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Minutes 07-13-11 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2011, IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Regina Waterhouse, Chair Victor Norfus, Vice Chair Ben Lowe Phyllis Stern Floyd Zonenstein John Huntington, Board Liaison ABSENT: Joyce Mura I. Openings A. Call to Order Chair Waterhouse called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. B. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. II. Roll Call Roll call was taken with the above members noted as present. III. Approval of Minutes: None to re\'iew. Mav 11. 2011 Chair Waterhouse commented the May minutes were previously distributed and the agenda should be corrected to reflect this. She reviewed the May meeting minutes. Motion Ms. Stern moved to approve the minutes as presented. Mr. Zonenstein seconded the motion that unanimously passed. IV. Announcements None. 1 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL July 13, 2011 V. Approval of Agenda Vice Chair Norfus commented there was an issue in the INCA neighborhood. Due to a series of break-ins, residents wanted to close streets coming from Federal Highway into the neighborhood and make 10th Street the only way in and out. There was agreement this item would be added to Item VIII. New Business, INCA Neighborhood. VI. Public Audience None. VII. Old Business A. Transportation options follow up B. Finance Advisory Board follow up C. Advisory Board Candidate Recruitment follow up Chair Waterhouse added recruitment of new members to the agenda under VII. Old Business. After last month's lack of a quorum, she challenged each member to recruit one member. She was also interested in having business owners serve on the Board as they were connected to the community. She commented Joanne Slobodnik was connected to the business community and she had introduced her to the owner of the Dive Shop by Two Georges and a restaurant owner. The restaurant owner had a problem because she was promised signage and access to the parking garage for her customers, which had not occurred. She thought it would be very interesting to hold a meeting at the restaurant to see how many people would come. Chair Waterhouse felt they needed to get the business community involved, as there was much occurring with the City. Ms. Stern inquired if the Community Relations Board (Community Relations Board) could make a presentation to the Rotary Club or Chamber of Commerce to which Chair Waterhouse responded they could. Further discussion followed and an inquiry was made if there were any videos of the CRB or presentation materials detailing what the Advisory Boards do for the City. Chair Waterhouse did not know but was interested in ascertaining whether other Boards had them. It was also noted that in the past, the Board had tables at the mall. Chair Waterhouse responded they could add that to the list of recruitment tools. Officer Huntington did not think anyone would be opposed to presentations since it would detail the purpose of the Board. If they created a video, Chair Waterhouse would put together a Powerpoint presentation to be used as a handout. It was noted the brochure needed to be updated and it would include what was required to become a member of the Board. 2 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL July 13, 2011 Mr. Lowe inquired if there was a way to put an announcement in the paper and inform the public of the Board openings at the Commission meetings. Discussion followed the meetings had been advertised in the paper. Chair Waterhouse commented a follow-up phone call to the paper to ensure it was published was all that was required. The Board agreed to pursue this avenue in September. Additionally, Utility bill statements could include an advertisement for volunteers to serve on the CRB and it was anticipated two months notice to the Department was needed. Officer Huntington pointed out the City website lists information on each of the Boards. It discussed vacancies, the purpose of the Board, and the minutes and agenda are posted. The CRB had not provided information to the website for updating. He suggested the members visit the City website. Chair Waterhouse noted the Financial Advisory Committee had detailed information posted and inquired if the minutes could be posted on the website. Officer Huntington recalled at the October 13th meeting, Ms. LeJeune spoke and outlined the purview of the Community Relations Board. Publications, Section 8.6, indicated the minutes are to be forwarded to the City Commission within 30 days of the meeting. Publishing the meeting minutes to the media is not permitted by the Code, and for that reason, there is no assumption it was allowable. Chair Waterhouse inquired why the Financial Advisory Committee had their minutes published, which were explicit. Ms. Stern suggested the minutes be modified and published as information from the Board. Chair Waterhouse recalled a form used by the Financial Advisory Committee and instead of minutes, they would use the form for each topic. Officer Huntington commented the members should review the minutes of October 13th and he agreed to provide copies. It also contained information about soliciting sponsorships without the City's approval. Ms. Stern noted the Education and Youth Advisory Board solicited funds. The Bob Borovy Award given by the Recreation and Parks Board received donations and raised funds for the award. Chair Waterhouse commented those Boards had received approval to partake in those activities. Chair Waterhouse asked if the members had a chance to review the statement she sent last month. She noted she received feedback from two individuals and she would like further comment on it so it could be published. Vice Chair Norfus commented the brochure did not mention how many people were on the Board; however, Chair Waterhouse noted it detailed how many regular and alternate positions there were and how many openings. Chair Waterhouse requested page one of the brochure be posted on the website as it provided information. Chair Waterhouse commented she would find someone to sponsor the printing of the brochure. Ms. Stern inquired if there were any dental clinics available to individuals who did not have the ability to pay. She was advised to contact the Delray Health Center to obtain information on free services. 3 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL July 13, 2011 Mr. Lowe noted the Board had some responsibility about recommending how resources were being allocated. He thought there was interest in the community and inquired if another line could be added to the brochure. Chair Waterhouse wanted to consult with the Financial Advisory Committee first. D. Marketing the Community Relations Board: Sample brochure Chair Waterhouse requested the members come up with at least one presentation they would like to see. Chair Waterhouse had two suggestions: one was the Financial Advisory Committee and the other was a representative in Boynton Beach who works for Commissioner Shelley Vana. The representative was part of the Palm Beach County Business Development effort and he could speak and identify what resources were available. The Board could piggyback on that and advertise the presentations on the website which could encourage the public to come to the meeting. Vice Chair Norfus commented Brian Miller and Doris Jackson became involved with the Board through a community forum. Mr. Lowe inquired about the types of presentation to create. Chair Waterhouse explained it should be a presentation that would attract the public. She suggested attending a City Commission meeting and listening to concerns raised by the attendees. Ms. Stern noted she had already reported a problem at Renaissance Commons. Another suggestion was to piggyback the County's Ethics Ordinance requirements for the training and determine what the City was doing to attract business to the area. Another suggestion was to have the mall manager update the community about the Boynton Beach Mall. E. Proposed Guest Speakers Officer Huntington suggested having a public speaker two or three times a year. By getting a speaker at a meeting, the Board could announce the purpose of the Board to the audience. Palm Beach County has a Speakers Bureau that could be utilized, and Channel 12 or 5 could speak about hurricane preparedness and what shelters are available. He suggested advertising the topic a month in advance and he offered to investigate using the marquee sign in front of City Hall. The brochure addresses health, safety and welfare. Safety includes anything that would advise how to protect oneself and their property. The Boynton Beach Police Department has a great deal of knowledge on protection against sexual predators on the internet, internet safety and identify theft. A CERT or Citizens Police Academy presentation could be made. When the Police discuss identity theft, they receive a great response. They utilized the media and 110 people attended. The Board could also bring a speaker in lieu of its general meeting. Chair Waterhouse suggested this be a goal once per quarter. 4 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL July 13, 2011 VIII. New Business A. City Manager Resignation There was brief discussion Kurt Bressner, City Manager, had resigned his position. B. INCA Vice Chair Norfus owns property in the INCA area and he reported the area had experienced a series of break-ins over the last couple of months. One resident suggested closing roads coming off Federal Highway near 7th, 8th and 9th Streets and making 10th the only way into the neighborhood. Officer Huntington explained they had a meeting with Jeff Livergood, Director of Public Works, Code Enforcement, and the Police Chief and they discussed road closures, round-abouts, speed humps, and other things that would deter traffic. They did a study to find out about closure of the roads and what effect it would have, but did not receive a favorable response from public safety because Police and Fire had to use other roads to reach 911 calls. He did not think City staff satisfied the residents' needs for what they were looking for. Another meeting was scheduled on the 23rd. It did not appear that any road closures or roundabouts would occur. He was unsure if one-way roads could occur. Public Safety sent an email to Jeff Livergood and he responded the issue was addressed with INCA and he would not attend the meeting. Vice Chair Norfus explained flyers were distributed about making two of the roads exit only and one road entrance-only, but did not know if that was addressed. Officer Huntington commented that idea was something only Mr. Livergood could look into and answer. If it is a one-way road, it could limit access. The Police Department studied Village on the Green and advised them to close off some of the entrances to the parking lot. If police responded there, it was easier to catch offenders because there are less exit points. Round-abouts help, but there are bigger issues with crime studies. They had to look at other things which could be affected. Vice Chair Norfus commented a presentation depicting where most of the crimes occurred used to be made once a year. Officer Huntington responded he had that information available. Vice Chair Norfus requested that information be provided for the INCA area and for all calls for service. Officer Huntginton suggested a member of the Community Relations Board attend the meeting and alert the residents the CRB is available to assist with resolving differences and invite them to come to meetings to express their needs to the CRB. The CRB will fill out the form and submit it to the City Commission and City Attorney to hopefully include it on the agenda. Just mentioning to INCA the CRB is their voice for the City as opposed to having three minutes to speak at a Commission meeting is effective. 5 Meeting Minutes Community Relations Board Boynton Beach, FL July 13, 2011 Homeowner Association meetings are held throughout the City. It would be a great opportunity for the CRB to attend and address what the Board could do for the community as a voice. The Community Relations Board may not necessarily have the solution, but they could invite residents to come to the CRB meeting to express the issue. Vice Chair Norfus planned to attend the INCA meeting. He pointed out the INCA and the Heart of Boynton meetings occur on the third Monday of the month. At the next HOB meeting, State Representative Chris Miller would be present to provide answers to questions raised at the previous meeting. Vice Chair Norfus requested another Board member attend one of the meetings. Chair Waterhouse agreed to attend the HOB meeting held at the Carolyn Sims Center at 6:30 p.m. He noted the INCA meeting is held at the Senior Center at 7 p.m. On a different matter, Floyd Zonenstein advised former member Brian Miller was seriously ill and undergoing treatment. He was not doing well. Ms. Stern agreed to send a card on behalf of the Community Relations Board. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Mr. Zonenstein moved to adjourn. Vice Chair Norfus seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. d~ll QkvLU Catherine Cherry d Recording Secretary 071811 6