Members Present:
Joe Sarnicola, Sarah Dibble, Tim Donovan, Peter Cramer, Claire Lovell, Glenn Thomas, Chuck Mason
Members Absent:
Dan Orzechowski
- Call to Motion
- Approve Previous Meeting’s Minutes-ACTION ITEM
- Joe makes a motion, Pete seconds
- Budget Update – Joe
- We got a rebate of $12 from the MasterCard account
- Joe checked the mail and found the board insurance bill and NYCON membership bill, so those will both show up in next month’s budget update.
- Joe and Sarah will go to the bank to switch names to Sarah (from Mitch)
- Chuck will look into the City’s $5,000 annual contribution
- Balance is $9,789.76
- Permaculture Park Update – Pete
- No new updates. Wintertime. This month, they’ll prune the fruit trees.
- The fencing purchase was canceled (and returned on the credit card) because Pete’s access to a trailer fell through.
- Social Media Update – Dan/Chuck
- Dan was able to sign into the new ABC Instagram account.
- Chuck is the administrator for the ABC FB account and will need to add Dan. Sarah is only an editor.
- Casey Park Plywood Figures Update – Joe
- Joe sent an email to Jeff Pirozzolo (superintendent). The person in charge of the figures has been out on quarantine.
- Harriet Tubman Mural Update – Joe
- They’re looking for insurance assistance and $30,000, which we can’t help with.
- Look into Historical Signs repainting – Glenn
- Glenn left a message with Paula at the Pomeroy Foundation but hasn’t heard back.
- He also talked to Ruth Bradley, the Cayuga County Historian, who gave him some insight about maintenance. She suggested talking to the Pomeroy Foundation to get information about the paint, and also noted we should talk to the local property owners before we touch the signs. Some property owners have maintained the signs themselves.
- Glenn found an online map with the markers of Cayuga County: Historical Marker Database Map (hmdb.org)
- Tim suggested Glenn talk to Michael Long, retired city employee.
- 2021 Projects – Prioritize / pick dates
- Annual Park Pick-up Day – Saturday May 22, 2021
- Sarah will double check with the Health Department (we’ll follow safety guidelines). Chuck notes that typical city events aren’t scheduled in 2021.
- Chuck will try to send the existing flyer to Sarah and she can update it.
- Earth Day Event – Thursday April 22, 2021
- Sarah suggested a social media post.
- Chuck suggested a riverwalk cleanup the next Saturday: April 24.
- Pete will ask the Cayuga Climate Coalition if they’d like to collaborate on this.
- ABC sponsored Wreath for Memorial Day – Monday May 31, 2021
- The event will probably not happen because of COVID, but we could still do a sponsored wreath for the Veteran’s park.
- Claire suggests committing to a set schedule for monthly cleanups. Chuck notes that we could do the riverwalk clean up monthly because it accumulates so much trash. He proposes four cleanups over the year at the rivertrail.
- Other proposed cleanup spots:
- Clean-up nature trail in Flemming/Dunning Ave
- Clean-up West-End of Genesee Street
- Clean- up of Y-Fields
- Routine Bonocore Park cleanup, Market Street Park, and Freedom Park
- Annual Park Pick-up Day – Saturday May 22, 2021
- City – Ask Mike Talbot
- Sarah will invite Mike to the March meeting.
- Do something with Arterial – Near Mark’s/Byrne Dairy.
- Sarah did talk to Julie Liccion and the Z-club’s plans are still on hold as they wait for the state to respond.
- Tim noted the vast improvement of Erie Boulevard in Dewitt
- Clean Cross @ Veteran’s Park
- Tulips or Snow Alyssum @ Veteran’s Park
- BID – Ask Stephanie DeVito
- Sarah will also invite Stephanie to the March meeting.
- Planting/Maintenance of triangle at the welcome to BID District – near St. Mary’s
- Adopt the corner flower garden in front of Wild’s on Genesee St. and install a cigarette butt holder?
- 2021 Fundraising
- ABC Tent at ERHC? Chuck to keep us updated
- On hold due to COVID
- Rummage sale – when safe from COVID – location? Dates?
- On hold due to COVID
- Scarecrow contest – Dates? Start planning now
- Sarah had sent out two articles about a scarecrow competition in Batavia that we could mimic (here and here). Entries were $20 to participate and there was a “cash prize for most creative.”
- Claire suggested asking Lowe’s for sponsorship, as the Batavia one had Home Depot as a sponsor.
- This would definitely require talks with Mike Talbot and Stephanie Devito, too.
- ABC Tent at ERHC? Chuck to keep us updated
- Selling plants/trees – Pete/Claire
- The plant sale listing will say things like “2-2,” meaning it was raised for 2 years and transplanted for 2 years, but the size is extremely variable. If we had a place, we could plant them immediately and then sell them from that land over time.
- We need space with sun and no grass. Sarah volunteered her yard.
- Pete mentioned that the Cortland County program offers a few other really nice options. He specifies that there are a lot of great trees in the Cayuga program.
- He recommends that we ask Walt Aikman what he’d like to see in Auburn.
- A bed 4’ by 8’ long – 50 could be planted 6 inches apart. Some bigger conifers needed a foot apart. They can be relatively close. If deer are an issue, we’d need a fence. These trees are about 6” by 2’.
- Pete will do some math to figure out the number we’d need.
- Other Business
- Tim brought up that it’s the last phase of community development block grant money. He’d like to see a new sign at Bonocore Park. Chuck notes that there is a new program from the planning department for new signs at all city parks.
- Next meeting: Monday March 8, 2021 @ 5pm – Zoom
- Adjourned at 5:58 pm