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City of Lincoln
Urban Development Department

Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable
Meeting Agenda and Summary
March 2008

 
County/City Building, 555 South 10TH Street, Mayor's Conference Room (Second Floor, Southeast Corner)
A G E N D A
March 13, 2008 at 5:30 p.m.

  1. Welcome and Introductions

  2. Mayor Beutler -- Comments

  3. Neighborhood Association Newsletters -- Tracy Corr

  4. Next Meeting/Agenda

  5. Adjourn

Next Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable:
April 10, 2008 at 5:30 p.m.

To submit suggestions for future Agenda Items, contact Rick Hoppe, Mayor's Office, at 441-7511.

Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable Summary

Chairperson Tracy Corr called the meeting to order at 5:34 P.M., Thursday, March 13, 2008, in the Mayor's Conference Room, County/City Building, Lincoln, Nebraska. Twenty-three participants attended:
Tracy Corr, 40th & A St. NA Jeff Schwebke, Arnold Heights NA
Kim Sturzenegger, Downtown NA Cherie Krueger, East Campus CO
Ruth Johnson, Hartley NA Dorothy Ebner, Hartley NA
Kristine Meek, Highlands NA P. C. Meza, South Salt Creek CO
Gary Irvin, South Salt Creek CO Malinda Burk, University Place CO
Diane Walkowiak, University Place CO Larry Frisch, Witherbee NA
Fred Freytag, Witherbee NA Jennifer Buxton, Woods Park NA
Kurt Elder, Free to Grow Erik Laing, Free to Grow
Russell Miller, Lincoln Neigh Alliance Shawn Ryba, NeighborWorks-Lincoln
Michael Snodgrass, NeighborWorks-Lincoln Rick Hoppe, Mayor's Office
Jon Carlson, Mayor's Office Wynn Hjermstad, Urban Development
Mayor Beutler

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Ms. Corr opened the meeting and asked the participants to introduce themselves. A sign-in sheet was provided for check-in.

Tracy mentioned the Citizens for Quality Parks handout. Also, she received a mailing for nominations for Environmental Leadership Award sponsored by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department so others should be receiving theirs soon. She announced a public meeting with Mayor Beutler Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 6:30 P.M., First Plymouth Church, covering core neighborhood issues.

MAYOR'S COMMENTS
Mayor Beutler asked Rick Hoppe to address the Roundtable about letters to Senator Ben Nelson, Senator Chuck Hagel, and to Representative Jeff Fortenberry from the Roundtable supporting the city's request for federal funding assistance to upgrade the city's wastewater treatment facilities. He requested the Roundtable's approval for Chairperson Tracy Corr to sign the letter. The Roundtable indicated approval.

The Mayor said the city applies for earmark funding each year for numerous projects. The city applies to Senator Nelson's office because he is on the Appropriations Committee, but also applications are made to the other members of Nebraska's Congressional Delegation whose district includes the City of Lincoln. This request is one such and is highly dependent, at least for our senators and our representative, upon broad community support. They want to know the community backs the project. Therefore, the city tries to keep requests very reasonable and to get letters of support from many different organizations in the community. The Mayor's office probably will bring more letters like this before the Roundtable if it is an agreeable process to Roundtable participants.

Mayor Beutler introduced Jon Carlson, his new aide for the Stronger, Safer Neighborhoods Initiative. He has asked Jon to do three things:

  1. coordinate with NeighborWorks-Lincoln and other non-profit partners;
  2. develop a series of strategies to improve the neighborhoods; and
  3. develop a series of benchmarks to evaluate effectiveness.
These items mean much work for him at the very beginning, but the Mayor wants to be certain the approach is reasonable, effective, and with general agreement among the wonderful partners. The Mayor feels very privileged to work with many great people. Jon is one such person in this administration.

Jon Carlson expressed his desire to work with the neighborhood associations and his eagerness to start working. His phone number is 441-7224. See Mayor Beutler's News Release "Mayor Kicks Off Stronger Safer Neighborhoods" dated March 6, 2008, for more information.

UNIVERSITY PLACE GROCERY STORE
Diane Walkowiak spoke about the move of Hy-Vee from the neighborhood. See Release the Lease handout.

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTERS
Tracy Corr led a lively discussion about newsletters. Several neighborhood associations shared their newsletters. The exchange focused on a newsletter questionnaire that Tracy prepared and distributed. She asked the Roundtable to complete the form and give it to her. The results are attached.

SET APRIL AGENDA
The next meeting of the Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable is scheduled for April 10, 2008, 5:30 p.m., in the Mayor's Conference Room, County/City Building, 555 South 10th Street, 2nd floor. The April agenda will include a presentation on neighborhood crime by Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady.

ADJOURN
There being no other business, the meeting adjourned at 6:39 p.m.

Submitted by: David G. Ensign
Urban Development Department

Urban Development Community Development Division Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable