April 2023 Meeting Minutes
Meeting Minutes from the Bemis Park Neighborhood Association meeting for April 11, 2023
Club budget: Treasurer Dave B reported that the account had $4,844.33. Brown also mentioned that he’s validated our non-profit tax exempt paperwork is still up to date with the state.
Work on Walnut Hill Reservoir baseball field begins, thanks to $12,500 from College World Series:
The neighborhood had received $12,500 from the College World Series Restore the Diamond Grant, it was one of four grants club member Mary M applied for. She’s waiting to hear back on the other three grants to cover the remaining $3,647 of the $16,147 bid.
The cleanup day was scheduled for the following Saturday, April 15, to get the field ready for workers to come in.
The grant will pay for the grading and conditioning of the bases. They will also repair two player's benches and bleachers. They will come about once a month to keep it weeded, looking good, and graded, which will cost $1,500 a season. The Salvation Army, inCommon and City Sprouts also voiced support for the grants so that they could use the field as well. People talked about perhaps a community kickball game.
No more hemlock, poison ivy or out-of-control bushes by the stairs in the northwest corner of Bemis Park
Club President Joe P donated $1,300 so Whelans lawn care cleaned up the area around the stairs on the northwest corner of Bemis Park.
Originally the club discussed cleaning it up as a workday project, but Joe said now club members can just focus on maintaining it. There was also talk of paying to spray the plants, so the hemlock and poison ivy does not return.
The club also talked about getting a bid from the arborist with Whalen’s for dealing with the trees and brush at 33rd and Myrtle
Clean up day is set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 20
The city confirmed that the neighborhood's cleanup day is May 20 from 8am to 2pm at Bemis Park by the tennis courts, and they're looking for people to sign up to help with directing traffic and hauling garbage from people’s cars into the garbage truck. Email bemisparknewsletter@gmail.com If you’d like to volunteer.
If you have items you can’t haul to the garbage trucks the morning of May 20, you can set them by the curb. Club members will be driving around with a pickup truck in the morning.
Watch for suspicious activity
Jeanne H from Mercer Park said on March 10, there was a lot of law enforcement near her home. Club members said there is what appears to be drug activity occasionally along Nicolas Street by Walnut Hill Reservoir. The group mainly decided that the important thing to do was stay vigilant and collect license plate numbers and video if possible to give to the police. They also talked about going to a precinct meeting coming up the following week. Arlene also talked about people in Mercer Park joining the BPNA.
Linda U talked about the Salvation Army setting up a weekly program archery program for adults and kids, and to reach out to her if you were interested.
The meeting ended at 7:55pm.
Movie next month
The club decided to host the movie "Devil's Clouds Tornado" about the tornado that went through the famous park neighborhood at the club meeting next month at 6:30 p.m, May 9 at Augustana Lutheran Church.
