May 2019 Meeting Minutes
Below are the May 2019 meeting minutes.
Board Reports and Introductions
- Introductions
- The treasurer was not present
- The secretary was not present at the previous meeting, so no minutes were read
Invited Speakers
Denver Police District 4
- Our Community Resource Officer was unable to attend, but the crime stats for Ruby Hill are here.
Community Ministry
Dave provided an update on Community Ministry’s efforts to raise funds to purchase their building. (You can donate here.) Community Ministry is looking at any and all funding sources. Target amount is $800,000. Some of the things Community Ministry is doing includes
- Meeting with the Denver Department of Economic Development
- Reaching out to our district City Council members
- Accepting donations
- Trying to negotiate a better price with the landlord
- Contacting a couple of grantors about capital funding
- Reaching out to Levitt about being a featured non-profit at some of the concerts
- Seeking input from the neighborhood in the form of a neighborhood representative who will sit on the capital campaign committee so that we make sure we are all on the same page. The first meeting will be on Wednesday, May 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Community Ministry
- Considering an area wide fundraiser this summer
Neighbors discussed other ideas, including
- Seeking donations from local or statewide organizations to use in an auction or raffle. Schools and other 501c3 organizations often do things like this, giving away trips, gift baskets, etc. donated to them by local businesses for fundraising purposes. Foothills Animal Hospital had recently done one of these.
- Peter had previously mentioned holding a farmer’s market in the parking lot. Vendors would pay a fee to sell, which could go towards the building fund.
- The Denver Public Library has a database for grants.
- Testimonies from those who have been helped by Community Ministries could be part of their outreach
- When people buy tickets online for Levitt Pavilion functions, there could be a way to donate to Community Ministry there. They could also have a booth at the shows, and a Q.R. code could be shown on the screens or at the booth so that people could scan it and get right to the donation page.
Overland Park Neighborhood Association (OPNA)
Mara Owen, president of OPNA, gave an informative presentation on what she’s learned about zoning through both her own personal experience and her RNO’s experiences. She spoke about the current City efforts to create strategic plans for every neighborhood, the involvement RNOs can have in rezoning applications, the zoning process, and the difference between a rezoning application and a variance.
Soapbox
- Sharona Thompson spoke about her business, Ruby Hill Tiny Farm School and some upcoming classes she will be giving.
- Brandy shared that we will have brief meetings over the summer on the third Thursday of each month at Levitt Pavilion under the big tree before the Thursday evening show, as we did last year. There will be no invited speakers or agendas; it will just be a time to get together, bring up any concerns if you have any, and enjoy each other’s company and the free show if you want.
Meeting Adjourned
View the Facebook Live video here.