08/23/2018 - Special Meeting Sister Cities Advisory Board Meeting Minutes August 23, 2018
City of Clearwater
City Hall
112 S. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
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Meeting Minutes
Thursday, August 23, 2018
4:00 PM
Council Chambers
Sister Cities Advisory Board
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City of Clearwater
Sister Cities Advisory Board Meeting Minutes August 23, 2018
Roll Call
Present 4 - Vice Chair Sallie Parks, Board Member Candace Hays, Board
Member Desaray Dilday, and Board Member Pamela Gene Benton
Absent 1 - Chair Terrence Gourdine
Also Present: - Natalie Lamb —Volunteer and Environmental Lands Coordinator,
Patricia O. Sullivan - Board Reporter
1. Call To Order
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve minutes of January 25, 2018 Sister Cities Advisory Board Meeting
Member Benton moved to approve minutes of the January 25,
2018 Sister Cities Advisory Board meeting as submitted in written
summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Receive verbal report from staff on Middle School visit from Nagano, February 2018
Volunteer and Environmental Lands Coordinator Natalie Lamb reviewed
the February 17— 22, 2018 itinerary for 12 Nagano Middle School
students and 2 instructors visiting Clearwater.
4.2 Receive verbal report from staff on High School visit from Nagano, March 2018
Ms. Lamb reviewed the March 7— 16, 2018 itinerary for 5 Nagano High
School students and 1 teacher visiting Clearwater.
4.3 Receive verbal report from staff on High School trip to Nagano, June 2018
Ms. Lamb reviewed the June 29— July 11, 2018 itinerary for 4 High School
students from Clearwater and 1 teacher who visited Nagano and Tokyo.
The City paid $8,075 for flights and $1,292.97 for travel insurance,
which was under the $10,000 program allocation.
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City of Clearwater
Sister Cities Advisory Board
Meeting Minutes August 23, 2018
4.4 Receive verbal update on three motions passed at January 25, 2018 meeting
Ms. Lamb discussed the 3 Sister Cities Board requests to the City
Council:
1) City Council approved request to recognize CSCI (Clearwater Sister
Cities, Inc.) as a City sanctioned program. Staff was writing the associated
proclamation, tentatively scheduled for reading on October 4, 2018;
2) City Council approved request to add an At Large Member to the Board
and the Code was amended to reflect the change; a new member will be
appointed before the October meeting; and
3) re Board's request for the City to provide 2 Hardship Grants up to $3, 700
each to cover costs for 2 Clearwater students from economically distressed
families to participate in the Young Ambassadors program to Nagano, the
City Council requested a recommendation from the Board re a formula to
determine eligibility and qualify students for the grants. And the Council,
unsure of a source to fund the request, suggested CSCI provide a match
of $3,700, or whatever amount the City Council decides, possibly from
corporate sponsor(s), to assist in funding the grant. CSCI representative
Candy Hays had reported CSCI would be unable to provide the match as
the organization already fundraised for its own scholarships.
Discussion ensued with recommendations that the grant be referred to as
"need based," that a maximum income be determined, and that applicants'
parents be required to submit copies of their most recent tax returns.
City of Clearwater
Ms. Lamb said the City did not fundraise. The City had committed to
spend up to $10,000 annually on the High School exchange program and
anticipated costs for the upcoming delegation visit to Nagano. The City
Council supported the Sister Cities program but was wary of committing
additional funds without a match. The City Council requested the board
submit a fundraising plan.
Member Hays said the 9- member CSCI board fundraised for the CSCI
scholarship and did not have additional funds, ability, or consistent
membership to raise an additional $3,700 annually. She said CSCI had
donated $2, 200 to Young Ambassadors scholarships. She said CSCI was
not just a fundraiser; members spent considerable time organizing and
recruiting students for the annual Young Ambassadors trip to Nagano. She
said CSCI had a difficult time attracting Clearwater students and reviewed
CSCI recruiting efforts. She said many students were intimidated by the
cost of the trip and did not apply.
Suggested fundraising techniques included contacting CSCI members for
support and contacting previous participants' families who may own
businesses or work for firms that might donate to a matching fund.
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Sister Cities Advisory Board
Meeting Minutes August 23, 2018
Member Hays said fundraising was not her expertise. She said CSCI was
working to help fund teachers who pay a portion of their expenses to
chaperone the Young Ambassadors. She said participants were
encouraged to give back to the group. She said CSCI did not have
enough money to fund one student.
It was requested that Ms. Lamb help Member Hays develop a fundraising
plan.
4.5 Receive update on scheduled High School visit from Nagano, October 2018
Ms. Lamb reported the 5- student, 1- teacher Nagano High School group
would visit Clearwater October 20 — 29. Staff was organizing homestay
requests (3 homestays were needed) and the itinerary with the help of
Member Benton. As Nagano had requested that the students engage in
more educational experiences, the students will spend more time in schools
this trip; touring will be limited to 2 days. Board members were invited to
the Sayonara Party, tentatively scheduled at Moccasin Lake Nature Park
on October 26.
It was recommended that next year's Nagano Middle School student visit be
scheduled for October, which would help CSCI recruit Young Ambassadors
for the following summer. It was noted it would be less expensive and easier
to arrange activities if Nagano Middle and High School students traveled to
Clearwater at the same time. It was reported that exchange teachers usually
travel to Nagano between mid - October and mid - November.
Ms. Lamb said High School exchange students from Clearwater were
scheduled to address the City Council on October 4, 2018. It was requested
that the Young Ambassadors also be scheduled to address City Council at
the same time. Ms. Lamb will check on the request and keep the board
informed.
5. Director's Report
Board Member /CSCI Representative Hays announced CSCI had lost
founding member Grant Raulerson in May. She said 8 Young Ambassadors
and 3 Middle School teachers /chaperones traveled to Nagano last summer.
She said Nagano was trying to incorporate Clearwater into their lesson plans
and had expressed interest in Skyping written questions with the Clearwater
Aquarium as part of its English language programs and hoped the aquarium
would forego its fee.
Member Hays reported CSCI had raised $2, 200 for 4 scholarships. She
invited board members to participate in the CSCI fundraiser at Hamburger
Mary's on October 14, 2018. She said CSCI was able to raise $400 at no
cost through the City's recycling perks program. She said CSCI had
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City of Clearwater
Sister Cities Advisory Board
Meeting Minutes August 23, 2018
started planning the Young Ambassadors 2019 visit to Nagano and
was willing to help plan the delegation visit to Nagano in 2020 celebrating
the 60th anniversary of the Sister Cities relationship.
Ms. Lamb said plans were for the official delegation to visit Nagano in
October 2019 and the Nagano delegation to visit Clearwater in February
2020. The City was awaiting Nagano's confirmation of the dates. It was
noted summer 2020 flights will be more expensive due to the Summer
Olympic Games in Tokyo.
6. Board Members to be Heard
7. Adjourn
Member/Youth Representative Desaray Dilday was thanked for her
service on the board.
The meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m.
Q Ch.ir
Attest:
Board Reporte
City of Clearwater
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ister Cities Advisory Board