SHNA Executive Committee Meeting

Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 6:30 pm

Via Zoom

Meeting Minutes

I. Members in attendance via Zoom: Matthew Paul, James Jordan, Gary Webber, Joan Stone, Jon Dunham, David Mucci, Marianne Nieto, Chris Ostrander and Rusty Mulholland.

II. Minutes of the summer meeting, August 27, 2025, accepted and approved by acclamation.

III. Treasurer’s Report, presented by James Jordan, 114 members paid dues. A balance of $1,214.77. Some expenses have been reduced this year because of the automatic renewal process. The report was approved by acclamation.

IV. Old Business

1. LAN is both NEW and OLD business. LAN update was given by Gary Webber. Sherry Ellenbecker attended the last meeting. They did not have a quorum for the meeting. LAN is currently working on an overall plan for future engagements. CBDG funding is a goal and lack of participation is a concern. Few attend regularly. What should our role be in the future?
   Gary gave a summary of our previous experiences. Many different topics go through LAN. Right now, density and gentrification are big community concerns.  Sunset Hill has not experienced these threats in our neighborhood to the extant that core neighborhoods have. Each neighborhood seems to have their own specific concerns. LAN is a local area network that joins together for a bigger voice which is sometimes helpful.
   SHNA does not need LAN to approve any concerns with the city, but it is a valuable resource. Often the city of Lawrence will reach out to LAN requesting volunteers for various boards. We agreed that the best option for SHNA at this time is to pay our fee and attend if possible. Annual dues are $25.00. Gary explained that all are welcome to attend but only 1 vote per neighborhood.

V. New Business

1. Joan Stone described the annual Applause Awards and how much people enjoy receiving this award. Joan would welcome any referrals at any time during the year. The awards have all been presented for 2025. Webber will send an email to members and include an article in fall newsletter.
2. Matthew Paul reminded the committee that the Vice President position was still available. We will keep this topic as old business until the next annual meeting and hope for a volunteer.
3. Matthew Paul asked for a discussion regarding the development of a neighborhood sign that would provide information about our neighborhood and our boundaries. The sign or signs could be placed in various places throughout our neighborhood like Centennial Park. Gary offered to check with the city on placement and guidelines. James Jordan is going to check with a possible source for creating the stone sign. A couple neighborhoods have similar signs throughout the city.
4. Thursday, April 30, 2026, is an option for the SHNA annual meeting. Typically, a city representative will come and talk at the meeting. The planned speed bumps would be a good topic. Gary Webber will reach out to a city representative and schedule their visit. If the person is unable to attend on April 30, 2026, we may need to adjust our date. Once the date is confirmed Gary Webber will reserve the room at West Middle School. Marianne H. will do some research and get pricing for durable signs that will announce our annual meeting, about 7 signs are needed. If the cost of printing the signs is too high, we might consider having just a couple of signs printed per year. The signs can be reused every year. Matt motioned to accept the next meeting day, Thursday, April 30^th, 2026. Approved by acclimation.
5. Topics for our next meeting? SHNA goals, membership core functions (safety, beauty, residential integrity) may be an activity for engagement.
6. Meeting adjourned.