Neighborhood Commission Agendas & Minutes

MINUTES Hampton Neighborhood Commission Meeting Community Development Conference Room, City Hall February 13, 2012 Time 6:00-7:30pm Present Ann Bane, School Rep. Tina Banks-Gray, District 4 Nancy Belew, District 3 Alice Callahan, District 6 Robin Carpenter, District 7 Antonio Davis, At-large Rep. Karen Duncan, District 1 Tammy Flynn, City Rep. James Gray, City Rep. Judy Hart, District 10 Joseph Johnson, At-large Henry Mills, Institutional Rep Deborah Roundtree-Jones, Institutional Rep. Catherine Winston, District 8 Tommy Southall, Chair Terry O’Neill, Executive Director Rashida Costley-Clarke, Recording Secretary Absent Lynn Allsbrook, City Rep. Sadie Boone, District 5 Valerie Twine, District 2 Guests I. Opening Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm A. Roll Call and Verification of Quorum Quorum verified. B. Pledge of Allegiance C. Approval of Minutes of the January 9, 2012 Neighborhood Commission Meeting 1  The Chair asked for consideration of the minutes for the January 9, 2012 Neighborhood Commission meeting. Robin Carpenter made a motion to approve the minutes. James Gray seconded the motion. The Chair called for a vote. Chair voiced, “All in favor please say aye.” Response, “aye.” Chair voiced, “Opposed?” Response – none. Minutes approved. D. Chair Announcements • Tommy gave an update on the proposed joint meeting with City Council. The City Manager is suggesting the Commission discuss other options to get input from City Council on the Work Plan in lieu of a joint meeting. Staff was tasked with developing options to help the Commission get feedback from City Council. • Commissioners who have not attended the Hampton 101 class were encouraged to attend. E. Youth Report • Anthony White and Ryan Jones summarized the discussion the Neighborhood Youth Advisory Board had regarding work plan goals; • The group narrowed their discussion to three areas; o Community Appearance, Pride and Image o Public Safety o Community Health and Healthy Families F. Items to be presented by public Theresa Schmidit introduced herself as a candidate for Hampton City Council. II. Actions (New Business) Item A. Discussion on the Neighborhood Commission Work Plan • Sabrina Carr and Jonathan McBride lead an icebreaker activity and a discussion regarding roles of the Commission in preparation for Neighborhood Commission Work Plan. Based on the work plan discussion, the Commission identified the following Community Plan goals as focus areas: 1) Neighborhood Quality, Appearance & Pride – an overarching issue that encompasses the following goals: 2  a. Aesthetic improvement of all major corridors and gateways (Community Appearance, Pride & Image) b. Reinvest in neighborhoods through blight abatement and property maintenance enforcement and beautification and incentive programs (Housing & Neighborhood Services) c. Provide strong codes enforcement, crime & fire prevention programs (Public Safety) Possible Roles: • The Commission can help to get information out to and from neighborhoods. • Help address blight and reinvestment through resources, crime & grime, etc. 2) Neighborhoods and schools have a strong partnership relationship (Housing and Neighborhoods) Possible Role: The Commission can help to build community relationships and partnerships. 3) Hampton provides more opportunities to engage, respond and inform citizens on issues pertinent to the community by the use of multiple means of communication (Good Government) Possible Role: This is a unique role for the Commission. This moves beyond communication. 4) Hampton will identify, plan and adopt innovative opportunities for citizen involvement, work, education, and recreation (Good Government) The work plan discussion will continue at the next Commission meeting. The focus of that discussion will be to identify the Commission’s role with regard to these goals as well as to begin to identify strategies. Item B. Briefing on the Crime and Grime Initiative • James Gray provided an overview of the Crime & Grime Intitative. The program is being retooled as a result of several constraints that affected the program in the past years. • Support of the Neighborhood Commission will be key to the success of the program. • The information provided included new strategies for the program, like partnering with Neighborhood Watch. • A more detailed presentation will be provided in March. The Chair asked for a vote to extend the meeting for 15 minutes. Alice Callahan made a motion to extend the meeting. James Gray seconded the motion. The Chair called for a vote. 3  Vote to extend the meeting Chair voiced, “All in favor please say aye.” Response, “aye.” Chair voiced, “Opposed?” Response – none. Motion approved. Item C. Discussion regarding the Neighborhood Swimming Pool Grant Program • Karen Duncan provided a summary of the program, and the recommendations of the Resources Committee. Although, the Committee had some discussion about requiring training for the pool operators, the Resources Committee recommended that the program remain the same as last year. • Comments and concerns of Commissioners regarding the program overall included: o The pool grants seem to benefit the individual pools more than the community at large o How do neighborhoods benefit from the pool program? o Concerned that the pools need Commission funds in order to keep their doors open o Concern about public money being used to support private pools o Perhaps we should require the pools to develop and submit a marketing plan that addresses memberships, fund-raising, etc. ƒ Orientation for the pools – to help them generate ideas to reach out the community o Concern about the $1000 fundraising incentive – Can this be restructured so they don’t have to wait until the end of the year to receive the funds? • Comments and concerns regarding training included: o Aren’t the pools regulated by the Health Department? o Aren’t the pools inspected prior to opening? If so, we should ask them to provide a copy of the certificate of inspection. o Should the Commission be in the business of providing training? o Are we going to deep in their operations? Shouldn’t these things be in place? o How do we help the new pool operators coming in (older people are beginning to step down)? o Should we require that pool operators submit reports/documentation indicating that they took advantage of education throughout the year? o How do we or should we facilitate a partnership between the pool operators to promote knowledge sharing? 4  ƒ Perhaps we can encourage the pool operators to get together on a regular basis • James Gray stressed that support of the Neighborhood Commission will be key to the success of the program. The Chair asked for a vote to extend the meeting for 10 minutes. Nancy Belew made a motion to extend the meeting. Joseph Johnson seconded the motion. The Chair called for a vote. Vote to extend the meeting Chair voiced, “All in favor please say aye.” Response, “aye.” Chair voiced, “Opposed?” Response – none. Motion approved. III. Dialogue (Ongoing/Old Business) A. Strategic Issues Discussion B. Updates on Work Plan progress C. Other Matters by Commissioners None D. Committee Status Reports IV. Director’s Report • Cindy Woolwine informed Commissioners that the Hampton 101 classes will start next week. The course is full and has a waiting list. • Rashida Costley-Clarke provided information to the Commissioners regarding Commissioner Orientation/Training. • Since the Youth Representatives have not been appointed yet, the Commission agreed to allow the Youth Representatives to fully participate in the Commission discussions. However, they will not receive voting privileges until they are appointed by City Council. 5 Next Meeting Date: March 12, 2012 @ 6:00pm. Location: Community Development Conference Room, City Hall. 6