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01/29/2008 - No Quorum SISTER CITIES ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER January 29, 2008 Present: Robert Freedman Vice Chair Lois Sewell Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. C.E. Snedeker Board Member Absent: Linda Damsky Chair Carlen Petersen Councilmember Nicole Scholet Youth Advisory Board Member Also Present: Margo Walbolt Division Manager, Cultural Affairs Marsha Beall Staff Assistant, Cultural Affairs Guest: Grant Raulerson Clearwater Sister cites, Inc. Member Freedman called the meeting to order at 4:35pm at MSB. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 2 – Appointments The City Council at its regular meeting of December 6, 2007 reappointed Member Damsky and Member Freedman to serve a second term on the Sister Cities Advisory Board. The term for which they have been reappointed will run for four years and will expire on December 31, 2011. Member Scholet is the Youth Member for the Sister Cities Board. Member Scholet has moved away to attend college and is having difficulty attending the meetings. She has offered to tender her resignation due to her current circumstances. Discussion ensued. Members agreed it might be advisable to accept her resignation and begin the process required to find a replacement for the position of Youth Member. Member Scholet’s term of office officially ends 12/31/2010. 3 – Election of Officers No quorum 4 – Approval of Minutes of Sister Cities Board Meeting of August 14, 2007 and October 23, 2007. No quorum 1 Sister Cities 2008-1-29 5 - Old Business a. High School Student Scholarship Program The High School Scholarship program interviews were held on December 12 & 13 at the Main Library. There were eighteen (18) applicants this year. Although there were many qualified students, only four could be chosen: Rachel Canning, Clearwater High; Samantha Gray, Osceola High; Megan Hays and Katherine Humberstone, Countryside High. Ms. Judy Barrett was selected to act as chaperone. The first orientation session was held Monday, January 28. Additional sessions have been scheduled during the next four months prior to their trip. Tentative travel plans are July 10 – July 24, 2008. Under the scholarship funding program, students are given the opportunity to earn money to cover the cost of the travel by working at City sponsored events. The students are scheduled to work at some of the upcoming Coachman Park events and will participate in other service projects. b. Pinellas County Schools Report Applicant turnout for the 2008 Teacher Summer Exchange program was very strong this year. This opportunity was available for two teachers. Darryl Schuster and Kerry Cunningham were chosen to travel to Nagano for one month during June 26 – July 24, 2008 and return along with the four students. c. Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. report – Member Sewell Young Ambassador Program – members of the Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. interviewed and selected ten (10) students and three (3) chaperones for the Young Ambassadors Program. Orientation sessions will take place throughout the next few months. The students’ families are responsible for providing the funds necessary for the trip. They will be traveling to Nagano June 9- June 24, 2008. Some of the schools represented are Tarpon Middle, Dunedin Middle, Kennedy Middle and Safety Harbor Middle. Member Freedman suggested being proactive next year by engaging more participation from Clearwater Schools. Ms. Walbolt advised that Oak Grove Middle School has plans to begin a Japanese pen-pal program, which should generate much more interest in the program. Membership and Meetings - a membership party was recently held with over fifty in attendance. Artist Jim Sikes attended and is preparing for his Japanese Paintings exhibit beginning March 1 at the Clearwater Main Library. There are now approximately sixty paid members. The meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Morningside Recreation Center unless otherwise noted. Member Sewell invited board members to attend. Newsletter – the next newsletter will be emailed by March 15. Continue to contact Carol Huber with any articles or news items. International Bazaar - as part of the “Focus on Japan” Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. is sponsoring an international bazaar scheduled for Friday, March 7, 2008 at the Clearwater Main Library from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The items sold at this event provide funds for the organization. Donations of “International” items are welcomed. 2 Sister Cities 2008-1-29 Joint Meetings – the meeting between the Clearwater Sister Cities group, St. Petersburg and Largo is scheduled for February 24. Members of each group will come together to compare programs and gather information. 6 - New Business a. Nagano High School visit – January 30-February 6, 2008 Four students and a teacher from Satsuki High School, accompanied by a tour escort, are arriving from Nagano on Wednesday, January 30. The host families met yesterday to coordinate the itinerary for Nagano visit. The students will be attending Countryside High School, Disney World, have a City tour day, and complete their visit with a Sayonara party on Tuesday, February 5 beginning 6 p.m. at Moccasin Lake Park. Member Freedman and his wife, Leslie are pleased to act as a host family this year and generously offered to have a pizza get- together for all of the homestay families and guests at their home at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 3. b. Nagano Middle School visit March 21 – March 27, 2008 Six girls, five boys, two adult chaperones and Mr. Koji Watanabe will be coming in the spring. The visitors are arriving on Easter weekend. There are four (4) host families secured at this time. During their visit they will be attending Oak Grove Middle School, go to Disney World and take a City tour. The Sayonara Party is planned for Wednesday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Ross Norton Recreation Center. c. March Japanese activities @ Main Library March 1 – May 28 Japanese Paintings by Jim Sikes March 3 – Jim Sikes, Artist Reception and Tea Ceremony – 6:30-7:30pm March 7 - International Bazaar & Sister Cities Display – 9am – 3:30pm March 13 – Sumi-e Painting & Ikebana Demonstration – noon-1pm March 18 – Japanese Crafts for Youth – 4pm th d. Discussion of 50 Anniversary Celebration in 2009 Ms. Walbolt solicited discussion for ideas to present to Council regarding the planning th and support of the 2009 50 Anniversary Celebration visit. The key to a successful event will be early planning. Although it is contingent on whether the 2009 celebration will be held in Clearwater or in Nagano, there is still the need to brainstorm ideas. Ms. Walbolt has been corresponding with the Consulate General office in Miami. They spoke about the feasibility of having a “Lantern Festival” along Cleveland Street and continued down in to Coachman Park. Members were in favor of a “Lantern Festival” and some ideas included: ?? Invite artist to come in and do illuminated artwork along the streets and waters edge. ?? Explore funding options and grants - CVB ?? Collaborate with Ruth Eckerd Hall ?? Workshops opportunities ?? Partnership with Miami Consulate ?? Co-sponsor with additional groups ?? Identify Japanese activities Following further discussion at a City level, a letter to Nagano from Mayor Hibbard will inquire about Nagano’s projected plans. 3 Sister Cities 2008-1-29 7 - Items not on aqenda Mr. Grant Raulerson- Clearwater Sister Cities Board Member Mr. Raulerson has been in correspondence with acquaintances in Japan regarding a Youth Jazz Band from Tateshina High School. The band consists of about 30-35 young ladies who play "swing" music. This year, the band will be participating in an exchange between USA and Japan at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. It has been suggested that the City of Clearwater may entertain inviting them for a visit in 2009. Mr. Raulerson will probe into the logistics of the situation and report back to the Board. In the interim, Member Sewell distributed copies of a demo tape of their performance. Member Sewell - 50th Anniversary Booklet Member Sewell introduced an idea to consider comprising a "50th Anniversary Booklet" comprised of information gathered regarding the Clearwater Nagano Sister Cities Exchange Program. Member Sewell presented samples of other booklets and suggested a collaboration between CSCI, City of Clearwater and Nagano, Japan for contents. Discussions will ensue with regard to community support, use of volunteers and interns, financial support and available information. 8 - Adiournment Members adjourned at 5:35 p.m. The next Sister City Board meeting will be held Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at MSB, Room 130. mELt Sister City Advisory Boa~ Sister Cities 2008-1-29 4