UACC meeting On October 18th, 2002

 

University Apartments Residence Meeting held on October 18^th, 2002.

__________________

The attendees were:

__________________
Meeting minute
__________________

 

The following issues have been discussed during the meeting:

__________________

1. Maria thanked all those who helped out with the family week
programs. This year was a great success and was a record in terms of
attendance and participation.
__________________
2. Snowflake festival, Saturday Dec 7

Will have booths sponsored by various organizations (UACC is also looking
to sponsor a booth - suggestions welcome). Snacks and drinks will be
provided. Volunteers are needed for this event. Please contact Maria if you
are interested in putting up a booth for your organization or in
volunteering.
__________________
3. Speed limit signs on streets in the UA area.

This was a point raised in the previous meeting. Officer Donovan said that
the signs will be put up by the end of the month. Pedestrian crossing signs
will also be put up. It was suggested that speed bumps might also be
considered to prevent vehicles from speeding on the roads in the UA area.
__________________
4. Condition of roads in the UA area.

The condition of the roads in the UA area especially in front of the new
community center and near the maintenance office has gone from bad to
worse. The bus service in the UA area, while providing a useful service to
the residents, has been the primary cause for the roads going bad, since it
appears that the roads weren't designed for that much traffic.
Mr. Sodolak is supposed to be looking into it. More info is awaited on what
plans are afoot. It was suggested that lighting in the area be improved so
the ditches are clearly visible to pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists
(the ditches have caused some damage to atleast one car).
__________________
5. Movie night

This wass a follow-up to what was discussed in the previous meeting. I was
out of the room when this was discussed and hence don't have any
information about it except to note that someone new has been
hired/appointed. Maria should have more information about what was
discussed.
__________________
6. Master planner meeting

Recently a meeting of the Master Planners for the University was held to
which residents were invited to give suggestions and comments. Specifically
plans for building new apartments in the UA area were discussed. Some
salient points:
a. Project will start in 2003 and new apartments will be completed by 2004
b. Between Nicholas and Charles Haltom roads.
c. Wood apartments rather than brick ones
d. Residents who participated (2) felt that having open space between
apartments was important. It was felt that Ball St. residents would have
some comments on this since apartment blocks in that area are very close
to each other (none was present at the meeting)
e. Residents felt that bus service to the new apartments should be
considered when planning them.
f. It was suggested during the meeting that open space be provided between
the new apartments since currently the area is being used as a
playground (soccer, cricket, etc.)
g. The new aparments might possible have 3-bedroom apartments.
(These are not directly related to the new apartments)
g. The land at the corner of S.College and Univ. Dr. is being saved for the
future since it is very expensive and the University might decide to
sell it in future. It was suggested that a park of some sort be built in
that area. The absence of pedestrian walk-ways on the East side of
S.College was brought up
h. New playground equipment is being purchased. The current maintenance
office buildings are going to be demolished and the area might possibly
be used for a basketball court. There is going to be a new facility for
the maintenance offices.
i. It was also mentioned that the Ball St. apartments are eventually going
to come down since they are very old and constructed out of wood.
__________________
7. There is going to be a tour of the North Area residence halls and Maria
had been invited for the same. Since she can't go, she suggested that a
resident who is interested might want to go in her place. Please get in
touch with Maria for more information.
__________________
8. Volunteers are needed for check-in of new international students
starting on December 15. The ISS is also looking for hosts for students
for a few days between Dec 15 to Jan 17. Please contact the ISS or Katia
for more information
__________________
9. Cultural Day

The UACC sponsored prizes for the cultural day using around $120 given by
the Association of Former Students. The food booths were also sponsored by
the UACC and the budget for that was approx. $300
__________________
10. Leaking roofs in Hensel apartments

The roofs in Hensel area are being replaced. One resident complained of
leaking roofs. It was not known if it was from an apartment where the roof
had already been replaced or not. Another resident noted that external
electrical outlets in the Hensel apts. were being used for the roofing
work. He wanted to know if any heavy equipment was being used and if so who
foots the electricity bill for that outlet.
__________________
11. Recalibration of electricity meters.

This was brought up in the previous meeting also because of concerns over
high electricity bills. Mr. Sodolak and Mr. Baletka will write up a
document about how the electricity billing works
__________________
12. Some residents complained about the a/c and heater units not
functioning effectively. The heaters in Avenue A don't work if its very
cold outside because of the way they are designed. In Hensel the new
heaters are directed only into the living room thereby leaving the
bedrooms cold during winter.
__________________
13. There is a tree covering a pedestrian crossing sign in Ball St. which
needs to be trimmed. This was brought up when talking about signs and
speed bumps on the streets. There is also another tree which is almost
touching the road in a Ball St. parking lot thereby preventing proper
use of a few parking spots.
__________________
14. All residents felt that more US postal mail boxes (for mailing letters)
were needed in the UA area. The number has in the recent years been
reduced with only 1 remaining near Front St. Apparently the USPS is
considering removing that one too. The issue is a lack of usage of the
mailboxes - the USPS feels that the volume of mail in the UA area
doesn't justify having more than 1 mailbox.
__________________
15. Officer Donovan spoke about safety during the winter break.

a. Thefts usually increase during November/December period since a lot of
students are moving in/out
b. Burglaries will increase during this time
c. Officer Donovan offered to conduct a 30 minute meeting on Holiday Safety
d. Bikes under staircases in Ball St. are easy targets for thieves.
e. If residents notice any suspicious activity they should report it
immediately to the UPD at 845-2345

On a related note, the issue of solicitors was brought up. Some residents
complained about people from local churches coming and knocking on
doors. Officer Donovan mentioned that no one is allowed in the UA area for
solicitations without a permit from the University.
__________________
__________________
The office of resident life has the liberty to “encourage” the residents to have more active and constructive roles in the UA community.

There are many ways in which you can make a difference in your community.  If you are interested in becoming involved with the UACC, please visit with Mrs. Maria Clark, the advisor of UACC, in the Programming Office or call 862-2350.

__________________
UACC would like to thank the attendees of this meeting