=3Dapple-style-span> Kristin Atwood (Chair), Stacey Ness, Cameron Speedie, Alex Kerr, Thomas Gurerro, Andrew Rafuse, Leagh Hamber.<= /o:p>

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Guests: Mike Levin, Norm Verbrugge, and Craig Jackman from Praxis Architects.

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M= eeting called to order at 7:30 PM by Kristin.

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920-926 CALEDONIA

T= he Praxis Architect Group presented their revised plan for development of the propert= y at 920-926 Caledonia Street. The plans have been changed to increase the setbacks and decrease the overa= ll footprint of the project. The new plan is for 8 units and 10 parking spaces. Each unit has 3 bedrooms with 1 1/2 baths. To address the issue of privacy = for the residents of Greene St= reet, the back facing windows are high set "piano" windows. There will = be a concrete retaining wall at the back of the property to help deal with drain= age and run-off. The colour palette has yet to be determined. The plans were we= ll received by the Board.

A= ction: Thomas to discuss the revised plans with the immediate Greene Street neighbours.

A= ction: Thomas will also speak to Karen Ramsey from the City regarding the engineer= ing plans for the sidewalk and boulevard treatment.

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FIFA:

J= onathan is in Guatemala and can no longer look after Traffic for the NPNA. Kristin has stepped in <= span class=3DSpellE>in the meantime, unless someone else wants to take on= this responsibility. The test game took place on March 27, and although there was nothing put in place for traffic, there was minimum impact on the community= due to low attendance. It is unknown how many people will attend the subsequent=

games.

A= ction: Kristin will continue to email Harold from FIFA and report any traffic plan= s to the Board.

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BOARD DEVELOPMENT:

S= tacey and Kristin attended a meeting with Shaleen and Eil= een from the United Way to plan the direction our board development training should take. The first workshop will be on Board Roles and Responsibilities, and on Terms of Reference. The second workshop will focus on Strategic Planning. We would m= eet on a Saturday or Sunday. Saturday, May 12 was suggested as the first date. Everyone present with the exception of Cam seemed to be available.

A= ction: All Board members please email Stacey at hestonsmom@telus.net with whether they= are available or not for this workshop on Saturday, May 12. (Time TBA, likely in the morning). Please R.S.V.P. by April 17, 2007.

A= ction: Stacey to book a room once date is confirmed.

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GRANTS:

O= ur base funding grant is due in May.

A= ction: Stacey and Kristin will complete the application.

A= ction: Stacey and Xane will ensure the financial report is complete.

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E= nhancement Grant for Village Project: Alex is working on it. He still needs a few signatures from some businesses.

A= ction: Alex will have application ready sometime next week.

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S= pecial Grant: Thomas has completed the Grant Application for the One Time Funding = of a Project to make a design for the Village Project. We have asked for the max= imum of $5000. If we do not get this grant, City Spaces Consulting will help us = make a plan for fundraising to pay for the Plan.

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A= rts Grant: The City will be offering $1000 Arts Grants if we want to apply for 2007/20= 08. Some discussion regarding murals took place.

A= ction: Kristin will get more info tomorrow at her meeting with the City.

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PARKS:

K= ristin has been sitting on this committee as we have no-one else dedicated to Parks. Franklin Green is up for a facelift by the City. Deborah Banes would like t= o meet with someone from the neighbourhood for input, and then she would like to b= ring ideas to our next Board meeting.

A= ction: Kristin to give Stacey and Thomas Deborah's phone number, and they will set= up a meeting to discuss Franklin Green with her.

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NEWSLETTER/WEBSITE:

C= am is willing to put up any relevant news about North Park= on the Website. We will try to publish our next newsletter in mid June. Cam has offered to put the newsletter together electronically.

A= ction: Any Board member can submit a piece for the newsletter.

A= ction: Leagh to ask Mayor Lowe if he would write a piece on growing up in North Park.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD FESTIVAL:

Planned for later August. We need 6 weeks notice for the Special E= vent Permit from the City. Will hold festival in Central Park or Franklin Green.

A= ction: Cam, Alex, Thomas and Stacey will meet soon to get started on planning.

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UNITY:

T= hree businesses want to buy Benches for the project ($2000) and one wants to buy= a garbage can ($1000). The neighbourhood businesses have been very supportive= of the project.

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SAFETY:

T= homas and Kristin have put together the Minutes they took from the Forum on the Needle Exchange.

A= ction: Thomas and Kristin will draft a report for the City and set up a meeting to present it.

A= ction: Kristin will write an interim notice for the website to inform the communit= y on the progress form the Forum, for Cam to = put up on the website.

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A= VI is setting up a Good Neighbour Protocol and has given the NPNA a seat on the A= VI Needle Exchange Steering Committee. Andrew reported that Keyvan has a lead on a possible new location for the = Needle Exchange. The location is far from a residential area. This is in the preliminary negotiation stage only.

T= he City has committed to improving the green space and lighting on Cormorant

S= treet to discourage IV drug users. Kristin has encouraged the City to include <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">North Park and Fisgard = Streets as well.

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ARENA:

Cam wondered if the Time Capsule we made was ever buried at the corner of Pembr= oke and Quadra as promised.

A= ction: Check if Sharon knows.

T= he Arena's Videotron is still carrying third party adverti= sing. Thomas said the City is having a legal dispute with the Arena over it.=

A= ction: Cam to draft a letter to the City from the NPNA reg= arding these concerns.

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LAND USE:

T= homas attended a meeting with Merrick Architects about the changes made to the Radius Proj= ect. The Plaza off Herald Stree= t has now been shrunk. They changed the shape of the University. They changed= the walkway off Blanshard to Herald, and changed the height of some of the buildings.

T= he Bay project is stalled due to asbestos.

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MISCELLANEOUS:

K= ristin has met with Dean to try to get a Community Board in Cen= tral Park.

T= he City of Villages Workshop<= /st1:City> by the City takes place on Monday, May 14th from

7= -9PM.

A= ction: Cam will make business cards for the NPNA Board Mem= bers.

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M= eeting adjourned at 8:35PM.

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MINUTES OF THE MAY 8, 2007 NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION

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Board Members in attendance: <= /span>Kristin Atwood (chair), Stacey Ness, Thomas Guerrero, Cameron Speedie, Alex Kerr, Peter Jonassen, Leagh Hamber.

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Other members: Chris Travis, Marni Offman<= /span>

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Guests: Anna Tobias, Fonda Willis, Bea Holland.

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M= eeting called to order at 7:32 PM by Kristin

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SAFETY COMMITTEE UPDATE:

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K= ristin reported that the City seems interested in doing a SEPTID review of Amelia Street and area.<= /span>

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T= homas and Kristin are almost finished the Safety Forum Document.

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T= he new temporary shelter at St. John<= /st1:place> the Divine is now up and running until the end of June. Anna Tobias from Co= ol Aid along with Bea Holland and Fonda Willis from St. John's Church came to talk about the shelter. The shelter opened because of the Provincial Government granted funding to keep the "Extreme Weather Bed" prot= ocol going all year, without Cool Aid having time to organize staffing at the St= reet Link Shelter. The St. John's Shelter is set up for 30 registered clients only, and not for drop-ins. The clients are mostly employed, and the shelter only operates overnight, not during the day like Street Link does. The NPNA expressed concern about the = lack of time given for community consultation, and the reps. from St. John agreed, and said they would ha= ve preferred more notice as well. No independent review will be done for this shelter. NB: the increased foot patrol police and the increased garba= ge collection around the St. John= 's church put in place last winter have remained in place even after the winter shelter closed.

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T= homas has accepted a new job at the Ministry of Health in Client Relations, and will therefore have to resign from the Safety Committee due to a conflict of interest regarding items pertaining to the needle exchange.

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BOARD DEVELOPMENT UPDATE:

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Action: The United Way = workshop will take place this Saturday from 9AM to 1PM at St. John the Divine.

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UNITY COMMITTEE UPDATE:

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T= he Unity Committee has submitted the application for the grant, and are just waiting to hear. There has been good support of the Village idea, with= 16 businesses signing the letter.

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T= he North Park Neighbourhood festival is planned for Saturday, August 18th in Franklin Green.

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PARKS AND RECREATION UPDATE:

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T= his Thursday, May 10th is the public meeting regarding the revamping of Franklin Green. We are hoping the park improvements will be complete by August 18th = for our Neighbourhood Festival.

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Action: There will be a meeting May 30th with Robert Randall and the Downtown Resident's Association to plan parks in North Park = and Downtown together.

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LAND USE:

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T= homas sent a letter to the City in support of the development planed for 920-926 Caledonia Street= .

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T= here is a new proposal for a property at Bay and Vancouver Street. It is now a tripl= ex, and the owner wants to make it a 5-plex. Community consult is set for Thurs= day, May 17th.

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T= he Gateway Green Development went to the Planning Commission and passed 7 to 1. Now ne= eds to go through the public hearing and the Design panel.

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COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE:<= o:p>

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T= he NPNA Website has just been updated.

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K= ristin wrote an article for the HQ News about Franklin Green and our neighbourhood festival.

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FIFA:

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T= he parking plan for the FIFA event will be done by June. The event takes place in July= .

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NEWSLETTER:

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W= e will be publishing a North Park Newsletter. The deadline for submissions will be be= fore the July meeting. We will discuss distribution at the June meeting.

Action: Please have content for the Newsletter for the June meeting.

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Action: Kristin will start a round-robin email to make a calendar of events for North Park.

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S= tacey motioned the meeting be adjourned. Second by Thomas. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.

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MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 12, 2007 NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING<= /b>

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Board members in attendance: Kristin Atwood (chair), Stacey Ness, Xane St. Phillip, Keyvan Shojana, Cameron Speedie, Leagh Ham= ber, Alex Kerr, Andrew Rafuse.

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Other members: Jin Tripp, Vincent, Dean Fortin, Harold Stanley.

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M= eeting called to order at 7:30PM by Kristin

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CONCERNS FOR COUNCILLOR DEAN FORTIN TO TAKE TO THE CITY:

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Needle Drop-box: King Tang from the Gathering Pl= ace on Cormorant Street is unhappy about the location of a needle drop-box/mailbox on Cormorant at Pacifica Housing. It was a trial project between Pacifica Housing and the C= ity, but it seems to have created a focal point for IV drug users.=

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Good Neighbour Agreement between North Park, AVI (Needle Exchange), City of Victoria, and the Police. A community m= eeting to discuss the draft document outlining the proposed Good Neighbour Agreeme= nt took place last night. VIHA (AVI's funder) was not present at the meeting, but is was unclear as to whether they were invited or not.= There was much discussion about the document and how the various parties of inter= est viewed the draft. The agreement has not yet been signed by North Park. Keyvan has agreed to take ov= er the role of North Park Rep on the GNA Operations Committee from Kristin. Xane m= ay join the committee in the capacity of Residential Rep. See attached draft document.

Action: Keyvan and possibly Xane will attend the next Operations Committee meeting on June ? and report back to t= he NPNA Board in July.

<= o:p>

Neighbourhood Forum Safety Document: The NPNA safety document is complete and ready to take to City Council. Much discussion took place as to the best way to present this to Council. Cameron motioned that we: A) Approach City Council at the Committee of the Whole Meeting (on a Thursday morning), B) Do a press release prior to the schedul= ed meeting, C) Send notice of above and a copy of the document to our community members. Second by Andrew. C= arried. (Note: Abstaining from vote was Thomas)

Action: Andrew to write copy for press release.

Action: Kristin to email Dean Fortin and Gail Price Douglas to get on the agenda for the ne= xt available Committee of the Whole Meeting.

Action: Cam to distribute the press release on the web and to the media.

Action: Stacey to send Document and press release to the membership via email.

<= o:p>

FIFA: Harold Stanley, a resident who lives across the street from Royal Athletic Park brought forth concerns that the immediate neighbours have not been advised of what is happening with regards to the FIFA event in July. Dean said to bring concer= ns to the City and they would address concerns that weren't being met by FIFA.=

Action: Kristin to send follow up to the City regarding FIFA.

<= o:p>

UNITY: VILLAGE AND FESTIVAL:

<= o:p>

A= lex reported that we are just waiting for the Council meeting this week to see = if our grants are approved. We are submitting for a matching funding grant of $4800 for flags and benches, and a grant to fund drawings by City Scapes for $3750. The NPNA would have to raise the remaining $1250 for the drawings. The improvements to Franklin Green will n= ot be completed by the Festival date of August 18th, but the drawings and plans for the park should be.

A= lex talked to Harold Munn from the C= hurch of St. John the Div= ine, and he has offered to help with the festival, and to enlist the help of oth= er neighbourhood churches. Through Dr. Munn the First Nations have offered to donate salmon to barbecue for the festival. We need to check in with VIHA to decide if we can serve it in a food safe manner. Alex priced the rental of = two industrial barbecues for the day at $130.

Action: Next Festival planning meeting is Saturday June 23rd at 10AM at the Parsonage.

Action: Thomas to email Parks and Rec. to ensure Franklin Green will be mowed before the festival.

Action: Stacey to call VIHA about food permit and salmon serving.

Action: Stacey to submit Festival application, and ask the Arena and = Marni Offman about stage rental.

Action: Cameron to check if Gerry is available to be our on-site Food Safe person on August 18th.

Action: Alex to ask Paulina if she would be willing to screen f= or local talent.

Action: Stacey to write PSA re: call for festival entertainment for = Sharon to distribute.

<= o:p>

PARKS:

<= o:p>

A= lex and Thomas attended a Parks Workshop for the Downtown Residents Association and= North Park. They reported it was a good meeting wit= h lots of opportunity to give input.

<= o:p>

NEWSLETTER:

<= o:p>

K= ristin drafted an article on Safety in North Park, and the Compost Education Centre has an article to submit. Thomas will writ= e a Land Use one. Cameron will compile into a Newsletter format. To be complete= d by July meeting.

Action: Articles to be submitted to Cam ASAP before the July meeting, so he has tim= e to compose the newsletter.

Action: Alex to submit useable images for advertising to Cam within the same time frame.

<= o:p>

LAND USE:

<= o:p>

T= homas attended a Villages workshop which he reported to be good. There was a Land= Use meeting for the proposed development of 2409 Vancouver Street to change it = from a 3-plex to a 5-plex. Most of those attending were in favour. The only concern was for a tree on the property, however, an arbourist<= /span> feels the tree may be sick and will need to be removed anyway.

T= he City is in the process of trying to change the way development proposals are handle= d by the City, to help encourage developments in some of the neighbourhoods.

<= o:p>

BOARD DEVELOPMENT:

<= o:p>

S= ince our Board Development Workshop last month, Kristin has written an Organizational Structure for the NPNA and started a yearly calendar. She has also started writing polices for the NPNA. (see attached poli= cies document). Kristin presented the first few of the policies for the Board.

P= olicy 1 Board Meetings: Andrew motioned the first policy be adopted as read. Second by Thomas. Carried.<= o:p>

P= olicy 6 Code of Conduct and Conflicts of Interest: Stacey motioned the sixth policy= be adopted as read. Second by Andrew. Carried.

P= olicy 7 Grievance and Appeals:

Part 3) This complaint will be added to the agenda of the next scheduled board meeting, = and review of the concern will be done privately; that is, the portion of the meeting used to review the concern will be closed to the general membership= . Change " privately; that is, the portion of the meeting used to review the concern wil= l be closed to the general membership "to" in camera". Add that the complainant will be invited to the Boa= rd meeting to present their concerns. Andrew motioned the seventh policy be adopted with the above changes. Second by Thomas. Carried.

<= o:p>

SHELTER AT ST. JOHN THE DIVINE:

<= o:p>

Keyvan noted that the temporary shelter is to be closed on June 30th. He asks that= the Church and Cool Aid give the NPNA a debriefing at our next Board Meeting.

Action: Kristin to invite St. Johns and Cool Aid to the July meeting.

D= iscussion on lack of time for community consult ensued. It was felt that among our new policies we should have one for Community Consultation to help ensure we ha= ve adequate time to notify our members before we are expected to represent the members of our community. For now we will adopt the same timeline for commu= nity consultation as for Land Use Developments.

<= o:p>

M= eeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.

<= o:p>

<= o:p>

MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 12, 2007 NORTH PARK NEIGHBOUR= HOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING

Board members in attendance: Kristin Atwood (chair), Stacey Ness, Xane St. Phillip, Keyvan Shojana, Cameron S= peedie, Leagh Hamber, Alex Kerr, = Andrew Rafuse.

Other members: Jin Tripp, Vincent, Dean Fortin, Harold Stanley.

Meeting called to order at 7:30PM by Kristin

CONCERNS FOR COUNCILLOR DEAN FORTIN TO TAKE TO THE = CITY:

Needle Drop-box: King Tang from the Gathering Place on Cormorant Street is unhappy about the location of a needledrop-box/= mailbox on Cormorant at Pacifica Housing. It was a trial project between Pacifica Housing and the City, but it seems to have created a focal point for IV drug users.

Good Neighbour Agreemen= t between North Park, AVI (Needle Exchange), City of Victoria, and the Police. A community m= eeting to discuss the draft document outlining the proposed Good Neighbour Agreement took place last night. VIHA (AVI's funder) was not present at the meeting, but is was unclear as to whether they were invited or not.= There was much discussion about the document and how the various parties of inter= est viewed the draft. The agreement has not yet been signed by North Park. Keyvan has agreed to take ov= er the role of North Park Rep on the GNA Operations Committee from Kristin. Xane m= ay join the committee in the capacity ofResidential Rep. See attached draft document.

Action: Keyvan and = possibly Xane will attend the next OperationsCommittee m= eeting on July 9 at 6PM at City Hall and report back to the NPNA Board in July.

Neighbourhood Fo= rum Safety Document: The NPNA safety document is complete and ready to take= to City Council. Much discussion took place as to the best way to present this= to Council. Cameron motioned that we: A) Approach City Council at the Committe= e of the Whole Meeting (on a Thursday morning), B) Do a press release prior to t= he scheduled meeting, C) Send notice of above and a copy of the document to our community members. Second by Andrew. Carried. (Note: Abstaining from vote was Thomas)

Action: Andrew to write copy for press release.=

Action: Kristin to email Dean Fortin and Gail P= rice Douglas to get on the agenda for the next available Committee of the Whole Meeting.

Action: Cam = to distribute the press release on the web and to the media.

Action: Stacey to send Document and press relea= se to the membership via email.

FIFA: Harold Stanley, a resident who lives acro= ss the street from Royal Athletic Park brought forth concerns that the immediate neighbours have not been advised of what is happening with regards to the FIFA event in July. Dean said to bring concerns to the City and they would address concer= ns that weren't being met by FIFA.

Action: Kristin to send follow up to the City regarding FIFA.

UNITY: VILLAGE AND FESTIVAL:

Alex reported that we are just waiting for the Council meeting this week to see if our grants are approved. We are submitting for a matching funding grant of $4800 for flags and benches, and a grant to fund drawings by City Scapes for $3750. The NPNA wou= ld have to raise the remaining $1250 for the drawings. The improvements to Franklin Green will not be completed by the Festival date of August 18th, b= ut the drawings and plans for the park should be.

Alex talked to Harold Munn from the Church of St. John<= /st1:PlaceName> the Divine, and he has offered to help with the festival, and to enlist the help of other neighbourhood churches. Through D= r. Munn the First Nations have offered to donate salmon to barbecue for the festival. We need to check in with VIHA to decide if we can serve it in a f= ood safe manner. Alex priced the rental of two industrial barbecues for the day= at $130.

Action: Next Festival planning meeting is Satur= day June 23rd at 10AM at the Parsonage.

Action: Thomas to email Parks and Rec. to ensure Franklin Green will be mowed before the festival.

Action: Stacey to call VIHA about food permit a= nd salmon serving.

Action: Stacey to submit Festival application, = and ask the Arena and Marni Of= fman about stage rental.

Action: Cameron to check if Gerry is available = to be our on-site Food Safe person on August 18th.

Action: Alex to ask Paulin= a if she would be willing to screen for local talent.

Action: Stacey to write PSA re: call for festiv= al entertainment for Sharon to distribute.

PARKS:

Alex and Thomas attended a Parks Workshop for the Down= town Residents Association and North Park. Th= ey reported it was a good meeting with lots of opportunity to give input.

NEWSLETTER:

Kristin drafted an article on Safety in North Park, and the Compost Education Centre has an article to submi= t. Thomas will write a Land Use one. Cameron will compile into a Newsletter format. To be completed by July meeting.

Action: Articles to be submitted to Cam ASAP be= fore the July meeting, so he has time to compose the newsletter.

Action: Alex to submit useable images for adver= tising to Cam within the same time frame.

LAND USE:

Thomas attended a Villages workshop which he reported = to be good. There was a Land Use meeting for the proposed development of 2409 Vancouver Street to change it from a 3-plex to a 5-plex. Most of those attending were in favour. The only concern was for a tree on the proper= ty, however, an arbourist feels the tree may be sic= k and will need to be removed anyway.

The City is in the process of trying to change the way development proposals are handled by the City, to help encourage developmen= ts in some of the neighbourhoods.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT:

Since our Board Development Workshop last month, Krist= in has written an Organizational Structure for the NPNA and started a yearly calen= dar. She has also started writing polices for the NPNA. (see= attached policies document). Kristin presented the first few of the policies for the Board.

Policy 1 Board Meetings: Andrew motioned the first pol= icy be adopted as read. Second by Thomas. Carried.

Policy 6 Code of Conduct and Conflicts of Interest: St= acey motioned the sixth policy be adopted as read. Second by Andrew. Carried.

Policy 7 Grievance and Appeals:

Part 3) This complaint will be added to the agenda of the next scheduled board meeting, = and review of the concern will be done privately; that is, the portion of the meeting used to review the concern will be closed to the general membership= . Change " = privately; that is, the portion of the meeting used to r= eview the concern will be closed to the general membership&q= uot;to "in camera". Add that thecomplainant wi= ll be invited to the Board meeting to present their concerns. Andrew motioned the seventh policy be adopted with the above changes. Secon= d by Thomas. Carried.

SHELTER AT ST. JOHN THE DIVINE:

Keyvan noted that the temp= orary shelter is to be closed on June 30th. He asks that the Church and Cool Aid = give the NPNA adebriefing at our next Board Meeting.=

Action: Kristin to invite St. Johns and Cool Aid to the July meet= ing.

Discussion on lack of time for community consult ensue= d. It was felt that among our new policies we should have one for Community Consultation to help ensure we have adequate time to notify our members bef= ore we are expected to represent the members of our community. For now we will adopt the same timeline for community consultation as for Land Use Developments.

Meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.

MINUTES FROM THE JULY 10, 2007 MEETING OF THE NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION

Board Members Presen= t: Kristin Atwood (Chair), Stacey Ness, Thomas Guererro,

Cameron Speedie, Xane St. Phillip, Andrew Rafuse, Leagh Hamber, Keyvan Shojana.

Other Members Presen= t: Councillor Dean Fortin, Todd Doherty, Chris Travis

Guests: Don McTavish (Cool Aid), Sgt. John Ducker, Kathy Stinson,= Ann Machin, = Nancy

Bailey, Mike Winstone.

Meeting called to order at 7:30PM by Kristin.

TEMPORARY SHELTER AT ST. J= OHN THE DIVINE:

The homeless shelter was open this May and June. Last = minute funding came to extend

the "Extreme Weather Protocol" shelter beds year round. Don reported the 30 beds

at <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">St. John were used at nearly 100% capac= ity during the two months. The Police

were called twice during th= e two months, but for issues outside of the shelter.

The reps from St. John's had no negative impacts to report.

Xane brought forth a concern that there was no time for proper neighbourhood

consultation prior to runni= ng the shelter; Don maintained that there was no time

due to the funding coming t= hrough at the last minute. Leagh inquired as to the

amount of money paid to the= Church from Cool Aid for the Shelter, but Don

declined to comment. The re= ps from St. John's insist= ed that they didn't offer

their basement as a shelter= just to get money; they want to help those in need.

Don confirmed that Cool Aid has purchased a house on <= st1:Street w:st=3D"on">Dowler Str= eet with the

intent of running a rooming house/shelter for persons transitioning from life on

the street. A meeting regar= ding this house will take place on July 24th at

7:30PM at the Police Station. More discussion on lack = of time for community

consultation ensued. Cool A= id maintained that house purchases need to be

completed in a timely fashi= on, and that Cool Aid was looking for houses in many

different neighbourhoods, not just North Park.

Kristin brought up the idea of a Contingency Consultat= ion for Neighbourhood

affecting issues. Cool Aid = contends that that is a reasonable request.

Thomas moved to table further discussion. Second by Stacey. Carried.

AVI GOOD NEIGHBOUR AGREEMENT:

AVI has asked neighbours h= ow the Needle Exchange has affected them. Cameron

and Le= agh will attend the meeting and give input. Discussion ensued on the

Needle Recovery Program. It= was felt that not enough area was being covered, and

St. John'= s was identified as a hotspot. It was noted that there was no police

rep nor a VIHA rep at the G= NA meeting. Keyvan's impression of the meeting was=

that everyone says their "hands are tied" and they can't deal with the problems

caused by the drug abusers = but they will "try their best"; The GNA is made but it means

nothing in Keyvan's opinion. There was anecdotal discussion of IV drug use in

the ne= ighbourhood.

Dean and Kristin are going to a VIHA Meeting in Chemanius regarding the

community impact of the nee= dle exchange.

The Next AVI GNA meeting is on August 13.

North Park's Safety= Forum Document is going to the Committee of the Whole on

August 23, 2007.

FESTIVAL UPDATE:

The Third Annual North Park Neigh= bourhood Festival is planned for Saturday,

August 18, 2007 from noon to 4PM.<= /span> The stage and sound system is set. A salmon

barbecue using salmon donat= ed from the Tsartlip Band will take place. Parks has

given a verbal OK that they= will mow the lawn for the event. Welburns will

provide power.

UNITY COMMITTEE:

The Special Funding Grant went through for 75% of what= is needed to fund the

Village drawings by City Scapes. (Grant is for $3750 of the $5000 neede= d) The

NPNA will need to raise the remaining $1250. The fundi= ng for the banners also

went through, as well as ou= r base funding.

FIFA:

RAP will keep the temporary lights from FIFA. FIFA mig= ht leave the banner posts

for us to use for North Park Banners. Harold wants to have a follow-up meeting

after the FIFA Event.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT:

We discussed drafting a Community Consultation Policy = to define what the NPNA

considers adequate notice f= or proper community consultation and response. This

is to avoid parties claimin= g that the community was consulted when in reality

the Ne= ighbourhood Association was only just informed.

Suggested: There needs to be written or email contact = of the NPNA Chair and

Council Liaison, and email/web and postering by the instigating group done 15

days prior to community consultation. Action on the notice will be done by the

NPNA within 3 days. Within = 7 days of community consultation, the NPNA will draft

a report. Failure to comply= with these guidelines will result in the NPNA

stating that the neighbourhood has not been consulted.

Leagh motioned that the me= eting be adjourned. Second by Stacey. Carried. Meeting

adjourned at 9:00PM.

MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 14, 2007 MEETING OF THE NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION

Board Members presen= t: Kristin Atwood (Chair), Stacey Ness, Alex Kerr, Cameron

Speedie, Xane St. Phillip, Leagh<= /span> Hamber, Sharon Klien, Tho= mas Guererro.

Other members presen= t: Lorna Rennie, Jinn and Mr. Tripp, Pauline Price= .

Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM by Kristin.

NEIGHBOURHOOD FESTIVAL UPDATE:

Alex updated the Board on how the plans for the Neighbourhood Festival on the

18th were going. Barbecue plans and permits are all in place. Entertainment will

be on a somewhat smaller sc= ale than last year as the call for free entertainment

was not as successful as ho= ped. Most board members will be on hand for the

festival. The event will ta= ke place at Franklin Green from noon to 4PM. Start of

set up will be at 8:30 Satu= rday morning.

THE FUTURE OF THE NPNA:

Kristin asked which board members will likely rerun for election to the Board at

the AGM in October. Cam, Thomas, Leagh, and= Xane expressed interest in

re-running. Kristin will st= and but would like to resign as chair due to the

overwhelming workload. Stac= ey will stand if there is no one else to take her

place. Alex may stand depen= ding on if he stays in Victoria.

ACTION: All Board Members to write their Job descriptions (actual vs. ideal) as

well as a description of an= y job that needs doing.

Some discussion took place on how to make the Chair po= sition less stressful.

Possibility to create a new positi= on of a Vice Chair/Communications Officer.

Possibility of having Secretary ta= ke over agenda writing and other

administrative tasks (i.e.. Chairing meetings?)There was also discussion on

possibility of joining with= the Downtown Resident's Association on certain

issues such as Safety. The = Board generally felt a complete merging with another

association was not appropr= iate as North Park has many unique issues, however

pooling resources with anot= her association on certain issues might be beneficial.

There was also discussion on choosing fewer goals for = the Association in the

next year, or working to in= crease active members to help share the workload.

AGM

The NPNA's AGM will take place Tuesday, October 16, 2007. (note= : date may change!)

Possible Topic for this year could be the Village Project, with speakers from City Scapes, the UVic

Geography Department, and t= he City Planner that did the Village Presentation

earlier in the year.

ACTION: Thomas t= o look into possible speakers

ACTION: Kristin = to work on Policies and Bylaws for Board review before AGM

ACTION: Thomas t= o write TOR for Safety and Communications using the template

from the Land Use TOR.

FIFA:

There will be a chance for feedback on the FIFA event = that took place this

summer at the September Boa= rd meeting.

ACTION: Kristin = to invite the City to attend so they can use the information to

decide if future events of = that scale should take place at Royal Athletic Park.

SAFETY FORUM DOCUMENT:

The City will review the NPNA Safety Forum Document at= the Committee of the

Whole on Thursday, August 23rd at = 9AM. Kristin is unable to attend due to work.

Stacey and Xane will attend to speak. Leagh will lend support. Thomas will come

(work permitting) and speak= on issues that he can.

DO= WLER STREET SHELTER:

Kristin has been sitting on the Committee that is draw= ing up the Good Neighbour

Agreement for Cool Aid's Dowler Str= eet Shelter. This will be a 15 bed

rooming-house type shelter = for persons transitioning from living on the streets.

She reports the agreement process is going well.

NEEDLE EXCHANGE:

The Good Neighbour Agreeme= nt between the neighbourhood and the Needle Exchan= ge

has been put on hold while = AVI deals with the lawsuit from another neighbourhood

group. It was also reported= that Micki Hansen has resigned as the Director of AVI.

Meeting adjourned at 9:05PM.

MINUTES FROM THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2007 MEETING OF THE NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION

Board Members Present: = Stacey Ness (acting Chair), Thomas Guererro,

Alex Kerr

Other Members Present: = Joan Waller, Audrey Walt, Jim Harlick, Chuck Neilson= (St. John’s = Rep), Kay Smith (Girl Guides), Roy Boynton.

Meeting called to order at 7:30PM by Stacey.

FESTIVAL SUMMARY:

Alex gave a summary on August 18th’s Third Annual North Park Neighbourhood Festival. The festival was a success and was better attended than last year= . We did lose $142 overall, (see financial report), but approx $120 of that is in food and supplies that we will donate on behalf of the NPNA to the Cool Aid= Dowler Street good neighbour barbecue. Alex thanked the sponsors: MediChair, Wellburn’s, Urbana Kitchens, McFarland’s Appliances, Parsonage Café, Arriba Coffee, Larsen’s Music, Sav= e-On-Foods, SOF Memorial Arena, Glen Mitchell Land Surveyors, HJM Auto Centre, Wildfire Bakery, Healing Centre, North Park Manor, Feil Accounting, North Park Cycle, Heritage Cat Clinic, City of Victoria, First Baptist Church, St. John the Divine, First Metropolitan United, Galey’s Farm, Kajohl Management.

COMMITTEE UPDATES:

Unity:

We’ve received the $4200 in funding and the Call to Artists for banner design went out with a submission deadline of September 30th. Alex has heard of artists who are planning to submit designs. So far 9 businesses are interested in sponsoring a flag ($1= 50 per flag plus a maintenance contract).

We will be planning a Place-making Workshop with City Spaces for the Village concept next year before March 31. City Scapes = will likely lower their $5000 price to $3750, (which is the amount of our grant)= to run this workshop.

Action: we will start planning the Place-making Workshop after our AGM.

Land Use:

The Large and Co. development at Quadra and Bay has been on hold because the CM= HC had issues with the developer re-using shingles for the development. The new plan is to use Hardi-Plank which will look the = same. The NPNA had no problem with this substitution, and the change will go thro= ugh Planning.

The development at Vancouver and Bay had a change to their landscaping due to the fact that Planning wan= ted them to add an extra parking space on the development to bring the total sp= aces to 5.

The latest development proposal for 920-926 Caledonia is apparently dead.

Safety:

St. John<= /st1:City> the Divine’s Rector Harold Munn couldn&#= 8217;t make the meeting, but gave the NPNA a heads up on a ne= ighbourhood safety issue:

(from Dr. Munn)<= /p>

Also, I have been asked = to be a member of the Mayor's Task Force on homelessness, mental illness and addi= ctions. The Task Force has two components - a group of medical experts including Pe= rry Kendal (the senior medical health officer for BC) who are finding out what = has worked and been effective in dealing with these issues in other cities; and= a group of local medical and social-services people who are checking out what services are currently provided in Victoria and what may be missing. The Ta= sk Force is due to report by the end of October, but will be having public meetings before then, (Ed. Note: the timelines and dates for this have y= et to be set!!) and will want to meet with the NPNA. If the NPNA has ideas= or suggestions I'd be glad to pass them on now. The Task Force is getting to t= he point where we will be able to say what has worked elsewhere, and being cle= ar about what isn't working here, and I will be in touch, probably in the next= few weeks, when that work is completed to see if members of the Task Force can = meet with the NPNA (and other associations and groups as well) to get your input= .

Thomas noted that Rob Randall from the Downtown Resident’s Association (DRA)= is also on this task force.

Action: Thomas will ask the DRA to report to the NPNA o= n this issue.

Xane also sent a message with Jim that Sgt. Walker (we believe!) would like to address the NPNA about safety in our neighbourhood, possibly in October.

Action: Xane to put the= Sgt. In touch with Kristin, or arrange the lecture.

Kristin sent word that the Good Neighbour Agreement bet= ween Cool Aid and the neighbours concerning the 15 b= ed Next Steps Shelter on Dowler Street is finaliz= ed, and they will be asking the neighbours to sign = off on it at the neighbourhood barbecue on September 2= 0, 2007.

Action: Kristin and Ale= x to coordinate delivering the food etc.

Kristin also mentioned that she received a call from Michael Hill saying that the C= ity was willing to do a CPTED review. (presumably on= the area around the needle exchange).

Action: Kristin to foll= ow up and get details for us.

Kristin also met with the Mayor last Friday to discuss our presentation of the NPNA Safety Document to the Committee of the Whole. (Our slated time was cancell= ed as the Mayor wanted to meet with Kristin first). He wanted the document to = be presented in a way that emphasized the positive aspects of North park, not just the negative aspects of the IV drug use. They a= lso touched on other safety issues such as the CPTED review and getting City fu= nds to promote block watch in our neighbourhood.

Action: Kristin t= o let us know when the new date for the Committee of the Whole presentation will be.=

Chair/FIFA:<= /span>

Kristin had some good discussions with the City Planners about holding events in Royal Athletic Park, and a neighbo= urhood meeting to discuss these issues was planned, but nothing has come of it yet. Kristin is trying to get the ball rolling on that again.<= /p>

THE FUTURE OF THE NPNA:=

No new input from the t= hree Board Members present.

AGM PLANNING:

The date we are working= with is Thursday, October 18. Sign in 7PM, meeting starts at 7:30PM.<= /span>

Action: Stacey to= email the NPNA Board to see if there are any objections to this date.<= /span>

The theme is Urban Desi= gn, to highlight our work with the Village Concept. Possible speakers are Brenda <= span class=3DSpellE>McBain, Gene Miller, Xane St. Phillip about the Living Wall, or someone from Parks.

Action: Thomas to= arrange speakers.

Action: Anyone wh= o wishes to help Thomas organize speakers, or who has ideas should email Thomas ASAP= .

Jim from St. John the Divine suggested using the basement of the Church for the AGM. Oth= er possibilities include North Park Manor or the Arena.

Action: Jim to che= ck on the availability of the Church.

Action: Stacey to= email board to see if there is a location preference.

Action: Stacey wi= ll book room once she hears back from everyone.

Action: Alex to a= rrange donations from sponsors for Door Prizes.

Action: Thomas to= ask Rob Randall if he will run the election.

Action: Cam to post on the Web once date/location finalized.

Action: Flyers to= be made and printed (Cam, can you do this?)=

Action: Stacey to= take flyers to Post Office for Mail out.

Meeting Ajourned at 8:35PM

October Meeting was the AGM – No minutes=

MINUTES = FROM THE NOVEMBER 13, 2007 MEETING OF THE NORTH PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION

Board Me= mbers present: Kristin Atwood (Chair), Stacey Ness, Alex Kerr, Ed Price, Pauline Price, Joan Walle= r.

Other me= mbers present: Todd Doherty, Kay Smith, Mike Winstone, Will Wo= odley, Councillor Dean Fortin.

Guests:<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Stg. Sean <= span class=3DSpellE>Plater, and reserve constables Robert Moran, Duncan Mc Andrew, Danny Choi

Meeting called to order at 7:35 PM by Kristin.

COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION PROJECT:

Sgt. Plater gave overview of the project as it ran i= n Burnside Gorge. He then outlined the programs the Crime Watch Volunteers and Reserves will impliment. A special newsletter giving det= ails will be sent to the neighbours of North Park. The six week program is planned for January.<= /span>

Sgt. Plater indicated that No= rth Park’s plan can be tailored to include IV drug use concerns. The program is about crime prevention, and is run by volunteers. They offer education to help pe= ople prevent crime, and are a presence in the community, but they are not police officers. People need to know that this will not stop crime in NP. That is a bigger issue that needs to be tackled by the three levels of government.

We may do a public meeting after the flyer goes out to invite input until where the focus places should be.

Action:<= /span> NPNA wi= th Sgt Plater: to make a newsletter/flyer to advise the community of the project.

Action:<= /span> Kristin= and Stacey to find room and set date/time for community meeting. (likely North Park Manor)

BULLETIN BOARD:

Kristin talked to Mayor Lowe. He has found someone who will sponsor the Community Bulletin Board Construction. Board to be placed in Central Park. Action: Dean to find out more details.

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT PLAN:

Dean talked about the plan and some of the things that he found important, like = density and rapid transit. He suggested, for instance, that we watch that buildings don’t go above 8 stories to help keep the neighb= ourhood feel. We need to consider the neighbourhood pla= n.

BOARD ME= MBER DOCUMENT:

Kristin reviewed the document she created to welcome the new members.

(see attached)

ELECTION= :

Stacey motioned to elect Kristin to the position of Chair. Sec= ond by Pauline. Carried.

Ed motioned to elect Stacey to the position of secretary. = Second by Pauline. Carried.

Stacey motioned to elect Ed as treasurer. Second by Alex. Carried.

Kristin indicated Thomas would like to stay on Land Use. Alex Kerr would like to st= ay on Unity. The Safety Committee is still without a Chair, but help Ed., Todd, Pauline, and Will are willing to be on the committee. For now, Kristin will still represent North Park on safety iss= ues. The communications Committee will continue with Cameron doing the website. = Still looking for other help. Remaining Board Members = will be Members at Large.

Action:<= /span> December’s meeting will be when we decide what our priorities will be= for the next year.

PLACE MA= KING WORKSHOP:

City Scapes will be heading this community meeting in January to get input from the neighbours on wha= t they would like to see in their community. There will be small groups which will walk about block by block and decide what they like, what needs to change. = The City is changing the infrastructure along Cook Street this year.

Action:<= /span> Place m= aking workshop planning will be done at the December meeting.

UNITY:

Banner update. There a= re two designs they like, but they would like the Artists to change a couple thing= s on the designs. Because the price for the banners is less if we order 20 or mo= re, we have changed the sponsor structure. Instead of the business buying one a= nd then being responsible for upkeep, the NPNA will charge more for initial sponsorship, then the NPNA will replace worn out banners with the extra one= s we print.

Guide Ho= use is havi= ng an Open House November 24, from 1PM to 3PM. Guide House is 40 years old!!!!

St. Andr= ews School want to put a mural on its building. They are interested in working with the NPNA to do this project.

Action:<= /span> Final d= esigns for the banner project and Board approval to happen at the December meeting= .

Alex updated the Board on the progress of the upgrades at Franklin Green.

ROYAL AT= HLETIC PARK:

Kristin talked about the meeting she had with the City concerning events at Royal Athletic Park. Organizers ne= ed to be responsible for traffic/parking, crowd control/noise, and garbage when planning events in RAP. New guidelines are as follows. 120 days before the event they need to advise the NPNA of their intent. 60 days prior they need to attend an NP= NA meeting. And finally, 30 days before they need to hold a community meeting = to advise the neighbours and address concerns.

Meeting adjourned.

MINUTES = FROM THE DECEMBER 11, 2007 MEETING OF THE NORTH= PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION

Board Me= mbers present: Kristin Atwood (Chair), Stacey Ness, Alex Kerr, Thomas Guererr= o, Ed Price, Cameron Speedie, Jo= an Waller, Pauline Price.

Other me= mbers present: Mark , Will Woodley, Todd Doherty, Gill Garrison= , Kay Smith, Marni Offman= , Janis LacCouvee

Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM by Kristin.

ELECTION= :

Stacey motioned to elect Thomas to the position of Land Use Chair. Second by Joan. Carried.

Joan motioned to elect Will as an interm board membe= r. Second by Cameron. Carried.=

Thomas motioned to elect Joan as chair of the Safety Committee. Second by Will. Carried.

Stacey motioned to elect Cam as Communication Committee Chair. Second by Thomas. Carried.

UNITY CO= MMITTEE - PLACE MAKING WORKSHOP:

Thomas is looking into finding a place to hold the Place Making Workshop near Cook Street= . He has also inquired at St. Andr= ews School, but the loc= ation is still TBD. Likely date to be a Saturday in mid to late February. City Spaces will help us work on a communication plan with the neighbours. This wi= ll be an all day workshop. The City granted us $3750 for this, but we need to add $250 to pay City Spaces the $4000. At this meeting, hopefully we can also g= et community input on the name of the Village.

Action:<= /span> Alex to inquire about getting donations of food from neighbour= hood restaurants.

Action:<= /span> Thomas = to finalize a location.

Action:<= /span> Cam to make media release/PSA for January distribut= ion.

UNITY COMMITTEE:

Banners:= Still w= aiting for a second quote for production. The winning banners designed by Andrew from 1056 were shown. All banners are potentially sponsored as of now. In the New Year we will hold a small ceremony for the unveiling.

Festival= : Applica= tion for our Neighbourhood Festival will be put in e= arlier so that we may step up the sponsorship and status of the event. We will also ask for additional dates so that we might work with Larsen’s for Musi= c in the Park Dates.

STRATEGIC PLANNING:

We will meet on January&n= bsp; 19^th^<=
/span>from 10-11:30AM for a strategic planning session of what the NPNA wants to accomplish this year.

Place TBD.

Action:<= /span> Stacey = will book a room.

LAND USE= :

The City’s website has four options for the New Downtown Plan. You can lo= ok at them and vote on your preferred plan or provide feedback until the 21st of December. These ideas likely won’t go to Council until next Novemb= er, and North Park NA may be consulted in the interm.

Thomas has been at Land Use Chair Meetings. They have been working on the plan/gui= delines for how Developers approach neighbourhoods they= want to develop in.

SAFETY:<= o:p>

Joan, Will, Todd, Ed, and Pauline met and delegated different Safety jobs. The Po= lice wanted the NPNA to identify neighbourhood “hotspots” for the Safety Project to centre on. Some of the spo= ts they identified and suggestions they had were:

Central= park - drug traffic on bleachers. Remove backing plywood. Get more steady lighting. Continue fencing along dugouts and lock them with gates.

Dowler and Pri= ncess had a brothel, there is a vigilante group around there. Detox center/Logan&#= 8217;s - drunkenness.

Action:<= /span> Joan wi= ll meet with Sgt. Plater once the Safety Committee= has finalized their top areas of concern.

NEEDLE EXCHANGE:

VIHA commissioned a $12, 000 report that made many recommendations for improve= ments regarding the Needle Exchange. The Needle Exchange’s current location’s lease will soon run out, and they need to move by the end = of May 2008.

Action:<= /span> Kristin= will liaise with the Needle Exchange while Ed and Pauline are away if input from= the NPNA is required.

Meeting adjourned at 9:00PM.

Thanks to Cameron for the Holiday refreshments!=

<= o:p>