2021 HMPNA Board Members
The votes are in and have been tallied. The HMPNA 2021 Board of Directors are:
- President Brent Lehker
- Vice President Angela Troxel
- Treasurer John Carmer
- Secretary Kelsi Crawford
- Director Brett Edstene
- Director Shanda Eickelberger
- Director Nick Jansen
- Director Jeanne Rieger
- Director Allison Pearson (TCM Liaison)
- Director Braydee Euliss (MFC Liaison)
- Director Cassie Mehlman Rhys (Park Liaison)
- Director Karla Johnson (UT)
Dues-paying members were eligible to vote for the new board. Eligible members received their ballots via email. A handful of neighbors for whom emails were not available were hand-delivered paper ballots. Given the challenging nature of the past year, neighbors were asked to vote yes or no on the slate as it was presented.
Going forward, HMPNA Board meetings will occur on the first Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM beginning June 1, 2021. Locations may vary, but generally will be at Storage Space Indy or the pocket park.
May 2021 Board Meeting
The May meeting occurred on May 11, 2021 Storage Space Indy and solidified the initial priorities of the board:
- Pursuing non-profit status, including pursuing grants under non-profit status
- Pocket Park items:
- Ensuring that pocket park insurance is paid
- Organizing and coordinating ongoing park maintenance
- Repair or replace pocket park play equipment
- Organizing spring and fall alley clean-up
- Appointing Directors to Committee Chairs:
- Director of Social Events (2 people)
- Director of Pocket Park
- Director of Gardening and Beautification
- Director of Development, Fundraising, and Non-Profit
- Director of Communication
- Director of Infrastructure and Safety
Each Director will have responsibilities for their role and will have the responsibility of recruiting other neighbors for help. They will meet outside of the board meetings and report back to the board at each meeting. All help is welcome even if its just on a case-by-case basis.
Last year was a tough year for many people and HMP was not spared the heartache. The HMPNA Board dissolved, social events ceased, and pocket park and alley clean-ups were discontinued. The HMPNA Board has been reestablished and reimagined in a way that allows many more neighbors to participate in a meaningful way. The board will consist of working members, meaning each member will have a responsibility and will recruit other non-board neighbors to help deliver on those responsibilities. Non-board members can help as often or as little as their personal responsibilities permit, so when a board member comes calling or there is a call out for neighbor assistance, don’t be shy. The board appreciates the patience of the neighborhood as it regains its footing in 2021. A couple of social events are in the planning for the remainder of the year and as the boards reviews lessons learned from the previously cancelled event, it is working very hard to be as transparent as possible.
Subcommittee Updates:
Outreach and Engagement (Braydee Euliss, Karla Johnson, Jeanne Rieger, and Angela Troxel):
Development of the neighborhood directory: https://www.historicmeridianpark.org/contact-us-2/business-directory-submission/.
Neighborhood Works (Kelsi Crawford and Cassie Mehlman-Rhys):
Neighborhood Works will be developing a scope of work for the pocket park and identifying a plan for the roundabout. The board has hired someone to care for the pocket park. Regular mowing and lawn care should begin in earnest. While there will be hired help for the park, volunteer help will always be accepted. The Neighborhood Works committee will look at adding additional hired help for other common spaces such as the roundabout.
Development (John Cramer, Brett Edstene, Brent Lehker, and Allison Pearson):
The board made the decision to apply for 501c3 nonprofit status. The paperwork has been filed and a decision is forthcoming. Benefits of the 501c3 status include tax deductions for donations, being self-sufficient, the ability to apply for grants, and much more.
Health and Safety (Shanda Eickelberger and Nick Jansen):
A few potential ideas were floated at the last meeting to include vaccine promotion and reviving the Neighborhood Watch.