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08/19/1996 (2) , " "'. ... ...... ,_. .... ....""t....... .. .....~ ~" ~ .... . ,\, " ',, , ~ ' ' , ~ ,~. I,,' , " J ~ " .\""f" " . c.' < ,,' , I " '" , , ' -:; .'.;" ; , , > . , ,',,' I,'"~,'"~ ,:,:' . , ,\.. , , ' ,'~:, ~. " , " .' " " ~ft....."..,-,-, "~tl'it ....~.:.'r...,;. : d"'~"''I- ,~~"'~dl...-'t1"'~~.:r~~..,,'u-'t.I"~:\/,"'~-):':~ '.~"~'t;'~J:.'t.,>', ~~~"",r"'::'.:''':.....{ '~..c..', ..' .'" ., ~ c ",<' ". c :..' I ,4...... I'" \ ' .NGCTT " 'NORTH GREENWOOD COMMUNITY TASK TEAM MINUTES Date -t 1'<" \10Y ,'/ " . , , , " . II : . ' ," ~ ',' , ~, .. .. ' ," , 'I . / " 'H''',~ " :', "..", ',: I...' ."....,";. '," ,t-,', ,.,,".U -.' '<;'i'" ',_ 1, , ' . ~ I" I':'" . I . -~.. ~ '.... " , :',' : ,',' . "1' :,_,'_'..~~_~~._..""'"''~h'~''''' ',~',:' l' .',," ,:' I ' '\,' '1' :,' ,.', ~,'.' "':" .,' ' '..;' ',', , . ~. . ':. \" .' \ ." .~ . ~, NORTH GREENWOOD COMMUNITY TASK TEAM CITY OF CLEARWATER August 19, 1996 Present: Reverend William Graham MacArthur Boykins Dennis Golden Mayme Hodges David Grice Beverly Bryant Reverend Lucius Pitts, Jr. Mary Samuel Al Hinson Kathy S. Rice Lt. Jeff Kronschnabl Chair Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Recreation Supervisor 11 Deputy City Manager Special Assistant to the City Manager/Community Response Team Director of Central Permitting Economic Development Director Special Assistant to City Manager Director of Engineering Board Reporter Scott Shuford Alan Ferr; Carole Ciokiewicz Rich Baier Brenda Moses Absent: Tal Rutledge Bertha Kelley Joe Marshall Team Member Team Member Team Member .:> The meeting was called to order by Reverend William Graham at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Center, 1201 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Clearwater, Florida. To provide continuity. the items listed were not necessarily discussed in that order. The Task Team members and City staff introduced themselves. The minutes of August 5, 1996, and August 12, 1996, were reviewed. Ms. Hodges moved to approve the minutes as submitted. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. o Reverend Graham asked if anyone present wanted to become a member of the team. Mr. Boykins made a motion to nominate Samuel Collie as a team member. Mr. Collie indicated his concern for the community and his interest in serving on the Task Team. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Mr. Grice asked Ms. Harris if she was interested in becoming a member, and she declined. She said she would inform the Task Team should she find anyone interested in serving. It was noted members nominated to serve on the North Greenwood Community Task Team were from various areas of Clearwater, including the North Greenwood community. Encouraging citizens in the community to attend meetings was discussed. Notices have been sent out weekly to citizens in areas indicated on previously distributed color coded handouts. The need for networking was emphasized. Ms. Samuel said she strongly advocates community improvement and feels word of mouth networking is more effective than mail outs. She said people tend to get more involved when issues are addressed orally, as opposed to written communication. mNGC08c.96 1 08/19/96 \' ,',' ; .:: ," \ , ,\,," '. '.,", ~', ,,<;-,,',",,1' I"""'" :~ ':\":'1:' ~"" ,~. ',' :,~"I'.",f':~~";~'I" '::::. ,jl" ~ ',I:,' ':; '.', "_' ..' ""d",.,"'.,'," "1"...",:,,'..' '" ',', : ',: " ',~ "n,. : "',' :, , ." ''',', " ,''',' '< '. ,> '..' ',:>'>/:",' ,~,:: :'~<'~'-;-,' >\ ':"::,,":J ,<',':"''- "';d:', /',: ": :', ",',: \: ,":,-,,/:.,' ';',..,;, :,'",:' ,- , , ' " ~ .' ,t I" . ' f.- ' , ~~3,. 1 \ ' . , I, I '!' ~ f::> ".. u Ms. Rice noted one of the priority issues identified at the previous meeting was crime and drugs. The North Greenwood area has been designated as a Weed and Seed area, which makes it eligible for grant funds. Weed and Seed is a federal program that refers to weeding, or taking out the bad, and seeding is starting the good. Carol Clokiewicz, City grant writer, explained the grant process. There are two approaches to solving drugs and crime. One is enforcement and the other is prevention. The Task Team is interested in focusing on the prevention aspect of the issue. The Police Department applies for grants and a good portion of the money is used for the enforcement side of drug and crime prevention. Additional community police enforcement through grant funding has been implemented in the North and South Greenwood areas, and other areas of the City. A grant from the Juvenile Welfare Board has provided mentoring and field trips for children in South Greenwood. North and South Greenwood are areas targeted for the Weed and Seed Program. Ms. Ciokiewicz said a $35,000 grant will be used for a geographic information system, which will be applied to the enforcement and prevention areas of the Police Department. A second Weed and Seed grant of $50,000 will be divided equally between weeding and seeding. The weeding portion will be used to employ detectives to work with runaways and truants, and the seeding portion will provide special summer camps for 300 children in the area. After notification of available grants, the City only has 3 weeks to complete and mail all the paperwork, which is why it is important to get feedback from the community prior to grant application. Ms. Rice noted the last 4 years the City has budgeted $150,000 toward employment assistance. A few years ago, the City analyzed issues and established a program, with no income limitations, for children geographically located in North and South Greenwood. Ninety percent of funds went to the Greenwood area, and 10% to the rest of the City. The idea was to expose kids to businesses and business practices. The City hired Pinellas Private Industry Council, now known as Career Options of Pinellas County, Incorporated, to set tJle program in motion. Last year 141 students, ranging in age from 13 to 22, were hired from the area, and placed with 91 firms in Clearwater. At the end of the program, thirty students were offered part time jobs. The City's goal is for businesses to pay the larger share of payments for kids, and offer a longer employment term than the current 8 weeks. Worker's compensation and insurance costs affect business participation. It was noted the Task Team could make recommendations to the City as to which kids receive support. Selections are on a firstMcome, first-served basis. HRS rules must be followed when employing kids of certain ages. Mr. Collie said the majority of jobs in Clearwater are City, County or nursing home positions, which greatly limits employment opportunities for Greenwood residents. Discussion ensued regarding arrest records and the adverse effect they have on employment. It was noted no reference to juvenile records needs to be referenced on employment applications. Lt. Kronschnabl said juvenile records do not become public under the age of 18. In order to help the community identify areas of prevention, community input is necessary. Ms. Ciokiewicz said although no grant money was currently available, prior to future requests, it will be necessary to establish allocation of funds. Suggestions were made to target two different groups, ages 11 to 16, and 16 and up. Ms. Ciokiewicz said the City is trying to fund a detective position which would work with truants in the Greenwood community. She said workshops that show kids how to look for jobs and fill mNGC08c.96 2 08/19/96 "/'~ : ' ~' " t ~ !' .~. " ~ out applications, job training workshops, and computers with software on job training skills, are all examples of programs that can be ,implemented with grants. Structural unemployment was discussed. There may some structure in place that keeps people unemployed in an area, such as bureaucracy, poverty, lack of education, and other issues. Census data indicated lack of skills was the number one cause of unemployment. The City assisted a number of employers, such as the Private Industry Council, St. Petersburg Junior College, and other organizations who have searched for t::nlpioyees in the area. QwLabs in South Greenwood was hiring 5 production workers and there were no applicants from South or North Greenwood. Recruitment efforts included notices at the state labor office, St. Petersburg Junior College, the Private Industry Council and an ad placed in a Saturday edition of the St. Petersburg Times. It was noted current job skills are necessary to match current employment needs. Discussion of crime prevention, truancy and unemployment included: c':) I , What will happen to unemployed folks in the community Implementing a summer youth program - identify specific kids Police records ruin employment chances Young people not attending school Those who want to find work find drugs for money Giving people another chance Opening a North Greenwood employment office Lack of current job skills Creating something for those who want to work Job training Assistance for 2 age groups ranging from ages 11 to 16, and 1 6 and up Focusing on helping specific individuals in the community Finding a place to go to keep off the streets Making parents responsible for the actions of their children Policemen on the beat Discourage kids who are unruly (preventive measures) Loitering Activities for kids all year round Parents It was suggested someone living in the community create a job bank and obtain outside assistance. Ms. Ciokiewicz said it could be costly to start such a business, and recommended anyone interested should contact the Small Business Administration. o It was noted a small number of kids are congregating in the community, and are easily identified. Every day young men wearing white T-shirts, goatees, and shaved heads or braids are seen congregating on Greenwood Avenue. Nine year aids hang out in Greenwood Apartments and other areas. Parents are not being made responsible for their children, and schools are trying to implement new programs to deal with the problem. Kids who drop out of school or are expelled have a place to go to keep off the streets, but forcing them to go is difficult. Without parental support, it is not known if kids are attending school. Clearwater High School has a program which requires kids who are suspended or expelled from school to attend a specific program. If the program works, the mNGCOBc.96 3 08/1 9196 -I,:'; ';~.'J"'" ....U(.~....tr,,~~t7:.. .....11..').:~ 'A\.' .. . c' l .~~):~,--r-~.t\';'.+d " . , .. " ',"," , ',":":, ',,< , , ,'" ......',,:,,\'~\,",' ,- ';' ":'-,,,'.','!' '" :',' ,~:',', :......,:;,::'",~',''." \ ' , " ' , , .. ,,..-.; , \\ .." , '\ ': '", " '" . , ,',;, '.': " " '''', ,~', '",' '.~:, ',; 'I '.', , if (,', ,:-"~;' " :: ..:"'-;," :""~'"'' '~'" ::'...'.-,: ~ ('~ T~ () .q', ' " , r. school board will consider expansion of the program county-wide. The school holds monthly site meetings that citizens from other communities can attend to offer input on the program. Children with 10 absences in the school year are not promoted to the next grade. The practice does not eliminate truancy, and can add to the drop out rate. It was noted when police cannot locate parents, or they will not pick up their children, kids are left to hang out on the streets because police cannot baby-sit them. It was suggested designating a shelter for kids whose parents cannot be located, until such time Social Services can make arrangements for them. Magnet schools were mentioned. There are magnet schools throughout the county but kids must be transported to them. Curfews were discussed. They must be City-wide, not just community-wide, and have not been successful. Kids know how to get around them. Sometimes communities view curfews as another form of harassment, rather than the purpose for which they are designed. The meeting recessed at 7:52 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 8:05 p.m. by Reverend Graham. Mr. Ervin Babalola distributed handouts on various organizations with which he was affiliated. He asked what goals the Task Team wished to accomplish. Reverend Graham said the North Greenwood Community Task Team is a fact-finding team, which is charged with determining and recommending issues and concerns of the community to the City Commission. Mr. Babalola stated he is the representative with the government commission for African American affairs. The organization works with local communities, around the state. Mr. Babalola said the new Commission has been disrespectful to him by not returning his telephone calls or meeting with him. He also said taxpayers, not City officials, should make decisions regarding the Ujamaa Village house. Mr. Babalola said the same concerns this community has expressed, have been echoed around the country. He gave examples of support from the organizations with which he is affiliated, and expressed a concern that gangs could develop in the community. He said respect for police no longer exists, and before any changes can be made, the Task Team must be aware of real issues. Ms. Rice said the Commission did not discount Ervin's Youth Program and its intentions, but they said the house could not be relocated to the chosen property due to property, zoning, land use and other requirements. She also noted the City Manager's father was in the intensive care unit at a local hospital, and was not available at the time of Mr. Babalola's call. Ms. Rice said the Commission felt the issue they discussed was moving a house onto City-owned property. They did not pass judgment on the program. Mr. Babalola offered an apology to the Commission, and expressed his concerns with staff and their recommendations. He said he spoke to Mr. Shuford and Mr. Baier, and no indication of problems was expressed. Mr. Babalola said he was unaware of the City Manager's personal situation, and said a call from her secretary would have been appreciated. Mr. Boykins asked Mr. Babalola for clarification as to what he wanted from the Task Team. Mr. Babalola said he wanted the Task Team to review the information he distributed, and give him feedback. He said he did not want the Task Team to try to reinvent the wheel. Mrs. Babalola expressed her concern about always being excluded from the community process. She said her organization does not let people come into the community and dictate to them what services will be provided. She stated she was insulted when she watched the Commission meeting and heard Mayor Garvey's remarks about the Ujamaa Village project house. She said actions speak louder than words. She mNGC08c.96 08/19/96 4 r <', ' :,~.,' ~'l '., '. c, '." :;~}.: /:':'.':::.~ ,., t. ,; : ':" , . , ~ appreciated the input of Commissioners Seel and Hooper. Mrs. Babalola said she will be monitoring the efforts of the new Commission closely, because she felt they cannot understand the issues concerning the community, or make appropriate decisions for the community. She questioned whether the City really wants to help the community move forward, or is just making promises. Mr. Boykins complimented Mr. Babalola's organization and his efforts regarding the Ervin Community Youth Program. He also indicated the Ervin project was never presented to the Task Team, and it never came up as an issue. He noted the Task Team is charged with fact-finding and addressing defined issues. Mr. Boykins also stated he understood the Ervin issue to be a zoning and land use issue. He said the City has been working with the Ervin issue according to applicable laws. Mr. Boykins said should the Task Team receive Information regarding the value and content of the Ervin project, and it becomes an issue that comes from the community, at that time it will be considered. Reverend Graham reminded everyone the next meeting is scheduled for August 26, 1996, at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Center, 1201 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Clearwater. Ms. Hodges made a motion to adjourn at 8:40 p.m., duly seconded and carried unanimously. 1k$J;i/Mw(!~ Chair c:) Attest: ~. )f}?02tJl . Board Reporter o mNGC08c.96 5 08119/96 :' 'if" ~. , . T' . " ~"'; \ ,