Minutes – May 12, 2021

Dean Park Historic District, Inc.

BOARD MEETING – VIA ZOOM

7 pm, Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Board of Directors:  Caitlin Eck, Donna Ellswick, Artis Henderson, Rick Janis, Terry Leary, Ann Martindale, Brad McGrath, Michelle Nugent and Sheila Pastor

Present: Paul Barnett, Carole Dennis, Donna Ellswick, Sara Goldstein, Artis Henderson, Terry Leary, Ann Martindale, Brian Murphy, Michelle Nugent and Sheila Pastor

1. Call to Order by the President – Michelle

2.  Approval of Minutes of April 8, 2021 – Approved

3.  President’s Report – Michelle; no report

4. Treasurer’s Report – Ann

              Expenses for FY 2020-2021:  $5,088.15

              Income for FY 2020-2021:  $3,425 (donations from 45 donors, including 5 repeat donors)

              Checking account balance:  $1,811.01

              Savings account balance:  $4,109.26

              PayPal account balance:  $298.20

              Total funds:  $6,218.47

  1. Report of Historic Preservation Commission Representative – Brad is not present; no report
  2. Report of Beautification Committee – Paul Barnett
  3. Update on additional palm trees – Jose Parrilla from the City of Fort Myers says he’s getting bids for the price of the trees; his best estimate is $540 per tree; Paul says he’s called around and found similar trees for $300; there’s some concern about Dean Park moving forward and paying for the trees and installation, when the city of Fort Myers initially offered to help with the project; Ann suggested that $5,000 from the Dean Park budget might be too much for the project; Michelle suggested we come up with a plan for what to say to the city then call another meeting
  4. Status on alley project – Sara is working with Gardner’s Park to build a butterfly route; there are resources available at nearby Thrifty Garden, including butterfly plant classes; Dean Park residents can plant their own butterfly plants; the alley improvement project will be on hold until the fall
  5. Status of New Park on 1.8-acre parcel at Michigan & Seaboard – nothing to report until the city is further along in their project, a year or so from now
  6. Other projects & issues – none
  7. Old Business
  8. House tour – March 19, 2022 – Sheila – Sheila is collecting the final confirmations; we have 6 houses confirmed, 3 unconfirmed; the committee and participating homeowners will have a meeting in early November; Caitie will look into a weatherproof guest book at the Dean Park walking tour brochure stand to capture emails in order to advertise the home tour
  9. Construction project on First and Second Streets – Per Paul, who attended the meeting, the project is scheduled to begin in June 2021; phase one is scheduled to take a year; the city will redo the intersection at Seabord and First; there is a video online to see the project’s plans; the two high rise towers on First Street are supposed to begin soon
  10. New Business
  11. Proposed events for 2021-2022 – Artis

              July 2021:                        July 4th Party                                      Organizer – Caitie/Artis/Sara

              November 2021:           Lawn Party                                         Organizer – Artis

              December 2021:           Triangle Decorating                        Organizer – Rick Janis

              January 2022:                Progressive Dinner                          Organizer – Michelle

              February 2022:              Florida Friendly Landscaping        Organizer – Sara Goldstein

              March 19, 2022:            Dean Park House Tour                    Organizer – Sheila Pastor

              April 2022:                      BBQ & Blues                                       Organizer – Donna

              TBD                                   Painting Exhibit – FMBeach club       Organizer – Carole Dennis

  1. New Community Police Officers – Caitie

              Officer Martin Davila  mdavila@fmpolice.com
              Officer Laura Marchena  lmarchena@fmpolice.com

              Community vigilance is what has improved this neighborhood over time, so continue to register concerns with the police; if there’s any kind of animal-related incident, report it to animal services and also call it in to police officers

  1. Dog attack – Per witnesses, a dog owned by a Michigan Avenue resident attacked Tanya and Anthony’s dog and Sara and Will’s cat; Terry said he would reach out to the resident’s parents, who are the landlords of the property where the dog lives; Sara will keep an eye out for the dog off leash; Dean Park will send an email to the neighborhood to notify residents about the attack and to advise that they contact animal services and the community police officers if there is another incident
  2. Set Next Meeting Date – Wednesday, September 8, 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
  3. Adjournment