MarchMinutes

Dearborn Federation of Neighborhood Associations

Meeting Minutes for March 04, 2009

1. Call to order:

Terry Pulido: Called the meeting to order at 7:34pm.

Members in Attendance:

Ann Basse	John Cascardo	Jeffrey Swantek	Jackie Laskowski	Sylvia Tillman
Dave Tillman	Scott Smith	Craig Dahlke	Shelia Brooks	Terry Pulido
Marshall Wehr	Jean Joseph	Ned Nikodem	Rick Fletke	Myron Lemecha
Mark Lipischak	Jill Card	David Bierman

Guests:

Joan Reed	Salvitore Siedli	Salvitore Perroni
Cpl. Ibrahim Dabaja	Chief Ronald Haddad	Chaleb Khouryzat

2. Approval of the February minutes.

Mark Lipischak motioned to approve the minutes, Rick Fletke seconded. Minutes were approved.

3. Treasurer’s Report:

Ned Nikodem Presented the treasurer’s report:

                    Beginning balance                       $879.43
                    Income                                        + $40.00
                    (Dues)
                    Balance as of 03/04/2008               $919.43

4. Guest Speaker:

Chief of Police Ronald Haddad was introduced to the group. Chief Haddad stated that officer safety, respect and courtesy to residents will be a top priority in the culture of his administration. Methods and ideas are being explored to improve customer relations and the overall perception of the Dearborn Police. With this in mind, the Chief is reaching out to neighborhood associations and attending their meeting when his schedule permits.

Chief Haddad informed the DFNA that crimes of opportunity are on the rise in the city. Break-in of vehicles and garages top the list. Any easy target is attractive to a criminal, and we were cautioned to make sure that valuables were placed out of sight in parked cars and garages remain locked and lighted if possible. Areas with spikes of these types of crime are being tracked and aggressively patrolled to detour further criminal activity. To bolster the presence and foster cooperation the police will be “dropping in” on merchants and businesses to meet the employees and help keep an eye on the shops and community. These efforts will help with community contacts, crime education / prevention and visibility of our police force.

Dearborn has one of the best response times of any police force in the country. The Chief attributed this fact to the way the city is divided in to beats, each of which has dedicated patrol cars and a strong police presence.

Several neighborhood representatives congratulated the chief on his new position and complemented our police officers for their professionalism, dedication and friendly attitudes.

Cpl. Ibrahim Dabaja was also introduced. Cpl. Dabaja is the Administrative Security Officer assigned to the office of the Mayor.

Welcome Gentlemen!

5. New Business: Joan Reed of the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce Spoke to the DFNA about the second season for the Dearborn Farmer’s & Artisan Market. The Farmer’s & Artisan Market will start its new season on Friday June 5^th. In a new location. Look for the Market to be set up around the Bryant Library, 22100 Michigan Avenue. Market hours will be 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM Fridays June 5^th. to October 30^th.

Ms. Reed informed the group that in order for a vendor to sell at the Farmer’s & Artisan Market they must:

· Produce / grow at least 80% of what they sell.

· Use proper hygiene and apply to health code standards if they provide samples of a food product.

· Prepared foods must be made in a State certified kitchen.

· Vendors must be licensed and the license displayed.

· Regional growers are featured.

Ms. Reed asked for feedback on the market and suggestions that would enhance the Dearborn Farmer’s & Artisan Market. Items suggested included:

· Better signage to advertize the market.

· A permanent shed to act as an anchor of the market.

· Extending or staggering the hours to allow working people a chance to experience the market.

Joan informed us that the vendors were positive about Dearborn and were eager to participate. Fridays were selected based on vendor availability; they have previous commitments with more established outdoor markets.

The goal of the Dearborn Farmer’s & Artisan Market is to Bring shoppers in to the downtown and stimulate business in the area, as well as the market vendors, and promote awareness by the residents of what our downtown business district has to offer. More information on the Dearborn Farmer’s & Artisan Market may be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=53952006428

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37787452021

6. New Business: Rick Fletke and the Dearborn Board of Realtors asked if there were any additional neighborhood specific information available to new residents; a sort of “follow up packet” of information that may pick up where the Welcome Home Dearborn campaign left off. Information such as Neighborhood resources, shops, parks / recreation and any other information that is unique to the area.

City maps of our respective neighborhoods need to be sent out to the associations and checked for accuracy of their boundaries.

Chaleb Khouryzat asked if the Federation of Neighborhoods could offer any assistance in lowering his property tax due to the declining economic climate and subsequent loss of property value. It was suggested that this is a matter better left up to the tax assessor’s office. In addition, ideas were floated that this may also be a good topic for the local paper and city to highlight.

Myron Lemecha Spoke of the Dearborn Symphony concerts and informed us that Dearborn Symphony was chosen #1 Symphony by their peers, a musician’s symphony. To help introduce and highlight the talents of the Symphony, Myron offered tickets to the “Pops” concert held 03/06/2009. The concert lived up to Myron’s description and more! A big Thank You to Myron!

Terry Pulido suggested having a Dinner meeting at Henry Ford Community College’s Fifty-one O One restaurant. The meeting would be held in a banquet room at the college. There would be a charge for dinner. Time frame was left open, but October was suggested.

7. Adjournment:

With there being no further business Rick Fletke motioned for adjournment, Mark Lipischak seconded. Meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.

8. Associations in attendance:

Aviation	City of Dearborn	Dearborn Hills
Dearborn Park	Ford Homes	Golfcrest
Golfview	Hemlock Park	Highland
Mayor’s Office	Oakman Grove	Riverbend
Snow Woods	West Lane	Woodworth
Howard Park

The next meeting will be held in the Mayor's conference room 04/01/2009 @ 7:30 pm. These minutes have been compiled and submitted by Dave Tillman, Secretary DFNA.

http://www.dfna.org