Triangle Neighborhood Association Meeting

Monday, June 4, 2007

 

1.                  The meeting was held in the library of Warner Elementary School and began at 7:02 PM.  There were 24 persons present at the start of the meeting.  Fifteen additional persons joined the meeting in progress.

2.                  Howard Sholl, TNA President, made a few announcements.

·        The next meeting will be on September 10, 2007.

·        The Wilmington Police Dept will  be starting another class.  Contact the Police Department, if interested.

·        Senator Biden sent a letter to inform us that a new staff person will be working with neighborhood groups.

·        I 95 will become five lanes.  Brochures are available from DelDot.

·        Trash schedules, along with other brochures,  are available.

·        Councilman Norm Griffiths, Second District,  will not be here tonight.  His wife was admitted to the hospital.

·        Captain Maggitti will be here later.

·        Attended a meeting about bring shad back into the Brandywine River.  There are eleven dams for the shad to surmount.

3.                  Roger Landolt, Patterson Schwartz Realty, addressed the group about a possible rezoning of 515 W 18th Street.  It is currently the Brandywine Center for Wellness.  It is operated by Dr. Salvatore Muleh, MD.

·        Howard stated that these questions must be answered before the Board of Adjusters.

·        Dr. Muleh wants to change his work system.

·        The doctor’s office on the first floor has the proper zone designation, and has been “grandfathered.”

·        A potential buyer wanted to use it as a commercial unit.

·        An individual could purchase it, but the zoning would revert back to residence zoning.

·        There is an apartment on the second floor.

·        Observation from the floor: I believe you should apply for a variance to permit professional office use.

·        There would not be a lot of traffic or any change to the environment.

·        Owner would want to offer  an option for professional office use.

·        Realty Company has circulated a letter around the immediate neighborhood.  There was only one response, and it was positive.

·        Question from the floor:  Why not come back to TNA when you are ready to sell.  Answer: If a buyer comes, then we want to move forward.

·        Will work with neighborhood.

·        The target professional would be lawyers or  accountants.

·        Question from the floor:  Do you want to make the building more marketable?  Answer: yes

·        TNA executive committee could make a decision over the summer, if necessary.

·        Question from the floor: Cannot a rock band be considered a professional group?   Answer: Not, as far as we are concerned.

·        Proposed sense of the meeting from the floor:  Empower the TNA Board of Directors over the summer to make a decision.

·        Observation from the floor:  This approach is very open ended.  Reaction: We are not usually opposed to reasonable changes.

·        Howard said that the group assembled tonight will not take a vote on the issue, but let the Board decide.

·        Observation from the floor: The Board of Adjusters works slowly.

·        Copies of letter given to the immediate neighbors were left on the President’s table to be picked-up.

·        Tom Baker suggested that sketches be available when you come to the Board.

·        Currently the zoning is R2A.

·        Dr. Muleh has been  in neighborhood since 1985.

4.                  Mr. Jack Perry addressed the group.

·        He spoke on Prestige Academy.

o       All boys middle Charter School

o       Red Clay School  District

o       Grades 5 through 8

o       College preparatory

o       Parent environment

o       Longer school year

o       Saturday classes twice a month

o       Focus on boys only

·        It would be like Nativity Prep.

·        Planned to open in August 2008 somewhere in Wilmington.

·        Although open to everyone, the target population would be Latino and Black.

·        Would be aligned with Building Excellence in Schools.

·        Consideration was invited by Rodel Foundation of Delaware and Vision 2015.

·        Community support requested.

·        Question from the floor:  How big will the school be?  Answer: There would be 108 in grade 5, then add one grade at a time.   The full capacity would be 432.

·        Suggestion from the floor:  Consider using Christ Our King School.  Response from the floor:  Christ Our King School will be changed into condos.

·        Question from the floor: Does it have to be inside the Red Clay School District?  Answer: Maybe.

·        Observation:  Downtown office space is available.   Reply:  We are in conversation with the mayor.

·        There is the possibility of co-locating with a K through 5 school.

·        Jack is involved with the Fellowship program.

·        Executive Director would be Jack Perry.

·        Question from the floor:  Where would you get the teachers?   Answer:  We would seek local talent, but would be open to a national search.

·        The funding would come from the state, the city and private fundraising.

5.                  John Rago, representative of the Mayor’s Office, addressed the group:

·        Exited about the budget approval.

·        There will be 18 new police officers, and there will be added staff in the finance office.

·        Instant ticketing for unkempt properties is in place.   The old “I do not have to take it seriously; it was not enforced in the past” expectation will be shown to be mistaken.

·        In the area of recycling, the Triangle Neighborhood could do a little better.

·        Question from the floor:  Will yard waste discovered by the collectors prompt a call to a designated truck? Answer: Yes.  Yard waste is still taken on Thursdays.

·        Attitude, actions, behavior and beliefs need to be changed.

·        If there is a lack of proper collection of yard waste, take note of the truck number and report it.

·        Tree branches should be cut into 4 feet lengths and bundled.

·        The targets of instant ticketing are consistent violators.

·        22nd and Harrison street: Dry white dust caused by cement work was washed down the sewer.

·        John responded: You give me the list of addresses and I will follow up.

·        21st and Harrison:  There are three holes in the blacktop. John asked that the issue be reported.  

·        Observation:  Some sides of the street were not cleaned.

·        Observation: There is only one mailbox, and it is at Terry Apartments.

·        The Jazz Festival will be held in two weeks.

·        Greek, Italian festivals will be held in the coming weeks.

·        There will be more police in the neighborhood.

·        John’s phone number is 576-2109.

6.                  Captain Maggitti, Wilmington Police Department, addressed the group:

·        Late night burglaries have not been reported recently.  This is possibly due to a suspect being taken into custody.

·        Keep windows locked.

·        Tom Baker and Captain  Maggitti communicate about local crime stats.

·        More aggressive actions will be taken to stop loud radios.  The offenders are often from outside the city.  Give the vehicle license number to Captain Maggitti.   The city law limits the noise to 50 feet from the radio or CD player.

·        18th and Van Buren Street:  Ball players changed their clothes before and after the games in full views of passersby.  Solution: Contacted the Parks Office, since the semi-pro ball league officials are under contract.

·        The police non-emergency phone number is 654-5151.

·        During the summer, some plain clothes police officers will be placed in uniform and assigned to hot spots from Tuesday through Saturday.  The ripple effect is a thinning out of police presence in other areas of the city.

·        The Jazz Festival is a good event:   June 18-23.  It is  free.

·        Officers Chris Connelly and Sean Gordon have been assigned to other areas.  New officers will be assigned.

·        Outdoor lighting is very helpful in decreasing crime.

·        Question from the floor:  Is a first floor Air Conditioning unit an access point for robbery?   Answer: Yes.  The suggestion is to secure the window, and not to just depend on gravity.

·        Laptop computers have been stolen recently.

·        Crime stats available in printed form and on the web.

7.                  Tim Sharpe spoke to the group about Neighborhood Watch:

·        New members recognized:  Ed Petka, Pattie Olesky and Lou Angeli.

·        The schedule for next cycle will be sent out next week.

·        Question from the floor:  Has the Watch Book has been misplaced? Answer:  See me later about the book.

8.                  Howard Sholl addressed the group for a second time:

·        Does anyone have any questions about the Augustine cut-off rerouting?  A driver cannot turn right onto Augustine Cutoff from route 202.   Be aware of a new traffic pattern.

·        Community Garden: Pat Joyce’s boys did a good job.  We want to get it mulched.  Where have the Black Eyed Susans gone?

·        Plantings have been donated in the past. We would go over the Always-a-Garden for plants.   TNA could purchase some plants.  Flower bed plans are available from past years.

·        Question from the floor:  Could we keep a garden hose at Paul Campanella’s Auto shop?  Answer:  Yes, but this is not practical.

·        TNA approved $350 maximum for purchases for the garden.

9.                  Jay Cooperson, the architect for the Congregation Beth Shalom renovation project, addressed the group:  

·        As you can see, much progress has been made on the renovation project on the synagogue at 18th and Washington.

·        There is an issue with the two hour parking limit.   The contractors need to park their cars for more than two hours each day.

·        Would TNA support the removal of the parking limit sign, during the length of the renovation project?

·        Observation from the floor: Parking enforcement is under the direction of Captain Maggitti.  Could we request that enforcement be postponed for the duration of the project?

·        The process to get permits is time consuming.

·        A representative of TNA could talk to John Rago of the Mayor’s Office tomorrow about the parking limitations.

·        Could a special sign permitting parking be installed?

10.              General questions raised by the group:

·        Observation:  TNA newsletters have not been delivered to the 600 block of W 20th Street.   The 2500 block of N. Broom needs TNA newsletters, also.

·        Observation:  New Neighborhood Watch signs are in the process of being made.

·        Pat Joyce has the bock captain list available.

·        Question:  Do we as an organization want to take a stand on the sidewalks issue?  Some discussion points:

o       There was a referendum in 1960 about sidewalks.

o       City is responsible for highways.

o       City wants to amend the Charter; so that, the residents are responsible for the sidewalks.

o       Projected 16% increase property tax

o       A petition has been circulated in some neighborhoods.

o       A resident can apply to a State Senator or a State Representative for sidewalk repair.  What used to take so long to get approval is now approved in a timely fashion.

o       David Blankenship, Director of Transportation, could be a contact; but, there is always some red tape.

o       No resolution was achieved.

11.              Vice President Frank McKelvey recognized Howard for the great job he has done in his first year as TNA President.

12.              Karen Weldin Stewart from Senator McDowell’s Office attended the meeting.

13.              The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.

 

                                                                                                Respectively Submitted by

 

                                                                                                Fr. J. Dalton

                                                                                                June 19, 2007