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Minutes 03-08-07 MINUTES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADER'S NETWORKING EVENT MEETING HELD ON MARCH 8, 2007 AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE MADSEN CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FL PRESENT: Regenia Scott, Manager of Neighborhood Services Thelma Lyons, Neighborhood Services Craig Clark, Director, Boynton Beach Library Karen Abramson, Boynton Beach Library Octavia Sherrod, Manager, Community Improvement Police Chief Matt Immler Police Major Frank Briganti Police Officer Chris Crawford Attendees: Neiahborhood Joyce Mura George Moye r Carolyn Di Crisci Christina Griswold Evelyn Adams Marisa Santiago Sister Lorraine Ryan Kelsey Harris George Perry Ronald A. Molino Theresa Catery Brenda Williams Brian Miller Carol Miller Gertrude Sullivan Morton Silverstein Barbara Silverstein Phyllis Stern Chanteclair Villas (CRB and CERT) President, Sky Lake Sandalwood (President) Sandalwood Sandalwood (Vice President) Program Director, Children's Museum Coordinator, Women's Circle (BBPATCH) Curator, Children's Museum President, Seagate Legal Committee, Seagate Cedarwood Village Community Relations Board (CRB) Chairman, CRB; CERT, Village Royale Village Royale on the Green President, Boynton Terrace Hunter's Run (CERT) Hunter's Run (CERT) Hunters Run (CRB and CERT) I. Welcome and Introductions Regenia Scott, Manager of Neighborhood Services, opened the meeting at 6:51 p.m. She welcomed everyone and was pleased to meet new attendees. The purpose of this meeting was to proVide neighborhood leadership with a venue to come together to network; learn and problem-solve neighborhood issues and concerns, and work toward building stronger neighborhoods. 1 Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Leader's Networking Event Boynton Beach, FL March 8, 2007 II. Summary of Meeting on December 7, 2006 Ms. Scott confirmed that at the last meeting, many of the attendees wanted to talk about the increase in crime and the City's response to the problem. Some neighborhoods had already experienced challenges and successes they shared. The minutes of the last meeting were included in the paCkage distributed. III. New City Projects and Events A. Youth Violence Prevention Project Ms. Scott was thrilled to announce the County had awarded a $300,000 grant to the City of Boynton Beach to fund implementation of a Youth Violence Prevention Program. The program would target teens to prevent the upsurge of crime by providing alternative activities to reduce involvement in gangs and other negative choices. A steering committee would address after school programs, educational activities, social services, health issues, neighborhood support and resources. There would be sub- committees as well, and all attendees were invited to participate on these committees. Ms. Scott acknowledged the best way to improve the City was for everyone to chip in together: This was a City-wide concern, not isolated to specific areas. The target area for the Youth Violence Prevention Program initiative was Miner Road to the north, Woolbright Road to the south, Federal Highway to the east and 1-95 to the west. This area was selected after a study of youth violence crime statistics. The opening of a teen center had been considered. Unfortunately, it was determined a centralized teen center could not effectively serve teens from all neighborhoods. B. The Great American Clean-up on April 21, 2007 Ms. Scott displayed the Great American Clean-up flyer and spoke about this wonderful volunteer opportunity for every neighborhood association. She suggested that communities located near parks could volunteer to clean up in the parks. This event would also attract community youth because it provided required volunteer service hours. Supplies such as bags, t-shirts, gloves and possibly drinking water would be provided. Everyone interested in participating was invited to contact Ms. Scott. C. Other Department's May Share Karen Abramson from the Boynton Beach Library spoke about the progress being made on the construction of the new library. It was anticipated the new building would 2 Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Leader's Networking Event Boynton Beach, FL March 8, 2007 be ready by late spring. Once that building was finished, the existing building would be closed and refurbished to match the new building. Ms. Abramson invited everyone to "Remember the Holocaust" being presented April 12, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. Holocaust survivors would be speaking, showing photographs and sharing mementos. Sister Lorraine Ryan, Coordinator of the Women's Circle and the Boynton Beach Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH), announced "Hospice 101" and Stress Reduction, would be presented by Hospice of Palm Beach County on Wednesday, March 28th, 2007, at 6:15 p.m., at the Treasure Chest Early Learning Center, 101 Fifth Avenue, Boynton Beach. She also reported Mammograms for Low Income Women would be available in the Mammogram Van from Boca Raton Community Hospital, Saturday, March 17th, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., also at the Treasure Chest Early Learning Center. Additionally, a Nurse Practitioner would be present from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Phyllis Stern of Hunter's Run announced an Introduction to Plaving Golf, for elementary and middle school children, on April 29th, 2007, offered free of charge by the Education and Youth Advisory Board and Recreation and Parks, held in Hunter's Run. To sign up, please contact City Hall. Ms. Scott introduced the Community Relations Board and explained it was a City advisory board that deals with issues relative to community's well being. She suggested anything that needed to be reviewed by the City Commission should first be brought before the Community Relations Board, such as the need for housing, safety, and welfare. Brian Miller, Chairman of the Community Relations Board, highlighted the CERT Program with Chief Ness, the Beautification and Cleanup Programs, and the upcoming planting of flowers by the students at the Galaxy Elementary School. Everyone was invited to participate and to attend Community Relations Board meetings. Ms. Scott gave an overview of valuable neighborhood services. The CERT emergency response program, facilitated by the Fire Department, assisted with disaster relief, especially during natural disasters. The trained, community CERT teams extended the reach of the Fire and Police Departments during disasters, such as hurricanes. The Emergency Generator Program, provided by Neighborhood Services, provided funding up to $5,000 for neighborhoods to purchase an emergency generator and/or ice machine. And the Grant Program for Neighborhood Assistance provided money for neighborhood beautification. Additionally, the 2007 Guide to City Services, a valuable resource, was given to all attendees. 3 Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Leader's Networking Event Boynton Beach, FL March 8, 2007 IV. Presentation by Chief Immler Police Chief Matt Immler spoke regarding what could be done to improve neighborhoods. He acknowledged recent crimes had been extensively detailed in the newspapers and reported on television news. He suggested putting everything in perspective. The crime statistics of 2005 showed the largest reduction in crime ever experienced in Boynton Beach. The reduction resulted from a number of variables. Boynton Terrace disappeared that year, and when population leaves, crime goes down. Right after that, Boynton Beach experienced a couple of hurricanes. During the storms, the Police Department went into an emergency mode with approximately sixty to eighty officers on the streets at anyone time. This lasted about two months, during which there was no crime. At the same time, demographics of the baby boomer generation progressed, moving beyond the age of 35. Chief Immler explained that, according to statistics, 18 to 35 year olds commit most of the crimes. The gap that existed resulted in lower crime. Unfortunately, the population was aging beyond that generation gap, and the next generation was already moving up into the crime committing age brackets. Chief Immler advised that the factors present in 2005 were not the same in 2006. The Police Department had changed its philosophy, from the "recording of crimes" to "preventive policing". Sergeants and Lieutenants, familiar with the history and needs of their communities, now decided how and where police should be deployed. In 2006, the crime rate had decreased 26%. Crime might have seemed higher, but actually had not risen back up to the 2004 levels. In 2005, indexed crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assault, larceny, burglary) were at their lowest level of 2,426 crimes. In 2006, crimes were up to 4,810, a 4% increase. Putting these numbers in perspective, the 2004 crime total was 6,172. Crimes in Boynton Beach were, in fact, significantly below all previous crime rates indicating Boynton Beach was much safer now than ever before. The newspapers reported crime was up, but did not clarify that crime was up as compared to a drastically reduced year. Chief Immler indicated the Police Department would not be changing the way it addressed crime. Through the community policing philosophy of the Patrol Division and Community Action Teams (CAT), officers patrolled communities in a more relaxed mode, on foot and on bicycles, to better interact with neighborhood residents on the streets and in the parks. They talked to residents, got to know them and handed out Community Concern Cards. Residents became more comfortable with the pOlice and reported more incidents, thereby creating the appearance of an increased crime rate. 4 Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Leader's Networking Event Boynton Beach, FL March 8, 2007 The areas where violent crime had risen were essentially the areas targeted by the Juvenile Violence Prevention Fund. Chief Immler suggested there was no cause for alarm because Boynton Beach was getting better, a result of projects and services like those offered by Neighborhood Services. Boynton Beach was already offering excellent programs and, thanks to the efforts of Ms. Scott, the $300K grant from the County would support these efforts and more. Referring to the shooting at the Boynton Beach Mall, Chief Immler advised there had been four police officers within 50 feet of the shooting when it happened. The officers' presence had not deterred or prevented the shooting, which resulted from a chance meeting. More officers would not have prevented the shooting. In fact, the Police Department had received calls of appreciation from mall workers and residents shopping in the mall, thanking the officers for their immediate and effective response to the violence. The officers had been deployed to the mall because the police were aware and prepared for possible violence at the mall. The police had listings of every gang member in the area, and Community Action Team (CAT) members had removed four gang members with guns from the mall just two weeks before the shooting incident. Unfortunately, the criminals from the mall incident were out of jail before the arresting officers finished their shifts. Ms. Scott explained there were already enough laws and sufficient police officers to combat crime. The issue was economic and social. Alternative activities were needed to impact the moral fabric and culture within our communities to reach malnourished, uneducated and unsupervised youth. Neighborhoods needed to become engaged and find methodology to teach compassion to unite communities, so gangs would not become insulated. She reiterated that sports would be a wonderful integrator for children to get to know each other, thereby eliminating hatred and insecurity. Neighbors needed to become engaged with each other. The community of Sandalwood, for example, had formed committees to develop initiatives for social events and security. They were developing programs to bring the community together. Chief Immler remarked that gangs in Boynton Beach were being tracked long before the media blitz. There were over 200 gangs operating in Palm Beach County, and gang violence was increasing all over the country. The police were aware of the structure and location of the gangs and knew where the members lived. Out of 1,400 violent crimes, only 11 were gang related. Chief Immler opined that although this was not good, it was not time to panic either. He wanted the communities to know that Special Weapons And Tactical (SWAT) team members, under a tactical initiative, were always out there; "the neighborhood's gang", in response to the "other gang". The Police were responding proactive/yo 5 Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Leader's Networking Event Boynton Beach, FL March 8, 2007 v. Q & A Concern was expressed that the new movie theater, under construction at the Boynton Beach Mall, would become a "meeting place" for youth and bring higher crime into the area. Chief Immler guaranteed that the problem had been anticipated and measures were already being taken, such as ongoing dialog with the owner of the theater, for preventative security. Some of the communities represented articulated the increased communication with the police officers within their communities had already helped. Crime had been reduced and crack houses had been shut down. Ms. Scott stressed neighbors and business people needed to stay involved and continue to communicate with the Police to get things done. Programs such as the Citizens Police Academy and Citizens on Patrol gave community leaders the opportunity to actively become involved in their communities. Recently, community involvement had helped the Police shut down prostitution at two massage parlors in the immediate area. Ms. Scott cautioned that without awareness of what was happening in our communities, we could not expect to change the problems or be protected. Ms. Scott stressed alternative programs were needed for the critical population of youths 13 years old and above, to keep them from getting involved with the wrong crowd. There were currently few programs available in easily accessible locations for that age group. Alternative programs needed to be placed within communities so the teens could "get there". These teens would be the primary focus of current initiatives. Some of the associations attending had heard rumors of a takeover of the Boynton Beach Police Department by the West Palm Beach Sheriff's Office. Chief Immler dispelled that rumor and suggested association leaders contact him directly regarding any future issues or concerns. Sister Lorraine Ryan suggested that the old Crime Watch program might work to attract young adults, twenty to thirty year olds. Chief Immler indicated the Crime Watch program had gone by the wayside after September 11th, 2001. One of the problems with the original Crime Watch program was it did not offer anonymity. With the increased use of cell phones, caller ID would again make anonymity an issue. However, this suggestion would be considered. Major Frank Briganti, Boynton Beach Police Officer, spoke about the new philosophy at the Police Department and identified some of the tools used to determine community deployment. Crime statistics identified high-risk areas, experienced and knowledgeable officers evaluated community feedback to identify potential problems and the postage- 6 Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Leader's Networking Event Boynton Beach, FL March 8, 2007 paid Community Concern Cards kept Officers apprised of concerns within the communities. These cards facilitated anonymity. Major Briganti handed out stacks of cards to be distributed by community leaders. He also noted that the City was divided into four quadrants, and officers were deployed and rotated within the same quadrant to maintain familiarity, though not always deployed in the same neighborhoods. Computerized systems installed in police vehicles facilitated the availability of information for all officers. Ms. Scott recommended the mass distribution of Community Concern Cards. She put out a call to action for all attendees to spread the word and the cards to individuals, churches and organizations City-wide. She distributed "Heart of Boynton" tote bags to first time attendees. VI. Networking Reception Ms. Scott thanked everyone for attending and welcomed everyone to enjoy the networking reception, food and refreshments. The meeting was adjourned at 8:21 p.m. ~,~j (~~. -- Robin Hem~~~~ Recording Secretary , U 03-08-07 7