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Minutes 06-16-04 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATI'ONS BOARD MEETt'NG HELD IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON WEDNESDAY, 3UNE 16, 2004 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Brian Miller, Chair Blanche Girtman Eddie Mitchell Joyce Mura Diane Pacheco Brenda Lee Williams Joseph Bartley, Alt. Robert Harper, Alt. Dan DeCarlo, Board Liaison Absent Jayne Kupperman, Vice Chair Phyllis Stern Call to Order Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. Chair Miller welcomed new Board member, Ms. Diane Pacheco, a Program Coordinator for the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition. Since literacy was one of the Board's top priorities, Ms. Pacheco's knowledge and experience were very welcome. III. Recognition of Visitors None IV. Minutes Approval May 12, 2004 Motion Mr. Mitchell moved to approve the subject minutes, seconded by Ms. Williams and passed unanimously. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida June 16, 2004 V. Agenda Approval There were no additions, deletions, or corrections to the agenda. Notion Ms. Williams moved to approve the agenda, seconded by Mr. Mitchell, and unanimously carried. VZ. Correspondence & Announcements None VI. Old Business A. PATCH Update Mr. DeCarlo explained the background of PATCH for the benefit of the newer Board members. He then reported that a trailer had been made available to PATCH through Bethesda Hospital, but a home for it had not been found. Since locating the trailer at the Hester Center did not work out for logistical reasons, an alternate location would be on the grounds of Forest Park Elementary School. The School was very interested in having the trailer on their site, particularly since a large percentage of its population would probably avail themselves of the services it would offer. School Board approval for locating the trailer on the property would have to be obtained. Bethesda had consented to move the trailer to Forest Park and Mr. DeCarlo had some money in his budget towards moving it and to help with the utilities for it. The pros and cons of locating the trailer at Forest Park were discussed. Some Board members expressed the thought that this would be too far away from the population the trailer was meant to serve. Although it was understood that the trailer would serve populations throughout Boynton Beach and beyond, the desire to have it located in the MLK area was strong. It was also realized that the Forest Park location of the trailer would not be permanent and that the search would continue for an even more appropriate site. Some felt that to accept the trailer would be to undermine the long- term goal of a permanent, regular healthcare center in the Heart of Boynton. The question of whether the trailer would be accepted by the residential population around the school was broached, but this was not thought to be a problem. The Forest Park property is large and finding a good place for it would not be difficult. The fact that Forest Park was not located in the best place for public transportation was also brought up. Ms. Girtman thought that the trailer was too far away from the people it had to serve. Mr. DeCarlo stated that as a Beacon Center, Forest Park would have a transportation program. As a community school, they also had to establish an outreach Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida June 16, 2004 with the adults in the community for adult education. Transportation was a problem, and would have to be addressed. The location at Galaxy Elementary School was closer to the MLK area, but the concern was that it was a much smaller site than Forest Park and there would probably be a negative response from the surrounding residents. Mr. Harper mentioned that placing the trailer in a location that was inaccessible would affect its use and might have a negative effect on any evaluation of its effectiveness. Mr. DeCarlo stated that the number one commitment in PATCH was to establish a healthcare facility in the MLK area. However, funding and future prospects for a health center depended in part on establishing the evidence to demonstrate a widespread, ongoing need in the community for such services. From a funding standpoint, many funding sources wanted to assist PATCH, but could not do so unless there were an office/building/location for a healthcare facility. Establishing the trailer would help PATCH demonstrate that it had the funding necessary to maintain a presence in the community. Concern was expressed that the trailer might be lost if a location were not found soon. Mr. DeCarlo stated that he did not think there was a lot of pressure coming from Bethesda to move the trailer, as long as PATCH was actively trying to find a place for it. Ms. Girtman expressed her view that while the trailer would meet pressing and unmet current needs, the long-term goal was still for a permanent healthcare facility, preferably on N.E. 10th Avenue/MLK Blvd. She stated that at this time of active redevelopment, the field was wide open and that the citizens should get together, as a group, and ask the City Commission again for a building on this street in the Heart of Boynton. She stated that the County had given the City that land on MLK Boulevard for the purpose of a healthcare center almost ten years ago, but that it had never come to pass. Earlier Commissions had promised this to the citizens of the Heart of Boynton, but nothing had ever come of it. If the current Commission could be persuaded to follow through on this, it would not be necessary to have a temporary trailer. She felt that it was definitely time for the citizens to make their voices heard on this issue. Mr. DeCarlo reiterated that having the trailer in operation for a time would go a long ways towards establishing a consistent track record of services and programs, and help to demonstrate the need for a permanent healthcare facility. A trailer had always been viewed as a temporary measure. The #! priority of PATCH and the CRB had long been to create a healthcare center in the Heart of Boynton area and the members of PATCH had been quite vocal about their aims in this regard. Mr. Mitchell made the point that the PATCH organization was not a City-sponsored entity and it was his understanding that the CRB would work in partnership with PATCH on this project. For the benefit of the new Board members, he also stated that any 3 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida June 16, 2004 such healthcare facility would be established to meet the needs of all Boynton Beach residents, not just the ones living in the Heart of Boynton. However, the majority of persons who were in need of such services happened to live in that area. Mr. DeCarlo commented that a decision had been made at the Board's last meeting to ask the City Manager to arrange for a meeting between the City Commission, PATCH, the CRA, and the CRB to discuss this matter. Chair Miller and/or Mr. DeCarlo will contact the City Manager's office to try to arrange a meeting as soon as possible. VIII. New Business A) Literacy Program One of the things the Board suggested was to have the Director of the Library speak to the Board to educate the members about the literacy needs in the community and the Library's ongoing programs. For example, in March and April of this year, the County announced its second Read Together Palm Beach County: One Book, One Community, and various workshops and discussion groups based on the book took place. Governor Bush also chose this book as the Read Together Florida book for 2004. The name of the book was Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. The Board also spoke of sponsoring a Book Fair as a potential future event. Notion Ms. Pacheco moved to request that the Board Liaison arrange for the Library Director to speak on the topic of literacy at the Board's next meeting. Mr. Bartley seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Chair Miller stated that literacy was not just for children but involved adults also. Ms. Girtman commented that she was already involved with literacy in the community through her Treasure Chest Childcare Center. The children were brought to the library on a weekly basis and were obtaining library cards and taking books out as part of the Treasure Chest learning program. Ms. Girtman thought that this assistance should possibly be extended to the many home childcare/learning centers throughout Boynton Beach also. It was thought that a first step towards this would be to research and identify the existing home childcare/learning centers. Ms. Girtman thought that the people caring for children in homes would really appreciate having a way to get them to the Library. She spoke of the joy that the children in her Center had from going to the Library and learning about books. Mr. DeCarlo thought that Ms. Girtman had made an excellent suggestion for a literacy initiative that the Board could undertake. He thought that an overview of literacy programs in the community would be a good first step. The Board could take some 4 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida June 16, 2004 time to research the existing literacy programs in the community and then select an area or areas in which it felt it could make an impact. Ms. Girtman said that there were so many young mothers in the City who were 16, 17, and 18 with children who would really appreciate an opportunity to get acquainted with the Library. This was an opportunity for the rest of the community to show caring. She suggested that it might be possible for Mr. DeCarlo to arrange for the City bus to pick children up and take them to the Library. She also felt sure that there would be many volunteers who would step up to help with this if the City offered it. Ms. Girtman thought that it would be easier for Mr. DeCarlo to determine the names and locations of the home childcare/leaming centers in Boynton than for the Board. This would be an area in which the City and the Board could make a real impact. Literacy Subcommittee Chair Miller suggested the formation of a Literacy Subcommittee on the Community Relations Board. This subcommittee would work on this issue and report to the Board at each meeting. They could inform the Board of their plans and request Board support for contemplated actions. Chair Miller felt that coming together once a month for a meeting was productive, but in order to really accomplish a lot, a subcommittee had to work on the issue(s) outside the regular meeting. Also, the more people involved, the more could be accomplished. Ms. Pacheco stated she was a former Public Library Director and worked for the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, so she had a vested interest in the subject. She would be happy to be a part of the Literacy Subcommittee. She commented that the Board Vice Chair, Ms..]ayne Kupperman, worked for the School District in the area of adult literacy, and the Board agreed that Ms. Kupperman should also serve on the subcommittee. Ms. Williams commented that her church was starting a charter school in the fall and it would have an after-care program. She will invite the Director of the after care program to the Board's July 14 meeting as a potential candidate for the Literacy Subcommittee. B) Co-Venture with Recreation & Park Department - Marlins Games Mr. DeCarlo stated that the Advisory Board on Children & Youth was very excited about this co-sponsorship with the Community Relations Board. The Recreation Department is helping to firm up a date for this project. Chair Miller stated that when it was firmed up, the Board could help to promote it in the community. He felt this was another way in which the Board could reach out to the community and make a difference. 5 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida .lune 16, 2004 Chair Miller felt that it was important to be more than just a Board and that the Board had to involve itself in the community. When the agenda was mailed for the July meeting, it would be accompanied by new name and address listings for the Board members. ~X. Next Meeting The next Board meeting will be on .luly 14, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers. X. Adjournment Since there was no further business before the Board, the meeting was duly adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (061704) 6