November 10, 2008 Joint board meeting RWNA & Miller
Joint board meeting of The Rainbow West and Miller Neighborhood Associations
November 10, 2008
Present: Kim Worrall, Cindi…., Harry…., Karen…. , Donna…., Lido Scardigli, Rich Woodland, Mary Tanner, Supriya Gullapalli, Hella Bluhm-Stieber
Guests (during part 1): Pete Constant and Meghan…
Part 1
Combining the two associations
Challenges: huge area = 20% of district 1.
Problems: funding, we would lose the cap grant. Getting attendance is difficult and varies a lot. We need to find creative speakers, mix social events with meetings. We could operate as a hybrid organization: work together but keep two separate organizations.
Pete’s newsletter could post our events.
We can ask businesses to sponsor our newsletter and mail it out. We could do the same newsletter with two different headers.
How can we reach Chinese neighbors? Translate flyers.
Pete could give us a property owner list so that we could mail things out.
Website
Pete’s office can help us with a template.
The Youth Advisory Council has many students from Lynbrook. Perhaps they could help us with some projects.
E.g. the Country Lane Neighborhood Association has a blog.
Pete reported on several things:
We can ask the leadership group for a mentor to help us.
On February 28 is a city-wide illegal sign removal day.
Pete has 10 pop-up canapés, mics and speakers we can borrow.
He can help to find speakers.
Look at Constantcontect to set up e-mail groups.
There are also other grants available for educational, recreational and cultural stuff.
District 1 is on Facebook.
Traffic is the #1 problem in the district.
In regards to bad cell phone reception, we need to contact the phone provider.
Part 2
How to join/cooperate between the two associations?
We proposed to work together, have board and general meetings together, but to keep the money separate. Everybody agreed.
Neighborhood Watch
Cindy will do a meeting for her street. She wants to organize more people. Donna is calling all Rainbow West members and encourages them to have Neighborhood Watch meetings. Flyers seem to be ineffective. We need to contact neighbors on each street to do a neighborhood watch. We should pick 10 streets and start with those.
Block captains
Cindy and Donna are updating the roster.
Treasurer
Rich Woodland is the new treasurer for RW. The balance is $2538 ($1200 for cap grant). Rich got training from Ruby. The PO box is valid for a year and expires in April. Dues can be paid through Paypal, but there are problems.
Hospitality: Donna, no report
Traffic
Harry gave his observations to Pete in regards to more red-light runners, etc.
Green Committee
Karen is organizing a general meeting on January 28, 2009. There will be easy tips for the home, information on solar energy, short lectures, different display tables.
Garage sale
It was very labor intensive for the board. We need to review it for June. Freebies. We should use Pete’s mailing list to invite people.
Adopt a creek
Hella signed the Miller NA up to adopt Calabazas Creek between Bollinger and Blaney. She will organize a creek cleanup possibly in March or April, weather depending.
Dog Park
Kim met with…. In regards to space at Calabazas Park. She also met with somebody from the San Jose Park Foundation. She got contact information. It is mainly a funding issue.
Daffodil bulbs
Kim got 400 bulbs from the city that will be planted at Muir, Miller, and Dillworth schools as well as at the fire station. Miller’s garden club will plant their bulbs. Dillworth can do it with 5th graders. We can plant the other bulbs on Saturdays at the fire station. Cindi will contact teachers at Muir.
We decided to plant them on Saturday, November 22 at 9/10 am. Bring shovels.
San Jose, December 8, 2008
Submitted by
Hella Bluhm-Stieber