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Minutes 06-14-06 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON JUNE 14, 2006 AT 7:00 P.M. Present: Brian Miller, Chair Eddie Mitchell, Vice Chair Alfred Levy Joyce Mura Stanley Sorgman Brenda Lee Williams Blanche Hearst-Girtman Regenia Scott, Neighborhood Services Manager Absent: Gregg Orenstein Phyllis Stern I. Call Meeting to Order - Pledge of Allegiance Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Ms. Hearst-Girtman led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. II. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll call and declared a quorum present. III. Recognition of Visitors Chair Miller acknowledged Deputy Chief Ness who was present. IV. Approval of Agenda Motion A motion was made by Ms. Williams to approve the agenda with a corrected meeting date of June 14, 2006. There were no objections to the correction and the motion carried by consensus. V. Approval of Minutes from April 1 0, 2006 Meeting The board discussed the motion on page four to approve the letter of thanks to the City Commission. Motion A motion was made by Mr. Levy to accept the minutes showing the correction to reflect the motion passed and Ms. Hearst-Girtman, Mr. Levy and Mr. Sorgman voted affirmatively. Mr. Sorgman seconded the motion. The Recording Secretary called the roll and the motion unanimously passed. Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida June 14, 2006 VI. Announcements There were no announcements. VII. New Business b.) Implementation of the CERT Program (Taken out of order) Deputy Chief Ness announced they held their first organizational meeting regarding the CERT program which is a county program that utilizes citizen volunteers. Deputy Chief Ness indicated personal responsibility during a crisis is being stressed. The CERT Team slogan is "Neighbors Helping Neighbors". Using green and red ribbons was proposed for the program. A red ribbon would be tied around the doorknob before a storm, indicating the resident is participating in the program and will remain in the home during the storm. Once the storm has passed, if the resident is injured or cannot get to the door, the red ribbon would remain on the doorknob. If the resident does not require assistance, the resident changes the ribbon from red to green. The community volunteer canvases the community in search of red ribbons and reports a request for assistance to the next level up. Deputy Chief Ness indicated the actual color of the ribbon used in the individual communities may vary, but the volunteer who will canvas the community will be aware of the significance of the colors. He reported the Community Relations Board could assist the CERT program by helping to create public awareness of the program. If a community becomes interested, a trained CERT volunteer will visit the community and make a presentation. Deputy Chief Ness further indicated that with a major hurricane, emergency personnel may not be immediately available. This program assists the communities in taking care of themselves in the interim. A discussion ensued about some of the activities undertaken in the board members' communities and it was noted a storm event brings communities together. The program is a grass-roots effort" that could strengthen and enlarge Homeowner's Associations (HOA's). The program fosters friendships and creates a positive outcome from a negative event. Training for the program lasts eight to nine weeks. The mandate of the board is to create community awareness and Deputy Chief Ness was looking for the Community Relations Board (CRB) to get the word out. Every neighborhood should have a plan, including those that do not have a HOA. Information could be relayed to churches and other places of worship. Once the word is out, the Fire Department will send a trained CERT volunteer to the interested association to do the training. The CERT team members will have portable radios to contact Emergency Services after a storm event. Mr. Levy indicated once a community accepts the concept, the program could be easily implemented. Mr. Sorgman indicated he participated in the CERT program and it assisted him during Hurricane Wilma. It was noted CRB member, Joyce Mura, was a member of CERT before she joined the board and the CERT subcommittee is not limited to four members; rather, the whole board could volunteer. Deputy Chief Ness indicated he was looking for support from the CRB for the program. He invited the members to an organizational meeting on June 26th, at the Madsen 2 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida June 14, 2006 Center at 7 p.m. and announced on Saturday there will be a CERT booth at the Boynton Beach Mall to create awareness of the program. The training is free and there are various programs available to volunteer for such as the Blue Roof program for FEMA. a.) Reschedule planning retreat Neighborhood Services Manager, Regenia Scott indicated the planning retreat needed to be rescheduled. Since even special meetings have to be recorded, she was not certain whether personnel from the Clerk's office would be available on a Saturday. Ms. Scott recommended having the planning retreat as part of the regular meeting. The CERT program and other topics indicated on the pre-agenda sheet, could be discussed. c.) Summer Break Historically, the board has not met in the month of August. The board discussed having the planning meeting in July, and having summer break in August. Motion Mr. Mitchell moved to have the planning meeting in July and summer break in August. Ms. Williams seconded the motion. Ms. Scott elaborated the ordinance would be reviewed at this meeting. More specifically, the mandate of the board and role of its members would be reviewed. It was anticipated the meeting would be a lengthy meeting. There was consensus the board would meet one half hour earlier at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting would be a dinner meeting. Ms. Scott will reserve a conference room. Chair Miller announced he would not be present for the July meeting. Motion Mr. Levy moved to have the summer break in July and the planning workshop in August. Mr. Mitchell seconded the motion. The Recording Secretary called the roll and the motion unanimously carried. The next meeting will be held on August 9,2006 at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Sorgman announced the Boynton Beach Police Department sent a team of officers to his complex. He indicated this created a lot of goodwill and made a great impression on the residents of the community. His community will send a thank you note to the Chief of Police and thought the effort was community relations at its best. Chair Miller presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Joyce Mura. Ms. Mura was unable to attend the Board Appreciation Dinner and accept the certificate from the City Commission in person. Chair Miller conveyed the appreciation of the City Commission to Ms. Mura for her efforts. 3 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, Florida June 14, 2006 x. Adjournment Motion There being no further business, a motion was made by Mr. Levy to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Ms. Williams and unanimously carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 4