Minutes, August 20, 2024
Minutes from the August 20, 2024 Clarksville CDC Monthly Meeting
Board members present: Aubrey Carter, BJ Friedman, Malcolm Greenstein, Paula Hern, Felecia Miller, Kim O’Brien, Mary Reed, Chris Thomas
Others present: Brad Prak, Karen Kennard, Randi Shade
1. Approval of minutes from the July 16, 2024 monthly meeting. Kim O’Brien.
On a motion by Paula, seconded by Chris, the minutes from the July 16, 2024 monthly meeting were approved.
2. Presentation of monthly financial reports. Brad Prak, Prak Property Management.
Note: July financial reports are posted on the CCDC website.
We ended the month with a loss, as we have for much of this fiscal year, further depleting our reserves. This is due to tenant turnover (loss of rent + make-ready expenses), renovation of 1817A W. 10th, and other major property repairs.
We are anticipating repair work at one of the Charlotte properties to be around $40,000-50,000. We will need to tap the line of credit to cover this needed work. Paula made a motion, seconded by BJ to allow access to the line of credit to make these needed repairs. The motion passed unanimously.
The Finance and Operation committee did not meet.
3. Monthly property reports:
a. CCDC properties managed by Prak Property Management. Brad Prak.
All work has been completed on 1817A W. 10th Street and residents have relocated. Paula asked questions about the quality of the vinyl flooring installed at this property, expressing concerns for its longevity and wondering if it would be used in other properties. Brad recognized Paula’s concerns and explained the flooring was chosen to provide a product that was easy for tenants to maintain.
Make-ready work on the Neighborhood Center has been completed. There has been turnover at 2 units, but Brad believes these can be made-ready and filled quickly.
b. New construction at 1611 W. 10th Street. Kim O’Brien.
Kim reported that there’s been another holdup from the City—this time the Transportation & Public Works Department with first requiring an excavation permit to reinstall the retaining wall they made us take down, and then requiring us to move the wall back 5’ from the curb to allow for a “future sidewalk.” We informed TPWD that we would not move the retaining wall back because it would destroy the streetscape—all properties on the south side of that portion of W. 10th Street have rock walls at or near the curb. As of this moment, TPWD is now requiring that we move the retaining wall back only 18”. We can live with this. They are also requiring, however, revised plans, which would be both an unneeded expense and would take additional time. We plan to fight this. Ashley will send this response in the morning. If this is not resolved in the next few days, Kim will reach out to Councilmember Qadri and Mayor Watson and ask their offices to intervene.
4. Review of tenant turnover and rents for CCDC housing units. Brad Prak.
This item was tabled until next month’s meeting.
5. Discussion of CCDC member survey results. Mary Reed.
Mary presented a summary of the survey results. (This information was shared in an email sent to CCDC members on September 12, 2024, copied below.)
Also discussed under this item was the need to update current CCDC Bylaws. Various suggestions were made regarding the process to follow by both Board members and CCDC members in attendance. This item will be placed on the September agenda.
Report On the CCDC’s Survey of Its Members
Introduction
On June 7th of this year, the CCDC board of directors emailed a survey to the 185 members of the CCDC. The goal of the survey was to collect baseline data on Members, learn about their concerns, and find out what changes Members would like the board to consider. Thirty-four individuals completed and returned the survey
This report summarizes what the board learned from the survey. It also highlights changes the board has made as a result of what Members shared with the CCDC, some things the board will consider doing in the future and some member suggestions the CCDC has no current plans to act on.
Takeaways
• A majority of respondents have lived in Clarksville for at least 5 years. 50% have lived here for more than 20 years.
• The vast majority of respondents have visited the Haskell House.
• The vast majority of respondents have visited the CCDC website.
• The CCDC’s events are popular: Our annual ice cream social is the most popular (14 mentions), followed by our Christmas party (9 mentions). Austin Museum Day was mentioned 3 times.
• 54% of the people who responded to the survey question about volunteering for the CCDC, or 15 people, indicated they would like to volunteer. The majority of those respondents did not indicate what they would like to do as a volunteer; however, the survey did not offer any specific options for volunteering.
· There were 10 responses to the question “Is there anything else you would like to share with the CCDC board of directors?” Six out of the 10 respondents, or 60%, commented positively about the CCDC and its board. Of the other four respondents, 2 indicated they had nothing more to add; 2 others raised concerns about the bylaws, voting rights of those who no longer live in the neighborhood, term limits for board members, more visibility regarding CCDC finances, and CCDC boundaries.
Respondent Comments and Suggestions the CCDC is Acting On
• Identify other ways to make more people aware of CCDC board meetings besides posting agendas at Fresh Plus. For example:
1. Email monthly meeting agendas to all CCDC members
2. List board meetings on the Events page of the CCDC’s website.
3. Post agendas at Mary Baylor Park
The CCDC board will implement all of these suggestions immediately.
• Make the following revisions to the CCDC website:
1. Make it clearer where to find agendas and minutes.
Put your cursor on the About Us tab of the CCDC’s website home page and you’ll immediately see Agendas and Minutes.
2. Add our monthly financials.
Monthly CCDC financials can now be found on the Minutes page of the website, https://www.clarksvillecdc.org/minutes.
• Do more fundraising. Ask for donations more often and be clearer about what we will use the money for.
The CCDC board will discuss how and when to do more fundraising.
The Survey Shows We Need to Review Our Bylaws
Some respondents referred to things in the bylaws that are outdated and that the CCDC board has already agreed we need to address. For example, we no longer have a tenant selection committee. Three respondents suggested significant changes to the bylaws -- board member term limits, for example, and questioned whether CCDC members who no longer live in the neighborhood should have the same voting rights as members who do.
These suggested changes will be considered by the board during its upcoming revision process, which the board discussed at its August meeting. Among other things, the board set up a committee, whose members will review the bylaws and suggest changes for the full board to consider. Also, since that meeting, UT’s Entrepreneurship and Community Law Clinic has agreed to assist us with the review and revision process. We believe that the Clinic’s objective input and guidance will be very helpful.
The board also agreed that CCDC members will have the opportunity to propose bylaws changes via email and will send members an invitation to do so with a deadline for sharing their suggestions. A downloadable version of the bylaws can be found on the CCDC website.
Other Suggestions
• Add a password-protected Members-Only area to our website.
We don’t see a need for this at this time.
• Create a Members directory or a neighborhood directory.
Doing this and maintaining it would be quite an undertaking. We do not have the capability to consider this at this time.
• Allow Members to attend CCDC meetings virtually.
This would require capital expenditures that are 1) not currently budgeted and 2) would require coordination with the City due to the Haskell House being a historic property.
• Organize a CDC budget event; a how-we-select-tenants event; a how-we-maintain-our properties event.
If people want to find out about these things, they can email the CCDC or attend a board meeting and ask questions. They can also request that an item related to tenant selection, the CCDC’s budget or property maintenance or other matters be added to a CCDC agenda. The process for making such a request is spelled out on the Agendas page of the CCDC’s website, https://www.clarksvillecdc.org/agenda.
• Organize more neighborhood walking tours.
Something to consider after the Clarksville walking tour brochure is revised.
• Organize book-related events for kids.
Is there a member or members who would like to take this on?
• Create more affordable housing.
This is something we wholeheartedly support, but currently are limited due finances and property availability. We stand open, however, to pursue any opportunities that may arise.
• List the addresses of the CCDC’s affordable housing properties on its website.
The board is committed to preserving the privacy of CCDC tenants, and believes that listing their addresses on the website would be inappropriate.
6. Haskell House Advisory Group report. Felecia Miller.
Felecia reported that all members of the Haskell House Advisory Group (HH AG) have resigned in order to pursue a mission focused entirely on bringing Clarksville Descendants together to preserve Clarksville’s history. They plan to create a separate 501c3 that will work together with both the CCDC and with Sweet Home MBC. The board expressed excitement about this development and looks forward to working with this re-configured group. In response to a question, the board agreed that there will no longer be a HH AG. It was agreed that any donations given to the CCDC for use by the HH AG would belong to the new Descendants organization.
7. Discussion of plans for Austin Museum Day. Mary Reed.
Austin Museum Day is Sunday, September 22, 2024, noon-4 p.m., at the Haskell House. Docents will be available throughout the day. We will serve lemonade and homemade cookies. Family activities will include Haskell House jigsaw puzzles, and yard games. Soul Man Sam will perform at 2 p.m. (thank you, Aubrey!) Local restaurants will be approached for gift cards that can be given to visitors. Astound Broadband has provided funding for the event.
8. Report from OWANA Steering and Zoning Committees. Paula Hern & Kim O’Brien.
Paula reported that the Austin mayoral candidates have been invited to the next general membership meeting. Also, that OWANA is discussing revising their bylaws, as well as ways to increase membership. No word yet on donated ACL tickets. There was no news to report from the Zoning Committee.
9. Other Business.
No other business was discussed.
10. Executive Session, if necessary.
The Board met in Executive Session to discuss a tenant-related matter.
Actions taken via Electronic Vote:
On August 4, 2024, the board authorized BJ Friedman, CCDC Treasurer, to sign an agreement to authorize our external auditor to undertake our annual audit. The cost is covered in the budget. This matter was time-sensitive and could not wait until the August meeting.
On August 6, 2024, the board agreed to send a letter of support for an appeal of a Historic Landmark Commission (HLC) decision. The letter urges the City Council to respect neighborhood design standards and asks for granting the HLC power to enforce those standards. This matter was time-sensitive and could not wait until the August meeting.