Directors Present: Niel Allen (moderator), Lorraine Armstrong, Alex Ellis, Ide Gagalis, Carol Gruszka, and Cathy Parks

Directors Absent: Kent Carroll, Liz Marcucci, Cheri Riley, and Stacy Vermette

Opening:  Niel Allen, moderator and meeting host, opened the Board of Directors (BOD) meeting at 6:10 p.m.

Treasurer’s Report: Alex Ellis presented a summary of the treasury balance, approximately $3,000, of which $1,500 is set aside from donations for maintenance and repair of the Pasadena Avenue cul-de-sac fence. Alex is continuing his attempts to acquire online access to the association’s account at Achieva Credit Union.

Old Business:

• General Meeting 5/16/23: The next LPENA general meeting will be held on May 16 at Menorah Life. The board decided that all future general meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. to better facilitate the schedules of working neighbors. Niel will contact the St. Petersburg Police Department to see if an officer can attend the meeting to discuss recent LPE crime statistics and answer residents’ questions about safety and traffic issues. Lorraine Armstrong will contact Mike Perry, engineering specialist for city lakes, to see if he can be available to answer residents’ questions concerning ongoing efforts to improve lake quality. Carol Gruszka will send an email reminder to residents on the website notifying them of the meeting. Anyone who has an LPENA neighborhood meeting yard sign will post those signs in a conspicuous spot to announce the meeting. It was noted that the association needs to purchase several new signs to announce future meetings.
• Potential Lake Disston Fountain: Directors briefly discussed and approved the concept of seeking a city matching grant to add a fountain to Lake Disston, both to provide aeration to help control algae and to enhance its attractiveness. Grant requirements include neighborhood association approval to seek such a grant, and this will be added to the May meeting agenda. Carol will send Niel and other “little lake” directors proposal paperwork from the successful 2018 grant that provided a fence at the Pasadena cul-de-sac.
• Zoning Change Protest: Lorraine requested authorization to destroy the physical papers signed by residents protesting the city’s zoning changes approved in April. She will retain the electronic scans of these papers.
• Second Annual Harvest Fest: Although time was insufficient for planning the first annual Spring Fling this year, due to activities protesting the zoning changes, the second annual Harvest Fest will be held in late October or early November.

New Business: None.

Closing: The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Respectfully submitted,
Carol Gruszka, LPENA secretary