[Mpls] Park Board Agenda /Eloise Butler

[Svattheriver at aol.com]

My neighbor brought over a flyer about how the Park Board Planning  Committee 
will be meeting July 6th to eliminate the buffer of natural  plants around 
the  Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. As a functioning bird  sanctuary, a green 
buffer around this part of the park seems essential.
 
If this is true, this is an extraordinary example of both poor  planning and 
poor communication.
My neighbor asked me what was going on so I went to the website to see what  
was on the agenda.
 
There are no agenda listings for the committee meetings or the regular  
meeting on July 6. This is an organization with a $49,786,332 annual budget but  
unable to post board agendas. 
_http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=37&calid=309_ 
(http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=37&calid=309) . 
 
 I used to get the Mpls. Park and Recreation Board Agenda mailed to my  house 
before each meeting.
In a cost cutting move the MPRB stopped mailing out agendas. The plan was  to 
post the agenda online and post the agendas at Park buildings so those  
without computers could find a published agenda. There are no agendas posted at  my 
neighborhood park. There are no agendas online.
 
 
So now in addition to a Parlimentary body that does not follow  Robert's 
Rules of Order and  approve the minutes its previous  meetings, now there is no 
way to find out what is on the agenda. I would be  interested in a legal opinion 
about this.
As President of the Seward Neighborhood Group, for both our Audits and for  
NRP funding I had to provide an initialed copy of approved minutes to document  
actions of our board. That is a proven way of making sure that there is an  
accurate accounting of board actions.
 
I love our parks, and realize that park commissioners are working to make  
our parks better, but it is really time to open up the process and straighten  
out some of this mess.
 
 
 
Thanks,
Scott Vreeland  Seward