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Minutes 10-25-01MINUTES OF THE ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2001 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Steve Waldman, Vice Chairman DorOthy Davis Evelyn Geathers Hattie Miller Mary Morera Lori Wilkinson Carlos Masso, Student Phyllis Stern, Alternate Willie Pearl Wilson, Alternate Sherri Claude, Assistant to the Recreation Director Absent Shanna St. John, Chairperson I. Call to Order In Chairperson St. John's absence, Vice Chair Waldman presided and called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. I1. Moment of Silent Prayer - Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag The Board observed a moment of silent prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag led by Ms. Willie Pearl Wilson. II1, Approval of September 20, 2001 Minutes Motion Mr. Masso moved to approve the minutes of the September 20, 2001 meeting as written. Ms. Morera seconded the motion that carried unanimously. IV. Announcements/Presentations/Correspondence Vice Chair Waldman announced that on Saturday, October 27, 2001 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the community gardening season would be officially ushered in at the garden site on Seacrest and MLK Boulevards. Mr. Waldman encouraged the Board members to participate. Meeting Minutes " Advisory Board on Children & Youth Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2001 V. New Business 1) Set Date for November Board Meeting The Thanksgiving holiday falls on the regular Board meeting date. Motion Ms. Morera moved to change the meeting date from November 22 to November 19 at the same time and place. Ms. Geathers seconded the motion that carried unanimously. 2) Board Workshops - Forums Ms. Claude advised the Board that minutes must be taken for the public record when the Board meets in a workshop, forum, or committee. She requested that the Board schedule these meetings for weekday evenings, when possible. Vice Chair Waldman recognized the presence of guests and welcomed them on behalf of the Board. Mr. Bob Foot was in attendance as part of the Citizens Services Institute and encouraged everyone to participate in that program. Mr. Carlos Masso's family was also in attendance. VI. Old Business A. Needs Assessment Ms. Claude reported that the consultant had spent the entire day interviewing City staff and members of the community concerning the need for parks and recreational areas. The consultant will be sending a questionnaire to a random sample of 3,000 community members, using the facts gathered during the interview sessions. The consultant will then perform a statistical analysis on the data and provide the City with a report in January of 2002. Ms. Davis attended one of the community-input sessions and reported that the need for a social-service center was paramount. Ms. Wilkinson stated that she had expressed a need for a teen center. Bm Advisory Board Forum - November 17 at the Library from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Ms. Wilkinson read sample letters of invitation to the Forum and, the Board approved them. She will e-mail the sample letters to Ms. Claude for distribution. The letters will be sent to Board members, Commissioners, the Mayor, and Chairpersons of other Boards. Ms. Wilkinson, Board Forum Committee Chair, delegated the food and drink component of this event to Ms. Morera, Ms. Stern, and Vice Chair Waldman. The Board decided to wear Advisory Board t-shirts and bring their new nameplates to the Forum meeting. 2 Meeting Minutes Advisory Board on Children & Youth Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2001 C. Volunteer Project, Rolling Green Elementary School Ms. Claude advised that the project would probably take place in January of 2002 but that the exact dates would be determined when Ms. Glenda Hall met with the Boy Scouts. Ms. Geathers reported on her conversation with Dr. Gay Voss, principal of Rolling Green Elementary School. Dr. Voss was in favor of having a mural painted on the outbuilding and also liked the idea of a butterfly garden. She requested that a meeting be arranged between the Parks Director, John Wildner, a representative of the Advisory Board on Children & Youth, Mr. Bali Ramnarace, and herself to discuss this and other matters of mutual interest. Dr. Voss preferred one meeting with the City to being approached by several people at different times with different agendas. Since two staff members at Rolling Green Elementary School had died recently, the Board suggested that Dr. Voss might wish to dedicate the butterfly garden to them. Vice Chair Waldman asked Ms. Geathers to arrange the meeting. D. Youth Council Workshop A Youth Council Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, December 1, at the Library from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Ms. Claude will invite two former Youth Council members, Heidi and Amy DeVries, to the workshop. E. Visiting Speakers Program Vice Chair Waldman asked if the Board wished to pursue this issue and requested that they submit suggestions for topics. The suggestions were 1) college admissions, and 2) speaking to children about chemical and biological warfare. There was a consensus to pursue the idea and Vice Chair Waldman, Carlos Masso, and Phyllis Stern will discuss the issue in greater depth and report back to the Board. F. Youth Volunteer Bank Ms. Claude mentioned that she had received twenty-five new applications for membership, primarily from Congress Middle School. When she receives applications, she sends the applicant a "thanks for your interest" letter along with a packet of information containing a description of how the Youth Volunteer Bank works, a tracking form for hours and projects undertaken, and another blank membership form for them to offer to a friend. Samples of the information packets will be distributed to the Board members with the minutes. Ms. Claude reported that she had sent postcards out last month to Youth Volunteer Bank members advising them of the current volunteer opportunities in Boynton Beach. The opportunities included reading at a local elementary school and a project at the Art Center. Vice Chair Waldman stated that this kind of information would be very suitable for posting in the Boynton Beach Community High School newsletter. He planned to speak with the Adviser for that program this week. Meeting Minutes Advisory Board on Children & Youth Boynton Beach, Florida October 25, 2001 G. Bob Borovy Award Ms. Claude remarked that she had made the requested changes in the application paperwork. There was no further discussiOn at this meeting. H. Youth Expo Ms. Stern suggested an "America, United we Stand" theme for the upcoming Youth Expo. Ms. Miller asked if staff could assist with setting up the tables. She also asked staff to find out if they would be allowed to set up a stage or stages at the mall. All agreed that earlier planning would produce the best results. Ms. Claude commented that the Parks & Recreation Department could take a larger role in the program, relying on the Board for advice. She asked for the Board's response to this idea. The Board seemed to think it was a marvelous idea, as long as they were able to participate in ways that would benefit the project. Ms. Claude assured them that this would be the case. I. Teen Center Vice Chair Waldman stated that the outcome of the Needs Assessment would determine the direction of this project. J. Other Vice Chair Waldman asked Ms. Claude to put together some information to be published in the Boynton Beach Community High School newsletter. He asked Mr. Masso to look at the information and make comments before publication. Mr. Masso stated that he also knew the Adviser for the student newsletter at Atlantic High School and would be glad to pursue that if asked. Vice Chair Waldman, on behalf of the entire Board, expressed appreciation for the outstanding job Ms. Sherd Claude had done as the Assistant to the Recreation Director and Board Liaison. He stated that she was tremendously efficient and talented and that the Board was deeply grateful for her assistance. VII. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was duly adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (one tape) (10/26/01)