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Minutes 03-08-06 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2006 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Brian Miller, Chair Blanche Hearst-Girtman, Vice Chair Alfred Levy Eddie Mitchell Joyce Mura Phyllis Stern Stanley Sorgman Brenda Lee Williams Diane Pacheco, Alternate Thelma Lyons, Neighborhood Specialist Liaison Absent Gregg Orenstein Kurt Godfrey I. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Mr. Levy led the members in a recital of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. II. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared a quorum was present. III. Recognition of Visitors There were no visitors at the meeting. IV. February 8, 2006 Minutes Approval Ms. Mura suggested a change be made on page four in the paragraph about the CERT program. The subcommittee was interested in the CERT program, but did not actually meet with the Fire Department. Ms. Mura spoke to Deputy Chief Ness on the telephone, asking him what the Board could do to help promote this program. To date, he had not contacted her again. Chair Miller asked Ms. Mura to try again to speak with Deputy Chief Ness. Motion Mr. Levy moved to accept the minutes as amended. Vice Chair Hearst-Girtman seconded the motion that passed 10-0. V. Agenda Approval Chair Miller asked for any additions, deletions, or corrections to the agenda. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 8, 2006 The following additions were made to the agenda: 1) A discussion on changing the date of the April meeting due to Passover 2) A report by Stanley Sorgman on the CERT Disaster Drill 3) A report by Phyllis Stern on a Focus Group on Diversity Meeting Motion Ms. Mura moved to approve the agenda as amended, seconded by Ms. Stern and passed 9-0. VI. Correspondence & Announcements After discussion, the Board changed its April meeting. Motion Mr. Levy moved to change the April Community Relations Board meeting from April 13 to April 10 due to Passover falling on April 13. Ms. Mura seconded the motion that passed 10-0. Ms. Lyons distributed flyers on Earth Day and the Great American Cleanup planned for April 20, 2006. Also, she announced Youth in Government Day was in the planning stages and would be held on April 20, 2006. A report prepared by CRA Planning Director Vivian Brooks outlining future plans for the Heart of Boynton area was also distributed. This was discussed at a neighborhood meeting in November of 2005. A discussion ensued about this report. During discussion, there was agreement the current home prices were higher than ever and the City/County standards for affordable housing were not realistic. Many felt people could not afford housing in Boynton Beach at current prices, even with assistance. A dominant theme was the importance to the City of having affordable housing for its citizens, especially the service- related occupational groups such as teachers, firefighters, policemen, and others. If Boynton Beach could not offer affordable housing for these persons, availability of the services offered by this occupational group could be cut back, to the detriment of the City. Mr. Mitchell asked if the City were also looking for affordable housing initiatives for low and moderate-income people. He asked because the policemen, firefighters and teachers could hardly afford the houses in Boynton Beach and the low-income people had even less of a chance of doing so. The Board concluded it would write a letter to the City Commission expressing the Community Relations Board's (CRB) concurrence with and support of the Community Redevelopment Agency's (CRA) affordable housing initiatives such as buy down vouchers, inclusionary zoning, and down payment assistance, among others. The Board also planned to attend the City Commission meeting and make a statement to this effect. The consensus was the tone of the letter should be positive. Chair Miller would draft the letter and bring it to the Board's April meeting for approval. Mr. Sorgman felt and others concurred it was important to let the community at large know the CRB was aware of the issue of affordable housing and cared about the concerns of the citizens. The Board then needed to follow through on the matter. 2 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 8, 2006 Motion Mr. Sorgman moved the CRB would send a letter detailing its concern about the issue of low cost housing in the City. Ms. Stern seconded the motion. It was decided to substitute affordable housing for low-cost housing in the motion, and Mr. Sorgman agreed. Chair Miller added the Board would make a statement on this matter to the City Commission at its meeting on April 4, 2006. The motion passed 10-0. VII. Old Business A. Pride in Boynton Beach Mr. Sorgman thanked Ms. Lyons for sending the Board literature for Earth Day and The Great American Cleanup. He had participated in this effort since he had lived in the area and found it very rewarding. The work made a real difference in the appearance of the neighborhood and participation fostered good will, relationships and understanding. He suggested others become involved as well. Chair Miller mentioned Ms. Lyons had sent a letter about this cleanup effort along with promotional material to homeowner associations, neighborhood leaders, churches, and civic organizations. In response to a question from Chair Miller, Ms. Lyons indicated she had not yet received any responses from the mailing. B. Youth in Government Day For the benefit of the new members, Youth in Government Day was explained in detail. In response to a question from Ms. Mura, the role of the CRB Board members was to provide support by their presence at the breakfast, lunch, and/or mock City Commission meeting. VIII. New Business A. Report on Community Emergency Response Team (CERn Activity - Stanley Sorgman Mr. Sorgman reviewed a recent CERT disaster drill in which he participated along with other members of the current class. A mock disaster was staged, complete with "injured" persons. The participants had to bandage people, set splints, take vital signs, and made decisions about who needed medical attention urgently and who could wait awhile. He thought the exercise was extremely interesting and recommended it to all who might be interested. There were currently about 120 members in the organization. Chair Miller asked Mr. Levy to relate his experiences in the Citizens Police Academy. Ms. Stern and Mr. Levy are both in the current class and expect to graduate in early April. They had toured the Police Department and seen its inner operations including the SWAT and Crime 3 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 8, 2006 Scene units. The Canine Unit put on a demonstration for them. They would soon be learning about and handling taser guns, many for the first time. Mr. Levy felt it was very rewarding to meet the dedicated, professional young men in the Police Department. He reported his experiences on a ride-along where an arrest was made. They were able to view the booking procedures at the Police Department also. Mr. Sorgman commented community involvement gave a sense of pride in what was going on in the City. Mr. Levy recommended the Police Academy to all citizens. B. Focus Group on Diversity Report - Phyllis Stern Due to the lateness of the hour, Ms. Stern deferred this report until the next meeting. Chair Miller offered to extend the meeting to allow the presentation to be made, but Ms. Stern demurred. Chair Miller asked Ms. Lyons to put this report on the agenda for the April meeting. Visit from Boynton Beach High School Principal Ms. Brenda Williams is responsible for bringing the principal of the Boynton Beach High School to a board meeting and she would try to arrange this for April 10. Tennis Program Ms. Sterns announced a Youth Tennis Carnival for children aged 6 to 17 with tennis lessons, games, and activities hosted by Hunters Run and led by tennis professional David Cordrey. The event was free and would be held on April 8. IX. Adjournment Since there was no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Motion Vice Chair Hearst-Girtman moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Levy, and unanimously passed. Respectfully submitted, ~~~j Susan Collins Recording Secretary (030906) 4