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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-02-09 Community/ Campus Advisory Coalition (CCAC)I~ .:~ ~~. ~y.~j l., F}'" ~ fiuX ~,~1 ~Tt~ i' r ~, 1 \~ f Community/Campus Advisory Coalition (CCAC) vNtVFH3`>1 - "b 0/f i \~ ~+ (y.~_ ~ ~ 4M 2 1 ,,~ 0~4 yin ~~~,~v ,'~/~~ © © , .. ., The meeting of the Community/Campus Advisory Coalition was held in Room 200 of the Administration Building on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, on April 2, 2009. The meeting was called to order at approximately 3:38 p.m. by South Bend Council at Large Member AI "Buddy" Kirsits. Council Member Kirsits welcomed everyone in attendance and asked those attending to introduce themselves. Attendees included: South Bend Code Enforcement Director Catherine Toppel, Assistant City Attorney Ann-Carol Nash, South Bend Police Crime Prevention/Community Outreach representative, Cpl. Hechlinski, South Bend Common Council Attorney Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand, South Bend Common Council Members Ann Puzzello, and Tim Rouse, Local Alcoholic Beverage Board Member Mike Carrington, Robinson Center Adult Program Coordinator Marguerite Taylor, University of Notre Dame Representatives Current Student Body President Bob Reish, Incoming Student Body President Grant Schmidt, Incoming Student Body Vice President Cynthia Weber, M. Brian Coughlin, Fr. Mark Porman, and William Kirk, Saint Mary's College Incoming Student Body President Jenny Hoffman, IUSB Representative Jeff Jones, Attorney Richard Nussbaum, Neighborhood Resident Matthew Costello, Landlords of Off Campus Housing Representative Mark Kramer and other unidentified members of the public. Communiversity Day Notre Dame Student Body President Bob Reish talked about the upcoming Communiversity Day. On April 4, 2009 some 600 students will be going out into the community to perform various community service projects. Projects include park clean- ups, afood drive, painting houses for the elderly, painting and replacing murals at the Robinson Center and an Easter egg hunt. Students adept at electronic technology will be at the Robinson Center to answer questions for members of the community. Marguerite Taylor said there will also be a tour of the University and she had 46 people signed up to take the tour. At the end of the day a block party will be held for all participants at the Robinson Center. Community/Campus Advisory Coalition (CCAC) April 2, 2009 Meeting Minutes Page 2 Taxi Issues Council Member Kirsits has set a goal to amend the current taxi ordinance. There will be discussions with students and community members to address their concerns. The City Legal Department will assist with amending the ordinance. Student Safety Issues Several issues concerning student safety were discussed. • Students will be able to sign up on Communiversity Day for crime alert email. • Crime alerts went out concerning a couple of recent burglaries. • Police will be demonstrating the DUI goggles an event at Saint Mary's on April 16, -2009. • Bob Reish reported concerns about the safety of students crossing the intersection at Twyckenham and Vaness. A message has been left with Traffic and Lighting requesting a flashing light or a sign for a crosswalk. • It was noted that articles in both the Observer and the South Bend Tribune indicated that student victims of crime are often intoxicated which opens the students up to attack. • Council Member Kirsits said that a recent house fire report was actually a large bonfire onto which furniture and a stereo cabinet had been thrown. The City ordinance allows a recreational fire as long as it is in an approved container and produces no offensive smoke. Mark Kramer sent out emails to his tenants reminding them that bonfires are not allowed per their leases. He said the fire was very large and could have burnt down three houses. He also said that when the Fire Department arrived, students were very respectful and cooperative. • Anew website, offcampus.nd.edu, is being developed. Included on the site will be crime alerts, housing information, local shopping areas, and messages from student leaders and athletes promoting responsible behavior. Neighborhood resident, Matthew Costello, said he would like to contribute some ideas for the website. Community/Campus Advisory Coalition (CCAC) April 2, 2009 Meeting Minutes Page 3 Off Camqus President Marguerite Taylor said that she recently learned that there is an off campus student president. Many of the members of the Coalition did not know that there is an off campus student president and questioned why he was not a member of the Coalition since many of the safety issues concern students living off campus. Currently there is no off campus housing office. The Office of Residence Life was helping with finding off campus housing, but found it was not a good use of resources. Mark Kramer has worked with the off campus president this year organizing block parties and found him to be very helpful. Cathy Toppel would like to work with the off campus president particularly on zoning issues affecting student housing. Bob Reish said the off campus students will be electing a new president in the next week and he will let Cathy know who the new president is. Zoning Issues Mark Kramer said he was recently informed by three of his tenants that they would be moving into The Foundry this fall. They said they would be sharing an apartment. He questioned whether more than two unrelated persons could share a single unit. After phoning The Foundry and Irish Crossings, he found they were indeed renting to multiple tenants in the same unit and were marketing the apartments to students. He questioned whether there is a misunderstanding that a PUD can have more than two unrelated people in a single unit. Council Member Tim Rouse said research will need to be done to look at the plans developers submitted to the Council as well as the Memorandums of Agreement and the minutes of the Council meetings to see if there is a violation of current zoning laws. Other Issues Council Member Kirsits asked neighborhood representatives how things have been this year. Neighborhood representative Matthew Costello said he has been very pleased this year. Parties have ended early and the neighborhood has been quiet. Mark Kramer said he sends reminder emails to his tenants before special events to remind them to act responsibly. He has fired his security firm and hired three off-duty police officers. The officers take the time to talk with students and are more proactive than the security firm was. Mr. Kramer also reported that after a St. Patrick's Day celebration got out of hand, he evicted one of his tenants. Excise Police were called out Community/Campus Advisory Coalition (CCAC) April 2, 2009 Meeting Minutes Page 4 to the parry and the tenant was very disrespectful and eventually arrested for disorderly conduct and other charges. Local Alcoholic Beverage Board Member, Mike Carrington, said it is important to communicate expectations to the students early in the school year. Council Member Kirsits attended a meeting last fall addressing the problem of underage drinking and said it would be an excellent program to show to students early in the year. Dick Nussbaum credited students and the Office of Residence Life for addressing issues within the community. Eddv Street Commons Presentation Mr. Doug Marsh gave a presentation outlining both the current .and future campus construction projects. Some of the projects included were the Law School and Engineering Buildings, Ryan Hall (residence hall), Geddes Hall -Center for Social Concerns, Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, Harper Hall -Cancer Research in conjunction with Indiana University, Innovation Park and Eddy Street Commons. Council Member Kirsits asked that the next meeting be held at the Robinson Center. The next meeting will be held June 2, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~~~~ ~~ Charles S. Leone, Recording Secretary Community/Campus Advisory Coalition (CCAC) Gam. ~~/,~c~,;~;~~ Council Member AI "B y" Kirsits, Chairperson CommunitylCampus Advisory Coalition (CCAC)