May 20, 2025

Attendees

• Nick Whitaker:  President
• Steve Longmire: Vice President
• Richard Peoples: Secretary
• Natalie Mataszczak:  Dir. Of Membership
• Andrew Badachhape: Dir. Of Communications
• Bruce Clark: Dir. Of Neighborhood Safety
• Marlene Matterson:  Dir. Of  Activities

The meeting was called to order by Nick Whitaker at 7:02 pm. Nick announced that our guest speaker for the June meeting will be the County Clerk who will discuss upcoming elections.

Montrose Boulevard is having extensive work done. If you need to report problems (holes, etc.) related to the construction, file a 311 report.

The METRO 56 bus line service has been reduced. The alternative is 298 but it is more expensive.

Nick wanted to discuss the projects we had considered. Amanda Edwards has contacted us to speak at our meeting but she is restricted from doing so due to the non-profit status of the Montrose Counseling Center.

The Street Toppers are on hold and not likely to be installed any time soon. The city budget is TIGHT.

We need to buy a projector for monthly meetings. We have been using Steve Longmire’s personal projector. He offered it to CAFMC at a cost of $500, based on online offers for refurbished projectors. A motion to purchase the projector at that price was made by Andrew and seconded by Marlene. It passed unanimously with an abstention from Steve Longmire. The treasurer will Zelle the cash to Steve.

There was a suggestion to post a photo of the old CRUISE lot. It is now empty, re-paved and marked.

There is going to be a public meeting about the reconstruction of Lower Alabama from the Spur to Shepherd. It is in the engineering and design phase now. Steve suggested that we be proactive and suggest the construction equipment be parked on the old CRUISE lot. During the CAFMC project, equipment was parked on tree roots which eventually killed the trees. Nick expressed some concern about having heavy equipment parked behind residential areas may be problematic (noisy).

There will be a public assembly on May 31 at St. Stephen’s to discuss bike lanes on Alabama.

There is no money for dog poop canisters.

There is support for traffic safety projects. Steve would like to have parking signs like they have in Westmoreland district. Jack Street has particular needs for signs. The sign placement needs to be appropriate to state law. We may be able to get assistance from Abbie Kamin’s office. It was suggested that we do a neighborhood walk with their representative to show them what we need. A petition would follow that procedure.

Nick is interested in pursuing a neighborhood cleanup. Alice Coffrey will make suggestions about where to place the dumpster. The cleanup will be in the fall.

The garden project is not dead. We will need to work with AIMS. If we wanted to do the perimeter project, we would need to excavate the soil along the fence and replace it with good planting soil. Steve suggested we do a pilot project of planting some trees instead. Excavation could be done in the summer.

The SPARK Park is deteriorating. Two swings are broken. The jungle gym is broken. The sitting wall is damaged. We will need to meet with Mrs. Bilulli, the AIMS principle. AIMS is responsible for maintenance.

516 W. Main was filled with mold. It is being restored by a new owner. He wants to add a bedroom on the back of the structure. Steve recommended we prepare a letter of support. Andrew made a motion and it was seconded by Natalie. It passed unanimously

The meeting adjourned at 8:47.