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Minutes 03-10-10 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010, AT 7:00 P.M. IN CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Brian Miller, Acting Chair Joyce Mura Victor Norfus Phyllis Stern Stanley Sorgman Regina Waterhouse Floyd Zonenstein Sandy Mayer, Alternate Thelma Lyons, Board Liaison ABSENT: Blanche Hearst-Girtman Doris Jackson, Alternate I. Openings A. Call to Order Brian Miller sat as Chair and called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. B. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag II. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll. A quorum was present. Mr. Norfus advised he was contacted by Ms. Hearst-Girtman who was given a medical absence by City Manager, Kurt Bressner. Chair Miller welcomed new member, Sandy Mayer. Mr. Mayer presented himself and his background. He lived in Florida for nine years and in Hunters Run, for seven years full time. He was active in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for five years. He was recently re-elected in his section of Hunters Run and had always been active. He considered himself a dedicated, ethical person and he was appreciative of his appointment to the Board. III. Approval of Minutes from January 13, 2010 and February 10, 2010 Meetings Motion Ms. Mura moved to approve the January 13, 2010 minutes as presented. Mr. Zonenstein seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 1 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 10, 2010 Motion Ms. Stern moved to approve the February 10, 2010 minutes. Mr. Zonenstein seconded the motion. It was noted Mr. Sorgman was present for the February 10, 2010 meeting; however, his name was not listed. Ms. Stern amended her motion to include the correction. Mr. Zonenstein agreed to the amendment. A vote was taken and unanimously passed. IV. Approval of Agenda 1. Additions, Deletions, Corrections There was agreement to include an update of the Heritage Fest. There was also a correction to the agenda to change the word "sideways" to "sidewalks." 2. Adoption Motion Mr. Zonenstein moved to accept the agenda with the amendments. Mr. Mayer seconded the motion that unanimously passed. V. Public Audience INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO 3 MINUTE PRESENTATIONS Steve Veeson, 19095 Winslow Terrace, Boca Raton, and his partner, Alecia Cress were present at the meeting. They were looking to start a Little Caesars Pizza franchise in Boynton Beach. The venture would create about 25-30 part-time jobs and they hoped to open in June. Their prospective location was at the Publix Shopping Center south of the mall, on Congress and Boynton Beach Boulevard. Mark Karageorge, 240A Main Boulevard, thanked the entrepreneurs for deciding to locate in Boynton Beach. On behalf of the Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Group, he invited them to become Chamber of Commerce members, and advised the Chamber of Commerce could help them market their business, with the ribbon cutting and networking with other members of the Chamber. Mr. Karageorge thanked the Board for supporting the Heritage Fest, and he commended Board member Norfus for his work and the Heart of Boynton Committee for their work in regard to the event. He complimented the way the committee 2 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 10,2010 interfaced with the City for the event and he noted Risk Management, the Police and Fire Departments did an excellent job. Ms. Stern expressed she was disappointed because she thought the Community Relations Board would have a presence at the event. She commented other than Mr. Norfus and herself, the Board was not represented. Mr. Miller advised he was present. Ms. Stern expressed the table was not there, and after waiting awhile, had to leave. She complimented Mr. Norfus on a wonderful job on the event, but expressed the Board did not participate. Mr. Miller explained Mr. Norfus gave him brochures to distribute, which he did for an hour and a half. Mr. Norfus clarified he, Ms. Stern and Mr. Miller were present but they did not have a table. Ms. Waterhouse explained she sent an email and copied the members asking for commitments who would be there, where the table should be located, and at what time, but only Ms. Stern responded. She suggested the Board be more organized in the manner it approached things. Mr. Norfus noted the arrangements were a little rushed and he agreed to be in charge of the booth next year and schedule members to man it. Ms. Stern also commented there were barricades to pass when entering the festival, with the police monitoring the area. She found the police officers hostile and difficult to people trying to enter the festival. She had two children with her and her husband. She explained there was inappropriate language used and she wanted it on record in case another incident occurred. Mr. Norfus clarified there was an issue with the police, but he was unaware whether it had to do with the way the police responded to the citizen. He noted people were trying to drive down the barricades. There was also an incident when the event ended, the police immediately removed the barricades and cars instantly entered the roadway. There was a citizen confrontation with the vehicles and then the police had a confrontation with the citizens. He thought the police may have been a bit rude or overly aggressive, but he acknowledged they opened the streets and were attempting to keep the vehicles off them. The streets should have been closed off a little longer to allow pedestrians to get out of the way. Mr. Norfus advised he had heard people were treated rudely as they were trying to come down the street. A phased approach was suggested for next year. Mr. Norfus also advised this aspect of the festival would be handled differently next year. Mr. Miller explained the only interaction he saw with the police was to say hello. He suggested Mr. Norfus' summation be shared with the Police Chief; however, Mr. Norfus had already done 50. He further suggested the street be kept closed 30 minutes after the event. Mr. Mayer noted many organizations debrief themselves after a function and he urged Mr. Norfus to create a committee, with members of the Community Relations Board, to structure the program for the next year. 3 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 10,2010 On a different note, the program, cheerleaders, history report and other events were excellent. Ms. Stern felt it was a valuable component to the City's yearly programs. Carol Mahoney, 737 SW 1st Avenue, announced the new Mayor wanted to start using funds allocated through the Community Redevelopment Agency to the Heart of Boynton to be spent there. She indicated the residents wanted to start having concerts on MLK Boulevard. Currently, the Community Redevelopment Agency held Movies on the Avenue and concerts formerly held at Oceanfront Park, were now at the Schoolhouse Children's Museum amphitheater. She noted the amphitheater was established for the children, not adults. She thought if the Board was interested in seeing more activities on MLK Boulevard, they could look into it. Mr. Norfus had spoken to the City Commission about having a band on MLK Boulevard. Chair Miller expressed his personal opinion about the activities in the Heart of Boynton. Ms. Mahoney implored the Board to speak to the Community Redevelopment Agency about funding. Ms. Stern also expressed her opinion about having multi-faceted educational and tourism-based activities for the area. She suggested something be done on a grand scale that would bring in more grants and money to the area. Ms. Stern was unaware of the disposition of the marina/aquarium and biology projects she spoke of. There was discussion there was a lot of money available, and Mayor-Elect Rodriguez would be looking into getting the community their funds. Chair Miller requested some of the members work with Mr. Norfus to pursue such matters in the Heart of Boynton. Mr. Mayer, Mr. Miller and Mr. Norfus would work on the effort. VI. Old Business A. Report - Sidewalk Concerns - Mr. Miller Mr. Miller spoke to Jeff Livergood, Director of Public Works, and was expecting a report back soon on what their plans were to address the situation. The report would be a written report distributed at the Board meeting. B. Report - Haiti Relief Effort (Churches) - Mr. Miller & Mr. Zonenstein Mr. Zonenstein advised he and Mr. Miller visited the churches and spoke with people. While he was patrolling in his car, he met nurses on their way to Haiti, and he stayed and ensured their loading and unloading of items to go to Haiti was uninterrupted. Mr. Miller advised the Haitian people were appreciative of what the Board was doing, Several of his neighbors bought articles to Fire Station No.5, which were shipped to Haiti. It was further advised that an individual whom Mr. Miller spoke with, who returned 4 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 10, 2010 from Haiti expressed they were starting to see a glimmer of hope and the worst was behind them. C. Report - Galaxy Elementary School- Mr. Miller Mr. Miller advised the school board would be reconstructing the school on the ball fields, currently in front of the school. The ball field, the bike path and a walking route will be built closer to 1-95 and the school would be constructed more east of 1-95. The school would be brand new: it was simply being switched to the park location and the park to the school location through a land swap arrangement. D. Report - Small Business Opportunity There was no report given on this item and prior discussions reflected the task belonged with the Community Redevelopment Agency. Ms. Waterhouse advised the Board her bank would be co-sponsoring a seminar with the Palm Beach Post that would have information about the different programs available through the Small Business Agency. Administration. No date had been set, but the event would be publicized. Ms. Waterhouse advised she would make the Board and the Community Redevelopment Agency members aware of the event which would be held at the Palm Beach Post facility. A news article would be printed in the paper before the event advising what was happening to small community banks and why no lending was occurring in the community. The small business community was struggling and there were programs available. The event was to make businesses aware of them. Ms. Lyons distributed a release from the Community Redevelopment Agency about the three small business development programs they offer. Chair Miller suggested the information be put on as many community channels as possible because many people do not get the Palm Beach Post. Ms. Lyons noted three classes were scheduled April 14, July 7 and September 29, 2010. Additional information could be obtained via the Community Redevelopment Agency website and the informational packet she distributed. On a different matter, Ms. Stern announced each year Hunters Run offers a Tennis Carnival as part of the Community Relations Association. The event is held in conjunction with the Education and Youth Advisory Board and was scheduled for Saturday, April 17, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. Three tennis professional from the community gave clinics for elementary and middle school youth. The Tennis Carnival was successful and ongoing for the past eight years. Occasionally, the Community Relations Board offered something to enhance the event. Ms. Stern appealed to the Board to be responsible for some type of snack or beverage. 5 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 10,2010 Motion Ms. Stern moved the Community Relations Board be a part of the Tennis Carnival and contribute to the event with two cases of water. Mr. Mayer seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Ms. Stern advised she would contact Steve Waldman, Chair of the Education and Youth Advisory Board, of the Community Relations Board's contribution. She also inquired if there were any trinkets that could be supplied from the bank Ms. Waterhouse worked for. Ms. Waterhouse responded they would provide something. An update would be given at the next meeting. It was noted participants had to be signed in prior to 2:00 p.m. and be accompanied by an adult. The Board members were invited to attend the event. VII. New Business A. Board accountability and related protocols - Regina Waterhouse Ms. Waterhouse requested clarification. She was concerned about the January minutes being received in February and explained it was problematic. As a new member, they need to be very clear who is responsible for follow up. Chair Miller explained for the first time ever, the Clerk's Office was backed up with all minutes. The election was held and the minutes were not issued in a timely fashion for the first time in 10 years. It was pointed out the sidewalk issue was lingering, a report was pending and the complainant was expecting a resolution of the matter. She expressed it said a lot about the Board's accountability. She indicated she was not able to follow up because she did not get the minutes. Ms. Lyons distributed a citizen's grievance card residents could bring to the Board and one of the Board members would be assigned to investigate and follow up on the matter. The information would be brought back to the Board and the individual raising the concern. Ms. Waterhouse thought the card should be scanned and put on the City website so viewers could see the concerns that were expressed and what the resolution was. She thought it would be a great thing to advise the public a business was interested in coming into the area that would create 25 to 30 jobs. She expressed it would keep residents aware of what was occurring around them. Ms. Lyons expressed the City has a website citizens can log onto. Ms. Waterhouse expressed the Board should have their own corner in the community that could be more reflective of the Board's purpose. There was agreement in this regard and it was suggested the Board have their own blog. An action item list could be developed to detail what was requested, when it was taken care of, and when it was removed. Having a hyperlink to the card was suggested and members could list their email addresses so they could be contacted. Ms. Waterhouse agreed to list her email on the site, and the Chair of the 6 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL March 10,2010 committee could be listed as well. A discussion of who the Chair of the committee was took place. One member was uncomfortable with a prior exchange between the Acting Chair and the Board Liaison about the issue. It was noted, however, that each April the Board elects the Chair and Vice- Chair. Accordingly, the item would be put on the April agenda next month. Mr. Sorgman inquired if there was any follow up on the letter regarding the proposed location of the police station. Should the issue arise again, he thought the Board should be prepared to voice their objections to the City Commission. The members discussed the Fire Department services and the members thought they were amazing. Mr. Sorgman gave kudos to the Response Team regarding a recent incident he was involved in. It was noted the average response time across Boynton Beach was 3.5 minutes. There was further dialogue about Fire Station No. 5 being the Emergency Operations Center and the location of the Police Department. There was no resolution of whether the Police Department should be located there or not, rather the dialogue was more of the members expressing their personal opinions. Motion Mr. Norfus moved the grievance card be the first method of tracking issues that come before the Board, assigning individuals from the Board to them and responding back. Ms. Stern seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Ms. Lyons agreed to provide cards to the members. Ms. Waterhouse volunteered to put together a procedure, including how to post it on the City's website, and spearhead the effort. B. Set April 14th meeting agenda VIII. Adjournment: Motion Ms. Stern moved to adjourn. Mr. Norfus seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting properly adjourned at 8:14 p.m. CMVJU/M OhuJ.L Catherine Cherry J Recording Secretary 032810 7