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04/14/1997NORTH GREENWOOD COMMUNITY TASK TEAM CITY OF CLEARWATER April 14, 1997 Present: Bertha Kelley Team Member David Grice Team Member Ed Hooper City Commissioner Karen Seel City Commissioner Kathy S. Rice Deputy City Manager Lt. Jeff Kronschnabl Special Assistant to the City Manager/Community Response Team Alan Ferri Economic Development Director Michael Holmes Assistant Economic Development Director Diane Fitzgerald Public Information Specialist Donald Rutledge Career Options Barbara Kleinhenz Career Options Mohammad Abdur-Rahim Resident Gloria Bailey Resident Steven Bell Resident Ernest L. Learson Resident Willa L. Carson Resident Isay Gulley Resident Brenda Moses Board Reporter The meeting was called to order by Deputy City Manager Kathy Rice at 6:40 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. Due to the absence of a quorum, no action was taken. The purpose of the meeting was to assess the current and future progress of projects as developed by the NGCTT (North Greenwood Community Task Team). Everyone introduced themselves and a sign-in sheet was circulated. The City has developed a monthly newsletter which is mailed to various groups in the community. The newsletter is designed to update citizens of the progress of events slated for the Greenwood community. Plans are to publish and distribute a quarterly newsletter to all residents by the end of the week. An assessment will be done as to the effectiveness of the quarterly report, and a determination will be made whether to continue that method of providing information to residents, or whether another method is more effective. Reverend Graham had planned to present a report on youth in the neighborhood after talking to some of the other community organizations, however he was unable to attend this meeting. It was noted that Reverend Graham is committed to representing the North Greenwood Community Task Team at meetings with other community organizations. He has been instrumental in obtaining updates to restrooms, picnic tables, upgrades to the foyer, and other items for the Martin Luther King Center. Discussion ensued regarding a grant for job training in the community. Mt. Carmel Baptist Church has offered a building for baby-sitting and computer training. They are setting up a 5013C, a non-profit group, to utilize current Weed and Seed funds for the remainder of the year. Thereafter, a determination will be made as to how to allocate future funds. It was noted that Robinson Challenge School is available after 2:00 p.m. for some of the community programs. Economic Development Director Alan Ferri is working with Career Options to analyze what type of training and jobs are currently available for the area. Plans are to build upon existing programs to increase their effectiveness. Under a pending State bill, there will be a pilot program for designated Brownfield areas. Because the Greenwood neighborhood is already a designated Brownfield redevelopment initiative area, the funds that will be made available from the State bill will be grandfathered into the current resources. These resources will help assess liability issues for redevelopers interested in the Greenwood area. A corollary bill in the House and Senate will set aside a half million dollars worth of resources for the 5 Brownfield redevelopment sites in the State program. The money will be utilized for augmentation of local WAGES (Work And Gaining Economic Self-sufficiency) funding that various agencies receive from the State. WAGES is a new State program this year that helps people transition from public assistance back into private sector employment. There is a limited amount of money being made available in each county for this transition. Employers receive subsidies for employing someone who meets the income eligibility criteria and attends a particular training program. The position offered by employers must be a permanent, full-time position with a minimum of $15,000 in gross salary. Career Options will work with the State WAGES program to help with job development, training and placement. Mr. Donald Rutledge of Career Options noted that due to their experience in this field, for the next 15 months Career Options will be the fiscal for WAGES moneys coming into Pinellas County. After the 15-month period, the WAGES Coalition will establish its own operation. Preparations are being made to move some of the WAGES Coalition staff to the Career Options Icot Center office. Career Options anticipates completion of a needs assessment within 90 to 110 days after receipt of funding. It was noted the needs assessment information will be helpful to all community organizations to utilize funds more effectively. Career Options will implement a one-stop system for coordination of community services such as employment, coordinated child care, food stamps and other services. There will be an information session regarding the WAGES program on May 23, 1997 at 9:00 a.m. at Career Options should anyone wish to attend. A resident remarked that the $90,000 1996/1997 Weed and Seed grant was used for equipment and consulting fees. He stated that residents were not aware of how the money would be spent, and suggested the consulting services could have been donated. It was explained that the majority of the costs from the Weed and Seed grant were allocated for a teacher and computer training labs. There will be dollars allocated in the next budget for planning and analysis of what can be done in terms of family and recreation centers and other programs. A resident commented that it would be nice for this community to be able to recoup its own rent by incorporating the right types of programs and projects within the community. Changes in Federal and State laws were discussed. The City would like to build a module of information regarding changes in Federal and State law with respect to what will happen with welfare. Monitoring of information would include an analysis of the rules, where the gaps are, and what the community can do to protect children who may get lost in the system. According to Federal law, if a child misses a certain number of days from school, parents are required to attend a parent/teacher conference at the school. Should the parent miss the meeting, they lose their welfare allocation. It was noted that 80% of children in Greenwood are bused out of the neighborhood, which could pose a problem for those parents newly entering the job market, with no day care or transportation assistance. Another law states that once a person is convicted of a felony drug charge, they are no longer eligible for welfare payments. These types of laws must be addressed, prevention measures implemented, and remedies for these situations developed. The City will work with the Juvenile Welfare Board to establish a program at the end of May to begin compiling information regarding these issues. Results will be shared with the public. It was noted that Section 8 Housing issues include not only North and South Greenwood, but subsidized housing for the elderly. A request was made that the City keep the community informed of the status of this issue. Contract bids for the tanks at the Marshall Street AWT Facility at Stevenson’s Creek have begun. The landscaping bid and berming of the tanks has not been addressed. Funding issues were discussed. Included in the proposed budget to the City Commission for next year are 2 City-wide events in Greenwood, funding for the Greenwood Panthers, a contract bid for the Greenwood Panthers parking lot, a partnership with the Juvenile Welfare Board to work with the National Black Nurses Association to provide a free clinic for Greenwood Apartment residents, and funding for a streetfest. Building projects include funding for a new community center which may attach to Holt Pool. It was noted that Holt Pool is in the process of being renovated. The City Commission will discuss where to place these items in the funding cycle in the 5-year budget. It was remarked that planning must be done for all projects slated for the Greenwood area. The Main Clearwater Library has been planning for a new library for 4 years. Focus groups, discussions with residents, and an analysis by a library architect for effective space requirements and design have taken place. The Countryside Recreation Center involved 2 years of planning and 2 more years to build. It was suggested that the North Greenwood Community Task Team prioritize plans for a new community center. Residents in the Greenwood community are encouraged to visit the Countryside Recreation Center for ideas for their community center. The status of various projects was reviewed. The Greenwood Library parking lot has been paved and the Greenwood south parking lot has been purchased and will be paved by September 30, 1997. The Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Engineering Departments are analyzing the North Greenwood, Palmetto, and North Garden corridors for street beautification plans and the possibility of installing reclaimed water. Plans will be incorporated into the 5-year CIP (Capital Improvement Program). Due to right-of-way restrictions, the North Garden area provides limited opportunities for beautification. The first step towards planning of any project is to determine where to obtain funding. The second step is to define existing rights-of-way before implementation of plans such as beautification. A proposed beautification plan was mentioned that would involve Drew Street as the starting point and Stevenson’s Creek as the ending point. Methods of communication between the City and the community were discussed. It was noted that the City distributes an informational newsletter to each community group in the Greenwood area, as well as the State Senator and State Representative for this district. It was noted that the information in the newsletter is very informative, but difficult to photocopy. Public Information Specialist Diane Fitzgerald will take steps to make the newsletter easier to photocopy. Upon assessment of the success of the quarterly newsletter, a better determination can be made as to how dollars should be spent on informational items. A resident noted that there was a function at Marshall Park last week. When the park closed, the children did not want to leave because they had no place to go after dark. Residents feel something must be done to offer children other alternatives. Children ages 12 to13 cannot attend the same places and functions as other age groups. Different age groups require different types of evening activities. The process of how to obtain more specific information regarding acceptable activities for children of all ages was discussed. Upon input from the community, an action plan must be put in place in order to allocate funds before the next budget planning process. Discussion ensued regarding which social service agencies receive funds and how they are spent. The community must determine what is wanted and needed, and how best to implement programs and allocate funds to effect the desired end result. Meetings will be held throughout May and June for those organizations that wish to petition the City Commission for consideration of their programs in the upcoming budget process. Ms. Rice will mail memorandums listing the meeting dates and times, and the dollar amounts available for community programs to those in attendance at tonight’s meeting. The City Commission will hold public input meetings on May 21 at 7:30 p.m., May 27 at 7:00 p.m. and May 29 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. Ms. Rice reviewed items that will be presented to the City Commission for consideration for the next budget: 1) 2 City-wide events for the North Greenwood area; 2) ongoing funding for the North Greenwood Panthers; 3) ongoing operations for the Streetfest beginning next year; and 4) a free clinic in the Greenwood Apartments by the Black Nurses Association. For the 5 year capital plan, considerations included: 1) disposition of the Martin Luther King Center; 2) disposition of Holt Pool; 3) Main Library; 4) street beautification; and 5) a new community center. Police mediation was discussed. Ms. Rice will meet with Chief Klein to address this issue more aggressively. Greenwood residents should receive information within the next 2 weeks with regard to the status of this issue. Residents disagreed about the number of volunteers necessary to discuss proposed community programs and Police mediation processes. A suggestion was made that one representative from each community organization attend meetings. Ms. Rice will invite and meet with the 18 community organizations mentioned in the Weed and Seed Grant, as soon as possible. Residents requested accountability of grant funds. Ms. Rice stated that when the community groups meet, allocation of funds will be discussed. Ms. Rice reviewed the commitments made at tonight’s meeting which included: 1) working with Career Options and the jobs programs; 2) distribution of a memorandum regarding social services funding and upcoming public input meetings; and 3) distribution of information on how to request funding for upcoming budgets. She asked that residents contemplate ways to begin the planning process for a new community center before the next meeting. It was noted items in the budget are not automatically accepted by the City Commission. It was suggested the community focus on items being placed in the 5-year CIP. Mr. Rutledge noted INTAKE, Career Options’ Eligibility Determination for Job Training Partnership Act, will take place at 6:00 p.m. on April 15, April 21 and April 28, 1997 at the Martin Luther King Center Residents are urged to encourage young people to attend. Approximately 5,000 applications will be available for a contract of 100 jobs. Youth under age 18 must have an adult accompany them. Over the age of 18, youth should bring their social security card, proof of address, some form of identification, and a birth certificate. Mr. Rutledge noted that Career Options attempts to place children in appropriate employment situations based on their backgrounds. There are no income eligibility limitations for the INTAKE program, and the process takes approximately 20 minutes. Mr. Rutledge noted that every year parents wait until the last minute to ask Career Options to find their children a job. He urged parents to attend one of these sessions and complete the paperwork in order to ensure they have an opportunity for summer employment. The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.