Meeting Minutes for January 2021

I Meeting Minutes - November 2020

• November 2020 meeting minutes were read to meeting attendees.

  • Renee Tucker: Add discussed neighborhood was interested in donating and when Teri Michal requested funding later

II New Business

• Approve November 2020 minutes

  • Motion to approve minutes with correction was made by John Lanier and seconded by Camille Worthington.

  • Motion was approved by unanimous consent.

III Reports

• Police - Jessica Burton, Lt. Nicosia

  • Reported various crimes within Crestwood Community

    • Slight increase in vehicle break-ins, reminder to lock vehicles and store away valuables

    • Recommended watching mailboxes carefully

      • If any theft report with USPS and BPD

  • Amy Ware

    • Asked about kidnapping that happened in Crestwood South

    • Lt. Nicosia could not confirm details but will report back

  • John Lanier

    • Complimented BPD with increased traffic and speed presence on Crestwood Blvd

• Fire - Capt. J. Kolodziej

  • Smoke detector installations, 205-595-5801

    • Will schedule appt to install smoke detectors

  • Amy Ware

    • Asked about the amount of detectors they can install for a single household. Capt said it depends on how many they have available at that time.

• Birmingham Library - Vincent Solfronk

  • All BPL are open partially through the week and still doing curbside pickup/dropoff.

    • Hours are available on BPL website.

  • Almost all full time staff and most part time staff are back.

• CRR - Harold Houston

  • Neighborhood Elections

    • Postponed until further notice and no additional updates at this time

    • Liz Murray

      • Spoke with Alice

        • Aiming for March date

  • Provided trash & brush pickup schedule for February

  • Dog waste station

    • Bags installed

    • Liz Murray

      • Dog waste stations are already empty in some stations on the trail.

        • Harold reported this and the bags will be installed.

        • 919-2540 - Charles Brundige

  • Neighborhood Allocations

    • Non-capital projects: $17,690.24

    • Capital projects: $9,536.81

    • Total: $27,227.05

• Public Works - Arthur Wilder - 205-254-2061, arthur.wilder2@birminghamal.gov

  • 5 properties written up that will be mowed by Public Works

IV City Representatives

• City Council Representatives

  • Hunter Williams, Councilor, District 2 represented by India Bailey

    • Sent in request about more lighting in Crestwood Park

      • Still coordinating a time to meet with P&R and AP on cost and logistics

    • Sent requests about walking trail to be cleaned up regularly

    • Liz Murray asked about an update on Trinity Property development, but no updates at this time.

  • Valerie A. Abbott, Councilor, District 3

    • City Council is holding virtual meetings

    • Currently only things that can be considered at meetings are pandemic related expenditures and routine necessary city expenditures.

• School Board

  • Terri Michal, District 2

    • Little Library

      • All six are funded

      • Neighborhood can donate funds or books to LL

    • Staying virtual until end February. Will reevaluate and see if in person teaching can resume or will remain virtual.

    • Superintendent looking into starting school earlier in July to prevent summer slide

  • Mary Boehm, District 3

    • 1/26 D7 an election for empty board seat 

    • 1/26 board meeting work session to vote on proposed charter school

      • Housed at current location of southern museum of flight

    • Early College program featured on local news.

    • Ramsay basketball game basketball rim fell down

      • Inspecting facilities to make sure this doesn’t happen again

V Announcements

• Upcoming Bulk Trash & Brush Pickup - Feb. 3rd, Feb. 24th

• Curbside Recycling Pickup - Feb. 3rd

• Next Meeting - Feb. 22nd

Meeting Minutes for November 2020

November 23, 2020

President: Kayla MacNeil

Vice President: Elizabeth Murray

Secretary: Steven MacNeil

Meeting Minutes - October 2020

• Minutes posted on crestwoodsouth.com

• Motion to approve by John Lanier, seconded by Vincent Solfronk

  • Approved by unanimous consent

Reports

Officer Reports

• Dog waste station bags on Council agenda for November 17th meeting

• Current CSNA account balances:

  • $17690.24 for non-capital projects

  • $10,091.09 for capital projects

  • For a total of $27,781.33

Birmingham Police Department, Jessica Burton

• Crime rates down in the East Precinct

• Provided information for resources for domestic violence victims, the Safe Passage program, and the annual children's toy, coat, and shoe drive

• Police Department has suspects in the recent series of car break-ins at Crestwood Park

Birmingham Library - Vincent Solfronk

• This and next week, the library will be providing curbside service only

Hunter Williams, Councilor, District 2

• Downed tree on the Crestwood trail has been removed

• Ann Wright asked about getting additional lighting at Crestwood Park

• Elizabeth Murray asked about trash on the trail not being emptied

• Councilor Williams will be giving $2500 of his discretionary budget to the Neighborhood Association

• Answering questions about returning furloughed city employees to work, Councilor Williams noted that there are statutory limitation preventing the city from returning certain employees to work.

Terri Michal, School Board, District 2

• The schools have continued to implement mixed in-person/remote learning

• A segmented approach have been taken to mitigate potential spread by rotating students through the school on specific days in blocs

• Michal is seeking funding for headsets for students learning remotely

• One Little Free Library has been funded and Michal will be looking for additional funding to fund the other five proposed Little Free Libraries

  • Neighborhood members indicated interest in helping funding for Little Libraries

• 20-day attendance count is down by approximately 1000 students, which could negatively affect state funding, but Board Member Boehm noted that the city may appeal to the state to hold the attendance numbers at last years levels due to the extenuating circumstances of the pandemic

Mary Boehm, School Board, District 3

• Congratulated Board member Michal on her Little Free Library initiative

• Woodlawn Darryl Brown was Alabama District 5 principal of the year

Announcements

• No meeting in December due to holidays

• Curbside Recycling Pick Up - December 2nd

• Bulk Trash & Brush Pickup - December 16th

Meeting Minutes for October 2020

October 26, 2020

President: Kayla MacNeil

Vice President: Elizabeth Murray

Secretary: Steven MacNeil

Meeting Minutes - September 2020 Meeting

• Minutes posted on crestwoodsouth.com

• Motion to approve by Camille Worthington, seconded by Vincent Solfronk

• Approved by unanimous consent

Reports

Officer Reports

• Neighborhood Officer Elections - January 12, 2021

• Variance Request - 800 Montclair Rd. (Trinity Property)

Jessica Burton, Birmingham Police

• The Department has begun accepting applications for the "Safe Passage" program, providing safe routes for children walking to and from school.

  • For more information call 205-254-6900

Birmingham Library - Vincent Solfronk

• Main library remains the only location open: Monday through Friday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

• Possibility that city may sell parking decks to private seller to raise money

Citizens' Advisory Board - Elizabeth Murray

• Mayor's office gave a presentation about transformation plan of Smithfield neighborhood, attempting to obtain a choice neighborhood grant through HUD

• Jane Hiles asked the presentation provided information about pathways for residents displaced by the plan to return to the area after the redevelopment, which it didn't according to Mrs. Murray

Hunter Williams, Councilor, District 2 (represented by India Bailey)

Valerie Abbott, Councilor, District 3 (represented by Dr. Darryl Lee)

• Budget & Finance committee considering Choice Neighborhood grant through HUD, Lee assured the neighborhood that residents of the Section 8 housing in the neighborhood will be given first right of refusal to move back into the neighborhood after redevelopment

• Councilor Abbott will be doing discretionary fund neighborhood allocations soon

Terri Michal, School Board, District 2

• City Schools scheduled to go to in-person teaching Nov. 9

Lashunda Scales, Jefferson County Commissioner District 1

• $9.1M for Birmingham City for COVID relief through the CARES Act

• Provided information about the impending general election, including information about in-person absentee voting

  • Scales gave assurance that all ballots would be counted despite concerns otherwise

Announcements

• Curbside Recycling Pick Up - November 4th

• Bulk Trash & Brush Pickup - November 4th

• Next Meeting - November 23rd

Meeting Minutes for September 2020

CSNA September 2020 meeting 

September 28, 2020 

President: Kayla MacNeil 

Vice President: Elizabeth Murray 

Secretary: Steven MacNeil 

1. Meeting Minutes - August 2020 

   • Minutes posted on crestwoodsouth.com

   • Motion to approve by Ann Wright, seconded by Camille Worthington Approved by unanimous consent 

2. Meeting Minutes - September 2020 Special Meeting

   • Minutes posted on crestwoodsouth.com

   • Motion to approve by Ann Wright, seconded by Camille Worthington Approved by unanimous consent

3. New Business

   • Refill bags for Clairmont Walking Trail dog waste stations

     • Previously voted on incorrect amount

     • $92.38/per carton of 2000 bags

     • Need to allocate $554.28 for six waste stations on Clairmont Walking Trail

     • Motion to approve by Camille Worthington, seconded by Ann Wright

       • Approved by unanimous voice vote

   • Donation for Birmingham Landmarks, Inc.

     • Motion to donate $500 from the neighborhood association's non-capital projects funds to  support Birmingham Landmarks, Inc. and its Alabama and Lyric Theaters made by Steve Todd, seconded by Ann Wright

       • Motion passes by unanimous voice vote

4. Reports

   • Officer Reports

     • Holiday Lights: President MacNeil informed that the neighborhood will not be installing  holiday lights along Crestwood Boulevard

   • Birmingham Library - Vincent Solfronk

     • Solfronk informed the neighborhood of the closing of the Eastwood Library location due to  budget shortfalls, as well as the consolidation of several other library locations across the  city and furloughing of many Library employees

   • CRR - Harold Houston

     • Houston provided the city recycling, bulk trash and brush pickup schedules

     • The Neighborhood Association officer election date is still to be determined and ought to  be determined by the City Council in the near future

5. City Representatives

   • Valerie Abbott, Councilor, District 3

     • Councilor Abbott further clarified the state of the city's budget shortfall, attributing the crisis  to the city budget's dependence on business taxes which have taken a serious hit from the  COVID-19 pandemic

   • Terri Michal, School Board, District 2

     • 20 day attendance count beginning with the start of the school year will determine funding  for the schools for the rest of the year

     • Devices and internet hotspots have been distributed to students, properly preparing them  for remote learning

6. Announcements

   • Curbside Recycling Pick Up - October 7th

   • Bulk Trash & Brush Pickup - October 14th

   • Next Meeting - October 26th

Meeting Minutes for September 2020 Special Called Meeting

Crestwood South Neighborhood Association August 2020 Meeting

September 8, 2020

President: Kayla MacNeil
Vice President: Elizabeth Murray
Secretary: Steven MacNeil

1. June 2020 meeting minutes

   • President MacNeil read the June minutes

   • Minutes posted on crestwoodsouth.com

   • Motion to approve June minutes made by Lawrence Myers, seconded by John Lanier, approved by unanimous voice vote

2. Clairmont trail dog waste station bags

   • John Lanier makes a motion to approve allocating $100 for Clairmont trail dog waste station bags, seconded by Ann Wright, approved by unanimous voice vote

Meeting Minutes for August 2020

Crestwood South Neighborhood Association August 2020 Meeting

August 24, 2020

President: Kayla MacNeil
Vice President: Elizabeth Murray
Secretary: Steven MacNeil

1. Meeting Minutes - February 2020

   • Minutes posted on crestwoodsouth.com

   • Motion to approve by Elizabeth Murray, seconded by Vincent Solfronk

     • Approved by unanimous consent

2. Meeting Minutes - June 2020

   • Minutes posted on crestwoodsouth.com

   • Motion to postpone approval of June minutes until special meeting September 8 made by Elizabeth Murray, seconded by Camille Worthington

     • Approved by unanimous consent

3. Presentations

   • Leonette W. Slay - League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham

     • Provided information on absentee voting in anticipation of the upcoming November 3, 2020 general election

   • Hunter Garrison & Thomas Yuill - Southern Area Framework Plan

     • Plan provides a profile of current demographic, market, land use and development trends

     • Plan will inventory of community facilities, parks and transportation infrastructure

     • Data is collected through various public outreach methods including: public meetings, stakeholder interviews, surveys, Nextdoor, etc.

     • Plan then outlines goals and recommends actions for near and long-term implementation

     • Asking for feedback from the community at https://www.imaginebham.com/
       southernarea.html

     • Councilor Valerie Abbott stressed the importance of community participation for the success not only the plan but by extension, the city itself

4. Reports

   • Officer Elections: Postponed until 2021

     • Requirements

       • Be a resident of the City of Birmingham who is at least eighteen (18) years of
         age

       • Has resided in the neighborhood for at least one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the Declaration of Candidacy deadline

       • Has attended at least four (4) of that neighborhood’s meetings during the previous twelve (12) months prior to the Declaration of Candidacy deadline

         • Harold Houston clarified that an exception was made to include all 12
           meetings since October 2019's CSNA meeting

       • Candidate declarations due September 14, 2020

   • Fire/Police

     • Jessica Burton from the BPD East Precinct reported that property and violent crimes have decreased in the East Precinct over the previous week, however there has been an uptick in firearms being stolen from vehicles

   • Birmingham Library - Vincent Solfronk

     • Reported that Mayor Woodfin's proposed budget will furlough the entire city library staff and asked for community support for the libraries

     • In addition to furloughing employees for an indeterminate amount of time, the Eastwood branch is likely to be closed

     • The budget cuts will also cease digital services for library patrons such as ebook and other digital rentals

     • Amy Ware made a motion to send a letter in support of the Eastwood library and the city library staff to Mayor Woodfin's office, seconded by Rose Cook.

       • Approved by unanimous consent

     • In response to a question about the line item in the Mayor's proposed budget, Hunter Williams clarified that the library's budget was cut from $12.8M to $11.5M and that the specifics of the budget allocation are at discretion of the Library's
       Board.

   • CRR - Harold Houston

     • Provided the trash and brush schedule for the remainder of the year as well as the balance of the neighborhood's account

       • Projected balance of $27,781.00 going into Fiscal Year 2021

   • Hunter Williams, Councilor, District 2

     • Fielded questions about the proposed budget:

     • Underlined the concerns about students not having access to a traditional learning environments due to the COVID pandemic

     • Noted that there has been some misinformation in regard to an increase in the BPD budget, clarifying that the additional funding is the salaries of existing city security guards that have been previously funded by their respective institutions

   • Terri Michal, School Board, District 2

     • Detailed efforts by the school board to provide computers, cellular Wi-Fi hotspots and other equipment to students to facilitate remote learning

     • City schools will begin the first nine weeks of the school year remotely before re-evaluating the status of the pandemic

     • Programs have been put in place to educate students and parents on how to use provided equipment and software for remote learning

     • Voiced concerns about possible negative impact of the pandemic on enrollment

     • Middle school sports have been cancelled but high school sports are not, however in-person attendance has been limited to mitigate spread of COVID

5. Announcements

   • Bulk trash & brush pickup: September 2 & 23

   • Recycling pickup: September 2

   • Special called meeting: September 8

   • Next monthly meeting: September 28 @ 6:30