Collister Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting and Elections Minutes
Date: January 12, 2019 10:00 am
Location: Collister Methodist Church
Introduction and Welcome
In attendance: Julie Klocke, Jimmy and Sarah Taylor, Jamie and Frank Delevan, Claire Fenton, Tim Willmorth, Karl LeClair, Danny Utterbeck, Sarah Thueson, Suzanne and Hawk Stone, and Chris Johnson.
We held our annual board election at this meeting. The results of the unanimous votes by all present were:
- Suzanne Stone was nominated and confirmed as president.
- Sarah Taylor was nominated and confirmed as vice president.
- Sarah Frassa Thueson was nominated and was confirmed as secretary.
- Tim Willmorth volunteered and was confirmed as treasurer.
We thanked our former board president, Julie Klocke, with a card and flowers from Edwards Nursery. We also thank our former board members Debbie Lombard, Leslie Felton-Jue, Barney Skogerson, and Janet French for their past service to the Collister Neighborhood Association. We also wish to thank James Smith for his past service to the board.
Karl LeClair, Public Art Program Manager for the Boise City Department of Arts & History, gave a brief update on the public art project that was approved for the Collister Neighborhood last year. This art project was originally to be placed at the fire station on Sycamore but that station has now been removed. There is 30k available now and Karl asked the board to provide our suggestions for location preferences. They have an agreement with ACHD to place the art quickly once they solidify the location and theme. There are several types of artwork that we can explore. Karl will come back at the May meeting to discuss the artist interview process. They will select three artists to work with the CNA. It depends on materials but (large sculpture, series of smaller sculptures, 10 – 15 feet tall) Funds can be rolled into next year so there is no set timeline. He expects it will be a 4 month process and can provide templates that we can share with the neighborhood online as well as at the Collister library.
The next order of business was to confirm our public meeting dates for 2019. Those are February 7, May 9, August 8 and November 7 and will be held at 7 pm at the Collister Library. We will hold our annual community picnic on Saturday, June 22nd and our second annual Scarecrow Contest during the month of October.
Our tasks for the upcoming year include an overhaul of our website through a mini-grant awarded to us by the City of Boise. This must be completed by the end of September. We are also planning to review and update our Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation as needed and submit three Neighborhood Improvement Project grants to the city by the January 31st deadline. These grants are focused on:
1) A Neighborhood Identity kit that includes helping us develop a logo and color palette brand. This project would fund the development of an identity/branding package for the Collister Neighborhood including a logo, a color palette, theme and sign toppers. In consultation with the history department, the City would send out a call for proposals to area artists to assist with the graphic designs. This topic came up multiple times on our survey to residents as our neighbors have enjoyed the beautiful new signs created for the nearby Sunset neighborhood and desire to create our own version to complement our neighbors. The board also felt this would be a perfect addition to the website improvements planned for 2019. As for foreseeable issues, we would want to make sure to gather feedback and input from as many residents and community members as possible including, but not limited to: residents in the neighborhood, business owners in the neighborhood, surrounding neighborhood residents, old residents, new residents, vocal and timid residents, those who can access technology, and those that cannot. In accordance with the conversations held with city staff, this will be part of one of a two-part grant application. This year we will seek funding for the logo creation and “identity package.” Next, we will seek funding for the placement and installment of signs, branded bus benches, and/or branded street sign toppers.
2) Historical Research Grant: The Collister Neighborhood Association is seeking an historical research grant to enhance the record of our comprehensive history as one of the oldest established neighborhood in the community. The Boise City Council originally adopted the Collister Neighborhood Plan September 11, 2007, in conjunction with the newly adopted Boise Cultural Masterplan: “As part of a broader movement by U.S. Cities to integrate Arts and Culture into urban life and leverage these resources for community and economic development.” We are seeking historical research assistance that incorporates more recent additions, as well as a broader view of our area’s history. This research would provide a blueprint for future cultural investment by both public and private entities. Our neighborhood has a rich past. As time passes and we lose residents with deeper knowledge of our history, we’re concerned that it’s important to preserve both the information and documents now. A shining example of both historical and cultural preservation is the newly completed James Castle House in the Collister Neighborhood. We hope to continue the momentum using historical research and outreach to the community with an eye towards consolidating this information to create a unique living history that we could then use for publications, tours, events, our website, videos, walking tours and as a resource for reference of future art projects and branding.
3) Our third grant is a simple connection of the sidewalks between Bloom Street and Catalpa Park that is current a dirt path behind Collister Elementary School. We have received a letter of endorsement from the school president and an estimate of $9,000 to complete the project. (image)
Our residents attending the meeting asked us to add the topics of speed and volume control on Sycamore and Taft to February meeting. The meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.