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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 9/1/2010 Meeting Minutes CITY OF GLENDALE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMISSION ON NEIGHBORHOODS Glendale City Hall - Room B-3 Wednesday, September 1, 2010 6:00pm MEMBERS PRESENT: Sharon Sprague, Chair Vickie Loya, Vice Chair Jo Ann Caufield Sharon Heatwole-Chicks Bill Jocewicz Judy Atkins Sharon Brown Matthew Versluis Frank Hinds Barbara Cole MEMBERS ABSENT: Hugh Leonardo STAFF PRESENT: Matt Cohrs, Neighborhood Partnership Administrator Angie Wilkie, Neighborhood Services Coordinator Josie Romero, Neighborhood Services Coordinator I. Call to Order Chair Sprague called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. II. Roll Call Chair Sprague conducted roll call and noted that Commissioner Leonardo was absent. III. Approval of Minutes - August 7, 2010 Commissioner Loya motioned to approve the August 7, 2010 meeting minutes as written. Commissioner Atkins made the second. The motion passed 10 - 0. IV. Business from the Floor None. V. Vineyard Church Partnership Mr. Cohrs introduced Pastor Dave Johnson and Mr. Jim Sumney of the Vineyard Church, located at 6250 W. Peoria Avenue. This year, the Vineyard is celebrating 25 years as a congregation. Mr. Cohrs listed various projects and events in which the Vineyard Church has partnered with the City of Glendale, including the following: • October 23, 2010 Rock-n-Roll Paint-A-Thon: The Vineyard Church has annually brought out a group of volunteers to participate in this event. Four homes are scheduled to be painted this year in the East Catlin Court Neighborhood which brings the total houses painted to date for the event to fifteen. • February 26, 2011 - Serve Day: The Vineyard Church will participate as it has graciously done in the past. • June 2010 - Leadership Forum: The Vineyard Church hosted the annual event for the first time this year. • Adopt-A-Neighborhood Program: This is a relatively new program which Mr. Cohrs credited Pastor Dave with creating, when Pastor Dave suggested that the Vineyard Church adopt the East Catlin Court Neighborhood. Mr. Cohrs is now working to encourage other neighborhood "adoptions." Citizens Advisory Commission on Neighborhoods Meeting - Minutes September 1, 2010 Page 2 of 4 • Homeless Connect Event: This event is a gathering at the Vineyard Church whereby the homeless can find out about the many services available to them. Approximately forty agencies set up booths or tables at the event to distribute information. This is a very successful event for a hard to reach population. Ms. Diana Colby, an East Catlin Court neighborhood leader, praised Pastor Dave and Mr. Sumney for the wonderful volunteer work performed in the community. Other East Catlin Court residents were in attendance in support of the Vineyard Church as well. Ms. Colby commented that it can be hard for momentum in a neighborhood to get going and the Vineyard Church has helped greatly with this task. Ms. Colby was very appreciative of Pastor Dave and his staff. Pastor Dave thanked Ms. Colby and Mr. Cohrs for their kind words. Pastor Dave noted that he was very impressed with Glendale staff as to how well organized staff was and how thoughtful and concerned staff was about the residents of the city. Pastor Dave stressed the importance of the Vineyard Church being service-minded and relevant to the community. Pastor Dave commented that it is the goal of the Vineyard Church to make an impact on the community. Pastor Dave feels that there is always more to be done in a neighborhood and all suggestions are welcome. Mr. Sumney also thanked staff for being a wonderful, reliable partner. Mr. Sumney stated that when working on initial projects in the East Catlin Court Neighborhood, the Church would bring out food for the volunteers and also for the residents. Now, many residents bring out food once they see the projects beginning. Mr. Sumney noted that this was just one example of how the residents are showing their appreciation and also bonding with each other. Pastor Dave shared a few stories of volunteer projects and how they have impacted lives of the residents. Pastor Dave mentioned that the Vineyard Church runs a food bank, a clothes closet for the needy and a back-to-school outreach whereby over 500 backpacks and school supplies were given to needy children. Mr. Sumney added that the Vineyard Church distributed over 800 Thanksgiving dinners last year. Mr. Sumney stated that the Church will continue to perform this type of outreach in the future. Ms. Colby commented that one obstacle in the neighborhood is pride. Ms. Colby explained that some residents are too prideful to ask for help with house painting or other major repairs. Mr. Cohrs mentioned that it was important to continue to build relationships with the residents in order to break down walls in the form of pride or even trust. Mr. Cohrs noted that he is now working with Faith Bible Church on an Adopt-A- Neighborhood program with Granada Estates. Mr. Cohrs stated that the city of Glendale and other organizations have tight budgets right now, but by working together, funds can be leveraged to accomplish great things. Commissioner Heatwole-Chicks wondered if smaller churches could partner with the Vineyard Church on some of these projects or obtain information regarding how to start up a volunteer group. Pastor Dave replied that the Vineyard would be happy to include or provide other churches with any information available. Citizens Advisory Commission on Neighborhoods Meeting - Minutes September 1, 2010 Page 3 of 4 Ms. Colby suggested inviting representatives from other churches out to a house painting event so that the representatives could see what the projects entail and also see the impact on the residents. Mr. Cohrs noted that this is currently being done, but staff will continue to look for other opportunities. Mr. Cohrs thanked Pastor Dave, Mr. Sumney and the residents from East Catlin Court for attending the meeting and for their hard work and dedication to the community. VI. 2010-2011 Commission Work Plan Mr. Cohrs stated that due to the absence of the grants program, a new direction for the Commission was needed for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. At the August Commission Retreat, comments and feedback on the Commission direction were received an included in a revised Work Plan. Mr. Cohrs distributed the revised Work Plan for review by the Commissioners. Mr. Cohrs explained that the proposed Work Plan has two main focus areas: Neighborhood Capacity Building and Development and Community Partnerships and Events. Mr. Cohrs provided detailed Commission action items and detailed Staff action items for each focus area. Chair Sprague suggested prioritization of the action items. Commissioner Jocewicz commented that one of the hurdles with the action items is finding emerging neighborhood leaders. Mr. Cohrs agreed and stated that this could be a goal for the year. Commissioner Atkins asked for clarification of partnering with other Commissions. Mr. Cohrs explained that soon there will be a meeting with all of the City of Glendale Commission Chairs and Vice Chairs. The Chairs and Vice Chairs will network and determine if there are any overlaps in Commission responsibilities, any gaps or any areas of potential partnering. Commissioner Heatwole-Chicks suggested that the Commissioners take time to review the focus areas and provide comments to Mr. Cohrs. After further discussion, Chair Sprague felt that the Commissioners were in agreement on the Work Plan as presented. Chair Sprague suggested that the Commissioners inform Mr. Cohrs about areas of interest prior to the next meeting. Additional feedback could be sent to Mr. Cohrs at that time as well. Commissioner Hinds motioned to approve the 2010-2011 Commission Work Plan as presented with the stipulation that individual feedback from Commissioners be included by Mr. Cohrs as appropriate. Commissioner Brown made the second. The motion passed 10 - 0. VII. Review of Robert's Rules of Order Mr. Cohrs stated that it was important for the Commission to have specific protocol and procedures for public meetings. Mr. Cohrs explained that technically the Commission does not follow Robert's Rules of Order, but rather follows Parliamentary Procedure. Mr. Cohrs distributed a hand-out detailing basic Parliamentary Procedure. Detailed information in the packet included an explanation of the agenda and making motions. Citizens Advisory Commission on Neighborhoods Meeting - Minutes September 1, 2010 Page 4 of 4 VIII. Staff Updates and Commission Items of Interest Neighborhood Improvement Grants - Mr. Cohrs provided an updated on the following: • East Catlin Court Historic District (Spring 2008): A contract was awarded for the design of streetscape improvements on 57th Avenue from Northview to Gardenia and Gardenia from 55th to 56th Avenues. Design was completed, submitted to the city at the end of May and was approved. Staff will apply for CDBG funds in September for construction of Phase 2. • East Catlin Court Historic District (Fall 2008): This streetscape project, that included right-of-way landscaping improvements such as the installation of new pedestrian lighting and trees, has been completed. A dedication event will be planned for October. • Tanner Terrace (February 2010): Renovations to the computer room have been completed. Computer classes are being scheduled and a dedication will be held soon. Neighborhood Outreach - Mr. Cohrs stated that there were no new neighborhood registrations in August and Staff edited, printed and distributed 1,045 neighborhood newsletters/flyers in August on behalf of three neighborhoods. Community Volunteer Program - Ms. Wilkie announced that in August, volunteers from the Arizona Officiating Association completed their Adopt-a-Street clean up along 51st and Peoria. Community Mediation - Mr. Cohrs stated that in August, 6 new mediation cases were received, 22 cases were active and 4 cases were resolved with mediation services. Mr. Cohrs suggested that a representative from this group be invited to make a presentation to the Commission in the future. Commissioner Jocewicz felt that this group might also be able to help encourage or find neighborhood leaders in a community. Mr. Cohrs agreed. Community Education - Mr. Cohrs stated that the Fall 2010 session of Glendale University was cancelled due to low registration. Mr. Cohrs announced that the Glendale University Graduate Classes were currently being scheduled. Glendale Public Housing Capital Improvements - Mr. Cohrs noted that Mr. Krause has been working on certain projects with the Housing Division due to his expertise in the area. Mr. Cohrs mentioned the major improvement project underway at Lamar Homes which includes painting of the 22 buildings, removal and repaving of all parking bays, replacement of the roof over the administration building and shop, preventative maintenance of all administration building AC units (four in total) and replacement of a five-ton AC unit. Chair Sprague thanked all of the Commissioners for their attendance and input. IX. Adjournment Commissioner Loya motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 p.m. Commissioner Heatwole-Chicks made the second. The motion passed 10 - 0. Respectfully Submitted, r / it L Denise Kazmierczo dio Recording Secret. •