Drix Rixmann, the West University Neighbors chairman, addresses a crowd about electing area residents to the association’s board of directors at Indigo District on Thursday night.
University students made their presence known at the West University Neighbors meeting Thursday night, claiming four of the association’s five board of directors seats and two of the four executive seats.
More than 45 students and neighborhood residents packed the back room of the Indigo District, the largest turnout any of the association’s meetings had gotten in its one-year existence, said re-elected board chairman Drix Rixmann.
“Hopefully, we can keep this medicine ball rolling,” Rixmann said.
University student and noon-time EMU Amphitheater orator Don Goldman was elected to the board of directors, something he said was unexpected but welcomed.
“I’m happy to see that students finally have a voice,” Goldman said. “I will be a strong voice for the students.”
University students Chris Parsons, Craig Laupheimer and Adam Walsh were also elected to the board. Walsh ran for Ward
1 City Council last year and said he is
interested in improving the relationship between the University and the city.
Steve Jarvis was the only board member re-elected, with Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly falling just a few votes shy of victory.
Rixmann commended the newly elected board members but said it was too bad Kelly’s “wealth of knowledge” was not recognized by the voting body.
University students Kellyn Gross and Ayal Alves were elected vice chairpersons of the association. Gross said she is hoping to use
her position to, among other things, help maintain a quality of housing that is livable but still affordable
for students.
Gross, Parsons and Alves all said they have been active in the student co-operative housing community.
Discussions prior to the board nominations and elections proved divisive as students questioned
the reasoning behind the city’s plan to improve the neighborhood alleys and called for more input from
residents before proceeding with the project.
City civil engineer Seward Meintsma presented meeting attendees with photographs of trees that would be removed in the alley improvement project and said the
removals were unavoidable if the project was to proceed.
Kelly said the City Council voted on the alley improvement project last spring after a public hearing was held to give residents a forum to discuss the pros and cons of
the project, meaning the neighborhood is now “advisory rather than in charge.”
Also discussed at the meeting was the increase in neighborhood crime.
“When you’re asleep, there’s a whole other crowd that comes out,” Rixmann said.
