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08/05/1996NORTH GREENWOOD COMMUNITY TASK TEAM CITY OF CLEARWATER August 5, 1996 Present: Reverend William Graham Chair MacArthur Boykins Team Member David Grice Team Member Mayme Hodges Team Member Joe Marshall Team Member Kathy S. Rice Deputy City Manager Lt. Jeff Kronschnabl Special Assistant to the City Manager/Community Response Team Rich Baier Engineering Director Jeff Harper Information Management Director Dan Mayer Engineering Intern Scott Shuford Director of Central Permitting Vic Chodora Assistant Director Alan Ferri Economic Development Director Brenda Moses Board Reporter Absent: Reverend Lucius Pitts, Jr. Team Member Tal Rutledge Team Member Bertha Kelley Team Member The meeting was called to order by Reverend William Graham, at 6:03 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Center, 1201 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Clearwater, Florida. To provide continuity, the items will be listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Approval of Minutes July 11, 1996 The minutes were reviewed and a suggestion was made to change the spelling of Dennis Golden’s name on page three. A motion was made by Mr. Grice to approve the minutes as corrected, duly seconded, and carried unanimously. 2. Consider the Appointment of Additional Citizens to the Task Team Ms. Mary Samuel, was invited to the meeting. She gave a brief overview of her personal interest in the North Greenwood community, as well as information on her background. A motion was made by Ms. Hodges to nominate Mary Samuel to the committee, duly seconded, and carried unanimously. Mr. Dennis Golden was invited to attend the meeting. He stated his personal feelings about the community, and gave a brief synopsis of his background. A motion was made by Mr. Grice to nominate Mr. Golden as a team member, seconded by Mr. Boykins, and carried unanimously. Ms. Beverly Bryant attended the meeting and stated Commissioner Seel suggested she become a member. Reverend Graham had spoken to Ms. Bryant previously, and said she was welcome. It was noted that Ms. Bryant has only been in the community for one month and may not have the insight of other members. It was also noted Commissioners are not to appoint members to the committee. The committee is charged with appointing new members. Mr. Grice indicated anyone who takes the time to attend the meeting and expresses interest in becoming a member should be welcomed. Mr. Boykins noted the committee needs a diverse mix of members, including young people. He asked Ms. Bryant why she felt she would make a valuable contribution, and Ms. Bryant indicated her interest to contribute to the community. A motion was made by Reverend Graham to nominate Ms. Bryant as a team member, duly seconded, and carried unanimously. Reverend Graham gave Ms. Bryant and Mr. Golden a copy of the Sunshine Law. Mr. Grice asked Ms. Rice to give new members copies of all information from previous meetings. Mr. Boykins expressed concern about nominations of members. He indicated some members have not attended the last few meetings and emphasized all members must be committed to getting involved and attending all meetings. Mr. Boykins noted some people in the community are ambivalent and may believe nothing will be done for the community, which is why they do not attend meetings. He also noted the committee must try to continue to resolve community issues regardless of lack of public participation. Reverend Graham emphasized the committee was essentially a fact-finding group which is to determine what needs to be done to improve the community. 3. Confirm Next Meeting on August 12, 1996, at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Center Reverend Graham asked if anyone had a conflict with the next meeting scheduled for August 12, 1996. Ms. Samuel indicated she will be absent due to a previous commitment. Reverend Graham indicated a copy of the minutes will be mailed to her. Ms. Rice will send information to members to include areas color coded for upcoming meetings, emergency aid information requested by Reverend Graham, and statistics on dollars spent on community programs in the area. 4. Consensus Discussion with Citizens from the Community Ms. Rice explained the process of breaking into focus groups of no less than five and no more than ten people. She asked team members to serve as facilitators in each group, and invited City staff members to serve as scribes to list answers to predetermined questions. At the end of each session, the consensus of each group would be acknowledged, and an open discussion would ensue. The pink group, as indicated on handouts, was notified for this meeting, and the yellow group has been invited to the August 12, 1996 meeting. She noted some conflicts were scheduled, such as the NAACP meeting at 7:30 p.m., and it was beginning to rain, which may affect public attendance. Ms. Rice also noted she had received feedback indicating some people in the area felt the North Greenwood Task Team meetings were divisive, as opposed to inclusive, therefore should attendance be minimal, reevaluating the process and contacting other organizations for assistance may be necessary. An invitation to speak at committee meetings may spark better community interest. It was suggested team members coordinate with Reverend Graham contacting various groups suggested: AKA, AAUW, Panthers, Sergeant Allen Moore, North Greenwood Association, Drew Park Homeowners Association, Neighborhood Watch Program, Clearwater Neighborhood Housing, Starlight Auxiliary/Northside Men’s Club, Elks, Industrial Alliance, local churches, Gospel Unlimited, NAACP, Urban League, Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Phi Alpha, Sepia, and Sickle Cell. The meeting recessed at 6:43 p.m. to allow time for the public to arrive. The meeting was called to order by Reverend William Graham at 7:01 p.m. Mr. Robert Wiley, a member of the community arrived. No other citizens attended. Ms. Rice suggested performing a group exercise in preparation for the next meeting. Questions were reviewed and answers given by committee members as follows: Question #1: What adjectives would we use to describe our North Greenwood neighborhood, including assessing present conditions and/or situations candidly? Answers: Violence Stigma Diversity (all types) Blighted Substandard housing Resourceful African American predominance Underdeveloped Absentee ownership problems Good property value Convenience to beach and downtown Culture Young families Lots of parks Community pride Family traditions - heritage Room for growth Affordable It was suggested to change the word “adjectives” to “words”. Question #2: What qualities about our community do we want to cultivate which will maintain the type of environment we want to keep in North Greenwood? Answers: Affordability (new apartments) New community center Current center well used (MLK Center) Culture (promoting the arts, a theater - not movie) People need a neighborhood Harborview that is not so expensive Family accountability (parents) Keep businesses in area Better communication as to what is available to citizens in community Cultivating and encouraging community pride Need a new image (family, retirement, a good place to live) More group networking Question #3 What are the concerns in the short term that are keeping us from the kind of environment we want to have in our neighborhood, and what can we do alone to address these concerns? Answers Drugs - crime Appearance Police department cooperation Inconsistency of enforcement - especially vacant properties Parking Commercial entrance Pedestrian friendly Positive name and image Communication device Question 3A: What concerns do we need outside help with? Answers: Appearance Pedestrian friendly Drugs - crime Police department cooperation Maintenance by city in community with community helping to maintain Youth programs and activities year round ages 9 to 17 Ways to earn money Parking Question #4: What are concerns in the long term that need to be addressed to create the kind of environment we want to have in our neighborhood, including what our neighborhood can do alone to address these concerns? Answers: Economic development plan and implementation Residential areas in groups Certain percentage of ownership of property Minimum standards of home/property maintenance Job training programs all year round Find a way to tie North Greenwood to larger Clearwater growth and tourism Relocating arts Major events attended by everyone in the City of Clearwater Eligible for something Dollars for Greenwood Programs for environmental justice Community service Get connected Mr. Boykins said North Greenwood needs to be connected to other larger Clearwater functions and issues. He mentioned placing articles in the St. Petersburg Times and other publications to expose people to the culture and opportunities in the community. He emphasized isolation would prevent growth and progress, and social programs alone would not enhance and develop the community. Ms. Rice summarized the comments from the focus group discussion, and indicated the key to success was for the City and the citizens in North Greenwood to work together. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.