Mayors Committee for People with Disabilities

Hampton Mayors Committee for People with Disabilities Thursday, April 11, 2024 Members Present Liaisons Present Ellen Shackelford, Chairperson Tauib Mohammad – City Manager’s Office Debbie Apperson, Vice Chairperson (excused) Sara Snowden -Emergency Management Vivian Austin, Secretary Gwendolyn L. Burnett, Treasurer Chris Bowman – City Councilman Rev. William E. Anderson Evelyn Alston Venezia Jimenez Dora Parker-Jimenez Tyrell Mullen Sally Jo Nichols Dana Reid (excused) Phillip Siff Courtney A. Stovall The meeting was called to order by the Chairperson at 3:00pm. A roll call was conducted among the members present. The new appointees were welcomed and introduced. The minutes of the last meeting were reviewed and with no corrections noted and accepted as presented. The treasurer report was presented and accepted as read. City Manager’s Office – Mr. Mohammad reported the City was in the process of conducting the overview of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. A presentation for the five (5) year plan was presented. The public is encouraged to give input. Information regarding city projects can be found on www.hampton.gov/citycouncil, where there is a paper copy available for reference. An Introduction Packet was prepared and handed out to the new appointees, with pertinent information about the Hampton Mayors Committee for People with Disabilities. 1 Liaisons reports – No report Parks and Recreation – Ms. King reported Spring Break Camp took place April 1-5, 2024 at the TR Center. We had 15 campers. It was a great week. Everyone especially enjoyed the trip to Fort Monroe. They swam and made a ceramic bank. Summer camp registration began on April 8, 2024. Camp is $100.00 a week for members and $125.00 a week for non-members. We always fill up quickly so sign up early. If the child is new to TR an assessment must be completed. Please call Ms. King at (757)251-2826 or (757)268- 8837, or email: shaeron.king@hampton.gov to schedule. Online registration: www.hampton.gov/register Click on “Therapeutic Recreation.” Hampton City Schools – No report Emergency Management – Ms. Snowden reported that on Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 10:00am-2:00pm, Emergency Management will have a Community Emergency Preparedness Day at the West Hampton Community Center 1638 Briarfield Road. It is open and free to the public. She encourages committee members to participate in the event and asked if information can be shared about the HMCFPWD as well. At the event participants will receive tool kits on how to prepare for emergency situations and offered a backpack full of useful tools and information. There will be other resources available from vendors such as Virginia Natural Gas and Dominion Virginia. She also presented information regarding Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Academy. Anyone interested in this academy can give her a call and information on how to become involved will be given to interested persons. Councilman Bowman stated he went through the program and gave it a high rating. Subcommittee report(s) Accessibility – Ellen Shackelford has no report, however, has encouraged committee members to participate in the quest to complete an updated version of the accessibility guide she and Vivian Austin are working on. Sally Jo Nichols (new appointee) and Dora Parker-Jimenez volunteered to assist. Education – Tryell Mullen, Dora Parker-Jimenez and Gwendolyn Burnett are in the process of planning an upcoming Awards Luncheon, which is normally held in October, which is also Disability Awareness month. As the result of a world-wide pandemic, this event has not been able to come together. The subcommittee will report on the progress in pulling all the information together to move forward with the plans to have the event this October, if possible. Legislation – No report. 2 Newsletter – Rev. Anderson is working continuously on getting information to add to the Facebook newsletter with the assistance of the Hampton Marketing department. Since there are questions on what information is appropriate to add to the newsletter via FB, he has asked assistance from the City Manager’s office for direction and clarity. Publicity – No report. However, assistance has been requested from the City Manager’s Office in having a representative speak to the committee on ways to raise awareness on the HMCFPWD and its goal to serve persons with disabilities, their families and community at large. Transportation – Tyrell Mullen and Courtney Stovall reported that Para Transit will have a new contractor to service the Hampton area. On June 1, 2024, Eastern Coast from NJ will have headquarters in Norfolk, VA and will serve the Peninsula. The services thus far will remain the same and the price of the one-way fare will continue at $3.50. In addition, Keith Johnson, Executive Director for HRT will be retiring in June 2024. More information can be found about Eastern Coast at: www.gholsinger@eastoncoach.com, New Business – As the result of the application from Insight Enterprises, Inc. submitted incorrectly, Peninsula Center for Independent Living by Ms. Louise Pair, the HMCFPWD has requested assistance from the City Manager’s Office for assistance in revamping the application for clarification and completeness. As a result, this first application will be placed on hold status until the new application is uploaded in the system. Old Business – No report Public Comment – There were questions about where on the Hampton website to find financial assistance for persons with disabilities as well as information regarding the application and who can apply for the funds. Adjournment – The meeting was adjourned at 4:38 pm. 3