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REGULAR MEETING <br />FEBRUARY 10, 2014 <br />Councilmember White at the Residential Neighborhood Meeting Report met this afternoon we <br />sent Bill 14 -08 to full council with favorable recommendation. <br />Councilman Scott: I would like to reiterate as my wife's is the director of a neighborhood <br />resources corporation and would like to recuse myself from voting. <br />Presentation: Christopher Stackwoods -51308 Gilroy Ct- Asking common council to endorse our <br />spring forward initiative, which a community beautification initiative designed to deter <br />vandalism and theft of vacant and abandoned buildings by utilizing creative and artistic <br />boarding. It is a grassroots effort and we believe that we will offer much success and positive <br />solutions in economic redevelopment and the stabilization process. <br />Councilmember Henry Davis: In your explanation, most properties have been used in this manor <br />for artistic fill has always been commercial properties. Obviously this is a new venture given <br />that this is residential properties, so if that goes over well for the city. We can potentially <br />become a site that people can look at do with their resident's property, unless there are other <br />properties with this given artistic appeal? Petitioner responded there are some other cities that <br />have attempted to do this, that have that have been successful. Cincinnati is one of them, they <br />have only done a handful of properties to date, and they've mostly only focused on the <br />commercial side. We have been asked by a number of neighborhood associations to continue <br />this project, and we were also recently approached by the city of Washington, D.C. vacant and <br />abandoned homes initiative to continue this project in Washington D.C. as well. Councilmember <br />Henry Davis, we could be the catalyst for this type of development for the city. Petitioner <br />responded the city of South Bend will be the catalyst for this type of work. We believe that since <br />so many cities have abandoned and vacant homes problem this another way of treating that. <br />So this is a great reason to celebrate. <br />County Councilmember, Diana Hess - Other member of the team from the Public/Private <br />partnership between Neighborhood Resources Corporation. We are looking forward to seeing <br />beautiful boards from the city of South Bend. Council President, can you share with the council <br />the schools that are participating to the public? She responded, both Measle School and Dixon <br />School are participating at a very high level because particularly around Measle, I believe there <br />are 27 vacant and abandoned houses are the perimeter of Measle School and they are interested <br />in having their students participate and then having the parents then do the insulation on Sunday. <br />A Public Hearing was now held. <br />Those wishing to speak in favor: <br />Gary King- 730 N. Hill St. - I live in a neighborhood that has a number of vacant and abandoned <br />buildings and most of them have been taken down and restored, we are looking at vacant lots and <br />new houses now. In the transition in time it would have been nice to have black boards with <br />pictures of cats and flowers in the window or painted curtains and it would make things look a <br />lot better in many neighborhoods, so driving you by you don't see plywood, you see something <br />that looks more like a home. Only question do you have something with permission from <br />anybody to do that? Obviously the property is abandoned with nobody taking care of it but what <br />happens in the property owner says I didn't know you were doing that you're in trouble with me <br />now? <br />Council President Davis that will be discussed in the rebuttal. <br />Kathleen Petitjean -119 S Palantix St. - I am fully in support of this resolution as I'm one of the <br />artist. <br />Eric Boyd- 1240 W. Common St- I am a recipient of their services, the firehouse had some <br />graffiti and they came and took care of it and was actually very satisfied. <br />Addressed the question of concern: Petitioner responded- We have worked very diligently with <br />the Notre Dame legal clinic to make sure we are following all the Good Samaritan law through <br />all the details of it and we are under the firm assurance that vacant property owner has a major <br />issue with this, than we can either restore the plywood to plain plywood if that's what they wish <br />21 <br />