President Maceo George called the November 25, 2014 meeting of the University Park Civic Association (UPCA) to order at 6:30 p.m. All stood for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
President George reported that minutes from the October UPCA meeting were not available this evening but would be presented at the December meeting. Laurel Conderman has volunteered to take minutes for tonight’s meeting.
President George reported on the following:
- Nomination Committee – UPCA Bylaws state a Nomination Committee comprised of one to three members needs to be chosen to propose a slate of officers for 2015. The proposed slate would include nominations for President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Sergeant of Arms for presentation at the December, 2014 UPCA meeting followed by an election at the January, 2015 UPCA meeting. Nominations would be open to the floor during the January UPCA meeting prior to the vote.
He reported that the Bylaws state should there be more than one candidate for any of the positions, a secret ballot needs to be held for the vote.
- Future meeting speaker/meeting space – Maceo reported he ould contact Councilman Clay Yarborough about attending a future UPCA meeting. Maceo noted the December UPCA meeting is scheduled for December 23rd as that was the only evening available at the University Park Library Conference Room. He reported great difficulty in getting space at the Library for our meetings. The January UPCA meeting is scheduled for January 20th, 2015.
- Neighborhood activities –
University Park Library 10th anniversary celebration had been very successful with close to 200 people attending.
Neighborhood work day – The October 11, 2014 UPCA work day was held with around 10 hard-working volunteers making the gates look nice and pretty.
UPCA Community Garage Sale – The fall UPCA garage sale had been held. Shirley George noted that garage sale advertisements had been placed in three different areas. President George noted that planning for 2015 activities would be on the agenda and open for discussion at the February UPCA meeting.
Patriotic holidays – A community member displays the American flag at the front gates for all patriotic holidays and he anticipated this had been done for the November 11th – Veterans’ Day.
Front Gate Holiday decorations – Laurel Conderman reported that she and Ricki Shoraka were going to take a look at last year’s decorations to determine their usefulness. Laurel made a motion to be allowed to spend up to $100 for decorations for the gates. The motion was seconded and passed.
Vice President Shirley George reported on the following:
- Since neither Laurel Conderman nor Shirley were available to attend the last Community Planning Advisory Committee, she would check with Paul Davis about any information to be shared with the neighborhood from the November CPAC meeting.
- Arlington Aglow Holiday Parade planning by Old Arlington Inc. was on hold until the 2015 holiday season. This would allow for more time for planning and greater participation by Jacksonville University. Shirley noted that at a previous CPAC meeting, JU had requested approval for beer and wine sales at their campus River House. There was discussion about possibly holding future UPCA meetings at River House. Eddie Christian had previously worked at JU and would investigate this possibility but the University Park Library would still be considered the preferred location for UPCA meetings.
- Vice President Shirley George will make a sign for posting at the Library Conference Room door to assist those coming to the UPCA meeting.
- Mayor Alvin Brown’s Holiday Festival for Seniors at the Prime Osborn Convention Center is scheduled for December 7th, 2014. She and Maceo reported having attended this in the past and that it was a nice event with dancing, door prizes and lots of fun. The cost is $5 with tickets needing to be purchased prior to the event from either the Singleton Senior Center, 150 East 1st Street or City Hall, Suite 210. Shirley said she would be getting some tickets for herself but could purchase tickets for others if they contacted her for this help.
President George asked Treasurer Earl Kelly for the Treasurer’s report. Mr. Kelly noted there had been little activity other than paying JEA, taxes and reimbursements for the fall work day. The checking account had a balance of $7,461.17 with $17,000 still in a CD. He clarified that the CD funds are held in reserve should the UPCA need them for a future legal matter. He noted the need to increase UPCA membership in 2015. There was general discussion about the UPCA ownership of the buffer property in back of the Darlow Street homes to ensure that the property remains vacant. There was a motion and seconded to accept the Treasurer’s report as presented. The motion was passed.
Discussion: Shirley George extended the organizations thanks to Loretta Cunningham for her assistance in providing the refreshments for this evening’s meeting. A flyer will be prepared for distribution about the UPCA meeting that Councilman Yarborough will be attending to ensure good attendance along with encouragement to become an association member.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for December 23, 2014, 6:30 p.m. at the University Park Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Laurel Conder