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02/25/1998NORTH GREENWOOD COMMUNITY TASK TEAM CITY OF CLEARWATER February 25, 1998 Present: MacArthur Boykins Team Member Reverend Lucius Pitts, Jr. Team Member Joe Marshall Team Member Kathy S. Rice Deputy City Manager Alan Ferri Clearwater Housing & Urban Dev. Director Michael Holmes Assistant Clearwater Housing & Urban Dev. Director Members of the Public Brenda Moses Board Reporter Absent: Reverend William Graham Chair Dennis Golden Team Member Mayme Hodges Team Member Mary Samuel Team Member Samuel Collie Team Member Tal Rutledge Team Member Bertha Kelley Team Member David Grice Team Member Beverly Bryant Team Member A quorum was not present. Deputy City Manager Kathy Rice opened the meeting at 6:40 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Center, 1201 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Clearwater. To provide continuity, the items listed were not necessarily discussed in that order. Donald Rutledge of Career Options said there are many programs available to local youth, including the Youthbuilders program for school dropouts. The Summer Jobs Program begins in June and continues for 6 weeks. Ms. Rice encouraged residents to participate in the promotion of all available programs for Greenwood children. The City has received positive comments about past program participants. Mr. Rutledge encouraged residents to attend a March 4, 1998, 9:00 a.m. meeting of the Workforce Development Board’s 2-year job training presentation for Pinellas County. Ms. Rice distributed copies of One City. One Future., a blueprint for Clearwater’s future. The document is based on the premise that all areas of the City are interrelated and must be addressed comprehensively. The concept seeks to enhance the quality of life throughout the City. All neighborhoods have a stake in what happens to the City as a whole. The City must choose and continue to pursue a specific direction in order to achieve results. Public input will be gathered and partnerships with the business and private sector formed. Five major focus areas are: 1) Land Development Code; 2) the beach; 3) downtown; 4) Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard; and 5) Greenwood. In response to a question, Ms. Rice said the blueprint is a concept, not a plan. She said surveys and public input will provide valuable information before proceeding with the concept. Funds to begin the immediate action items listed in the document will come from Penny for Pinellas funds. North Greenwood initiatives will be discussed at a March 28, 1998, meeting. A resident asked the City be sensitive to existing housing and institutional issues to ensure stability and growth in North Greenwood. Ms. Rice will request the Siemens group meet with local churches. In response to a question, Ms. Rice said no plans will be implemented to interfere with the efforts of the CNHS (Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services). A resident suggested the City consider multi-family residences to house younger neighborhood families who seem to be moving out of the area due to insufficient housing. A resident remarked that businesses build child care facilities within their own structures to accommodate employees. It was suggested the City consider how other cities encourage growth. Ms. Rice said many issues are being considered and a great deal of information compiled. In response to a question regarding future expansion on the Stevenson’s Creek Water Pollution Control property, Ms. Rice said there is a plan for the sewer plants. There is room at the Northeast plant for the laboratory. She will request that Public Works Administrator Rich Baier provide residents with information regarding future plans for the area. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.