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Minutes 11-01-00MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM C, WEST WING, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2000 @ 7:00 P.M. Present Ron Washam, Chairman Beth Miller, Vice Chairperson Anne Centi Blanche Girtman David Katz, Alternate Eddie Mitchell Brenda Lee Williams Dan DeCarlo, Neighborhood Specialist Absent David A. Carter Joy Currier Brett Sherman Hansome Jones, Alternate I. OPENING, Pledge of Allegiance Chairman Washam called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. and asked Vice Chair Miller to lead the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, followed by a moment of silent prayer. II. ROLL CALL - Regular Members and Alternates The Recording Secretary called the roll and a quorum was declared present. II1. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS Chairman Washam introduced Ms. Susan Day from the Center for Urban Redevelopment and Empowerment (CURE). Ms. Day was present to enlist the help of this Board with a particular problem, which would be addressed later on during the meeting. IV. AGENDA APPROVAL Motion Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL November 1, 2000 Mr. Katz moved to accept the agenda, which was seconded by Vice Chair Miller and unanimously carried. MINUTES APPROVAL (a) October 11, 2000 Board Meeting Motion Mr. Katz moved to accept the minutes with discussion. Motion seconded by Vice Chair Miller. Mr. Katz commented that there was considerable improvement with the minutes of the last meeting. VI. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Chairman Washam noted that Ms. Currier was not present tonight due to a family emergency and usually she would announce her plans and needs for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Chairman Washam said he and Mr. DeCarlo would check with Ms. Currier on this and would try to notify the remainder of the members after speaking with Ms. Currier. Vice Chair Miller announced that they are anticipating Channel 12 donating the turkeys again this year and thinks they will be delivered to HeadStart by the Monday before Thanksgiving. The plans call for cooking on Monday and Tuesday and delivering the food on Wednesday. Vice Chair Miller noted that last year they received 29 turkeys and fed 1,000 people. Chairman Washam announced that the annual toy collection for the giveaway through the Police Department would take place again. Chairman Washam said that all wrapped gifts for either a boy or girl are welcomed and could be brought to the Board's December meeting. Vice Chair Miller announced that on November 19, a food drive would take place for the benefit of the Dick Weber Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. The event will kick off at the Center, which is located at 10th Avenue, West of 1-95 in the Spectrum Plaza in Lake Worth. A continental breakfast will be served between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The Sheriff's Department will escort the food truck and the motorcycles in a parade down Congress Avenue to the Easy Rider Cafb in Boynton Beach where an all-day program will take place. Requests are being made for non-perishable food items and/or gift certificates. 2 Meeting Minutes - Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL November 1, 2000 VII. OLD BUSINESS A. PATCH Update Mr. DeCarlo reported that the PATCH meeting held in the Library had a good turn out and the next step would be for this Board to officially make a motion to forward the names for the Steering Committee to the City Commission for approval. Motion Ms. Girtman moved that this Board forward the list of the Steering Committee for PATCH to the City Commission for approval. Motion seconded by Ms. Centi. Ms. Brenda Williams inquired why Ms. Sarah Williams' name was not on the new list. Chairman Washam responded that Sarah Williams does not fully believe in the premise of the PATCH Program and therefore it was determined that she be deleted from the list. Ms. Brenda Williams inquired if this decision had been discussed with Sarah Williams. Chairman Washam was unsure of this, but it was felt that she did not wish to serve. Mr. DeCarlo said that at the night of the last meeting and during other discussions Sarah Williams made it clear that she was not interested in the PATCH process. Mr. DeCarlo pointed out that it is very important to have people serve on the Steering Committee that are committed to making it work. Chairman Washam noted that after his initial discussion with Sarah Williams, she did not feel that the program should move forward. Chairman Washam pointed out that Commission approval is a formality and they directed the Board to send the names to them. The Steering Committee is the entity that would be picking up the gauntlet and this Board will no longer have to work as diligently on the program as in the past. Of course, the Board will always be available to assist in anyway possible. Ms. Williams said she was not familiar with all the names on the list. Chairman Washam stated that the list contains names of people that conform to the criteria that was furnished by PATCH. The list is as diverse as possible in order to bring in all segments of the community. It was this Board that chose the people on the list and t~qey have still expressed their willingness to serve. Vice Chair Miller stated she has not been able to contact Bob Broadway at Bethesda Hospital to determine if he is still interested. Mr. DeCarlo stated he would first like to get the Steering Committee trained and then focus on specific health related issues. Mr. DeCarlo also envisions the Committee focusing on the needs assessment for the next few months with Mr. Ray Adams and his department. 3 Meeting Minutes '~ Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL November 1, 2000 Vice Chair Miller requested that Mr. Broadway's name be added to the list or another member from Bethesda Hospital. Mr. DeCarlo said it had been several months since he had spoken to Mr. Broadway. Mr. DeCarlo said he would telephone him and ask him if he is still interested in serving. Vice Chair Miller requested that if Mr. Broadway did not wish to serve that Mr. DeCarlo ask for another person from the Hospital to serve. Chairman Washam called for a vote on the motion on the floor. The motion carried 7-0. B. Neighborhood Summit October 23, 2000 Mr. DeCarlo reported that a PowerPoint presentation was given on all the projects around the City. Also, he stated that he would be adding the members of this Board to his mailing list so they would receive notices and copies of the minutes of the Neighborhood Summit meetings. Mr. DeCarlo announced that the next Neighborhood Summit would take place on January 22nd and suggested that this Board attend. It is anticipated that the meeting will take place at Village Royale on the Green. Ms. Centi noted that she was present at that meeting and was upset to learn that the School Board is considering changing the boundaries for the new High School. Ms. Centi stated this is a very important issue and everyone should be made aware of this. The School Board is considering stopping the City boundary at Miner Road, She noted how hard everyone in the City worked to get a High School in the City and it is a shame that the possibility exists that Boynton Beach children would now be excluded from attending. Ms. Williams reported that there was a meeting at the CommUnity Forum and this concern was addressed. The members said they were going to recommend to the Board that the boundaries be extended to encompass the whole City and to shorten the western borders to exclude Rte. 441. Also, they were recommending that from Golf Road south parents should have a choice if they wanted their children to stay at Atlantic or attend the new High School. Ms. Girtman would like this Board to take a stand on this position. Mr. DeCado stated that the Board's position could be forwarded to the School Board. Motion Ms. Williams moved that this Board endorse the premise that any child that lives within the City limits of Boynton Beach have the option to attend the new High School. Motion seconded by Vice Chair Miller. 4 Meeting Minutes '- - Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL November 1, 2000 Vice Chair Miller asked how the Board would endorse the motion. Mr. Katz suggested that the Chair or Vice Chair of the Board could appear before the City Commission, or they could send a letter to the School Board and the Superintendent's Office advising them of the Board's stance on this issue. Mr. DeCarlo and Chairman Washam will look into the issue further and determine if a letter should be sent. It was also suggested that the State authorities be notified. Mr. DeCarlo will discuss with the City Manager the issue of sending a letter to determine how he feels this matter should move forward. Mr. DeCarlo was not certain if the City Manager is already addressing the issue. Motion carried 7-0. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. MLK Community Garden Mr. DeCarlo said this project is part of the beautification to the corner entryway into the MLK area. Eighteen plots that have already been assigned and a white fence will be placed around the garden. It is hoped that this type of gardening program can take place throughout various places within the City. Ms. Williams inquired about placing a sign and Mr. DeCarlo stated that signs are being prepared and should be put up shortly. B. MLK Planning Grant Mr. DeCarlo stated they have received good comments on the City's proposal and the grant is critical to the development of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Hopefully, something will be known within the next few weeks. The Center for Urban Redevelopment and Empowerment (CURE) Chairman Washam reported that the Board participated in the Youth Expo, which took place at the Mall over the weekend, where he met Ms. Day from CURE. Ms. Day is present to see if this Board can offer her some assistance. Ms. Day stated that for the past several years since 1995, CURE has done many projects within the City. From this evolved the Boynton Beach Mall Retail Training Program, which was created to assist teenagers who hang out at the Mall to prepare them for entry-level positions. The program came on line in 1997 with Burdines, JC Penny, Simon Management, as well as former Vice Mayor Matt Bradley. The Children Services CoUncil under an HlV-Pregnancy Prevention Grant funds the program. 5 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL lrq~ November 1, 2000 Ms. Day explained how the program works. They meet out of the Mall Monday through Thursday. Also, the teens have put on various projects at the Mall including a fashion show and dance, as well as performing various types of community service projects. Ms. Day distributed background material on the program to the members. Currently, they have been functioning out of Burdines training room for the last three years. However, during the Holiday Season, Burdines training room is turned into a storage room and they have to move. In the past they have always utilized the back room at City Hall in the Mall. However, with all the new activities at the Mall, this room is no longer available and they have no place to go. Presently, they are working out of the Food Court at the Mall. On Wednesdays, they are having a problem with the Food COurt, because this is video day and'a quieter space is necessary. Therefore, they are looking for space on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 and all the traditional after-school places within the City are already booked during this time. Ms. Day proposed'an intergenerational project, whereby the teens could go out to the Senior Center and videotape their stories on love and relationships. This type of project had been done years ago at a nursing home in Delray Beach and the stories were set to music and turned out beautifully. Also, Ms. Day announced that they are hosting a dance contest on November 18th at the Hester Center and this too will be videotaped. Ms. Day said she would need a room for Wednesdays through the Holiday Season until they can get back into Burdines and she is not even sure on this happening. Vice Chair Miller asked about transportation for theteens and was informed they- use public transportation. Vice Chair Miller said she has located space for an alternative school at the Gulfstream Mall and felt that they could 'utilize this space after the school closes. Ms. Centi suggested utilizing the Senior Center after 4:00 and doing the videotaping at the same time. Chairman Washam did not think this Board had the authority to authorize something like this and suggested she contact the Senior Center directly to discuss this further. Ms. Williams suggested utilizing the room located at Fire Station #3 on Miner Road. Mr. DeCarlo felt that the Children's Museum would be a good place. Mr. DeCarlo said there is a large room available for dance and mime. Ms. Day said she has spoken with Ms. Farace because the children will be at the Library for two Wednesdays to do research. She will also follow through with Ms. Farace on the use of the Children's Museum. Ms. Day thanked the Board for their concern. Ms.. Blanche Girtman noted that her family operates a childcare center and she has seen a very grave problem that has emerged over the years that she would like this Board to address. She stated that there is a tremendous number of 6 Meeting Minutes ' ' Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL November 1, 2000 youth out there that have not earned a high school diploma or a GED. These people need to get their GED, otherwise, they could never find gainful employment. Ms. Girtman feels that there are not enough counselors in the school system to guide these children and .they drop out and then have no place to turn to. Also, she sees many, many young girls getting pregnant and leaving school. She would like this problem addressed in Boynton Beach and feels that some of the responsibility lies within the community for not giving them the attention and guidance that is necessary to get them through high school. Ms. Girtman also said there is a need for more places where youngsters can go to earn a GED. Motion Vice Chair Miller moved that a copy of the minutes of this meeting be sent to the Education Advisory Board and the Children and Youth Board to inform them of this issue and to enlist their help. Also Vice Chair Miller moved that a member of this Board be designated to attend one of their Board's meetings to bring the issue to their attention. Mr. DeCarlo stated this was an excellent point and the Education Advisory Board would be the forum to address this. Also, Mr. DeCarlo said that this Board should ask for a response from the Education Advisory Board on how this Board could address the issue. Ms. Williams suggested that the Board request to be put on the Education Advisory Board Agenda in December. The motion was seconded by Ms. Girtman and unanimously carried. The Recording Secretary was requested to send copies of the minutes to all members of the Education Advisory Board and the Advisory Board on Children and Youth. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Motion Ms. Williams moved to adjourn. Motion seconded by Ms. Girtman. There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (one tape) 7