Whatever happened to PLUS?

After trying for months now to work with Prospect-Lefferts United for Services (PLUS), to no avail, I've got to wonder aloud what's going on with the group. Both founding members Mark Dicus and Jeff Welch are no longer currently active. (According to Dicus, the PLUS board declined to fund a salary for him and he's not sure what his role is going to be.)

I'd been talking to PLUS about a few things. One: distributing the pamphlets that PLUS designed to encourage independent businesses to open in PLG. The pamphlets were printed almost a year ago and are probably sitting in boxes somewhere. Charles and I are PLUS members but as far as we can tell no one from PLUS has made any effort to distribute them or to even let members know how to help. (The PLUS email list has been quiet on this count.)

The other matters were things I discussed with Dicus in September: putting in tree pit guards on Lincoln and working with businesses on Parkside to put in street trees and spruce up the area. The specific ideas don't really matter; what does matter is that PLUS doesn't have any sort of process in place to discuss member ideas or to carry them out. When I raised these issues to Dicus, he said PLUS received a substantial amount of grant money, and that they needed projects like this to spend it on. He asked me to "look into it." There was no communication with the PLUS board or its members, no "lets discuss this at the next meeting"—in fact, as far as I can tell, there are no scheduled meetings!

I've been involved with many nonprofit and activist groups (indeed, I run my own small nonprofit), all of them with their share of dysfunction. But the lack of communication and transparency with PLUS is, in my experience, unparalleled. What is happening with the grant money? What is the group working on? When does it plan to let members know?

I sincerely hope that the PLUS board can get its act together and takes this as a wake-up call because PLG sorely needs a group like PLUS.

Comments

[Charles Star]

And please don't talk about the awnings at Meytex or the Lincoln Rd. grocery or the Lincoln Rd. plantings. We are aware of the awnings and we helped with the planting.

There is still work to be done.

[Jeanne]

I've worked for nonprofits before too, and transparency and suspected misuse of funds (even if it's not true, mere appearance of it is bad) create far-reaching problems. It can mean losing credibility, and it means not getting any more money from funders in the future even when PLUS or a similar group is active and being administered properly. It's really hard to find extra time to do nonprofit volunteer work. I had to drop out of my volunteer committees this year myself. But it's exactly for that reason that nobody should sign up to be a volunteer who doesn't have the time for it. Please leave that spot open for someone with the time and enthusiasm for it.

As for pamphlets, I'd like to get some. I already tell chefs when I meet them (via a foodie friend of ourse) to think about PLG and tell their restauranteur friends. I'd love to do a follow-up mailing to these people.

[Maggie]

I've talked to one PLUS board member about the current status of PLUS and apparently it is unknown. There haven't been any meetings or contact from the current PLUS board president (Lee Coker-Holmes) since November. The PLUS board did vote to apply for a grant last May and Mark Dicus and another volunteer put alot of time in researching and applying for the grant. PLUS was awarded the grant in August. This particular grant required that a paid employee be held accountable for the administration of the grant. Mark stepped down as PLUS board president and was made the "executive director" of PLUS by the PLUS board. Lee Holmes became the president of PLUS. With Lee Holmes at the helm...the board reversed course and decided not to accept the grant money saying that they were concerned that they wouldn't be able to figure out how to pay the "payroll taxes". Two board members quit the board over the grant issue believing that it wasn't in the best interest of the neighborhood or PLUS to decline an important and much-needed grant from a city agency. Another member had previously resigned due to conflicts related to the application for the grant.

This leaves the board greatly depleted. Another grant was promised by state senator Eric Adams to Mark Dicus but the money was never actually received by PLUS. The breakdown of the PLUS board occurred before the planning for that grant could commence.

I don't get it...if the city agency believed in the grant application and the ability of PLUS to carry it out...what happened?

I think a few years ago....the Lefferts Manor Association got a huge grant to do some street beautification (maybe 200K)...but similarly...the LMA just couldn't figure out how to spend it etc. so the neighborhood loses out. One person that served on both boards is Ben Edwards.

[Bob Marvin]

The LMA grant to which Maggie refers, can only be used for a beautification project to be built by a City agency which would have the funds added to its budget. The proposal for a mosaic mural on the new Lincoln Road bridge was vetoed by DOT because it would be a dangerous distraction to drivers [I will not burden readers with my opinion of THAT reasoning].

AFAIK a new plan to use the funds, that is acceptable to the City, is close to being finalized.

You'd think it would be easy to spend money--it's not!

FWIW I have no inside information about what is going on within PLUS--I found out last week that Mark and a few other board members had left, but I learned a lot from Maggie's post.

[Jeanne]

Sounds like it might not be enough to have only local residents in local organizations like PLUS, or on special initiatives like beautification proposals or traffic calming, etc. PLUS should have formed a volunteer advisory board of experts on economic development before doing any hiring, or applying for grants. An advisory board chosen for its expertise, not its members' home address. Other initiatives by other groups should choose utilize expert advisors as well. Using advisors is totally standard and widespread among nonprofits. A good advisory board whose names are noted alongside the board of directors helps get grants more easily, gives more credibility, and helps achieve the organization's goals more quickly and successfully.

[Anonymous]

As someone privy to the inner workings of PLUS, I have to disagree. PLUS didn't need experts outside of PLG to run it. The problem was that two of the board members, including the new head, made incredibly bad decisions and refused to listen to other views. Every reasonable person associated with the group has ended up leaving in frustration.

[Matthew]

Why couldn't those board memebers just vote that President out? Just asking. I don't know the process of these things.

[Jeanne]

Just to clarify (what I didn't think needed clarifying) an advisory board does not "run" a nonprofit. They're just there to help and advise. Per their name. And as I stated, an advisory board is something that's common and standard in the nonprofit world. So if everyone else has it and you don't.....you're going to look inadequate.

[Nicole]

Does anyone know if PLUS looked into making Lincoln Rd a business improvement district (BID)?