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Minutes 04-12-06 MINUTES OF THE VETERANS ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12,2006, AT 10:00 A.M. AT THE BOYNTON BEACH LIBRARY, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Thomas Kaiser, Chairman Robert Zimmerman, Vice Chairman David Buckner William Kull Lester McKinzie Karl Washington Stanley Gavlick, Alternate (Voting) Cramer Hegeman, Alternate Harvey Oyer, Alternate Carisse Lejeune, Board Liaison Absent: Morris Boruck Stuart Preston, Alternate I. Call to Order Chair Kaiser called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. III. Invocation Mr. Hegeman gave the Invocation. IV. Roll Call of Members The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared a quorum was present. Chair Kaiser declared Morris Boruck and Stuart Preston had notified him they would not be present due to illness. V. Agenda Approval The agenda was approved by consensus. VI. Approval of Minutes Motion Mr. Gavlick moved to approve the minutes of February 8, 2006. Mr. Kull seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Meeting Minutes Veterans Advisory Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 12, 2006 VII. Comments by Chair Chair Kaiser announced the loss of a Gold Star Mother, Angelina Molina, who had been very active with the Veterans for at least twelve years. Her son was killed in service and she is buried with him at the Calverton Cemetery on Long Island, New York. She will be missed. VIII. Comments from Visitors Jennifer Johnson, Legislative Assistant to State Senator Ron Klein, declared she had come to the meeting to learn more about the proposed POW/MIA signage on Interstate Highway 95 (I- 95). Senator Klein will send a formal letter of support for the project to the VAC through Ms. LeJeune. It was hoped this letter would help get the item on a meeting agenda at the Palm Beach County League of Cities. IX. Business Items A. Presentation by Lt. Ray Altman of Boynton Beach Fire Rescue Lt. Altman is a firefighter at Boynton Beach and an artist. He created a sculpture honoring the soldiers serving in the armed forces and proposed the veterans include it in their Memorial Day ceremonies at the Boynton Beach Memorial Cemetery. A similar sculpture honoring firefighters, also created by Lt. Altman, has been traveling around the State and now resides at the Firefighters Museum in Ocala, Florida. The meeting adjourned so the members could view the sculpture in Lt. Altman's vehicle. When the meeting resumed, Lt. Altman commented it was not a typical sculpture along the lines of a "hero carrying a baby out of a burning building." It was meant to touch the hearts of those not in the armed services, who could not relate to the realities of war. Chair Kaiser thanked Lt. Altman and said the Board would discuss it and let Lt. Altman know its decision. B. Update on Call to Artists for Eternal Flame Memorial Chair Kaiser observed the project was on hold until the Arts Commission revealed the concept(s) for the project. Thanks to Commissioner Ensler and the City, there was money in the bank to pay for it. Ms. LeJeune reported the Call to Artists for the Eternal Flame Memorial had been issued and the deadline for submittals would be April 19. The project was targeted to begin in June of 2006, be completed in March of 2007, and be dedicated at the May 2007 Memorial Day ceremonies. Because this is public art, financed by the City Commission, the City's ordinance for public art governs the selection process. The Arts Commission is responsible for assembling the selection panel to choose the artist for the project. The Chair of the Arts Commission requested that Chair Kaiser and two other members of the VAC represent the VAC on the five-member selection panel. The Board concurred. Chair Kaiser declared Les McKinzie and Robert Zimmerman would serve with him on the panel. Motion Mr. Kull moved to accept the designated slate of members for the selection panel on the Eternal Flame Memorial. Mr. Gavlick seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 2 Meeting Minutes Veterans Advisory Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 12, 2006 Harvey Oyer asked how broad the search was for artists. After Ms. Lejeune read the names of numerous art organizations throughout the State and country, Mr. Oyer was satisfied. Mr. Oyer expressed the belief the success of the project was dependent on removing the resident trees and landscaping the area in a way that would be supportive of the memorial. Chair Kaiser responded the memorial would be placed on the edge of the Park on Ocean Avenue. He understood Mr. Oyer's feelings on the subject, but thought if one tree came out, they might be able to live with having the other one. Mr. Oyer feared damage from the trees to his properties in a hurricane. He favored removing the trees and replacing them with trees that would not grow taller than twenty feet high. Mr. Oyer thought it might be pOSSible to have an artist paint a mural on the side of his building. If this happened, he would favor historical depictions, including a section on the people from Boynton Beach who had served in the Armed Forces. This could also be done in the building across the street on Ocean Avenue from Mr. Oyer's offices. A museum-like place should also be set up to preserve and display the uniforms and other memorabilia as part of the project. When Ms. Lejeune had completed her reading of the major details of the Call to Artists, Chair Kaiser commented that all groups would be entitled to display their own emblems of like size and type, at their own expense, not just the American Legion as mentioned in the Call to Artists. Ms. LeJeune referred to the City's mural ordinance that would cover Mr. Oyer's mural question. Since it would overlook Veteran's Park, Chair Kaiser felt the VAC should have some input in the type of mural to be displayed. Ms. Lejeune commented since such a mural would be on a private building, it would be at the discretion of the building owner to request approval for a mural. A review panel would then consider the mural request. Since it overlooked Veteran's Park, the VAC could participate in the open forum discussion at the City Commission meeting to put their opinion on record. The following would be taken into consideration, 1) the owner's preference, 2) the recommendation by City staff, and 3) the recommendation by the VAC. As a City Board, the City would take the VAC's recommendation very seriously. C. Chair Kaiser's Visit to the Parks Department Chair Kaiser reported the Recreation & Parks Department was committed to providing the VAC all the help it could to make Veteran's Park a showplace. D. Memorial Day Celebration, May 28, 2006 Chair Kaiser reported the event would be held the Sunday before Memorial Day at 2:00 p.m. at the Boynton Beach Memorial Cemetery on Sea crest Boulevard and Woolbright Road. There would be an open house barbecue at the American Legion afterwards. On the preceding Friday at 9:00 a.m., volunteers would put flags on the graves. Volunteers are needed for this job. Volunteers should wear hats and sunscreen. The volunteers arrive at 9 a.m. and this year the date is May 26. U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Lenny Reed, 21 years of age, was a potential guest of honor and speaker. Letters of invitation will be sent to all the local politicians. Mr. Oyer felt the invitations should be sent to organizations and politicians in all of greater Boynton Beach, including Ocean Ridge and Gulfstream. A discussion of whether to invite candidates for public 3 Meeting Minutes Veterans Advisory Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 12, 2006 office ensued, but it was concluded this would not be appropriate. Chair Kaiser asked for an updated list of pertinent information on the current politicians at the local and state level. He encouraged the members to post the flyers in their communities and help publicize the event. Chair Kaiser would be advertising in all of the local newspapers. Mr. Oyer will be responsible for inviting the new Gold Star Mother as a guest of honor. E. Gold Star Mother Angelina Molina A discussion ensued about honoring the late Gold Star Mother, Angelina Molina, by declaring her Gold Star Mother Emeritus. She would no longer be on the list of honorary members, but would have this title forever and her family members would be included on ceremonial occasions whenever possible. Motion Mr. Kull moved to declare Angelina Molina Gold Star Mother Emeritus in perpetuity. Mr. McKinzie seconded the motion that passed unanimously. x. New Business Items 1) Date of Next Meeting Unless a matter or urgency arises, the only topic to be considered at the meeting will be the Eternal Flame Memorial project. Motion Mr. Kull moved to have the next meeting on June 14, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. in the Library Program Room. The motion was duly seconded and passed unanimously. 2) Update on POW/MIA Highway Project Chair Kaiser recalled a story with pictures appeared in the newspapers of Wellington, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton. He thanked State Representative Adam Hasner for his assistance in getting the project started with the Department of Transportation. When received, Senator Ron Klein's letter of support will further augment the VAC's position. Chair Kaiser was told a sign could be put up on Federal Highway tomorrow. The goal was to put the signs on a highway that went from Key West to Maine. Both I-95 and Federal Highway would qualify, but putting signs on Federal Highway should not present a political challenge. After discussion, it was concluded the size and type of the sign allowed would have an effect on whether they wanted to proceed with the Federal Highway offer or not. It was agreed the signs should be large enough to be visible. Also, a line should be allowed on the bottom to recognize the particular organization or post that purchased the sign. Referring to his experience in New York, Chair Kaiser declared every town, village, and hamlet along the route put up a pole sign. Significantly, veterans pay for all the signs. The effort to put signs on I-95 would continue, but it could be fraught with political issues. If necessary, all the veterans' organizations in the state could be mobilized to go to Tallahassee in 4 Meeting Minutes Veterans Advisory Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 12, 2006 support of it. Chair Kaiser planned a meeting to discuss this with State Representative Hasner, the Department of Transportation, and possibly Senator Ron Klein. 3) Commission Action on Board Appointments Ms. LeJeune stated the regular members and alternate members whose terms recently expired should have already been notified of their re-appointments, but for general information she listed them as follows: . David Buckner was reappointed as a Regular Member, with a term ending April 2009. . Lester McKinzie was reappointed as a Regular Member, with a term ending April 2009. . Cramer Hegeman was reappointed as an Alternate Member, with a term ending April 2007. . Harvey Oyer was reappointed as an Alternate Member, with a term ending April 2007. . Stuart Preston was reappointed as an Alternate Member, with a term ending April 2007. . Stanley Gavlick was reappointed as an Alternate Member, with a term ending April 2007. XI. Benediction, Moment of Silent Prayer Chair Kaiser offered a Benediction. XII. Adjournment The meeting was duly adjourned at 10:45 a.m. Respectfully submitted, ~~J Susan Collins Recording Secretary (041306) 5