Merle Hay Neighborhood Association

RECAP - 1/20/2001 Meeting

Apr 02, 2001

Preceded by a reception hosted by the Activities Comm. so members could become better acquainted and prospective members could learn more about the organization, the Jan. 10, 2001 membership meeting was the first held at the newly adopted location of the meeting room on the lower bowling alley level of the Merle Hay Mall. The 60+ attendees enjoyed the great homemade treats, conversation time, and information.

To summarize, the agenda included: Board members reports, Committee reports, and the Presidents' report and a discussion with Councilman Chris Coleman. JoAnne Hanover, the MHNA representative to Des Moines Neighbors reported they are looking for ways to replace the lost funding for the Neighborhood Resource Office. Julie Helps reported for the Activity Comm. that a sign made for Riley Park will be installed this spring and the comm. will meet with Don Tripp of the Parks Dept. on Jan. 18 to discuss including plans for improving the park in the budget process next fall. A report of the Membership Comm. from Lela Behn and Elizabeth Maxwell discussed putting ads in the newsletter and that any member getting three businesses to place ads would receive a free MHNA T-shirt.

The President reported about Americorps and Partners in Parks, predatory lending brochures, and that door decals for new members and T-shirts for $12 are available. He thanks the committees for their work, encouraged members to participate in them and gave the new city Website. It was decided to have a five member nominating comm. to obtain candidates for officer and board members positions, but nominations may still come from the floor at the April 11 annual meeting. The committee is not limited to one candidate per position and it will publish the names of candidates in the next newsletter.

After the business meeting, Councilman Coleman spoke about the solid waste and recycling programs. A substantial rate increase will soon come before the Council. He asked our opinions about issues such as changing or discontinuing recycling or going back to weekly pick-ups, how much of an increase would be accepted, and yard waste collections. Recycled paper has been sold, but it is difficult to find buyers for the recycled materials, and for packing reasons, the landfill prefers to have glass mixed in. On a trial basis, a selected neighborhood will use the automated truck lift system with standardized containers as used in some of the suburbs. This system is not well designed for areas with street right-of-ways that are not level. The estimated landfill lifespan is about 50 more years, and the elimination of residential recycling would reduce that only a few months because most material not recycled is from corporations. The recycling issue appears to hinge on ecological stewardship preferences.