Highland Park Neighborhood Association Minutes
Board Meeting

Tuesday, April 8th at 6:30 p.m.

750 Eastern Ave NE (Emerald Flats Auditorium)

1. Introduction of HPNA Board / Role Call

1. Adam Tauno Williams/Chair        present
2. Kate Aeschlimann/At-Large        not present
3. Alison Black/Secretary        present
4. Scott Rider/Vice Chair        not present
5. Russ Malek/At-Large                present
6. Corina Van Duinen/Treasurer        present
7. Justin Kooreman/At-Large        present
8. Liz Gardner/At-Large                present
9. vacant

2. Guests

1. No guests in attendance

3. Approval of MInutes

1. 2025-03-11

1. Russ moved to approved, Justin seconded; all were in favor

4. New Business

1. Resolution #39: Reimbursement for general liability insurance

1. Resolution is to reimburse Adam at a later unspecified date (that is, whenever we are able to) for paying annual liability insurance bill in the amount of $348 on April 20; currently not enough funds in checking account to cover the balance
2. Alison moved to approve, Liz seconded; all were in favor

2. Highland Park Cleanup on April 19

1. Justin said that a cleanup of the Emerald Flats parking lot(s) and Eastern Park, to include an Easter egg hunt, had been scheduled for the same morning. He said the shrubbery at Eastern is in bad shape and there are church volunteers who would likely agree to help maintain it

3. Board Nominee: Leah Rivera

1. Leah was not present, will discuss at May meeting

5. Reports

1. Arts Subcommittee

1. Samantha Elliott-Mosely (chair) not present, no report

2. Parks Subcommittee

1. Scott was not present but submitted a written update. Adam, Scott and Corina met with reps from Great Lakes Disc Golf Club and GR Parks at Highland Park to walk proposed changes to the existing disc golf course. Scott will further discuss Party in the Park, the project to add trees along the park’s edge at I-196, an upcoming Pollinator Garden cleanup, and Eastern Park landscaping updates, at the May meeting.
2. Liz inquired about the Disc Golf meeting. Adam said that based on the discussion that day the course will likely now flow in the opposite direction than that which the update had originally prescribed, and that the reversal was apt to improve the flow of play. Corina, who lives on property abutting the current course, expressed reservations regarding not the update per se but the course in general and questioned if it could ever be designed truly safely. Corina said she personally has experienced golfers both jumping her fence, and lifting children over the fence into her backyard, despite the presence of her dogs, to retrieve discs. She said she has discovered gouges in a tree in her backyard from discs thrown with force, and has found dead birds underneath the same tree. She worried that high winds carrying heavy discs aloft could put the safety of other park users and nearby homes, structures, etc. at risk. Too, golfers who do not follow spotting rules could put other park users at risk, especially those who are hard of hearing and cannot hear warning shouts from a distance. Corina said that because the course is designed for beginners to the sport, it attracts golfers who are less skilled and/or might engage in alcohol or other substances before/while playing, also creating risk. Alison asked Corina if she had heard similar concerns from any of her neighbors; Corina said that she had, from one. Corina also did not support cutting down trees to increase course space as proposed in the updated plan.

Justin said he too had heard similar feedback from friends regarding the existing course at Highland Park. He added that Garfield Park had redesigned their disc golf course about a decade ago and it might be worth contacting their neighborhood association for input. Adam said he would reach out to them. Liz said that she believes it is likely that there will be an updated course (given, as she and Adam pointed out, that the city has planned for it in the recent Parks Master Plan for Highland Park) and wondered how HPNA could best help strike a compromise for all park users, via doing more fact finding, pushing for better signage, etc. Adam reiterated that we had been present to offer valuable feedback at the walk with Parks and GLDGC, and suggested distributing the newest iteration of the plan to neighbors living along the park for feedback. Corina questioned if we might put bags over holes or install signage warning that the existing course is unsafe. Adam said we could not because the course does not belong to HPNA. Alison expressed worry that doing so could create a liability concern for HPNA, and suggested asking for feedback about the proposed course from attendees of Party in the Park. Russ recommended that HPNA communicate to the city that the updates should happen as soon as possible in order to increase safety for all park users.

3. Treasurer

1. Balances

1. MFCU: $245.40
2. Paypal: $24.25, with another $72.01 in transit

2. Total

1. $317.41

6. Discussion

1. Party in the Park (tent. August 16)

1. Scott to provide updates at May meeting

2. Board Intros

1. Kate Aeschlimann - overdue
2. Corina Van Duinen - received
3. Justin Kooreman - received

3. Dumpster Day (tent. Sept 13)

1. St. Isodore still needs to confirm date

4. I-196 sound walls

1. No news

5. Halloween

1. Geocaching event in the Gulch

1. Liz will look into / develop a plan

6. Kooreman’s 2025 event (June 14)

1. No updates since last meeting

7. Coldbrook Cut

1. Adam will be meeting with reps from the city and Progressive A&E tomorrow, will report in May

7. Adjourn

1. Justin moved to adjourn, Alison seconded; all were in favor