February 2020 Board of Directors Minutes

 

• Welcome and Introductions

 

Kelleigh opened the meeting and all the guests introduced themselves.

Michael – special introduction of Chris Bowling new SWP employee – office manager.

 

 

• Approval of the Minutes

 

Motion by Jane S. to approve the minutes from January, 2nd by Abigail. Gregg Abstained All others in Favor – the motion passes.

 

 

• Lifebridge Report

 

1. • Lifebridge – presentation Dwayne Richardson
   • Introduced team:
     • Anthony Rossi
     • Regina Merrill
     • Kurt Sommer
   • Lifebridge is creating a new foundation and a new resource center
   • Lifebridge is more than just hospitals they have 135 businesses 
   • $2.1 billion company
   • They acquired the Bon Secours hospital and the suboxone clinic
   • They committed to purchasing the hospital and investing in the community and developing a resource center.
   • They know there are lots of other resource centers in the area and they don’t want to duplicate
   • They are going to focus on access to healthy food, workforce development, family support services. But not sure exactly what will go into the resource center. 
   • They are different because they are a funder.
   • The funds need to be used in West Baltimore.
   • They are looking to communicate with lots of people and break down silos.
   • The foundation is newly formed. Edith is the Community Director – 3 year term. 
   • The Resource Center will be at the corner of West Baltimore Street and Calhoun Street.
   • Don’t know when they will open or what will go in yet. They are going to ask community what they would like to see.
   • Resource Center is separate from the foundation. There will also be some grants. They are trying to figure out the process.
   • Michael: Why did you say that you were required to create this resource center? 
     • HSCRC (Health Services Cost Review Commission) – Dictated what they are required to do.
   • Heather: Bon Secours is still doing all the things that the community works does what about redundancy?
     • They are paying close attention to that
   • Jane S: How much do they have to spend?
     • Undetermined right now.
   • The hospital now has Pediatrics – It never had pediatrics before
   • Sonia: How would neighborhoods apply?
     • Not sure yet
   • Ashley: Has lots of questions – to be sure that we are not duplicating effort.
     • Dwayne wants to provide a service but not duplicate efforts – needs information. 
   • Their current Live where you work program covers the entire City. With special incentives for certain neighborhoods – they are working on the plan for Southwest.
   • Dottie: Went to a charette. – They have a lot of their community coming out and participating.
   • Kurt: Offered to come to community association meetings to do a similar update.

 

 

• Governance Committee

 

Khanda delivered updates from the governance committee:

1. • Form an appeals committee for the tax sale certificate program
     • The standard process for tax sale: Staff reviews the application and gives a decision to the applicant. (We are looking to create a review process by a group that is not the staff)
     • New process for appeal:
       1. Applicants have 10 days to appeal the staff decision.
       2. The new process would be to establish a special committee (with 3 active members), to review the application and make a recommendation to the board to make a final decision and the board will vote.
       3. One of the members of the committee would be designated by the community that the property is in.
       4. We will review and approve the members of the committee at a subsequent meeting. There will need to be enough members to be able to activate 3 or them for each review.
   • Jane B. Would the chair be a member of the committee. 
   • Kenneth: Is there a process and criteria that will be used each time.
   • JR: Just to make it clear the neighborhood rep will be selected by the association
   • Kenneth: Has angst because of interchangeability of people.
   • Scott: I have the same issue but we didn’t have a better solution. We are asking for volunteers and will likely need the capacity to act fairly quickly so the same person may not be available.
   • Jane B. Would staff be involved
   • Staff: For logistics only. This needs to be an independent committee. 
   •  We’ve only had one incident so far. 
   • The rep from the neighborhood could make a commitment for a year or so.
   • Heather: 2 from each committee one primary and one backup…if there is a person from each neighborhood 
   • Donnell: is this for any application
     • Scott: Yes but only when there is an appeal – under normal circumstances it would be a staff decision and that stands.
   • Chuck motion to approve Jane. B second. 
   • Abigail in the future it would be helpful to the discussion to have the process written down when presenting to the board. 
   • All in favor except Kenneth Abstained. The motion passes.

 

1. • Indicators and Metrics for Vision Plan Goals
   • Goal Evaluation process:
   • See the attached summary of Indicators and Metrics for Vision Plan Goals (1,3,4,6) There are still two goals that need to be worked through
     • Ashley: This is a good start but it’s missing how much and by when, in order to get these to be SMART goals. 
       1. That still needs to be worked out. The details are still to be determined. Staff will be working on that in consultation with expert guidance.
       2. Casey is funding a small pilot measurement project for UMB that may expand and assist with this project in the future.
   • Motion to approve the metrics: Nancy, Heather 2nd. All in favor – the motion passes

 

1. • Advisory board members– 

• • • Recommend: Lou and Khandra and Diana – 
      • Lou is the current chair of the fundraising committee
      • Khandra is the current chair of the governance committee
      • Diana is the immediate past chair of the housing committee
    • Jane B. – Recommend: Lou and Khandra since they are current committee chairs but thinks not Diana because she is a former committee chair. 
    • Jane S. Advisory board members. Could be based on the position.
      • The bylaws allow for a person to be named to the role of advisory board director.
    • JR: This should have been on the agenda.
      • It was supposed to be.
    • Abigail: It occurs to her that it makes sense because the first meeting she came to – the one that was very awkward – there was information missing from the conversation that if Khandra had been there would have been able to provide it.

 

• • • Scott: Motion to approve Lou and Khandra to the advisory board
      • 2nd Dan R. 
      • Jane – What is the term? Renewable, one year.
      • Kenneth abstained.
      • All others in favor.

 

1. Executive Director Report

Michael – 

1. 1. • Lou is recovering from surgery – 
      • At the committee meetings in March – begin the discussion for the CORE And BRNI funds so we are ready
      • Poppleton Rec Center this Saturday starting at 10 AM and continuing until we are done – we will be cleaning it out. The City is providing dumpsters.
      • On the Saturday after next we will host a visioning process for the Lord Baltimore Center at the Biopark.
      • Tony is adding a new role. He is now the Deputy Director of SWP. Congratulations and thank you Tony.
      • The Baltimore Street Manager position is funded out of a City Grant – they are interviewing for the position.
        • The position is open – and applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.
   2. New Business/ Old Business
      • Edith: Motion for Diana to be on the advisory board – 2nd Abigail. 
        • After some clarifying discussion Edith withdrew her motion
      • Sonia: Has anyone heard – Baltimore City found a supermarket to go into Center West Project. No one has heard anything definitive. 
        • We could ask Dan to come and talk about it.
      • Edith – has some good news – The mural of Franklin Square residents/ leaders has been saved. The house at the corner of Mulberry and Fulton with the mural on it and the house next door have been purchased and will be rehabbed. 
        • History: About two years ago the city was planning to knock them both down and suggested we look into relocating the mural??!!  Tony and others have put in a lot of hard work to save these houses.
      • Ashley introduced Tyrone Roper as the new director of the community engagement center.
      • Bill: the MLK corridor committee did meet but won’t meet again until after the election.
        • DOT – is doing work on the western edge of MLK – We should talk to them…

 

• Adjourn

 

Motion to Adjourn by Donnell – 2nd by Dan. R