Westside Action Coalition Meeting Notes 01/22/2020
Center for Great Neighborhoods 6:30-8PM
1. Police Updates
a. Joanne is recovering from surgery, cannot attend
b. Police updates are sent out via email and distributed to WAC member email list
2. Finances (no treasurer)
a. No updates
3. Dues
a. Membership dues required prior to voting in elections $5/person
b. Dues were collected in cash as well as online
c. PayPal link for dues has been online at WestsideCovington.com for over 2 years
4. Elections:
a. Online Absentee Membership Vote tabulated after the meeting due to large number of ineligible voters
b. Paper ballots presented for Secretary position and tabulated immediately after the meeting
c. Uncontested results of the 2020 WAC election as follows:
1. President Holly Young
2. Vice President Fritz Kuhlmann
3. Treasurer Mark Young
4. Secretary Katrina Clark
d. Member at Large not determined. Nominations may be offered at next WAC meeting.
e. Request to revisit WAC By-Laws, not updated since 2007
5. Cold Shelter Update
a. Seemed to be a biased meeting heavily represented by people in other communities, not Westside. Very low Westside turnout. Some Westsiders felt bullied at the meeting, mood was hostile.
b. Knochelmann & Kim have not discussed the consequences of the cold shelter with local residents – did not request public feedback; seemed to not matter one way or the other. The Decision was made.
c. Shelter on Scott is shutting down; the new shelter is smaller than the old one, and will be a 24 hour shelter. The new shelter is moving the homeless further away from the rest of the available homeless services.
d. Concerns about the new Cold Shelter
i. Quality of life issue for residents. New facility is smaller, not as many beds. Overflow concerns for Linden Grove Cemetery, Center for Great Neighborhoods facility, and Westside residents.
ii. Will there be accountability for new issues? (pollution, litter, vagrancy, panhandling, drug use/crime, declining property values) Knochleman is offering his private cell# to report problems. (Don’t actually have this number yet.)
iii. Oversight/Advisory Board possible to keep lines of communication open between the stakeholders in the community and the Shelter administration
iv. The City of Covington has also raised official concerns about the shelter, many meetings have taken place, but not convinced they can affect the inevitability of the shelter. City Manager believes this shelter in Westside will be like “shooting ourselves in the foot” by allowing this shelter to be run at ‘the front door’ of the Westside.
v. Why is the shelter relocating to Steffin’s Tool Crib location?
1. The old building was sold by the Church for a lot of money. (‘offer they couldn’t refuse)
2. The Steffins building was offered for free. May not be the best location, the right size for the facilities, or best available option – but it was the right price.
3. Why not at the Life Learning Center on Madison? Because the LLC folks made it clear they didn’t want the shelter near them.
vi. Accountability is the key. No proof this will be a detriment to the community as of yet, but looking at other communities and cities, people are fearful of negative outcomes. We will need to stay vigilant and wok to solve problems as they arise.
6. Residential Parking Study at City Hall– Thursday, 2/6 at 6:30PM, and Friday 2/7 1PM
a. To assess parking issues in Main Strasse, Mutter Gottes, Licking Riverside, OSS, and Westside.
b. Community input requested. Questions: Contact City manager’s Office (859) 292-2133
7. Westside Celebration Volunteers Needed – Event to be held on Sunday April 26th
a. Janet Tobler is asking for community help and participation
i. Children’s activities, marketing help, managing Sheila Fields’ ‘zero waste’ initiatives, fund raising. Need people to help with specific tasks. Please reach out to Janet in advance to offer your help
8. Orchard Park Communication Committee
a. No contact made; nothing to report
9. Other Business
a. Locations of future meetings: options
i. WAC can use the CGN meeting location for 2020
ii. Library location (requires reservations)
iii. Pivot Realty location offered by Fritz Kuhlmann
iv. Local Goat (on Pike St.) has completed renovations
v. Community Room at the County Building
10. Meeting Adjourned at 8PM