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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Commission on Persons with Disabilities - Meeting Date: 5/20/2014 • Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Hirsch at approximately 6:00pm. I. Roll Call Chairperson Hirsch, Commissioners Lesser, Kumar, LeGendre, and Mander were present. Vice Chairperson Fallucca and Commissioner Hoerner were absent and excused. Staff in attendance was Erik Strunk, Executive Director, Paul King, Michelle Yates, Anthony Garcia, and William Sterling, and Diana Figueroa, Recording Secretary. Chairperson Hirsch introduced and welcomed new commissioner John LeGendre. II. Approval of Minutes—March 18,2014 Regular Meeting Chairperson Hirsch asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Kumar noted a few corrections. On page two, second paragraph, last sentence, last line, should read "with the city". Also, above Staff Updates, it should read, "has" allowed. Commissioner Mander made a motion to approve the regular meeting minutes of the March 18, 2014 with revisions. Commissioner Lesser seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously, 5 to 0. IV. Business from the Floor Chairperson Hirsch called for Business from the Floor. There was none. V. Meeting Protocol Chairperson Hirsch stated that each commissioner had to complete an application in order to participate on a City board or commission. She said now that commissioners have been selected and appointed there is a responsibility to the members of the Commission, the city staff, appointed officials and the citizens of Glendale. She said there have been several discussions regarding attendance at meetings. Chairperson Hirsch said this has been a problem recently. There were several meetings in recent months which were canceled due to a lack of a quorum. She reminded the Commissioners if for any reason you are unable to attend meetings due to your work schedule, lack of interest, etc., please voluntarily resign rather than being removed from the Commission as this allows an opportunity for someone else to participate. Commissioner on Persons with Disabilities Page 2 Mr. Erik Strunk read into the record a letter from the Government Services Committee: Dated April 23, 2014 - Dear Board/Commission Member, thank you for serving on your board or commission. We sincerely appreciate your dedication and your effort to make Glendale a wonderful community for our residents. It has come to our attention that some boards and commissions have canceled the regularly scheduled meetings due to a lack of quorum. This is a concern because it is vital that we keep the meetings as they have been legally posted so as not to inconvenience residents or commissioner members who may have planned to attend. If you cannot attend a meeting, please let the staff liaison know in advance, this way the liaison can prepare the required posting notification the meeting has been canceled as well as notify the other commission members. Your assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your commitment to the City of Glendale. Sincerely, Councilmember Manny Martinez, Councilmember Ian Hugh, and Councilmember Sam Chavira. Mr. Strunk provided his cell phone number to the Commission in the event they need to contact staff,to notify him that they will not be able to attend. Commissioner Kumar apologized as she was in the wrong location last month, but added she is truly committed to being a part of this Commission. VI. Presentation and Discussion of Adaptive Needs Program Chairperson Hirsch introduced Mr. Anthony Garcia. Mr. Garcia presented information regarding the city's programs on recreational opportunities for the disabled community. Mr. Garcia began by explaining a few of the programs available beginning with Adaptive Bowling, which is offered throughout the summer beginning May 24. He said bowlers age eight and older with physical,mental, emotional or social disabilities are able to participate. He provided the location and cost. Commissioner LeGendre said his sons participate in this wonderful program. He added there is great spirit at this event, a great environment, an opportunity to make new friends and a wonderful social atmosphere. Mr. Garcia continued by explaining the Theater Kidz program. He said this program is offered twice a year with each session being 12 weeks long. The kids practice their performance for 11 weeks with the last week being the performance. The kids learn their favorite scenes; work with props and costumes from their favorite musicals. This program is available to kids 8 to 25 years old. Mr. Garcia added the performance is well attended by supportive family members and friends. He said there is an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Peoria. In this collaboration, Special Olympic softball is an activity where both children from the city of Peoria and city of Glendale may participate. Another collaborative activity is Adaptive Bingo. He said the next session would be Friday, June 20 at the Glendale Commissioner on Persons with Disabilities Page 3 Adult Center. Mr. Garcia said friends and family members 10 years and older are invited. He said staff is working on establishing new sponsorships and private sector collaborations in hopes in increasing the number of programs that can be offered. Mr. Garcia said there was a decrease in programs due to the cutbacks in the City of Glendale. Commissioner LeGendre suggested staff contact the NFL and the NHL have funds strictly allocated for these types of activities. Commissioner Lesser asked how many programs were offered previously in 2010. Mr. Garcia said there used to be at least eight. The Commission thanked Mr. Garcia for his presentation. VII. Update on Placement of Residential Refuse and Recycling Containers Chairperson Hirsch introduced Mr. William Sterling with the Sanitation Division of the City of Glendale. Mr. Sterling provided a brief update on the success of the new ordinance regarding the location of residential and recycling containers. He indicated it has been well received and a lot of positive feedback has been received from the residents of Glendale. He said the program began in December 2013. He said staff took the time to talk with residents and answered many inquiries. From January 2014 to date, only three telephone calls have been received regarding this program. Two of the calls were from residents new to the city asking for clarification. Mr. Sterling said they would continue to work with the residents as there are always new people relocating to Glendale. In response to a comment from a Commissioner, Mr. Sterling said if there are any neighbors not willing to participate or who maybe unclear about the program, please let staff know and they will do their best to gain their cooperation. He said sometimes residents are unclear or have questions but most are willing to participate. He said staff would continue to visit residents and show them where their containers should be placed. The Commission thanked Mr. Sterling for his time. VIII. Presentation on Gifting for Glendale Chairperson Hirsch introduced this item and Ms. Michelle Yates. Ms. Yates provided an overview regarding the Gifting for Glendale program, which was initiated by the Parks,Recreation, and Library Services Department in 2013. She explained since the programs have been greatly reduced, there was an idea to create a nonprofit program which would allow the City of Glendale to collect donations in order to bring back some of those programs. She reviewed the Mission Statement and reviewed the "to do" list of items which have taken place or need to take place in order to get the program in place. She Commissioner on Persons with Disabilities Page 4 clarified this 501c3 is not associated with the City of Glendale. It has a separate bank account, which is not linked with any City of Glendale accounts. She said the Board established for this program would consist of seven members and staff is hoping to have the Board established by July 2014. Commissioner LeGendre asked if the Commissioners could participate. Ms. Yates said yes. Ms. Yates said they plan to create brochures and launch the marketing campaign very soon. Commissioner Mander said this is a great opportunity for the City of Glendale. Commissioner LeGendre asked if the applications for the board are ready for distribution. Ms. Yates said not yet, but will hand them out as soon as they are ready. She said she would be happy to contact anyone who may be interested. XI. Commission Work Plan Chairperson Hirsch called for this item. Mr. Strunk asked how the Commission would like to prepare the Work Plan as well as the Annual Report. He said staff could prepare drafts for the Commission's review and approval. Commissioner Lesser suggested that staff draft a work plan for FY14-15 and also create the Annual Report for FY13-14 for the Commission to review and approve. Mr. Strunk said staff would do so and have both items ready for review by the Commission at next month's meeting. X. Staff Updates Chairperson Hirsch asked for Staff Updates. Ms. Yates distributed the brochure containing the City of Glendale's summer programs. Mr. Strunk said the city is restructuring its departments. He displayed the organizational chart for the city effective July 1, 2014. He continued by explaining that he is assigned to the newly formed Community Services Group. He displayed an organizational chart for the Group and explained its divisions. XI. Commission Comments & Suggestions Chairperson Hirsch stated the Woman's Club has planted the donated tree, a Texas laurel, at Elsie McCarthy Park. She described the location of the tree for the Commission. She also asked if Mr. Mike Gregory would be able to return to provide an update on the Elsie McCarthy Park program and the proposed landscaping. Mr. Strunk said he would have Mr. Gregory return before the Commission. She mentioned the groundbreaking ceremony of Aspera, a project at 75th Avenue and the Loop 101. She noted a project called Treasure House, which is a facility for highly functioning men and women with disabilities. Commissioner on Persons with Disabilities Page 5 Mr. Strunk said he would schedule a speaker to provide more information about this facility to the Commission. Commissioner LeGendre said he was happy to be part of the Commission. XII. Adjournment Commissioner Lesser made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Mander seconded the motion, which was approved with a vote of 5 to 0. The meeting concluded at 7:39pm. The next regular meeting is Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 6:00pm in the Main Library, Large Conference Room.