The meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Joe Swalwell.
Copies of the October and November minutes will be provided at the January general meeting.
Copies of the ballot for TurnAround Team elections were distributed to those in attendance. Joe Swalwell gave brief biographies on these individuals, and eligible members voted for board members for the 1999-2000 year.
David Leamon reported that he had had a meeting with Mayor Wagnon and Edie Snethen regarding the lighting project for the Washburn-Lane Parkway. Lighting has been identified as the first step with sidewalks and landscaping to follow in order to keep moving toward completion. The lights will be every 45 feet, which is closer than the original plan, to provide better lighting. Cross streets will not be included. David will attempt to get a definite timeline on when this project will begin—most likely in April. There is $200,000 in the budget, $10,000 of which was donated by the Library and Friends of the Library. We will want to work with the city landscapers once we see where the lighting is.
The Mayor encouraged the TurnAround to take advantage of all grant monies available to us. There are different grants that might be applied to different projects such as facade improvements in the College Hill business district. Some could allow us to purchase vacant property for rehab or resell. All, including CIP monies, have deadlines which must be met. The TAT Board will need the approval of the general membership before proceeding.
We need to review our policies on signage. David gave an example of the house being renovated at 16th and Washburn and the sign put in the yard there stating that it is an improvement being made consistent with the Washburn-Lane Parkway concept. He also suggested we find a means to recognize those who have made improvements to their properties such as landscaping or painting.
A lawyer for the TAT Board is checking out the status of our 501(c)(3) status.
Bill Fiander, Mark Braun, Maura Madden, Gerald Williams and Toni Shenk attended as part of the Central Topeka Neighborhood Focus Sessions conducted through the Topeka/Shawnee County Metropolitan Planning Commission. Several handouts were provided including a map of the city delineating areas in the city that have been identified as being in "poor health." They had devised several indicators to help them assess the regions. There will be another public forum in December or January and the Planning Commission will make recommendations.
Karen Hiller and Joe Swalwell were elected TurnAround Team Chair and Vice Chair for the 1999-2000 year. The newly elected Chair, Karen Hiller, took the floor and thanked those who had been active in various activities. She announced that the general meeting time and location will remain the same. There will be no general membership meeting in December. The next general meeting will be January 24. Board meetings will continue on the second Thursday of each month. The next board meeting will be December 9 at the Topeka/Shawnee County Public Library. A secretary and treasurer will be selected at that time.
She asked that neighborhood groups plan to bring to the January general membership meeting 1-3 of their accomplishments for the past year as well as their top priorities for 2000.
She announced that there is now a newsletter editor as well as an assistant. The possibility of a Website is being explored. One advantage would be that neighborhood announcements would be easier to publicize.
It was suggested that we support downtown activities because that will benefit all surrounding neighborhoods.
Bill Fiander brought posters regarding the census and asked that we display them so that people will be aware that this is being undertaken to get an accurate count of the population of Topeka.
33 people were in attendance.
People who are interested in improving the quality and image of Central Topeka, particularly people who live in or own property in the Central Topeka area from Monroe to MacVicar and 21st to the Kansas River, are particularly encouraged to attend. For further information, call 234-2883.