Part 2 of 2 6:57pm -- Planning Adjourned.
Administration and Finance Committee called to order by Marie Hauser.
* Action Items
- Change Order: 7.1 -- approve additional $500,000 for tree and stump removal for new total of $2,050,000.00.
- NRP: 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 -- approve NRP funding agreements with Fulton for (7.1) Youth Start Program at Pershing Park $5,800, (7.2) four square facility at Pershing Park $2,000, and (7.3) purchase youth program equipment for Pershing Park $2,500.00.
- Agreement: 7.5 -- approve coop funding with Mn. Historical Society and St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board for $31,000.
All items are quickly moved and passed with no discussion, except Comr. Young comments on past difficulties of working with MHS.
6:59pm -- Admin & Finance Adjourned.
Pres. Olson calls Regular Meeting back to order.
* Agenda Approval
Comr. Dziedzic wants to add about 4 things, but under the "new rules" of not amending the agenda, Olson says they need to go through the Admin & Finance Committee at the next meeting first.
* Reports of Officers
- Superintendent Jon Gurban briefly mentions Earth Day and Community Gardens. He then moves to answering questions that comr. Mason asked a month or more ago. (1) Park police will move into the newly renovated offices on the first floor of the HQ building in late summer, maybe August. (2) In mid May, the new district managers will begin moving into their offices. The Minnehaha District will move into the second floor of the Longfellow House. They will install a T1 telephone line for Internet connectivity [about $600 - $800 / month] back to HQ. The Lakes District will move near the end of May into the Southside Service Center. The River District will remain in the HQ building. (3) In theory, no additional staff will be hired, but rather people from inside the organization will simply move into the district jobs. Despite Gurban's initial tone of voice and mannerisms of giving Mason a comeuppance for asking for this information, he actually manages to get over it and ultimately give the first comprehensive and clear report he's ever given to the board in 16 months. [Too bad that all reports from the officers are not always like this and voluntarily given. Such reports by staff to elected boards in other organizations often are.]
- GM Don Siggelkow reports that the Minneapolis Queen excursion boat has arrived. - GM Michael Schmidt reports on an RBI and Volunteer Appreciation Event
* Consent Business
- Items 2.1 through 2.5 are quickly moved and passed without discussion. [see agenda for details]
* Standing Committees
- Planning Committee: Items 4.1 through 4.4 are quickly moved and passed without discussion, with Mason opposing 4.4, Cirque Du Soliel's lease terms.
- Admin & Finance Committee: Items 7.1 through 7.4 are quickly moved and passed. Mason asks why 7.1 and 7.2 are both change orders increasing existing contracts for $100,000 or more. Rietkerk says they were just adding back the original features to those projects.
7.5, a contract with Barr Engineering, passes without discussion and Mason abstains because a member of her family works for Barr. Dziedzic comments that Mason has no conflict of interest because her daughter is an adult not living with Mason. [I find that to be an interesting definition of ethical conflict of interest.]
7.6, the change order to increase stump removal for $500,000. Dziedzic complains about the contractor who did stump removal on Gross Golf Course damaging the fairways with there and that the Park Board should get some money back from them. It passes.
* Unfinished Business
8.1 Resolution to authorize acceptance of tax-forfeited land. Roll call vote: 8 for, none against (Berry Graves left meeting early).
* New Business
- Hosting the 2010 NRPA Congress. Young warns of the big effort this will take. There will be 8,000 to 10,000 people at the event.
* Petitions and Communications [nothing of significance]
7:45pm ADJOURNED.
-- Chris Johnson Fulton
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