General Meeting Minutes Oct. 25, 2023

Valentine Neighborhood Association General Meeting

Held October 25, 2023, 7 p.m. at Penn Valley Community College Education Center room EC004.

Attendance: Randy Hite, Bob Crutsinger, Delois Moore, Cheryl Baird, David Snodgrass, Lauren Snodgrass, Jason Carrigan, Randy Smith, Kelley Martin, Jim Martin, Chris Jordan, Mary Jo Draper, Santi Vasquez, Ken Stewart, Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, Travis Gaddis, Christy Gaddis, and Dana Meier. 

President Dana Meier called the meeting to order.

1. Safety Update, Charmainne Sanders, KCPD: 
   1. A 30 Sector meeting will be held on Nov. 6 from 5:30 to 7 at 560 Westport Road
   1. Charmainne passed out a handout on burglary prevention tips (posted to website)
   1. 3724 Broadway, the Valentine Apartments, two dead bodies were found in an apartment. Cause of death is not yet determined.
   1. Biggest problem in area is auto theft or attempted stolen auto theft. All but one has involved KIAS. Most of these have been at the shopping center or in parking lots along Broadway.
   1. There was a robbery at 35^th and Jefferson. The victim and robber knew one another.
2. 38^th and Washington Task Force, Cheryl Baird:
   1. The task force will probably change its name since the problem it was created to solve is larger than that area.
   1. The task force met on Oct. 3 at Central Patrol, hosted by Major Tim Hernandez. He reported that a group from the city visited the Shell Station and has since seen a reduction in calls there. They found several violations and asked the owners to hire licensed security guards. He encouraged the neighbors to participate in neighborhood watch training (which David has done). 
   1. The group did a second “clean and seen” trash pickup and will not conduct any more until it warms up in the spring. 
   1. The task force is working on a “what to do if…” document.
3. Valentine Triangle update, Jim Martin: 
   1. Jim and Ken recently cleaned up the triangle. They trimmed the trees. We will talk later about next steps.
4. Garden committee update. Travis Gaddis:
   1. Growing season is over. Travis has notified plot owners that they need to clean out their plots before leaf and brush pickup this weekend. 
   1. Water has been turned off since the city spotted a lot of usage which may indicate a leak. 
   1. The committee plans to have only 2 donation plots next year since there is more demand for plots.
   1. Travis will notify people of open plots in February.
5. Word on the Street: 
   1. Cheryl said Optum is starting a book club open to people over 55. It will meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 2:30 p.m.
   1. Mercedes said she thought Porchfest was amazing.
   1. Chris reported the old iHop at Linwood and Broadway has been torn down. The land appears to be for sale and we have no insight into future plans. 
6. Elections, Christy Gaddis:
   1. Christy, who served as the nominating committee, explained that we had sent out a slate of officers via email and 8 people voted online. All voted to approve the slate. 
   1. ACTION: Motion to approve the slate of officers.
      1. President: Travis Gaddis
      1. Vice President: Dana Meier
      1. Treasurer: Adrain Vogel
      1. Secretary: Mary Jo Draper
      1. VOTE: by a show of hands, everyone in the room voted aye.
   1. Jim said Dana will be remembered as the “pandemic president” whose goal was to get back to meeting after the lockdown. Chris thanked Christy and Jim for their service. 
7. Upcoming events: 
   1. Thirsty Thursdays are over for the year. Since we have not had much turnout for Firepit Fridays, we will resume Thirsty Thursdays in March.
   1. Christmas Party scheduled for Dec. 9 at Kathleen Forster’s home.
   1. Lumineria: This will be the last year for the holiday luminaria since participation has been low and the cost has been increasing. If people are interested in preserving this long-time tradition they should offer to take responsibility. 

.