1. Call to order. Donna Ellswick called to order the regular meeting of the Dean Park Historic District at 1500 on December 10, 2016 at the home of Donna Ellswick and Tom Palazzo, 2721 Rhode Island Avenue, Ft. Myers, FL 33916.
2. Roll call. Ann Martindale conducted a roll call. The following directors were present: Donna Ellswick, Ann Martindale, Anthony D’Andrea, Terry Leary, Jordan Parrott, Caitlyn Eck, Brad McGrath, Michael Wheatley.
3. Report of the Nominating Committee. Ann Martindale put forward the following proposed Directors: Anthony D’Andrea, Caitlyn Eck, Donna Ellswick, Terry Leary, Ann Martindale, Brad McGrath, Jordan Parrott, John Podczerwinsky and Michael Wheatley. Hearing no objections and no additional nominations, a motion to accept was passed.
As Michael Wheatley has posted his home for sale, Caitlyn Eck has been proposed to replace him as Secretary. Ann Martindale put forward the following proposed officers: President – Donna Ellswick, Vice President – Anthony D’Andrea, Secretary – Caitlyn Eck and Treasurer – Ann Martindale. Hearing no objections and no additional nominations, a motion to accept was passed.
Ann Martindale put forward the following Honorary Directors: Kerry Bristol (2014), Michelle Nugent (2014), Pearl Moulton (2014) and Tom Veal (2014). Hearing no objections and no additional nominations, a motion to accept was passed.
4. Approval of minutes from last meeting. Ann Martindale distributed the minutes from the last meeting, held February 2016. The minutes were approved as read.
5. President’s Report. Donna Ellswick provided the President’s Report. There are no major issues in the neighborhood but she discussed the possibility of inviting City Representatives from Code Enforcement and Historic Preservation to future meetings in order to address concerns from residents. She also discussed the possibility of putting together a series of talks/workshops centered around historic preservation for the benefit of the community providing there was enough interest.
6. Treasurer’s Report. Ann Martindale distributed the treasurer’s report and proposed budget. The last funding drive saw 35 donors. The next fundraising letter will be sent out 12/12/16. Ann would like authorization to write checks from the general account. Hearing no objections, a motion to authorize Ann to write checks on behalf of the Dean Park Historic District was made and approved.
7. Old Business.
a. Honorary Director Kerry Bristol (not present) will continue to manage the Dean Park portal on nextdoor.com.
b. Ann Martindale will continue to manage the official Dean Park website www.deanpark.org.
c. At the last meeting, a motion was made to have John Podczerwinsky research the possibility of having the Dean Park signs replaced and to explore our replacement options as many of the current signs are missing or in poor condition. John’s report was distributed and he called in to discuss his findings. Of the various options available, it was his opinion that we should pursue the Sandblasted Sign option. A motion to proceed with the project was made and approved. A motion to form a committee to review sign samples and report out at the next meeting was made and approved and the following residents were put on the sign committee: Terry Leary, Jordan Parrott, Sheila Pastor, and John Podczerwinsky (chairman). Michael Wheatley suggested that the committee additionally contact councilman Johnny Streets as well as the City of Fort Myers to explore what additional funding sources for the signs might be available.
8. New Business
a. Terry Leary discussed inviting American Bungalow magazine to do a story on Dean Park. Resident Artis Henderson offered to help develop the story pitch. Mr. Leary also discussed the possibility of resuming the tour of homes which had been done in the past to dovetail with the American Bungalow story. Ms. Ellswick indicated that the tours had stopped because residents found them too time consuming, but that there may be renewed interest by residents to participate in a house tour. A motion to establish a house tour exploratory committee was made and passed. The committee will be chaired by Terry Leary.
b. Donna Ellswick reiterated that it might be beneficial to invite a representative from Code Enforcement to our next meeting as there seems to be confusion and dissatisfaction among Dean Park residents regarding the Code Enforcement process. Tom Veal noted that bulk pick-up is creating pits in the swale that the City is not repairing in a timely manner. A motion to create a Stewardship committee was made but was tabled until the next meeting. Michael Wheatley voiced concerns regarding activity at the warehouse on Palm that seems to be out of order with the zoning of the property. There was sufficient interest from all residents present to warrant asking a representative from Code Enforcement to come speak with the Dean Park Historic District. A motion to have Code Enforcement at the next meeting was made and passed.
c. Donna Ellswick reported out on the ongoing construction of Allure Construction. The highrise towers will not begin construction until the investors have 70 signed contracts. In the meant time, the Allure developser will begin construction on a 15 story (2 residence/floor) structure on an adjacent property where a historic home was torn down.
d. Motion to adopt the 2014-2015 budget w/addendum of $2,500 for signs was made and passed without objection.
e. The next meeting date is TBD but will likely take place on a weekday evening.
9. Adjournment. Donna Ellswick adjourned the meeting at 1630.
Minutes submitted by: Caitlyn Eck, Secretary