Garden District Civic Association Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 6:30 PM
Location: Babeth Schlegel’s, 2013 Olive St.
In attendance: Justin Kozak, Hance Hughes, Anita Parsons King, Kathryn Mount, Michael Myers, Mike Schexnayder, Babeth Schlegel, John Williams, Sam Hessick, Willie and Mary Fontenot
- New Board Member: The Board unanimously voted in Jason Hessick.
- Fall Picnic: It was a successful event.
- Future suggestions: Michael will get 3 new trash containers and storage bins.
- Individual beers were purchased this year instead of a keg. That was preferred because a keg would have been too much beer and this way it catered to a variety of tastes. $130 was spent this year (about 100 beers) and there was left over beer, so it was more than needed.
- Rent 6 tables instead of two next time and let the rental company bring them. Renting 40 chairs worked well. Rent tables for crawfish boil too.
- Babeth will buy about 30 tablecloth clips from the Dollar Tree for future events.
- Signage: Use signs for all future events. Signs will be reused with stickers to change the dates.
- Signs will have “Garden District Civic Association” on them and will need to conform to whether the frames are vertical or horizontal.
- John’s Team will work on them.
- Justin will ask Julie Olson to design the Holiday Lighting sign.
- Hance will see if he still has frames for signs that could stay in the medians and allow for different event signs to be inserted and then changed. If he no longer has them, he will order eight. When there is no event to advertise, we can put “Welcome to the Garden District, go to gdcabr.org for more information”, “Remember to Pay Your Dues” or some other sign.
- Storage:
- Kathryn and Babeth will inventory the storage room.
- There are extra t-shirts in storage. They can be put into welcoming packets.
- Beautification + Operations: No news from the City about getting water at the signs.
- Justin will ask Sage, with Baton Rouge Green, about getting a water truck to water the trees in the medians
- Financials: Ted has this, but is on a vacation.
- Neighborhood Challenge (Grant to put trees in yards)
- November 4th is Tree Planting Day. Mary will ask the Maginnis if their lot at Drehr and Cherokee may be used to deliver trees the day before to distribute them on Nov. 4th.
- Mary will put a message on Nextdoor advertising that 10 trees are left and must be spoken for by this Friday and volunteers to help plant them are welcomed.
- Jason will bring a post auger to help with planting.
Discussion:
- Live Oak Love Collective
- John will update website map
- Justin working on specific median letters, asking neighbors to divide the costs among themselves
- Security + Utilities
- There is an alley on Cherokee with issues of parked vehicles blocking it. Justin has sent Seth Gautier a message, so patrols are watching it.
- Membership
- Welcome Packets: Hance will deliver to 2028 Wisteria and 822 Park (Tom Douthat is moving to 2124 Kleinert, but the Board didn’t think he needed a packet since he already lives in the neighborhood)
- New Members: 4 in August, None in September
- Communications + Newsletter: Jacob is handling it, but could use help right now. Articles may be sent to Justin. John can be backup.
- Kathryn suggested that every newsletter should have a link to the trash guidelines and the alley guidelines that are on our website.
- Put picnic photos in the newsletter
- Christmas Tour – Kathryn spoke about how nice the tour of homes is in New Orleans at Christmas time. Hance agreed.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Halloween: Witches and Wine – Kathryn will organize a walk for costumed adult witches to parade in the neighborhood. They will meet at her house at 5:00. It will end about 6-6:30. Kathryn will send the information to Justin.
- Champagne Stroll – Sunday, October 22, 2023, 4-9 pm Coordinator: Heather and Babeth
Houses
- House 1- 4:00pm to 4:45pm: Nathan and Sally McBride (1001 Camelia)
- Registration table here. John will supply the list in alphabetical order of last names
- Volunteers: Justin and Babeth
- House 2- 5:00pm to 5:45pm Laura Roland (2130 Tulip)
- Volunteers: Kathryn and Jason
- House 3- 6:00pm to 6:45pm: Jared and Erin Scallan (818 Park Blvd)
- Volunteers: Anita and Michael
- House 4- 7:00 pm to 9:00pm John and Taylor Williams (1008 Camelia Blvd)
- Volunteers: Mary and Babeth
Volunteers should be there ½ hour ahead of time.
Visitors stay at each house until the champagne is gone, usually about 45 minutes.
Babeth and Heather will be communicating with tour homes/homeowners regarding what to expect. Everyone was asked to provide homeowner contact info to both of them.
Price: Members: $40, Non-Members: $50
Number of tickets: max 80
- Registration: Website: John
Advertising
Website: John
E-Blast – Josh
Facebook- Josh
Nextdoor – Josh and Mary
Signs and date stickers: We have 8 signs. 2023 date stickers donated by GoPrinting
- Locations:
- Park/Perkins
- Park/ Wisteria
- Terrace/Perkins
- Terrace/Eugene
- Kleinert/Drehr
- Kleinert/Camelia
- Drehr/Wisteria
- Camelia/Wisteria
House gift: Champagne and $50 Gift certificate
Food at houses Each house will receive a check of $250 for the food in advance. Kathryn will communicate with the houses.
Champagne Glasses Heather ordered 70 champagne glasses with trees logo
Champagne: Heather has ordered the champagne that will be delivered to her house. It should be taken to the houses a few days ahead so it can be chilled. Babeth will check with Heather.
Guide: Heather was nominated to once again guide the walkers to each house.
Entertainment: John asked for $500 to pay for a band at the last house where there will be a party. The Board unanimously approved.
- Tree planting – November 4th
- White Light Night – Nov. 17, 6-10 pm
- Holiday Lighting Contest – The Board wants to have the Peddle Pub again to judge the lights and invite 6 members of the association to come aboard and act as judges.
ACTION ITEMS:
Justin: Collect articles for the newsletter. Send them to Jacob.
Ask Julie Olson to design Holiday Lighting sign.
Work on median letters for Live Oak Collective.
Ask Sage (BR Green) about water trucks to water trees in the medians.
Volunteer at McBride’s house for tour.
Hance: Look for sign frames and notice orientation, horizontal or vertical. Order frames if you don’t have them.
Deliver welcome packets to 2028 Wisteria and 822 Park Blvd.
Send Justin newsletter info.
Kathryn: With Babeth, will inventory the storage room.
Organize “Witches and Wine” and send article for newsletter to Justin.
Volunteer in House 2, Laura Roland’s.
Michael: Purchase 3 new trash containers for events and clear plastic storage bins. Take to storage unit.
Volunteer in House 3, Jared and Erin Scallen’s.
Babeth: Help Kathryn inventory the storage room.
Volunteer at House 1, Nathan and Sally McBride’s.
Volunteer at House 4, John and Taylor Williams.
Check with Heather on the Champagne.
Buy tablecloth clips from Dollar Tree.
Work with Heather to communicate with tour homes/homeowners regarding what to expect. Everyone was asked to provide homeowner contact info to both of them.
John: Your Team will work on designing reusable, easy to read signs for frames.
Update the website map.
Provide 2 lists of paid guests for the Stroll for registration at House 1.
Provide backup help to Justin for Communications Committee.
Oversee online registration for Stroll.
Find a band for the party at his house.
Mary: Put message on Nextdoor about deadline for Neighborhood Challenge Grant.
Ask Magennis’s for permission to use their lot to store trees for a day before Nov. 4th activity.
Volunteer at House 4, the Williams.
Jason: Bring post auger to Nov. 4th tree planting.
Volunteer at House 2, Laura Roland’s.
Josh: Handle social media notifications.
Heather: Handling Champagne and glasses.
With Babeth, communicate with tour homes/homeowners regarding what to expect. Everyone was asked to provide homeowner contact info to both of them.
She was nominated to lead the walking crowd from house to house as she did last year.
Ted: Will provide checks for the houses when he returns.
Everyone: Everyone was asked to provide tour homeowner contact info to Heather and Babeth.