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Minutes 09-05-01 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM C, WEST WING, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2001 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Ron Washam, Chair Beth Miller, Vice Chair Anne Centi Joy Currier Blanche Girtman Eddie Mitchell Juanita Summers Brenda Lee Williams Shelley Costantino Hansome Jones, Alternate Dan DeCarlo, Board Liaison Absent Stuart Heyer, Alternate I. OPENING, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chairman Washam called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag led by Hansome Jones and a moment of silent prayer. I1. ROLL CALL The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. III. MINUTES APPROVAL Motion Ms. Currier moved to approve the minutes of the August 1,2001 meeting as submitted. Vice Chair Miller seconded the motion that carried unanimously. IV. AGENDA APPROVAL The Board decided to remove Item VI-A and replace it with a discussion on the Welcoming event for the Chinese delegation. Also, Ms. Currier will make an announcement about school supplies. Motion Ms. Williams moved to approve the agenda as amended. Vice Chair Miller seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida September 5, 2001 V. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Washam asked Ms. Michelle Costantino, the newest Board member, to introduce herself. Ms. Costantino, who prefers to be called Shelley, told the Board about her past experience as a member of the Community Relations Board (CRB). She had Rived in Boynton Beach all but three years of her life and looked forward to catching up and contributing to the Board. She and her husband had just opened a home-based alternative type school in Boynton Beach. Ms. Currier thanked all who had participated in the School Supplies drive, stating that Commissioner Fisher, Mr. Bressner, Mr. Segal, the Mayor, and many others had put together 100 complete working sets of school supplies for the students of Galaxy, Forest Park, and HeadStart. Also, Mayor Broening donated large dictionaries to the schools. Ms. Girtman was concerned about Rolling Green and said they needed all the help they could get. Chair Washam thanked Ms. Currier for taking on this res ponsibility. Ms. Currier solicited the Board's help to raise funds for the upcoming Thanksgiving Dinner project that served 998 people last year. The police officers distributed food to shut-ins also. VI. OLD BUSINESS Hosting Qufu Sister City Delegation Visit - September 5 - September 11 Mr. DeCarlo informed the Board that the Qufu delegation would arrive on September 6 and outlined a tentative itinerary for their visit. September 9, dinner at Hunters Run September 10, 4:00 p.m., Welcome Ceremony at the Woman's Club September 10, dinner at the Banana Boat following the Welcome Ceremony The full agenda was not known since the length of their stay was unconfirmed. The delegation has two designers on it and they will work on their design for Friendship Park, a cultural center planned for Boynton Beach, while in the City. Mr. DeCarlo advised that there would be another delegation arriving from Shandong province in China in a week to discuss potential investments for some projects in Boynton Beach. He also mentioned that the City might establish a sister city relationship with South Africa to promote democracy. B. Master Neighborhood Plan Mr. DeCarlo reported that this Plan would be presented at a meeting at Poinciana School on Monday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. One of the first projects expected to proceed from this study will be the reconstruction of the Wilson Center, with the possible help of a State grant. 2 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida September 5, 2001 C. Welcome Program for Qufu Delegation at the New High School Vice Chair Miller and other Board members were filled with praise for this event, saying that the entertainment was superb, including the charming performance of the children from Ms. Girtman's Treasure Coast Early Learning Center. The children were models of deportment and quietly watched the entire program. The children's presentation, including the piano playing by Ms. Girtman, was extremely well done and enjoyed by all. Ms. Girtman was proud of the performance of her children and was pleased that all the parents had attended as well. A videotape of the performance was made to present to the Qufu delegation. Several members of the Community Relations Board attended the event and Vice Chair Miller commended Mr. DeCarlo, Ms. Shana Weinstein, and all that had either prepared for it or participated in it. Chair Washam thoroughly enjoyed the program but wished that more area schools had been represented, since he thought the delegation would have been interested in seeing more demonstrations of American culture. (The delegation was unavoidably detained in China and Mr. YanScheng Ma, a representative of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas, acted in their place.) D. Community Gardens and Demonstration Garden Ms. Currier reported that the gardens would be ready for planting by the end of September. Chair Washam mentioned that the gardens had gotten a lot of public acclaim in recent months. There were several comments about the beautification that had resulted from the presence of the gardens. This was especially pleasing in view of the early opposition to the program. E. PATCH Update Vice Chair Miller reported that the PATCH Board of Directors was working towards filing their not-for-profit 501(c)(3) application. They committed to work with the Police Chief, Marshall Gage, to put on a program entitled Violence in the Community in the November 2001 timeframe. On August 27, an immunization van was at Wilson Center and immunized the children of 24 families. Vice Chair Miller noted that the newspapers were very interested in promoting the PATCH program and that as soon as the program reached that stage of development, the Board would be glad to take advantage of this much-appreciated resource. Chair Washam reflected on the beginnings of the PATCH program and noted that since its inception, the Boynton Beach PATCH had risen to a place where other PATCH groups were interested in emulating it. He felt the CRB and PATCH could be proud of this. He commented that the role of the CRB had been to get the program off the ground and running and they had done so. Now, the PATCH Board of Directors would be taking the program to the next level. He commended the Board on their efforts that had brought the PATCH program into existence in Boynton Beach. He advised that while the 3 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida September 5, 2001 CRB did not have any governing authority over the PATCH program, it was its partner and adviser. For example, the PATCH Board of Directors had asked for the assistance of the CRB to get the public to come in to participate in the Violence in the Community program. The program will be a joint product of the PATCH Board, the Community Relations Board, and the Boynton Beach Police Department. Vice Chair Miller explained that in order for PATCH to obtain grants and funding, it had to be an independent entity, completely separate from the City. She outlined the various programs PATCH hoped to offer: teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS education, domestic violence, and immunizations. They also hoped to offer programs dealing with social issues such as handling cultural differences and education for children facing death, disease, and other emotional crises. After attaining 501(c)(3) status, they will work towards their ultimate goal of having their own facilities and, eventually, a community medical clinic. Chair Washam noted that PATCH still needed representation from persons in certain key occupational categories. VII. New Business None VIII. 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) (09/07/01) 4