Memo to SLCA members from Vice President Pete Territo (Jan. 12, 2006)

Date: January 12, 2006

To: All Association Members

From: Pete Territo, SLCA Vice-president

Re: Meeting with the Mayor’s representatives


Mr. Shamlin, Mrs. Shamlin, and I met with Hampton Grunewald, executive assistant to the mayor, and David Guillory, Engineer, to discuss the widening of staring lane. We expressed our major concern that homeowners would be forced to relocate if Staring Lane was widened to a four lane boulevard. All parties involved freely and openly expressed their views. After much discussion, Mr. Grunewald asked what we felt was a good compromise that the Association would support.

Mr. Shamlin immediately requested that Staring Lane be widened to only three lanes. Mr. Grunewald and Mr. Guillory reported that three lanes would not present a workable solution due to existing traffic counts, as well as future increases in traffic. This fact was previously reported to Association members by Mr. Shamlin at the January 9, 2006 meeting.

We next presented to the Mayor’s representatives the next priorities of the Association that were previously approved by the members. We reported that the association would support (1) a four lane street without a center turn lane, (2) curbs, gutters, and sidewalks, (3) underground utilities, (4) additional turn lanes at the intersection of Boone and Staring only (due to heavy traffic), and (5) the land for the additional two lanes would be taken from both sides of Staring Lane.

Mr. Grunewald stated that he would present our requests to the Mayor and report back to us by Thursday, January 19, 2006.

Mr. And Mrs. Shamlin and I believe that Mr. Grunewald and Mr. Guillory were suitably impressed with the appropriateness of the Association’s concerns and we feel that this opportunity provided the association with the most favorable opportunity to influence the Mayor’s decisions in the future.

A full report of the Mayor’s response will be reported to the membership at the February meeting.

Meeting minutes, Monday, Jan. 9, 2006, 7 p.m.

Staring Lane Community Association
Meeting Minutes, Monday, January 9, 2006

Association President Dr. Gwynn Shamlin presiding.

Welcome/Introduction – Officers and prospective members introduced themselves to one another.

Purpose of Association – to try to save our homes

April 1st – official officers will be elected; temporary officers will be or can be replaced.


Report by Pete Territo, Vice President of Association:
- Informed the meeting attendees of the city’s intent
- City says it is responding to regional development changes
- 3 lanes will not handle the traffic
- Voters voted in a 23 year tax; we are trying to circumvent something that is already happening
- 5 lane with a 2-way left turn is maximum city wants to build with turning lanes at Boone & Staring Lane Motel
- What put Staring Lane at the top of the list to be expanded? It’s all about money
- Volume capacity ratio is higher, claims the city. Does it really? Lee Drive a greater amount of traffic than Staring Lane yet it is not being expanded.

Report by Patty Herke, Publicity Committee Chairman:
- She spoke to Chad Rogers, a talk radio talk show host. He’s also against eminent domain. To see more, refer to: http://www.thedeadpelican.com/
- Letters were handed out all along Staring Lane to gain interest in today’s meeting
- David Herke wrote a letter to the editor in The Advocate, which was published days before the meeting

Announcement by Brunetta Shamlin:
- Encouraged everyone to call the mayor’s office, write letters to the editor
- One meeting attendee suggested that we need to expand our target area to the neighborhoods surrounding Staring Lane; Dr. Shamlin agreed, stressing the importance of the neighborhood associations banning together
- There are three churches on Staring Lane that will be affected by the expansion
- Rev. Brown has purchased land across the street from his church; he plans to rebuild anyway, and has remained neutral with our cause.
- Baton Rouge Assembly, at the corner of Highpoint (the newest church build along Staring) provided 175 signatures from its church membership on the petition that Dr. Shamlin had provided to the mayor’s office
- New Life Church has been neutral; we believe they wish to relocate
- The plan is for Staring Lane to meander (and will not follow a straight line). The road will away to miss businesses, such as Keans near Highland
- The plan has been voted on; this is going to take place. We just need to make sure are feelings are heard. We want to have the road expanded to the minimum possible.

Howard Polk suggested that we need to come up with a list of phone numbers, e-mails and addresses of those in the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President’s office, including City Council Reps, etc. He said he can assist in finding this information.

Attorney Gwynn Shamlin Jr.’s Report:
- Drafted a letter to the mayor’s office; will mail it certified depending on the results of Dr. Shamlin’s attempt to reach Mayor Holden
- What does the law say? Judge makes decision of citizens vs. greater interest of city as a whole.
- What we’ll do is ask the judge to prevent the city from taking action

Dr. Gwynn Shamlin reminded the attendees that the bylaws will determine the budget, which will handle attorney’s fees, etc.

Attorney Gwynn Shamlin Jr. says that a countersuit would be a possibility, but should not be a real concern. One attendee suggested that we should get appraisals, and this information would assist with the lawsuit. Appraisals run around $350. Shamlin Jr. said we need to let the city know exactly what we want; the only way to find out the city’s plans is to subpoena and the only way to let them do this is to file suit.

What we need to know: a time frame and how many lanes.

Dr. Gwynn asked his son a question: Do we need more membership before we file a suit?
Shamlin Jr. said we can proceed now if we wish, but increased membership would be better. One attendee, Ben Dye, said he would like to serve on a small committee to research the city’s intent.

Memberhship Coordinator needed: Pamela Labbe volunteered

Treasurer needs to establish a Finance Committee and to review the suggested bylaws from last meeting. We were not able to reach the current Treasurer; she did not respond to several e-mail messages.

Dr. Shamlin asked what the general attendees wanted. Getting the boulevard out and taking equal distance from both sides of the street would be ideal. But the boulevard is typically used to clean out the sewer lines every decade or so. Many things are dictating the proposed design of having a boulevard. There are too many unanswered questions. Bottom line, the city wants to commercialize this area.

Howard Polk will be part of the Publicity Committee and will assist in finding contact information for the mayor’s office. Howard said that we need to contact mayor’s office to find out what their plans really are in writing.

In past meetings, the city claimed they were flexible with the Green Light Plan, and that although it said five lanes, they could go down to three lanes if necessary and that the wording for the vote on Oct. 15, 2005, was merely to ensure that they could get enough money for the project in case they needed it.

The next meeting will be announced soon, depending on when Dr. Gwynn Shamlin can get a meeting with a representative from the mayor’s office.

Meeting Minutes, Monday, Dec. 19, 2005, 6 p.m.

Staring Lane Community Association Meeting Minutes -- Monday, Dec. 19, 2005, 6 p.m.

Attending: Patty Herke, Pete Territo, Camillia singleton, Brunetta Shamlin, Gwynn Shamlin, Milton Kleinpeter Sr., Bill Herke, Milton H. Kleinpeter Jr., Greta Butler, Pamela Labbe.

Correction on last meeting’s minutes: Bill’s e-mail address was typed incorrectly

The January 9, 2006, meeting will be open to all. Dr. Bill Herke will be custodial contact for the key of the Magnolia Woods Club House. We need to send a thank you note for use of the Magnolia Woods Club House for our meetings; the Club House allows us use at no charge.
If our membership grows, we will need to investigate other options for meeting.

Association filing was done by Gwynn Shamlin Jr.: $60 filing fee. Patty Herke had given a $30 check, which will be held by Dr. Gwynn Shamlin until we have a treasury. Dr. Shamlin had paid the entire $60 fee.

During the meeting, the By Laws Subcommittee was formed, including Peter and Milton Kleinpeter Sr. If we continue with our schedule, we should have an election by April 2006.

The secretary, Pamela Labbe, is to contact the treasurer and ask her to form a three-member committee and begin to determine a budget. How much dues should be requested? Consider legal fees, filing fees, etc. (Have her look at Article II, Sec 13).

The registered agent will be Gwynn Shamlin Jr.

We need to draft a letterhead. Pamela Labbe will do so as soon as we have more information, including a mailing address, phone number, etc.

Regarding any future law suit, refer to Gwynn Jr.: Secretary Pamela Labbe asked if the City of Baton Rouge could countersue if the association sued the city.

Peter said the capacity of Staring Lane was discussed; capacity of Sherwood Forest Blvd. and Lee Drive and Kenilworth was never mentioned by city officials. What are the traffic numbers? Where do we go to find this out?

Dr. Shamlin’s daughter saw Mayor Kip Holden in Steinmart and asked about his view on the Staring Lane situation. He says that the road will be four-laned. A project manager has not been hired yet, so how can this have been determined already? A boulevard takes up 28 feet. The committee feels we do not need a boulevard.

We need to take action because:
1) Quality living is going downhill
2) Staring Lane is to become a commercial area quickly
3) Street will meander; will not be a straight arrow as it currently is

Staring Lane is a state highway. Are we getting state funding?

We don’t feel that Mickey Staring is representing us well.

There has been a horrible sewage smell lately down Staring Lane. Is the line broken?

Publicity report:
Patty Herke said nothing new has been done yet.

What is the status of the petition that was provided to the mayor already?

Member development:
Peter wants to know if the other associations have a view for or against the Staring Lane expansion. Milton will order a reverse lookup list from a private corporation so that we can send out a letter requesting response and announcing our February (or a future) meeting. Other local areas or associations include Wildwood, Worthington, Mayfair Park, Magnolia Woods, Mayfair North and Lynnwood Village.

Committee changes/additions:
Joining Patty on the Publicity Committee will be Pamela Labbe, Brunetta Shamlin and Eva Kleinpeter.

Plan of Action:
1) Legality (find out if we are an LLC, Ltd., etc.)
2) Membership

We need to ask Mickey Skyring to answer a list of questions. Who will come up with these questions?

We need data: Traffic patterns in Baton Rouge; Number of cars traveling on each street; What does the Green Light plan really say?

We need to get more people involved before the project manager is selected.

Greta Butler to try to contact some of the Associations we discussed earlier in this meeting; Dr. Shamlin will contact King Crest Parkway and others

Dr. Shamlin suggested we should register our oak trees with Live Oak Society of The Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. Junior League Trees: 8 to 16 ft. girth; Centenarian: girth over 16 ft. Contact regarding oak trees only: Coleen Perilloux Landry; Chairman, Live Oak Society; 3609 Purdue Dr.; Metairie, LA 70003; http://www.louisianagardenclubs.org/

Next meeting of the Staring Lane Community Association:
Monday, January 9, 2006, 7 p.m. – General meeting
In February: Invite Mickey Skyring? By April 2006, we should elect official officers.

Meeting minutes, Monday, Nov. 21, 2005, 7 pm

Initial meeting of the Staring Lane Community Association

Purpose of tonight’s meeting:
Get the association organized

Meeting location:
the home Dr. Gwynn L. and Brunetta Shamlin

Gwynn L. Shamlin II is a solo practitioner who has practiced law for 10 years and his role with our association will be to file the initial paperwork to start this association. Magnolia Woods is a similar association to what we would like to be. We want our tax status to be non-profit.

What needs to be done tonight:
- we need to elect officers (president, vice president, treasurer, secretary)
- at second meeting we will determine the association’s bylaws (will this include operating rules and restrictions?)

What needs to be done this week:
- filing of the paperwork to officially start our association

Benefits of starting such an organization:
- organized as a group
- membership
o target market:
§ everyone on Staring Lane and surrounding streets and/or subdivisions
§ anyone with a vested interest in what is happening with Staring

History of Staring Lane/Background Information:
As far as anyone can recall, Staring Lane has never had a neighborhood association. One was attempted years ago, but it never got off the ground.

A meeting was held previously with Dr. Gwynn L. Shamlin, Dr. Bill Herke, the mayor’s representative(s) and several others where a plan was presented that suggested the 3-laning of Staring Lane in residential areas and the 4-laning with boulevard of commercial areas closer to Perkins Road and Highland Road. The mayor has not responded to the proposal.

Magnolia Woods has been told that the 4-lane plan is a “done deal by Mickey Skyring, our local City Council Representative. The only item that can be changed is whether or not a boulevard will be included.

Patty Herke volunteered to be the chair of the Publicity Committee. She suggested that we should communicate our appeal to radio stations with Talk Radio formats.

Attorney Gwynn L. Shamlin II said that filing suit would be a possibility. It would allow us discovery, where we can find out what the City of Baton Rouge’s real plans are.

Nominated for temporary positions were the following (the membership voted them in as well):

President: Dr. Gwynn L. Shamlin
Vice President: Pete Territo
Secretary: Pamela Labbe
Treasurer: Linda Seamon
Board of Directors: (Director at large)
Representative from the Church of Baton Rouge
Patty Herke
Lori Grelen
Mr. Waites

Filing fee to start the association is expected to be about $60. Dr. Shamlin will pay for this, as our association has no funds as of yet in the treasury.

Discussion of where we can hold our next meeting:
Investigation of;
- Bluebonnet Library (Pamela Labbe will contact to find out more)
- School system (Dr. Gwynn will contact to find out more)

Linda Seamon suggested that we have nametags and a sharpee at the next meeting. Attorney Gwynn is to send Dr. Gwynn a sample copy of bylaws. By the next meeting all officers and board members should think about what they would suggest to be included in the bylaws.

Priorities:
Name of association: Staring Lane Community Association was agreed upon
Bylaws
Tax ID#
Note from the secretary: we need to find out about liability; if we’re formed as a LLC, we should not need to be concerned about purchasing liability insurance, as Attorney Gwynn had suggested we might need to do
Establish a Finance Committee
Set up a meeting with the Mayor’s Office (Urban Planning)
We need to determine who we need to invite to the next meeting:
i. New chief of the Dept. of Public Works?
ii. New project manager hasn’t been appointed yet.
iii. Mr. Guillory (engineer)?
iv. Any chance in getting Mayor Holden himself to attend?
Registered agent: every corporation needs one of these to accept paperwork, such as subpoenas
We need a letterhead to be designed (Pamela Labbe to draft a copy for next meeting)
A letter should be drafted to the mayor on this letterhead

Next meeting:
Mondays seem to be good for all, 7 pm. December 2005.
Date to be determined depending on location availability.

Attending this meeting were:
Dr. Gwynn L. Shamlin: gwynnshamlin@hotmail.com [PRESIDENT]
402 Staring Lane, Baton Rouge, LA

Brunetta Shamlin: brunettashamlin@hotmail.com

Linda Seamon: Page25@peoplepc.com [TREASURER]
340 Kimbro Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Pamela Labbe: pamela_labbe@hotmail.com [SECRETARY]
1155 Staring Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70810

Joan Herke and Bill Herke: Jbherke@cox.net

Willie and Elnuth Waits: [Willie is a DIRECTOR]
1026 Staring Lane, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-766-9769

Jahleel Stewart: jahleel.stewart@albemarle.com
4968 Legend Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817

Patty Herke: [DIRECTOR]
341 Kimbro Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Lori Grelen: Lgrelen@cox.net [DIRECTOR]
357 Kimbro Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Pete Territo: Peterterrito@bellsouth.net [VICE PRESIDENT]
560 Staring Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70810

Gwynn L. Shamlin II: LawShamlin@cox.net
Office phone: 225-268-2880