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Minutes 08-26-04MINUTES OF THE ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN & YOUTH MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2004 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Steve Waldman, Chair Mary Morera, Vice Chair Evelyn Geathers Hattie Miller Betsy Veaner Rene~ Roberts, Regular Voting Member Laura Woozley, Regular Non-Voting Student Absent Steve Miller Willie Pearl Wilson Julie Claude, Regular Voting Student Sherri Claude, Board Liaison I. Call to Order Chairman Waldman called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. I1. Pledge of Allegiance/Moment of Silent Prayer Ms. Evelyn Geathers led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, followed by a moment of silent prayer. III. Approval of Minutes of July 22, 2004 In Ms. Claude's absence, Vice Chair Morera read the corrections. On page two under VII. Old Business, Palm Beach Post and Boynton Times should be deleted. Under Item B. Volunteer Project and VI. Public Audience, Chair should be changed from Miller to Waldman and Iow line ferns should read Iow-lying ferns. Also under Teen Center; the second to last sentence should read various schools instead of territory. Motion Ms. Roberts moved to approve the amended minutes. Motion seconded by Ms. Veaner and unanimously carried. Meeting Minutes Advisory Board on Children and Youth Boynton Beach, Florida August 26, 2004 IV. Approval of Agenda Motion Ms. Veaner moved to approve the agenda. Motion seconded by Ms. Geathers and unanimously carried. V. Announcements/Presentations/Correspondence Chair Waldman said Ms. Sherrie Claude and Ms. Julie Claude were both absent because they were both attending an open house at the school. Ms. Morera noted that in the Boynton Times dated July 28, 2004, there was an article about the board's Bob Borovy Citizen Award recipient Megan Melear. She circulated the article for those who had not read it. There was a notice from Solid Waste Authority presenting the board Official Adoption Papers for their commitment to officially adopting Rolling Green School Park Site. Ms. Morera commented that it would be great to get more youth out to these events so they could receive double hours for clean up and beautification projects. There was also an article in the Boynton Times dated August 4, 2004 pertaining to Rolling Green becoming a cleaner, more natural place. Ms. Morera said the scheduled clean up on August 4, 2004 was not successful because they did not have a good turnout. Ms. Morera pointed out that Commissioner Ensler approached her and informed her that there are some community investment funds that the Commissioners currently have that could be donated. He suggested that the board write a letter and request exactly how much money they would like to go toward some of their programs. Ms. Morera drafted a letter to the Mayor and City Commissioners requesting funds for the following programs: Youth Volunteer Bank, Bob Borovy Student Citizen of the Year Award and the Youth Expo. She suggested Chair Waldman and Ms. Claude look over the letter and add or delete where necessary. Chair Waldman suggested adding a cash award in the amount of $1000 for Bob Borovy Student Citizen of the Year Award and $250 for each of the other programs. There was discussion among the members about how grateful the board would be if the Commissioners donated $5,000. Once Chair Waldman review and sign the letter it would be forwarded to the City Clerk so that they can have it posted for the City Commission meeting in early September, since that's when funds are allocated. Ms. Morera said she attended a Recreation and Parks Strategic meeting and they had a teen center on their list but were unsure of funding sources. She would like to see the teens report to Mr. Majors so that they know the teens are very interested in a Teen Center. Discussion ensued regarding a letter from the Boynton Beach Recreation Department granting permission to the Advisory Board on Children and Youth to use the Civic Center facility for their upcoming meeting on September 9, 2004 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. All fees have been waived. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the 2 Meeting Minutes Advisory Board on Children and Youth Boynton Beach, Florida August 26, 2004 Teen Center and get youth involved. It was also suggested that if there was an overhead projector available at the Civic Center, the agenda could be displayed. Chair Waldman requested a list of potential group topics. Discussion ensued regarding expenditures for the pizza, soda, stationery, pens and pencils. There was a general consensus from board members to spend $100 for the aforementioned items. Chair Waldman said the former board chair Shanna St. John would be invited. She is responsible for getting the youth council started. VII. Old Business A. Teen Center Ms. Veaner announced that she has a friend who is involved with the Community Redevelopment Agency. She has been talking to this friend about what the Advisory Board on Children and Youth is trying to do for the teens in the City. He has been talking to the attorneys of Compton and other developers and they asked what they could do to help the City. She spoke to him just before the meeting and he pointed out that the developers are thinking of donating a piece of property with an existing structure on it. Chair Waldman said assuming that they have an audience in September, they could talk about some of the donations without making any promises. Chair Waldman suggested that members call the schools where they dropped off the flyers. He also urged Ms. Roberts and Ms. Woozley to mention it to their friends. Ms. Woozley, parent of Laura Woozley said, she distributed some flyers and she would follow up with a phone call. Chair Waldman said his wife questioned whether the Teen Center would be limited to just teens of Boynton Beach or open to any. Discussion continued regarding consideration for other teens other than the ones who reside in Boynton Beach. Chair Waldman pointed out that Lula Butler was invited again but she had a prior commitment. Her office said she probably would be able to attend the September 9, 2004 meeting. Discussion continued regarding providing Ms. Butler with all the details for the upcoming meeting. Chair Waldman said board members needed to decide on an agenda so that the meeting can be more structured. Ms. Veaner suggested they set some time aside to get feedback from the teens and possibly break them up into groups with a spokesperson for each group. The teams would be provided papers and pens so that they can write their ideas down as they brainstorm. Later, reconvene the entire group and place ideas on a flip chart for everyone's participation. Ms. Roberts said she liked the idea of splitting up into groups and having one spokesperson because it seems to work very well. Meeting Minutes Advisory Board on Children and Youth Boynton Beach, Florida August 26, 2004 Ms. Morera said she would like to take it one step further and give each group direction. For example, there should be a research team on what the City of Boynton Beach has now, what Wilson Center has to offer, what Hester Center has to offer, funding and an opportunity to look at grant applications. She said groups could also talk about transportation, locations, and existing buildings and sites that could be used. Another group could look at the facilities within the teen center as a wish list. The amenities like basketball, skate parks and computers could be included. At a later date, a membership card, fees and guest list should be considered. Discussion continued regarding hours of operation for the teen center, staffing and age groups. Ms. Miller said the churches offer lots of activities so the Teen Center needs to offer something different. VI. Public Audience Christine Roberts from Public Works said getting funding sources is a great idea since the City is under budget restraints that could continue for another year. Arranging the teens in groups to discuss grants and sources would be very important in getting the Teen Center off the ground. Discussion continued regarding making up a list of places like Target and Wal-Mart where they can go for funding. It was suggested that Debbie Majors was an expert at grants; therefore, the group should ask for her help. Someone from the audience asked about the location of the donated property. Ms. Veaner replied that it was not a done deal, but her thoughts were that it would be somewhere in incorporated Boynton Beach, either on Federal Highway or in downtown Boynton Beach. B. Volunteer Project/Adopt-A-Spot Program (November 6) Chair Miller announced that they did not have a good turn out for the August program. Ms. Veaner said she drove by and the plants are bushy and looking really good. She would ask Ms. Claude for a dumpster for the next scheduled project. Consensus There was a general consensus from the board to support the idea. C. Youth Volunteer Bank None D. Bob Borovy Award Ms. Morera announced that Ms. Claude would like all board members to keep their eyes and ears open for sponsors for the Bob Borovy Award. Chair Waldman suggested making up some letters of introduction for Subway, Wendy's, Krispy Kreme, 4 Meeting Minutes Advisory Board on Children and Youth Boynton Beach, Florida August 26, 2004 McDonald's, Publix and Quizno's since some of them may have to go to their Corporate office. E. Bowling Tournament (July 25) Ms. Morera pointed out that there were 25 participants and they gathered $241.65. The proceeds will go to the Bob Borovy Award. F. Youth Expo (October 30) Ms. Morera said she has been attending the meeting with City staff every two weeks. They will have the entertainment for youth with maybe two games for seniors. The contest went out to the schools and also they are putting together a trivia contest for the children. All the answers will be placed in a bowl and every hour there will be a drawing for prizes. Other entertainment includes Christy the Clown and Ronald McDonald. Other discussions would entail an informational table from different organizations that are youth related and non-profit. The Advisory Board on Children and Youth, as a sponsor and organizer of the event, needs a table that requires manning from 10-6. It was suggested that two board members rotate. Ms. Morera said Ms. Claude was considering giving out Halloween goodie bags from the Recreation and Parks Department and suggested the Board give out glow sticks. Ms. Veaner said she will not be at the October meeting but will attend the Youth Expo. Chair Waldman asked if there were any follow-up that was necessary for the contest. G. Guest Speakers -None H. Other - None VIII. New Business None IX. Future Meeting Dates: September 23, 2004 X. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:07 p.m. ["ola'S. Bra~well Deputy City Clerk (August 26, 2004) 5