Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

6:30 PM

Oak Park Community Center

3524 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

*These meeting minutes are unapproved. The Oak Park RAC will take action on the minutes at the December 14th RAC meeting.

I. Call to Order

Committee Chairperson, Edenausegboye Davis, called the meeting to order at 6:36 pm.

II. Roll Call

Committee Secretary, Linda McDonald, conducted roll call.

Present: Bud Aungst, Kim Curry-Evans, Edenausegboye Davis, Chris Ganson, Edgar Hilbert, Mary Lou Lackey, Linda McDonald, Eric Straub, James Taylor, Rose Thomas

Absent: Sandy Redmond

Staff Present: Chris Pahule, Erika Bumgardner

III. Welcoming Remarks

Edenausegboye Davis welcomed members of the community. She reviewed procedures with regard to speakers being recognized by the chair, members raising their hands, the use of speaker cards and the 3-minute limit for speakers from the public.

IV. Approval of the October 12, 2005 RAC Meeting Minutes

Kim Curry-Evans noted that she should not be listed as present for that meeting. The minutes were approved unanimously as amended.

V. Redevelopment Items

A. Appointment of Oak Park RAC Representative to the Stockton Blvd. Partnership Community Pride Project Committee – Erika Bumgardner, SHRA

This is the committee that will spend funds that were generated by the Regent Project in the Oak Park portion of Stockton Boulevard. Funding will not be available for some time and the first meeting will probably be in August of next year. Eric Straub was appointed to the Committee.

B. Disposition and Development Agreement with NeighborWorks for the relocation and rehabilitation of the structure (“Blue Bungalow”) located at 4722 9^th Ave. – Erika Bumgardner, SHRA

RAC member Aungst recused himself from this item. SHRA has been working for several years to find a developer willing to move and restore the historic bungalow. The initial plans for the property fell through over 5 years ago. It is a huge liability to leave the building as is and SHRA wants it resolved soon.

NeighborWorks is a local nonprofit that wants to move the house to 2334 43^rd Street in Oak Park. It will be sold for approximately $225,000 when restored, in a low/moderate affordable housing plan. An SHRA grant of $110,000 will be used to relocate the structure to its new location. NeighborWorks will be allocating an additional $110,000 for structural improvements and landscaping and will be adding a garage. The process should take approximately 12 months. Currently, it is a safety hazard to leave the house boarded.

Public member Trina Whitney, a resident of Tahoe Park, spoke about the house being in pristine condition when SHRA purchased it. The neighbors fought demolition plans in the past and Trina recommended that the RAC deny the proposal because the house should remain in its original development tract.

Public member Kathy Orr, a resident of Tahoe Park, has participated in efforts to preserve the house for years. She noted that the PAC supported leaving the house in the neighborhood in the past. Since SHRA has owned it, there have been break-ins and a general decline. The alley between 9^th and 10^th Street is visible from Stockton Blvd. There have been more break-ins in the neighborhood, along with waste. She is also concerned about how the lot would be secured after the house is moved.

Public Member Ray White expressed concern that spending $110,000 to move the house across Stockton Blvd. would be wasteful. He suggested spending $200,000 to build a new home on the lot in Oak Park.

RAC members clarified that there are currently no development proposals in place for the lot. There was a general discussion about leaving the house and rehabilitating it in place. There were inquiries as to available lots in the same development tract. It took one year for NeighborWorks to secure the lot for this proposal. A representative noted that the organization needs an answer going into 2006.

Public Members Bonita Barnes and Joan Barden expressed concerns about moving the building.

Public Member Tom Sumpter spoke about the fact that there were several public meetings leading to the decision to move the house.

RAC members were split 4-4, with one abstention on approval of the DDA with NeighborWorks. Chris Pahule will come back to the next meeting with an updated on possible alternative and also a review of the Stockton Blvd. Urban Design Plan.

C. Oak Park Bond Prioritization Workshop – Chris Pahule, SHRA

This is the second of three RAC meetings in which we will plan for our investment strategy. Pahule gave a brief overview and the RAC members and the public broke out into six groups to prioritize spending on a variety of projects. They were also allowed to add new ideas for projects. There will be approximately $20 million to allocate in four main areas of investment identified in the Oak Park 2005-2009 Implementation Plan Redevelopment Strategy:

· Oak Park Historic District Program

· Great Public Spaces

· Corridor Enhancement

· Housing Program Strategy

The workshop results will be presented separately (not in these minutes) at the December RAC meeting.

VI. Oak Park Redevelopment Area Project Updates – Erika Bumgardner, SHRA

1. Rebuilding Together had its event on October 22, 2005. Volunteers renovated 20 homes and SHRA provided $150,000 in support. The home sponsored by SHRA received new carpet, ceiling fans, lights, window blinds and newly painted facade and trim.

2. The 8^th Avenue street improvement project from the Renaissance Master Plan has been delayed because the bidder was non-responsive. The City Transportation Department is re-advertising for the work on bulb-outs and cross-walks.

3. Plans have been revised for the 34^th and Broadway Walton Project.

4. SHRA has presented revised offers to Days and Washington Markets.

5. Sacramento Mutual Housing is working on the affordable housing aspect of the Donner Field project and will be meeting soon with the sub-committee.

VI. Informational Items

None

VII. Communication from RAC Members and Public on Items Not on the Agenda

A. Sharon Lambert spoke to the group about her search for a facility where she can work with up to 200 kids in the community on media projects. She teaches pride and responsibility, along with advertising, television, print media and music.

B. Christina Ivazes spoke to the group about the importance of engaging youth in the community, especially as we consider future bond expenditures.

C. Bonita Barnes spoke about the 60 kids and families that have been impacted by the closure of the Police Athletic League (PALS) program. We need to open the PALS building and keep these kids engaged in positive activities.

VIII. Adjournment

The regular meeting was adjourned at 7:55 PM. The Workshop (Item V.C.) continued until 8:30 PM.