Directors Present: Cathy Parks (moderator), Lorraine Armstrong, Alex Ellis, Ide Gagalis, Carol Gruszka, Liz Marcucci, Cheri Riley, and Stacy Vermette

Directors Absent: Niel Allen and Kent Carroll

Opening:  Cathy Parks, moderator and meeting host, opened the Board of Directors (BOD) meeting at 6:07 pm. She announced that Niel Allen, LPENA president, had undergone surgery and was recovering. A card was circulated for BOD members to express their best wishes.

Old Business:

• General Meeting 8/15: The next LPENA general meeting will be held at Menorah Life on August 15 at 6:30. Directors agreed that new yard signs announcing the quarterly meetings need to be designed and purchased as soon as possible since current meeting signs having disappeared or fallen into disrepair. Liz Marcucci, marketing and communication chair, will design a new sign by weekend, and Lorraine Armstrong will contact several sign companies to get price estimates. All agreed that the new signs should be more weather-resistant and must be removed immediately after each advertised event to preserve our investment in them.
• Harvest Fest II.  Plans were discussed for the second annual LPENA Harvest Fest (HF) at Lake Disston on November 11 (rain date November 12). Funds available for this event are tight, due to the scarcity of dues-paying households in the neighborhood, so board members brainstormed how membership could be increased. It was also suggested that LPENA apply for a city mini-grant of $250 (equivalent to 10 annual household dues) to supplement treasury funds. Ide Gagalis will serve as point of contact in seeking this mini-grant. Directors also discussed the potential to seek commercial sponsorships from nearby businesses and how such sponsorships might be advertised during the event. Stacy Vermette, social chair, urged all directors to make themselves available for setup, execution, and cleanup for this highlight event. Stacy will convene the first meeting of the HF committee at Panera Bread on July 22. She is also looking for raffle items that can be used to help fund the event. Suggestions and sources will be appreciated.
• Pasadena Cul-de-Sac Fence Repair: Carol Gruszka reported that two commercial fence companies have visited the Pasadena cul-de-sac fence to offer repair estimates or advice on repair of its southern end. LPENA is responsible for this because it assumed “ownership” after its installation in 2019, funded by award of a 2018 city matching grant. The fence was damaged during the tornado in the area on December 15, 2022. Both fence company representatives stated that the work could be well executed by a fence-knowledgeable handyman, more quickly and at approximately half the cost of a commercial repair. If you know of a reputable person with these qualifications, please contact Dimitri Gruszka (dgruszka@prismeffects.com – Subject: PASADENA FENCE REPAIR) with their names and contact numbers. The fence needs to be repaired before hurricane season fully arrives.
• Neighborhood History: Cheri Riley, history chair, reported on her ongoing efforts to record the history of the neighborhood, starting (Phase 1) with the history of homes built in the 1920s and 1930s. Jesse Breckenridge, St. Petersburg Historical Museum archivist, has completed the initial gathering of qualifying homes/parcels (24) and is ready to move forward in gathering information on these homes. [Please see “Lake Pasadena Estates History” on the left-hand navigator bar in our website (shortcut website address Bit.ly/lpenastpete) for details.] Cheri is generously paying for Phase 1 and Phase 2 research from personal funds. Results of the research will be posted online, and links will be activated in our website.
• Street Tree Survey and Mini-Grant: Cheri also reported her ongoing efforts to identify and document “historical” trees on city property in our neighborhood. The city’s goal is to identify 30,000 such trees across all neighborhoods and on city property within 3 years. Cheri will attend a training session on how we can identify these trees, which add so much to the beauty and positive environmental impact in our area. A mini-grant of up to $10,000 is available for neighborhood that embark on the survey. Volunteers are needed. Please let Cheri (cheririley@cheririley.com) know if you are willing to participate in this effort.
• Lake Disston Fountain: No update.

New Business:

• Drug Trash/Neighborhood Watch: A neighbor residing in the vicinity of 4^th Avenue and 60^th Street has reported recurring findings of drug paraphernalia in his area and has twice reported this to the police, who encouraged the neighborhood to establish a Neighborhood Watch group, possibly as a sub-group of LPENA. Carol will contact neighbor Patricia Touts, of Crime Solvers, to determine if she would be willing to help establish such a group.
• Zelle Account Established: Alex and Liz have established and tested a Zelle account for collecting dues or donations from those who wish to pay dues or move money digitally. Alex tested a $26 deposit, which resulted in a $24.95 deposit to our account, and this will be the amount requested from those who do not wish to pay with cash or by check.

Treasurer’s Report: Alex Ellis reported a balance of approximately $3,300, of which $1,500 is set aside from donations for the maintenance and repair of the Pasadena cul-de-sac fence.

Closing: The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Respectfully submitted,
Carol Gruszka, LPENA secretary