Oakley Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes: June 1, 2021
- Oakley Neighborhood Association
- Jun 1, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 20, 2021
Oakley Neighborhood Association - meeting minutes
Tuesday June 1, 2021 6-7:15pm / Oakley Pavilion / oakleyneighborhoodassociation@gmail.com
Anna Sexton - Neighborhood Advisory Committee
71 registered neighborhoods
Connect neighborhoods to city council/staff, engage with development plans
Meet the last Monday of the month (6/28) 5-6:30p
Goal is to increase neighborhood registration
Pleased to see our Plan on a Page progress
Neighborhood festival - spring 2022
Annual “neighborhood hero”
Planning July 1 (Anna to send details to Michael)
Issue forums, future format TBD
Michael asked about block parties - Anna said she’d investigate
Rich Lee - Google Survey
Defines neighborhood
Link to survey on neighborhood facebook page
Need more respondents
Michael Stratton - Plan on a Page
City of AVL template
Current draft developed by early Neighborhood Association meetings, Resilience Garden group, Neighborhood Watch group
Would like input from folks who haven’t yet done the survey
Neighborhood origins, history, boundaries
6mo-1yr to fully develop
Michael Stratton - Bylaws
Borrowed template from East West
Subcommittee to firm up draft
Add a link to PoP & Bylaws to FB page? Possible web domain, funded by Resilience Garden
Michael Stratton - Resilience Garden
400 lbs of food grown so far
Started as a passive idea, individuals claim plots
COVID shifted the model to supplement underfed kids
56% kids in Buncombe County Schools on free and reduced lunch pre-pandemic
461 Fairview Road
Volunteer days
Wed 5:30-7
Sat 10a-12p
Nominations
Unanimous vote to let early leaders serve as interim board, duke out who does what
Michael Stratton
Betsy Nesbitt
Bess McDavid
Allison Kiehl
Rich Lee
Natalie Romanello
Oakley Library - Potential Closure
Jim Blanton - Buncombe County Library Director
Ruth O’Donnell - Library Advisory Board chair
County performed a comprehensive facilities plan
Library opted for a specialist review
Consultant from Dallas TX
Fall 2020
Consultant reviewed all library facilities
Zoom input sessions for community members (not well circulated)
Survey about library facility preferences
77 respondents named Oakley their primary branch
Recommendations from consultant - Main/regional/satellite branch model
Priority to increase access to population centers and save money on leased properties
The consultant predicts that the new East branch will decrease Oakley use
Areas that lose a branch will get “outreach” aka bookmobiles
Library board has requested listening sessions with County Commission, to hear from community members
County Commission meeting to discuss the report and public opinion
June 15, 5pm - TD Bank building - 200 College St
Open for public comment
Questions/Comments after hearing from Jim and Ruth
Who owns the building?
The city; county leases space for library
Walkability to Oakley branch. Public transit is inadequate - requires a transfer and several hours to bus to East
Drive time was reported, but no walkability
Community members should request listening sessions when they contact County Commissioners
Was there ever an option/would the county ever consider hiring a local consultant?
Ruth suggested that there are no local consultants suited to this type of work
Oakley branch serves Shiloh - we must consider that neighborhood for ease of access to other branches
Oakley is ~7000 households, per Plan on a Page, one of the largest neighborhoods in AVL. The consultant’s report says Oakley branch serves smallest geographic area
Community members should also email city council to express concern because they own the building and might be moved to collaborate with the county government
“Home Library” is used in the consultant’s report, when it is a meaningless figure within the library system. It is not changed in patron accounts because it doesn’t reflect any meaningful data.
WE are the library. We imbue our community with the things we read.
How do we get the word out? Yard signs? Postcards? Picketing?
Cheryl’s Numbers - 2019
21 years as Head Librarian at Oakley branch
146 weekly storytimes (3x weekly)
+ Lego programs, Stuffed Animal Sleepovers
3,900/month door count
300/month computer check out
70(?) 1:1 computer instruction session (librarian sits with patron, teaches them computer literacy)
72,000 circulation
10 Summer Reading programs (all in-house)
4th year of hosting county-wide Summer Reading Kick-Off (previously at Pack, moved in 2015 to best outdoor option)
700 participants in just a few hours
$70k on new HVAC, installed 2020
Save the Oakley Library subcommittee
Guy Burneko
Elisabeth Wallace
Rita Sneider-Cotter
Amy Brown
Jennifer McCallum
Emily Bombeck
Amy Price
Tara Cary
Neighborhood Events
Friday 6/4, 8:30pm - Movie night at the Resilience Garden - 461 Fairview Rd - Sandlot
Saturday 6/5, 4pm - Democratic voter registration meeting at Rich’s - 348 Fairview Rd
Next meeting - Tuesday July 13, 6pm - Oakley Pavillion
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