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Minutes 05-02-01MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2001 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Ron Washam, Chair Anne Centi Joy Currier Stuart Heyer, Alt. Hansome Jones, Alt. (left at 7:20 p.m.) David Katz Beth Miller, Vice Chair Eddie Mitchell Brenda Williams Dan DeCarlo, Board Liaison Absent Blanche Girtman Juanita Summers I. Opening, Pledge of Allegiance Chairman Washam called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. and asked Ms. Williams to lead the members in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, followed by a moment of silent reflection. II. Roll Call - Regular Members and Alternates The Recording Secretary called the roll and a quorum was declared present. III. Recognition of Visitors Chairman Washam welcomed Mr. Brian Edwards, Mr. David Fellows, and Ms. Elizabeth Jenkins to the meeting. At this time Chairman Washam welcomed the new Board member, Stuart Heyer, who then introduced himself. Mr. Heyer stated that he lived near Lawrence Road and was a District Manager for Blockbuster video. He was interested in community service and looked forward to working with this Board. IV. Minutes Approval A. April 4, 2001 Board Meeting Motion Vice Chair Miller moved to accept the minutes of the April 4, 2001 meeting. The motion was seconded by Ms. Centi and carried unanimously. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 2, 2001 V. Agenda Approval Under Old Business, Chairman Washam asked that the PATCH Update be first (A), moving Community Garden Update to third (C). Under New Business two items were added: 1) Health Fair Update, and 2) Wilson Pool Update. Motion Vice Chair Miller moved to accept the agenda as amended. Ms. Centi seconded the motion that carried unanimously. VI. Correspondence and Announcements Ms. Currier announced that one of the children from Head Start had passed away and was being buried on Saturday. Chairman Washam acknowledged this with sadness and stated that Ms. Currier had taken food to the family on behalf of the Community Relations Board. Mr. DeCarlo mentioned that the Great American Clean Up was taking place on Saturday, May 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon. They were focusing on the Cherry Hill and Martin Luther King area for cleanup and would also be cleaning up the community garden, the demonstration garden, and other places in the City. VII. Old Business A) PATCH Update Chairman Washam said that Mr. Brian Edwards would be giving the Board an update on the status of the program from his perspective. Brian Edwards, 629 N.E. 9th Avenue, Boynton Beach, believed that the minutes of the PATCH meetings were being sent to the entire Community Relations Board and learned that they were only going to the Chairman, who did not know he was the only one receiving them. Mr. Edwards thought that it was important that the minutes be sent to the entire Board because the minutes were the formal means of communication between the Steering Committee and the Community Relations Board. Mr. Edwards also said when the Steering Committee presented minutes to the Board and staff, they wanted feedback and direction from them. Mr. Edwards stated that the PATCH Steering Committee needed the help of the Community Relations Board to garner support for the program if they were to reach their stated goals, i.e. a community health care facility staffed with health care professionals, and a stand-alone, not-for-profit organization, which would work in partnership with the Community Relations Board, the City, and the community to serve the needs of all. Mr. Edwards believed the program was moving forward but that he had noted a certain lag in commitment on the part of the initial group. Attendance was down. When the Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 2, 2001 Steering Committee members originally accepted the responsibility, they were asked to commit to and participate in the program based on their professional qualifications, knowledge, and what they could bring to the Steering Committee. The knowledge of the health care community, the police, the clergy, and the business community is vital to the success of the effort. The PATCH Steering Committee requested staff and the Community Relations Board to contact the steering group members and find out if their lack of attendance was due toa schedule conflict or whether they still had an interest in the program, and if sol encourage them to attend the meetings once a month. If they did not want to continue or had ongoing schedule conflicts, perhaps they could suggest a replacement. If not, new members must be recruited in an expeditious manner. Mr. Edwards referred to the PATCH process and the fact that they had been together for six months. He said participation and commitment were crucial from the Steering Committee members, the Community Relations Board, and City staff, inCluding the City Manager and the CommissionerS. He hoped that City management could address the Steering Committee and renew the commitments that were made when Mr, Ray Adams made his PATCH presentation to the City Commission last year. He believed this would go a long way towards regenerating enthusiasm and commitment. He also spoke of the need for dollars and people with social influence to help the program along to achieve its stated goals. He thought that, ultimately, thiS would lead to a partnershiP between the City of Boynton Beach and the County. Mr. Edwards was interested in results. He envisioned where he hoped the Committee would be six months from now and hoped it would be producing actual, concrete results for the community. He spoke of the success of PATCH groups in adjoining areas where they had opened facilities or opened doors to facilities already in place, had assistance coming in from the Health Care District and other agencies in the private sector. They were fulfilling community needs right now and they did it in less time than eighteen months. Mr. DeCarlo agreed with Mr. Edwards and he thought the members that were participating in the Steering Committee were doing a great job. He said they were working on a budget - a line item he could put in his neighborhood services budget so any contributions that came in would be tax-exempt. Ms. Girtman had given them approximately $3000 so they would have working funds for upcoming projects. Mr. DeCarlo was sorry about the minutes. He had been under the impression that they were going out. He said he would make sure the whole Board got a copy of all the minutes, including the previous minutes. He thought the secretary had done a great job doing the minutes. They were a great verbatim account of the Steering Committee's activities and thoughts. He agreed that the more people knew about what the Steering Committee was doing, the more support that would follow. Vice Chair Miller said that the Steering Committee had been actively meeting for six months but that the project had been initiated eighteen months earlier. She agreed that the membership issue was crucial. Viewed from the perspective of establishing themselves as a not-for-profit organization, it was critical that the Steering Committee had a nucleus of active, committed members. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 2, 2001 Vice Chair Miller wanted the Board to generate a letter to the original Steering Committee members, assessing their level of commitment and interest in continuing with the program. If any of the original members were unable to commit to full-time membership in the group, they could be asked to attend the meetings as they could or perhaps join a subcommittee and continue in that way. Vice Chair Miller challenged the Board to get more members for PATCH including names and resumes. Mr. Katz asked Mr. Edwards what areas of expertise should be solicited? Mr. Edwards stated that representation from the law enforcement community and a health care professional from a local hospital would be in order. He also said that while they were fortunate to still have Sister Lorraine Ryan, more clergy were needed. Mr. Edwards realized that there were things that could prevent attendance at meetings, but believed that missing meetings with no notification to the Chairman was a cause for concern. He said that it was vital to have each area of expertise represented at each and every meeting of the Steering Committee. Mr. Edwards said they were working hard, and had two dates slated for the immunization van: June 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. atthe Civic Center and August 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Wilson Center. They wanted them to be good programs that served not only the need for immunization but also school physicals, dentists, and any other type of health care that may be needed. Vice Chair Miller said there were doctors who were anxious to join the program but the program had to be well supported by the community, the Board and the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee was engaged in making up questionnaires and was in the data-gathering process. Chairman Washam definitely agreed that the original Steering Committee members needed to be contacted about their continuing desire to serve and their level of commitment to the program. He agreed that having the minutes sent to everyone on the Community Relations Board would also be helpful. He was looking forward to Ms. Girtman's comments about the Steering Committee and felt that when all of these things came together, the Board would be able to help the Steering Committee generate the kind of partnership they wanted with the Commission, the staff and the community at large for the success of the PATCH program. He promised that the Community Relations Board would try to bridge the gap for the Steering Committee and commended the Steering Committee on doing a remarkable job in a very short period of time. Chairman Washam expressed the Board's thanks to Mr. Edwards for his PATCH status report and comments. Elizabeth Jenkins said she had gotten comments in the community about the City planting gardens instead of trees. She thought it was wonderful and educational for children to see flowers and plants and that some of them were seeing them for the first time. Somehow the PATCH program and the community garden had become associated in people's minds and the differences in the two programs were outlined. B. Youth in Government Day Mr. DeCarlo reported that the 29th annual Youth in Government Day was held in Boynton and it had been very well attended, with a lot of compliments from the parents. There Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 2, 2001 was a very spirited Mock City Commission meeting. City Manager Kurt Bressner spent the entire day with the youth. Chairman Washam said that in the twelve years he had been on the Board this was the first time he had seen a City Manager devote so much actual quality time to the youth, explaining, teaching, and inspiring them. The Board owed a debt of gratitude to Mr. Bressner for his outstanding efforts on this project. Also, Chairman Washam acknowledged Dan DeCarlo and his assistant, Shana Weinstein, for their tremendous efforts toward making th8 event a success. Mr. DeCarlo said most of the credit went to his very able assistant, Shana Weinstein. Ms. Currier said the Board should also commend Sergeant Grant Lan er, who had spent the morning with the youth, showing them the ins and outs of the po ice department procedures. The youth were given badges and lapel buttons from the City and the Board appreciated this also. Chairman Washam thanked the Mayor, the Commissioners, and the Board members who had come out to support the events. C. Community Garden Update Mr. DeCarlo said that on Saturday, they would be putting up a fence at the new location on 6th and Seacrest. Some of the landspaping had already gone in and the location should be finished within the next week or iwo. Most of the garden sites had been taken already, primarily by the Haitian community who lived in the immediate vicinity of the garden. The landscaping at the location on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard looked good. They would be cleaning up the bed~ in two weeks and getting it squared away for the summer. He said the water restriction rules had been difficult for the gardens. Mr. Edwards asked about manpower requirements for the Great American Clean Up, the community garden effort and the demonstration garden. Mr. DeCarlo said there were quite a few people already helping. There was 25-30 from INCA, the Lowes team, a Boy Scout troop of 10 to 12 and others. D. Code Compliance Discus.,,ion Chairman Washam asked Mr. DeCarlo concerns with the posting issue. Mr. DeC the Code Compliance Department. Mr. H~ Board that all applicable State statutes we~ )r a status update on Ms. Evelyn Geathers' ado replied that several people had spoken to ~wkins had asked Mr. DeCarlo to relate to the e followed in this case, that it was no different than their usual procedures. I Mr. DeCarlo explained that once a Code Compliance Officer noticed a violation on a dwelling, they were required to send a letter to the owner of the property indicating what the violation was and what Code it violated. The person is given a time during which they are asked to respond. If they res~)ond in a positive way, by clearing up the violation, the matter is ended. If they do no respond, the Code Compliance Department ' 'I s requ red by State Statute to follow up w~I a posbng on the premises, wh ch is usually on the front door. Ms. Geathers was present and stated tha letters did not Seem to refer to a current ev, : she had been confused by the fact that the .~nt as the violation dated back from 1999. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 2, 2001 They had done most of the work to bring the property into compliance. She had spoken to Mr. Blasie in Code Compliance and understood the process. Mr. DeCarlo thought it would be helpful ifiCode Compliance included the message that they woUld be posting the property if no r~sponse was obtained.. It was also suggested that putting the posting in an envelope, even if on the front door, would be a better way to handle the situation. ~ Chairman Washam was glad that the situa~[ion had been resolved. Water Restrictions Ms. Williams reported that people were concerned about their lawns dying and whether they would be getting violation notices from the City. She said that not everyone had a timer on their sprinklers and that not everYone could get up between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. to water their lawns. Watering lawns twice a week was not keeping them alive. She also noted that the sprinklers are on ~ight and day at Village Royale on the Green and questioned this. Mr. Katz noted thai the situation was bringing the idea home to everyone that water was not an endless resource in south Florida. Chairman Washam said the City Commission had asked for a report on alternatives which was soon to be presented to them. VIII. New Business 1) Health Fair Mr. DeCarlo thought the event went very well and that there had been quite a large turnout considering the amount of advertising they did. Most of the activities were very good. It started at 7:00 a.m. and by 1:30 P.m., most of the vendors had left. The Mayor, City Manager, and members of the Commission were aware that PATCH was present and that was a good thing. 2) Wilson Pool Mr. DeCarlo said they were trying to use ~ome of his funds to take care of some of the aesthetics such as taking down the barbe~t wire fence, painting and fixing up. They are going to do a master plan for the Wilsorl Center, the pool and the whole area using Community Development Block Grant molney from Octavia Sherrod. As a part of that they will be looking at the highest and be:~t use for the building and, possibly, some of their health-related activities for PATCH ac[ivities would be part of that review. 3) Congress Middle School - David Fellows Mr. David Fellows, 638 N.E. 9th Avenue, expressed concern to the Board members about the image problems of Congress Mi of the SACS and boundaries, Boynton cot minority, impoverished schools in its Coast :Idle School. As a result of the configuration dd very easily end up with older, Iow income, ~1 communities and brand new, wealthy, Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 2, 2001 affluent, white, blessed-with-everything schools out west. He had been involved with CMS for the past three years. He thought that Mr. Ken Meltzer, the current Principal, was doing as much as he could to connect the school with the community but he needed help. He spoke of times when Mr. Meltzer had been invited to participate in community meetings that turned out to be "ambushes". He believed that Congress Middle School had been unfairly maligned for years and that somebody in the community needed to stand up and support the school instead of taking "pot shots" at it. He said it was Boynton Beach's own middle school and was very important to the City. If the City wanted to attract businesses, the first question they ask is about the schools. In that sense, economic development in the City depends on having high quality schools, well- supported by the community. He stated that the Education Advisory Board was pursuing the educational angle and trying to encourage community involvement but that the need was more of a community relations issue than an education issue. He spoke of the outstanding achievements of the students at Congress Middle School in the recent Science Fair and the fact that few people in the community-at-large were aware of this. Mr. Katz had gone to the Science Fair for his son's award and had been pleasantly surprised at the great projects coming out of Congress Middle School. Mr. Katz also thought that the City newsletter would be a good vehicle for the school to tout its achievements. Vice Chair Miller suggested that Mr. Meltzer be invited to a meeting of the Community Relations Board. Chairman Washam said he understood what Mr. Fellows was saying and that it was true. He said this Board took great pains a decade ago to address the problems concerning the schools. Out of this Board and little civic groups had come the Education Advisory Board that went on to build the high school and save Poinciana Elementary School. He said he understood the need for community involvement but believed that the Board needed a concrete project or proposal to pursue. He said the Community Relations Board wanted to help in a positive way. He suggested that someone from the Community Relations Board act as liaison between this Board and the Education Advisory Board to net out something concrete that could be undertaken for the good of Congress Middle School. He stated that the Board already knew there was a problem and that the school had been maligned and under-rated. He believed the problem would continue to grow an get worse but that the Board needed some guidance as to what it was being asked to do. Mr. Mitchell thought Ken Meltzer was doing a good job. He said that the school had a poor perception among the African American community because of the changing of the principals from one year to the next and because of a lack of discipline at the school. When Odyssey School opened up, there was a rumor in the African American community that the administration of that school planned to shift as many African Americans from Congress Middle School to Odyssey as possible because of the fact that they could not do very much with those kids. He thought it was more of public relations type of issue. He said the community itself did not know what was going on and had been happy to hear about the science awards and so forth when Mr. Meltzer came out to a community forum recently. The school is not sending a positive message to the community. Mr. Mitchell admired Mr. Fellows for the excellent job he had done with his On Campus Intervention Program at Congress Middle School, Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida May 2,2001 Chairman Washam said that even if it were a community relations issue, since it involved a school it was still the Education Advisory Board's call. Mr. Fellows stated he was not appearing on behalf of the Education Advisory Board. Chairman Washam asked Mr. Fe'lows to relay the willingness of the Community Relations Board to work with them and asked if anyone on the Board wanted to act as liaison on the issue? Vice Chair Miller offered to do so. Eddie Mitchell and Dan DeCarlo also offered to assist. Chairman Washam asked that Vice Chair Miller be kept apprised of what was going on so she could come back to the Community Relations Board with something specific it could work on. IX. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting duly adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary