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Minutes 10-08-03MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2003 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Ron Washam, Chairman Anna Marie Noe, Vice Chair Blanche Girtman Eddie Mitchell Howard Solomon Brenda Lee Williams Sara P. Dye, Alternate Robert Harper, Alternate Absent Anne Centi Jayne Kupperman Jose Rodriguez I. Pledge of Allegiance Chairman Washam called the meeting to order 7:05 a.m. the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. I1. Roll Call - Regular Members and Alternates Dan DeCarlo, Board Liaison Ms. Girtman led members in Recognition of Visitors September 10, 2003 Minutes Approval Motion Mr. Solomon moved to accept the September 10, 2003 minutes. Motion seconded by Ms. Williams and unanimously carried. V. Agenda Approval III. None IV. The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 8, 2003 Mr. Solomon requested to add under New Business a discussion about disseminating information throughout the City about the Board in order to inform the community of the work that the Board does. Ms. Williams pointed out that the Board has a brochure that contains the Board's mission statement and objectives, as well as the list of the members. Mr. Solomon stated that he has never seen the Board's brochure. It was agreed to add this item to the agenda as Item 1. under New Business. Motion Ms. Williams moved to approve the agenda, as amended. Motion seconded by Mr. Solomon and unanimously carried. VI. Correspondence and Announcements Mr. DeCarlo discussed the bond issue that will be on the November ballot and noted that there is a great deal of promotion taking place to get people out to vote in favor of the bond issue. The bond issue will benefit many projects throughout the City including the Wilson Pool, the Senior Center, Art Center and the Library. The Wilson Pool is a very important component for the new Wilson Center and the Heart of Boynton Area. The PATCH presentation will be on the November agenda. Mr. DeCarlo reported that the City has been in negotiation with Bethesda Hospital to obtain the trailer that the Hospital is currently using for offices. If the trailer were made available and a suitable location is found, PATCH could utilize it for its programs. Mr. DeCarlo would like to see Bethesda become more involved with the community, especially in the northern section of the City. PATCH will be putting together a proposal, which will be discussed further at the November meeting. Ms. Girtman said that she would like to see a freestanding building on MLK Boulevard, not the Wilson Center, to meet the needs of the residents in this area. Mr. DeCarlo responded that PATCH would not be located at the Wilson Center. Ms. Girtman pointed out that this Board has been discussing a freestanding building for years and nothing has been done to date. Mr. DeCarlo noted that there have been discussions about having some type of community services facility on MLK Boulevard, but this would depend upon the development of this area. Ms. Girtman reiterated that this type of facility has been discussed for the past 30 years, and she would like to see some progress made. Mr. DeCarlo pointed out that the comments of the members are important, which is disbursed through the minutes. He felt that the Board meetings were the appropriate forums for these discussions, since persons who make decisions in the City read the minutes. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 8, 2003 Mr. Mitchell noted that at a prior meeting it was determined that the Wilson Center would not be the appropriate place for a medical facility because people did not want the children to be exposed to the element of people that would use the PATCH facility. Mr. Mitchell thought that it would be better if PATCH were at another site. Mr. Mitchell inquired if there has been a decision on the design of the Wilson Center, and Mr. DeCarlo stated that a final decision has not been made. Mr. DeCarlo pointed out that Commissioner McCray is anxious to move forward with getting the Wilson Center built. Chairman Washam left the meeting at 7:20 p.m. and turned the gavel over to Vice Chair Anna Noe. Vice Chair Noe had issues about liability and malpractice. Since this Board is an advocate of PATCH, she felt that this could affect the Board, its members, PATCH and the City. Mr. DeCarlo stated that this is the reason why there are discussions taking place to keep the program under the umbrella of Bethesda Hospital. He acknowledged that the liability issues have to be addressed, and he will discuss this with the City Attorney. He did not think that the City or PATCH would want to proceed if there was a question of individual liability. After Mr. DeCarlo discusses these issues with the City Attorney, he will report his findings to the Board. Ms. Girtman asked for clarification of Vice Chair Noe's concerns. Vice Chair Noe explained that when health care or some type of service is provided, there is always the issue of liability. Since the Community Relations Board developed and promotes PATCH, she felt that people involved with PATCH become personally liable, including the City. Vice Chair Noe said that she raised this issue several months ago with PATCH. Mr. DeCarlo pointed out that the programs that PATCH has been offering through various agencies carry the appropriate coverage. He also thought that PATCH at the County level carried the necessary insurance. VII. Old Business PATCH Activities Update- Boynton PATCH presentation postponed until November 12, 2003 Meeting VIII. New Business 1. Community Awareness of the Community Relations Board Mr. Solomon felt that the Board was in a position to give out information on issues that affect the citizens of the City. He thought that if the Board became more involved in the fire assessment fee, it would not have resulted in such a hot topic. He suggested that 3 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida October 8, 2003 the Boynton Times be consulted to do an article about the Board. He also would like to see information on the Board available at City Hall in the Mall. Mr. Solomon thought that it might be a good idea if a Board member was available at City Hall in the Mall during peak periods to speak with people that had concerns. Vice Chair Noe suggested that a form could be available at City Hall in the Mall for people to complete if they had any problems or concerns that they would like the Board to address. Mr. DeCarlo apologized that the new members never received a copy of the Board's brochure. He felt that it would be good to revisit the brochure at the next meeting to see if it needed to be updated. He suggested reviewing the brochure on a regular basis to determine if it needed updating. Mr. DeCarlo will add this to next month's agenda. He will also mail it to all the members in advance of the meeting so that they would have an opportunity to review it. If Board members come to a consensus regarding changes to the brochure in advance of the meeting, Mr. DeCarlo would go ahead and make the changes. He thought that having information available at City Hall in the Mall would be beneficial. Mr. Solomon inquired if there was still space available inside the City buses for advertising. He suggested putting something inside one of the squares in the buses if this were possible. Another suggestion Mr. Solomon had was that Board members have more presence at City events and functions. He would also like for the members to be apprised of important issues in the City so that they would be knowledgeable when approached about particular issues. Mr. DeCarlo thought that Wayne Segal, Public Affairs Director for the City, might also be able to assist in promoting the Board; however, he felt the first step would be to update the brochure. IX. Adjournment The next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 in the Commission Chambers. There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (October 9, 2003)