Hutchinson River Restoration Project Meeting Minutes
2011 Minutes
Meeting of Nov. 2, 2011
In attendance: Eleanor Rae, Violet Smith, Inge Otto, Giles Rae, Helen Friedman, Patty Attis
I. Minutes were read and accepted.
II. Treasurer Report- Balance of $2752.75. Inge also mentioned her attendance at the Parks Committee Meeting of the Community Board. At that time, she extended our thanks to Marianne Anderson and the Parks Department for their help in the HRRP cleanup in September. She also cleared up the misconception that HRRP and the Anne Hutchinson year were one and the same and made a point to be sure it was understood that they are totally separate entities. Another point Inge brought up to the board was the issue of tires in the river from barges and how they should be marked. Inge agreed to draft a letter to Community Board 10 regarding this.
III. Reports:
a. HEP proposal QAPP- We are still in the approval “cycle” and are presently waiting on them. Giles also pointed out that our proposed schedule cannot be held because of this.
b. Fish and Wildlife Grant- HRRP’s total budget for the whole project was $2890.57. Our grant was for $2884.00. We haven’t been hearing back from them and Eleanor was finally told that our contact no longer works there. At this time, the report that has been worked has to be resubmitted using their “Easy Grant Form”.
c. Debris on Site 1- Jack and Eleanor went out on the “Anne” and found 8 bags strewn around the site. Eleanor gathered them together and they were able to take 3 back with them. At the launch site, they discovered that all the debris gathered during the cleanup was still at the launch site and hadn’t been removed. Marianne was called regarding this.
d. Facebook- Patty received a CD with pics from the launch of the “Anne Hutchinson” and the cleanup from Giles which she can use to put on Facebook.
e. AMH events. Violet let us know about upcoming events and a Nov. 12 tree planting in honor of Anne at the Manor.
f. Letter to William Long, Planning Administrator, City of Mt. Vernon- Eleanor received a call from William requesting a letter of support fro a grant for the Hutchinson River Revitalization which we were very glad to do. (copy letter here?- or his request/)
g. CSO meeting Nov. 1 in Brooklyn. Eleanor forwarded the information on this to Stacy Andres hoping she would attend as this could apply to the combined sewer overflows (CSO) which Coop City dumps into the Hutchinson River.
h. MWA Task Force meeting Nov. 8 Battery Park 6-8 p.m. Metropolitan Water Alliance will be on the issue of water access which we will need for our proposed kayak launch site.
IV. Evaluation of party Oct. 16 at the Boatyard. As attendance was down this year, Eleanor suggested that Saturday might be a better day. We agreed with that and decided to rethink it all as we get closer to that time again.
V. Next meeting will be held Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.
Meeting of Oct. 5, 2011
Present: Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae, Violet Smith, Inge Otto, Patty Attis, Rose Zervas and Jack Ullman.
I. Minutes of last meeting and evaluation of September cleanup: The minutes were accepted, and the report on the cleanup was accepted with an additional page of comments by Patty Attis.
II. Treasurer’s report. Inge reports that our balance is now $2752.75. For our Citizens’ Committee grant of $1500 we must provide a budget for last year. Inge gave us details of that budget, including amounts from grants and contributions.
III. Reports:
A. HEP proposal including QAPP (Quality Assurance Project Plan): Giles reports that Mike Bontje of the consulting firm we are using has submitted this plan to the EPA. Preparation of it has taken time and effort from us and the consulting firm, which was not included in our grant contract because HEP assured us that a QAPP was not necessary. HEP should take this into account when determining if we are progressing on schedule.
B. HEP meeting, Sept. 15: Eleanor Rae attended. It lasted from 10 to 2. Eleanor met Kate Boicourt, our contact person at HEP, and she was glad to see her. Eleanor asked a DEP person who was present why no water quality testing was done in the Hutchinson River. He responded that it was too silted up for their boat. Eleanor told him she had just been up the river to plan our cleanup and had passed several deeply loaded barges pushed by tugboats. They must be thinking of the wrong river or something.
C. Bronx River Alliance soiree at Botanical Garden, Sept. 27. Eleanor attended. This group has helped us a lot so we contributed $250 to them. It was held at the old snuff mill. Among the fundraising activities was a silent auction. Patty Attis suggested we do something like that at our party.
D. Meeting with Jeffrey Williams, Commissioner of Urban Planning, Mount Vernon, Sept. 28: Eleanor and Jack attended. Mr. Williams was very generous with his time and had excellent maps of the river. He is very interested in access to the river. He showed us the site of a now nonfunctional boat launch in a Mount Vernon park, and expresses the hope that with Westchester County Parks help a greenway could be made all long the river. There are remains of an old trail along it still in existence.
E. Fish and Wildlife grant: Expenses of our cleanup must be submitted to them now. We have the form for submitting them. Eleanor and Inge are working on this.
F. Letter of support for Mel Rodriguez’ project for a bike trail in Van Cortlandt Park: There were many objections to this: the park is far from us, and making a paved bike trail seemed to some a wrong thing to do in a patch of wildness, but in the end we agreed to do it. Eleanor will write it.
G. Debris on Site 1 of our cleanup: Mel Rodriguez had said several bags of collected debris were left at Site 1, near the Thruway bridge. Jack and Eleanor will go in the “Anne Hutchinson” to be sure it is there, locate it and bring back as much as possible next Monday.
H. Facebook. Patty Attis reports that a search was made of people within a 25 mile radius who had environmental interests. Our message reached thousands of people and about 80 showed interest. It is not clear that any of them actually participated in the cleanup. However, this method of reaching people does have potential which might be important in the future.
I. Anne Hutchinson Year events: Violet Smith reports that there will be a meeting on the 20th to plan a final event for the year.
IV. Celebration/fund raising party , Oct. 16, 1-4 PM, Boatyard: Giles reports that invitations have been sent by email. He will organize calls to those who have no email. The invited include: all cleanup participants, canoe-kayak event participants, and political types. It was suggested we have more cider and less wine. Same food as last year, but Rose will also bring a crock pot. There will be a business table where members can be signed up and given a water bottle. The date for next year’s cleanup has been set as Sept. 16.
V. Date, time and place of next meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7 PM, at the Raes, in the Boatyard Condominium at the east end of Carroll Street, City Island.
Meeting of September 7
Present: Violet Smith, Inge Otto, Rose Zervas, Bob Zervas, Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae, Patty Attis, Jack Ullman.
I. Minutes of last meeting. Patty Attis had taken the minutes. They were approved with minor corrections.
II. Treasurer’s report. Inge Otto reports we have $4306.12 in our account. Giles wants to get the names and addresses of contributors who have sent us checks.
III. Reports:
A. HEP proposal including QAPP: This is the proposal for finding canoe-kayak launch sites along the Hutchinson River. Eleanor, Giles and Jack visited existing sites in the Bronx, photographed them and are preparing a report on their findings. The Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) is being worked on by us and Laing Associates, the consultants on this project.
B. Press release on upcoming river cleanup: Patty Attis reports that it did appear in the Island Current. There is also much other publicity. Giles has tried to reach last years’ participants and many have volunteered. The event is listed on “What’s Happening in NYC” put out by the Citizens’ Committee for NYC.
C. Boating event with Bronx River Alliance on August 7: We did participate, unveiling our boat, the “Anne Hutchinson.” Pictures of the boat appeared in the Bronx Times.
D. Exploratory trip up the Hutchinson River with the “Anne Hutchinson:” On August 11, Eleanor Rae and Jack Ullman took the “Anne Hutchinson” from its slip at Sunset Marina all the way up to the farthest cleanup site on our planned cleanup, to determine where volunteers should be sent. We arrived at high tide, so further exploration at low tide would be helpful. The boat performed well, making the whole trip under electric power without exhausting the battery. The boat is slow, taking three hours for the round trip of about 7 nautical miles, but that included some stopping and exploring.
IV. City Island Fair, Sept. 10-11: Violet Smith and Eleanor Rae have worked out schedules for our booth, where we will be signing up volunteers for the cleanup. There are enough people to cover the entire time of the fair.
V. Pell Sanctuary cleanup, Sept. 18: We have a good set of group captains. Mel Rodriguez is doing Site 1, Patty Attis and Sue Bellinson, Site 2, Rose Zervas, Site 3, and for Goose Island, Dave Kunstler and Giles John Rae. Michael Botje, president of Laing Associates, will participate. Boat captains will include Jack Ullman in the “Anne Hutchinson” (for Goose Island because of its limited speed and range), Bob Zervas and Con Grondahl. Bob is unsure of how many boats he can actually get. Bob will make signs on stakes to be driven in the ground to mark the sites shortly before the cleanup.
Giles will be the central communications person and all participants will have his cell phone number on their badges. All boat operators and group captains will have cell phones whose numbers are known by Giles. We are not sure we have enough shovels and will get more if needed. The possibility of a party in late October, to be catered by the IGA, was discussed.
VI: Date, time and place of next meeting: Monday, Sept 26, 7 PM at the Rae’s, for critique and discussion of the cleanup.
Meeting of August 3,2011
Present: Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae, Violet Smith, Helen Friedman, Inge Otto, Rose Zervas, Patty Attis
I. Minutes of July meeting read and accepted
II. Treasurer’s report – Inge stated as of 6/30 we had a balance of $3518.70 plus $1052.42 deposited from the Fish & Wildlife Grant
III. A. Giles stated the HEP proposal was still being evaluated and was told we will receive their decision by August 4
B. Anne Hutchinson Year Events and C. Bronx Borough President’s events- 1) Violet reiterated there will be a luncheon on Aug. 13 but stated it was already full. 2) At the Vacca concert in June a song was dedicated to Anne Hutchinson. 3) The Bronx County Historical Society was holding an event Aug. 20 at 10 a.m.. “Anne Hutchinson: A Woman Ahead of Her Times”. Bronx Borough Historian Lloyd Ultan will speak about her life in The Bronx.
C. Army Corp of Engineers- July 7 was attended by Eleanor, Jack Ullman and Bob Zervas. . They didn’t speak at all on the Hutchinson River. Points mentioned: 1) Seton Fall Park sewer goes into an outlet which goes into the Hutchinson River. 2) DEP is responsible for the water quality in NYC. 3) Presenter Lisa Baron said the biggest challenge is coordination. There are so many agencies.4) Bob Zervas brought up the issue about spraying planes with de-icer. 5) Projects are determined by how many people will use an area. The question is: how do they determine that.
D. Insert for Sept. 18 Cleanup- thank you to Helen for reviewing and making recommendations
E. Press release- Patty agreed to make a press release to be sent to the Coop City Times (att: Bill Shittig and Roseann Boone), the Bronx Times Reporter and the City Island Current. Also was authorized to spend $100 on an ad in Facebook
F. Sen. Klein’s Environmental Justice Grants meeting on July 27- It was said if the water quality monitoring wasn’t pursued this year, then it will be done next year. Spoke about where to dispose hazardous wasted. Eleanor will contact Patty Grondahl about suggested receptacles for fishing wire, etc. to protect animals.
G. BRA Upstream Soiree- Because of all the things BRA has helped us with and because of the networking opportunities, the board approved $250 for Eleanor to attend.
IV. Eleanor stated we had 23 people already signed up for the Aug. 7 boating event for the launching of the boat the “Anne Hutchinson”. We still have a limited amount of space available.
V. Violet will contact volunteers to help at the City Island Fair Sept. 10,11. Binders were suggested to keep sign up sheets safe.
VI. Pell Sanctuary Cleanup- Giles says we need more over shoes and are looking for any one with flat bottom boats who would like to help.
VII. Wednesday Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. is our next scheduled board meeting.
Meeting of July 6,2011
Present: Violet Smith, Patty Attis, Helen Friedman, Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae and Jack Ullman.
I. Minutes of June meeting: Produced by Jack Ullman with Rose Zervas’ notes; they were accepted with some additions.
II. Treasurer’s report: in the absence of our treasurer, Eleanor Rae reports our present balance as $3381.02, and that we have submitted a request for $1052.42 for reimbursement of expenses incurred preparing for this year’s Wildlife Refuge cleanup to Fish and Wildlife, under their grant to support this effort.
III. Reports:
A. HEP proposal: Giles Rae reports that this grant proposal for a study of possible kayak and canoe launch sites on the Hutchinson River, was submitted in a revised version on 6/22. They had some more questions, which are to be answered during a conference call next Friday. However, they seem favorable to funding the project.
B. Facebook Activity. Patty Attis reports that our Facebook page had 49 users last month, of whom 35 “liked” it. This is a promising beginning.
C. Sunken barge on the Hutchinson River. This is a particular concern of Bob Zervas. It is ugly and pieces of it are falling off, becoming hazards to navigation. The Corps of Engineers, however, seems unconcerned and we are unsure what to do next.
D. South Bronx Overall Economic Development Meeting, June 30. Eleanor was there. She reports that they are taking the Hutchison River into account in their Brownfield Opportunity Area plan. She gave us maps showing the area they want to develop. It includes the industrial area on the river in the Bronx. Water quality and waterfront access are two concerns that were mentioned. The former site of the Hexagon chemical plant is seriously polluted and is a Superfund site. Mount Vernon wants to cooperate on developing the riverfront north of the Bronx. Jeffrey Williams was at the meeting to represent them.
E. Army Corps of Engineers meeting for the Harlem River, East River, western Long Island Sound region of the Hudson-Raritan estuary, July 7, 2-4PM. Eleanor Rae, Bob Zervas and Jack Ullman will attend.
F. Anne Hutchinson year events. Violet Smith reports that Toby Liederman is running this, and there will be a lunch at the City Island French restaurant on Aug. 13. Violet will keep us informed.
G. Bronx Borough President’s events map and calendar: We would like to have our events added to this. Giles has emailed them but gotten no reply. Violet will follow up on this.
IV. Boating event on the Hutchinson with Bronx River Alliance, August 7: BRA people promise 10 canoes and 3 kayaks. Jack Ullman will call Damian Griffin to be sure of who is supposed to provide the paddlers. Our boat, the Anne Hutchinson, should get bottom paint and an electric outboard ordered this weekend.
V. Pell Sanctuary cleanup, Sept 18: Giles showed us the fliers and handouts for this event. Some minor corrections were suggested.
VI. Date, time and place of next meeting: Wednesday, August 3, 2011, 7 PM at the Raes, 7 Leeward Lane, the Boatyard Condominium on City Island.
Meeting of June 8, 2011
Present: Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae, Inge Otto, Helen Friedman, Violet Smith, Rose Zervas and Jack Ullman.
1. Minutes. The minutes of the May 16 meeting were corrected. At the Westchester Square meeting (item D) a few people did sign up, as well as some others at the Huntington library.
II. Treasurer’s report. Inge Otto reports our account has a balance of $3453.58. There was some question about a receipt for $32.50 for Eleanor’s pilgrim costume. We will ask Patty Attis about this. There were questions about how our PayPal contribution system works.
Receipts for expenditures on our Fish and Wildlife grant of $789.50 are to be submitted to Parthena Kydes by Giles.
Violet Smith gave us a check for $170 for money collected at the City Island fair.
III. Reports:
A. HEP proposal: Giles submitted this on April 29. We have received a letter saying they want to fund us but need us to revise the proposal. Giles, Eleanor and Jack will work on this and submit it by June 22.
B. Boating event on the Hutchinson with Bronx River Alliance, August 7: The “Anne Hutchinson” has had its name in brass letters put on and work started on preparing it to be launched. A down payment of $250 was put down on the slip at Jacks Bait & Tackle, and Bob Zervas will be contacted to help bottom painting and fitting a tarpaulin. Eleanor’s Anne Hutchinson costume is now ready and looks very good.
C. Facebook including debit card and PayPal: See under Treasurer’s Report.
D. HRRP table at Bartow-Pell “Anne Hutchinson Day,” June 12, 12-4 PM: Eleanor and Rose Zervas expect to be there.
E. City Island Fair, June 4 and 5: Violet Smith reports it worked out well. About 5 water bottles were sold and there were contributions.
F. Orchard Beach opening ceremony, May 27. Eleanor was there in response to an invitation from Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. She was accompanied by Violet who was there in response to Pelham Bay Park Administrator Marianne Anderson’s invitation. Eleanor was introduced as representing the Hutchinson River Restoration Project. About 60 people were there.
IV. Next meeting will be Wednesday, July 7, at 7 p.m., 7 Leeward Lane.
Meeting of May 16, 2011
Present: Patty Attis, Helen Friedman, Inge Otto, Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae, Violet Smith, Jack Ullman and Rose Zervas.
I. Minutes: March meeting (Violet Smith and Eleanor Rae) and April meeting (Patty Attis). The minutes were distributed, read and approved. Thanks were given to those who took them.
II. Treasurer’s Report. Inge Otto reports that our account now contains $3533.50. She also reports that we now have a debit card, which allows convenient payment of suppliers. Patty Attis will pay for Eleanor’s Anne Hutchinson hat that way.
III. Reports:
A. Fish and Wildlife grant reimbursement: Inge has not been able to do this due to pressure of other business. She will be away until June 5.
B. HEP proposal due April 29: Giles Rae has submitted this. It is for a project to plan boat launch sites. Marianne Anderson gave us a beautiful letter of support.
C. Boating event on Hutchinson River with Bronx River Alliance on August 7: This event is supposed to involve about 10 canoes and 3 kayaks, as well as our boat, the Anne Hutchinson, with Eleanor in it dressed as Anne Hutchinson. Jack Ullman reports that he has done some painting on the boat, purchased bottom paint and brass letters to spell out its name, and put up half of the $500 cost of its slip at Jack’s Bait and Tackle. With some help from Bob Zervas, he hopes to have it in the water early in June. He agreed to contact Damien Griffin about exact times.
We decided to charge participants $5, hoping that would make sure they showed up, and to ask for volunteers among those volunteering for the September cleanup. Concern was expressed that advertising this event too much might take people away from the cleanup.
D. Westchester Square Meeting, Sat. May 14: Violet Smith reports that only Toby Liederman was there with brochures, and that few people signed up.
E. Facebook, Pay Pal, etc: We decided our Facebook address should be www.facebook.com/HutchinsonRRP since that is the same as our email address, although it is rather long. We now have a donation button on our website, allowing donations to come to us through Pay Pal. We are grateful to Patty for all the work she has done to make our facebook page a reality.
F. HRRP table at Bartow Pell “Anne Hutchinson Day” on June 12: 12-4. Eleanor and Rose will be there at a table with our materials. Toby will be there, and there will be talks and music.
G. Pell Sanctuary cleanup, Sept. 18: Giles reports that this event is now registered with American Rivers and the American Littoral Society, and appears on their lists of events. Also, the LISFF, which is financing this year’s event, is including pictures from last year’s cleanup in its brochure. He presented us with a tentative brochure for this year’s event, the result of much work he did with Patty. Some suggestions were made for minor editing changes, and not setting definite times and dates, so it could be used every year with an insert for that year. It was agreed we should print 1000 of these.
H. Meaning of “Emerita” on stationery: Eleanor explained that this is a term used for a female retired professor and it seemed appropriate to designate Toby Liederman’s position in our organization, since she was a founding member who has resigned.
IV. City Island Street Fair, June 4 and 5: We will have a table and brochures and will try to get volunteers for the cleanup. Violet, Helen and Rose will be there, as well as other volunteers, including Marlies Cathcart. They will cover the times between 11 AM and 7 PM.
V. Date, time and place of next meeting: Wednesday, June 8, 7 PM at the Rae’s, 7 Leeward Lane, at the Boatyard condominium, City Island.
Meeting of April 27, 2011
Present: Patty Attis, Helen Friedman, Inge Otto, Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae, Violet Smith
I. Eleanor and Violet will meet Saturday to review their notes and redo the lost March minutes.
II. Inge Otto, treasurer, reported $3,550.34.
III. Reports:
A. Fish and Wildlife will send reimbursement when we send in receipts. Inge will call and set up arrangements with Fish and Wildlife on what is the best way to do this (quarterly)
B. Helen is looking for the summary of one part of the Clean Water Act book that is most relevant to us. Giles will do a Google search to help.
C. Inge and Eleanor will meet Tuesday to obtain a credit or debit card we can use to run Facebook ads. Patty received banking information to open a Paypal account to enable us to receive donations and membership fees through the website.
D. Violet contacted Sen. Klein, Councilman Vacca and Assemblyman Benedetto regarding having the Hutchinson River labeled on area maps.
E. Giles and Eleanor have put together a proposal for the Hutchinson River kayak/canoe launch site to HEP that is due Friday April 29. Its work plan consists of 9 steps. Right now we have a study team of Jack Ullman, Bob Zervas and Giles. Communications and media is Patty. Other members have not been determined yet.
F. Jack will have the Anne Hutchinson boat ready for the boating event on the Hutchinson with the Bronx River Alliance on August 7. Patty will look for a hat and other accessories for the Anne Hutchinson costume.
G. Eleanor shared her presentation at the Bronx Council of Environmental Quality meeting on April 13. Slides of the cleanup were shown and talked about and received with enthusiasm. Bob Bieder of Bronx Community Board 10 was there and as a result he invited Eleanor to share at their meeting.The Metropolitan Water Alliance distributed information of Reach 9 in NYC(our area) in which the Hutchinson River was mentioned 6 times, which was an improvement over earlier years of never being mentioned. However, when it came to funding we were not included. Areas receiving funding included Orchard Beach, Throgs Neck, Ferry Point Park, South Bronx Greenway, Pugsley Creek Park, Soundview Park, and Hunts Point Canoe and small boat launch platform.
H. Patty reported on EarthFest, April 17 in Pelham Bay Park, where she successfully used the photo book she had recently updated, to enlist participants. She was assisted by Eleanor and Violet. While not many people came out for the event, we did receive more emails of interested parties.
I. Eleanor saw an American Rivers calendar and is going to send a picture of the Hutchinson River with Coop city in the background in hopes of making people more aware of urban rivers.
IV. Westchester Square is doing “Fair On the Square” on Saturday May 14 from 12-6. Violet will call Rose Zervas to see if she is available to work at a table for it. We need to respond by May 1.
V. We think the City Island Street Fair will be the 1st weekend in June on 4 and 5 from 11-7. Rose had said she will call people to help get volunteers. Violet has names of past volunteers she is going to get touch with. The brochures are going to be updated with Eleanor’s name, the Facebook web address, and information that they can sign up or make a donation online.
VI. Next meeting will be Monday May 16 at 7 p.m., 7 Leeward Lane.
Meeting of March 30, 2011
Present: Eleanor Rae, Violet Smith, Jack Ullman, Inge Otto, Toby Liederman, Patty Attis, Giles Rae
I. Minutes: The Minutes for the February 11th meeting were accepted as read.
II. The Treasurer reported that our balance is 3538.34.
III. Reports:
A. It was voted that Dotti Poggi and Mel Rodriguez are welcome at any Board meetings they wish to attend.
B. The water bottles with the HRRP logo will be given to any new member who makes a contribution of $10.or more.
C. Jack Ullman will contact Parthena Kydes of Fish and Wildlife to determine how our grant funds can be made available to us.
D. Since Bob Zervas was absent, no report was given on the barges on the Hutchinson River.
E. Patti Attis is proceeding with our Facebook page. She reported that we need more Friends. Giles Rae will help her with names. She also asked that Facebook be listed in our next brochure, as well as the possibility of ads. A debit/credit card is needed for membership. Inge Otto and Eleanor Rae will go to Amalgamated Bank to obtain this card.
F. Giles Rae reported that our 990-N tax report was filed on the due date, Feb. 15, 2011.
G. Violet Smith reported on the Bronx Park Speak Up event, held on Feb. 26 at Lehman University. She represented HRRP, along with Patty Attis, Inge Otto, Eleanor Rae, Rose Zervas and Bob Zervas. Patty prepared a beautiful gift basket which was donated for the raffle. Names of interested participants for HRRP were collected. Violet noted that in the maps used by the presenters, the maps still do not show the name of the Hutchinson River on them. Eleanor spoke with Michael Marella, director of Vision 2020 for the Mayor’s office. He said that the best way to get the Hutchinson River on the City’s maps was for that request to come from Senator Klein. Bob and Rose will contact the Senator on this issue.
H. In the absence of a report from Bob and Rose on contact with Sen. Klein, Violet agreed to contact him on the above issue. She will also contact Councilman Vacca about this.
I. Inge reported on the Community Board 10 meeting and the Pelham Bay Park Landfill. She said questions were raised about the safety of using it. There is also concern that it not be overdeveloped. (Cf. suggestion by David Burg sent to the Board that it be classified as “Forever Wild”).
J. Based on Giles’ report on the HEP Webinar of March 29, the Board voted to apply for a Public Access Research Grant to look into the issue of a canoe/kayak launch on the Hutchinson River. Giles will work on this Grant, which is due on April 29, with assistance from Eleanor.
K. Jack will contact Damian Griffin of BRA in regard to our participation with the boat, the “Anne Hutchinson” in their May 7th Flotilla.
L. Violet and Eleanor reported on the Hutchinson River Boating Event, to be organized by BRA, which will be held on August 7. Damian has requested only that we cover the insurance costs of $5 per person. Rather than charge the participants, the Board voted that the money come out of our funds. Patty will look into obtaining a Pilgrim Custom for this event.
M. As per their request, Eleanor reported that she wrote a letter of support for SoBRO’s Eastchester Brownfield Opportunity Area grant proposal.
N. No interest was expressed in attending the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Conference to be held on May 16.
O. Toby Liederman presented Eleanor with the Anne Hutchinson Reward, which was given to her in her absence at the Women’s Herstory Event held on March 13.
IV. Eleanor will present at the Bronx Council of Environmental Quality event at be held on April 13.
V. Patty, Violet and Eleanor will work at the Pelham Bay Park EarthFest, April17. Patty is redoing our photo album for this event, Violet will bring candy and Eleanor will buy clipboards to hold future participants in HRRP sign up sheet data.
VI. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 1:30-4:00, at 7 Leeward Lane.
Meeting of Feb. 11, 2011
Present: Eleanor Rae, Violet Smith, Inge Otto, Giles Rae, Patty Attis
I. Minutes were read and accepted
II. Treasurer report- Inge reports $4,264.40 same as last month
III. A.. Tallapoosa West Site- John Doyle informed Eleanor that he spoke to Susan Maresco of DEC and she is planning a cleanup project in Tallapoosa West this spring. We will be invited to attend
B. Helen wasn’t here to comment on the Clean Water Act book
C. Water bottles- Giles will call to see if we can get the logo done for the 26th (reverse logo for the bottles). We will order 200 bottles.
D. Jack wasn’t here to comment on the Fish and Wildlife Grant.
E. Bob wasn’t here to comment on the Barge in the River
F. Facebook- we’re still discussing whether it can be set up as a page independent of someone’s personal page. [update Feb. 12- Giles set it up from his page and was able to make Patty an administrator]
G. Violet will try and set up a meeting next Tuesday for her and Eleanor to meet with Damien Griffin of BRA regarding the flotilla on the Hutchinson in July.
H. Eleanor attended the webinar with Environmental Advocates of NY on Jan. 20th. There were 2 issues pertaining to us. The banning of harmful chemicals in the hydraulic fracturing and the need for a law giving DEC authority to regulate the amount of water drawn (i.e. golf course)
I. The landfill overlooking the Hutchinson River is going to be (or may already be given) to parks. Eleanor wrote to the administrator of Pelham Bay Park, Marianne Anderson, suggesting putting in an herb garden identical to that Anne Hutchinson had.
We also discussed putting in some kind of sculpture/plaque or sign symbolic of Anne Hutchinson.
IV. Bronx Parks Speak Up event on Feb. 26, Lehman college:
The board okayed Giles to purchase 20% more flyers than we did last year.
Patty will make a basket for donation. Board okayed purchase of products up to $50. to put in.
V. Next meeting Date: Wed. March 30th at 7:00 Eleanor Rae’s home
Meeting of Jan. 19, 2011
Present: Eleanor Rae, Giles Rae, Rose Zervas, Inge Otto, Patty Attis, Jack Ullman.
I. Minutes. The minutes of the preceding meeting were distributed, read and accepted.
II. Treasurer’s Report. Inge Otto reports a bank balance of $4264.40. The small discrepancy reported last month was due to a charge for printing checks.
III. Reports:
A. Tallapoosa Site with DEC: Eleanor has not been able to find out more about this. She will write Joseph Martens, if he is nominated as DEC commissioner, to remind him of the present state of the Hutchinson River.
B. Clean Water Act book. Helen Friedman was not present to report on this.
C. New Stationery. Our new stationery has been delivered. It was examined and found to be satisfactory.
D. Water bottles with HRRP logo. Rose Zervas reports that Branders.Com will send us three samples of PBA-free plastic bottles that could be supplied with HRRP logo for $2 a bottles for an order of 200 bottles. Stainless steel would be higher. It was suggested that we sell these bottles at meetings, fairs, etc.
E. Fish and Wildlife Grant. Jack Ullman reports that all material they requested has been provided. He will inquire as to when the grant money will actually become available to us.
F. Barges on the river. Bob Zerevas was not present to report on this.
G. Facebook. Patty Attis reports that many organizations like ours have successfully attracted members through Facebook. Her understanding is that one must have one’s own personal page to do this. She has one, and so does Giles Rae. She will work with Giles to develop a model of a Facebook page for HRRP.
H. Pell Sanctuary cleanup date in September. Eleanor Rae has spoken to Marianne Anderson of Pelham Bay Park about this. To avoid conflict with other Park events, Sept. 18 would be the best Sunday. That is one week after the City Island Fair.
I. Toby Liederman’s Year of Anne Hutchinson. Violet Smith has suggested that as part of a celebration of the birthday of Anne Hutchinson, an event be planned in which a flotilla of boats went up the Hutchinson River. Our boat (the Anne Hutchinson) should be part of that flotilla. We agreed that we would try to do that.
J. Webinar with Environmental Advocates of NY on Jan. 20. This is a State-sponsored web seminar on environmental problems. Eleanor will participate and hopes to gain a better idea of Albany’s priorities.
K. CSO meeting with DEP at Pace U. on Feb. 2, 6:30-8:30. CSOs (combined sewer overflows) which put polluted water into the Hutchinson River, are of great concern to us. Eleanor will attend this meeting with Violet and Inge.
IV. Bronx Park Speakup event on Feb. 26, Lehman College, 11:30 AM- 5 PM. The subject is “Bronx Waterways: Clean and Accessible.” As many of us as possible will go. We will have a table with posters, a handout sheet on our upcoming cleanup, and a sign-in sheet for prospective members. There is a raffle and we will contribute a gift including a basket made by Patty.
V. Time and place of next meeting. 7 PM on Friday Feb. 11, at the Rae’s, 7 Leeward Lane, the Boatyard Condominium, the East end of Carroll St. on City Island.
Archives of Minutes
9/12/2011