Public Safety Committee

Village of Wellington 12300 Forest Hill Blvd Wellington, FL 33414 Meeting Minutes - Final Wednesday, March 24, 2021 6:30 PM Village Hall Public Safety Committee Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes - Final March 24, 2021 I Call to Order Chair Michael Weil called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. II Pledge of Allegiance Chair Michael Weil led the Pledge of Allegiance. III Roll Call Committee Members present: Michael Weil, Mohammad Junaid Akther, Michael Arena, Jacqueline Hutman, John Archambo, Richard Christmas, and Brad Johnson. Staff Present: Nicole Coates, Gloria Kelly, and Paulette Edwards Guests: PBSO Lieutenant Eli Shaivitz and PBCFR District Chief Anthony Tozzi IV Opening Comments Committee members thanked those who participated in the essay questions and were looking forward to discussing the winners. V Approval of Agenda A motion was made by Michael Arena, seconded by John Archambo, and unanimously passed (7-0), to approve the agenda as presented. VI Approval of Minutes A PSC-150 APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 27,2021 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES A motion was made by Michael Arena, seconded by Richard Christmas, and unanimously passed (7-0), to approve the January 27, 2021 regular meeting minutes as presented. VII Old Business There was no old business. VIII New Business A PSC-155 PRESENTATION BY WELLINGTON'S COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT Community Services Director, Paulette Edwards introduced herself and presented information on the services and programs available through the Community Services department. Ms. Edwards mentioned that while everyone was in lockdown last year, the Community Services department was out serving the community. The department has provided virtual programs for a Village of Wellington Page 1 Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes - Final March 24, 2021 wide audience including seniors and youth. One of the biggest events the Community Services Department has been part of is the Feeding South Florida event that takes place every Tuesday at the Nordstrom parking lot at the Mall at Wellington Green. This program was still ongoing. Ms. Edwards shared other community programs offered through her office, including the Bike Assistance program, tutoring, Super Fridays and the SWAG Program. She spoke about their strong partnership with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and non-profits in the community. She also shared that the Fourth of July event may return in-person this year. B PSC-154 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ESSAY CONTEST 2021 Ms. Coates informed the committee that they had received an overwhelming response to the essay contest. Donna Baxter from Palm Beach Central High School suggested awarding students with ten (10) community service hours for their essay submission, since service hours have been hard to find due to social distancing guidelines. A motion was made by Mohammad Junaid Akther, seconded by Jacqueline Hutman, and unanimously passed (7-0), to approve awarding ten (10) community service hours to the students who submitted essays. There was only one submission to the elementary school division. The Committee discussed their top selections for the middle school division. Committee members listed the following top essays: Michael Arena ranked M- #30 as his top essay. Richard Christmas ranked M- #27 as his top essay. Chair Michael Weil ranked M-#12 as his top essay. Vice Chair Mohammad Junaid Akther ranked M- #12 as his top essay. Jacqueline Hutman ranked M- #2 as her top essay. John Archambo ranked M- #12 as his top essay. Brad Johnson ranked M- #8 as his top essay. A motion was made by Chair Michael Weil, seconded by Richard Christmas, and unanimously passed (7-0), to award the M-#12 essay submission the winner of the Middle School Division. Chair Michael Weil read the essay aloud. The topic of the winning essay was "Internet Safety". The winner was identified as Avery Apple of Wellington Landings Middle School. The Committee then discussed their top selections for the high school division. Committee members listed the following top essays: Michael Arena ranked #56 as his top essay. Richard Christmas ranked #5 as his top essay. Chair Michael Weil ranked #32 as his top essay. Vice Chair Mohammad Junaid Akther ranked #4 as his top essay. Jacqueline Hutman ranked #34 as her top essay. John Archambo ranked #15 as his top essay. Village of Wellington Page 2 Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes - Final March 24, 2021 Brad Johnson ranked #43 as his top essay. The Committee went on to share their second ranking submissions. Committee members listed the following top essays: Michael Arena ranked #53 as his top essay. Richard Christmas did not rank another essay, however, he preferred #5 Chair Michael Weil ranked #15 as his top essay. Vice Chair Mohammad Junaid Akther ranked #32 as his top essay. Jacqueline Hutman ranked #76 as her top essay. John Archambo ranked #10 as his top essay. Brad Johnson ranked #24 as his top essay. After some discussion, a decision was made to read #15 and #32 aloud. The Committee would then vote on their selections. Jacqueline Hutman read essay #15; the essay topic was "Property Crime". Brad Johnson read essay #32; the essay topic was "Stopping Suicide". Jacqueline Hutman asked whether her essay pick, #72 could be read,. Vice Chair Mohammad Junaid Akther read essay #72 aloud; the topic was "Social Media Technology". A motion was made by John Archambo, seconded by Michael Arena, and unanimously passed (7-0), to award essay #32 as the winner in the High School Division. The winner was identified as Martin Blanca of Wellington High School. Jacqueline Hutman shared a summary of the essay topics that were submitted. Ms. Coates stated that essay winners would be recognized at the April 27, 2021 Village Council meeting at 7:00pm. IX REPORTS A PSC-151 STAFF REPORT Ms. Coates gave a presentation on COVID-19 from last year to today. She reported that Wellington residents had done a great job in keeping themselves and Wellington safe by following COVID-19 procedures. She shared the current COVID-19 numbers, Wellington’s COVID-19 timeline and positivity rates in the State and Palm Beach County. Ms. Coates provided the latest vaccine updates in Palm Beach County. Following her presentation, Ms. Coates discussed the approach of hurricane season and reminded everyone that now is the time to begin preparations. She also shared information on the Neighborhood Watch program and what Village Staff had been doing to promote the program in the neighborhoods. She also provided information on the upcoming Neighborhood Watch Night events scheduled for May 8th and May 12th for active watch groups. She thanked all of our community partners who help us through our programs. The next meeting of the Public Safety Committee was scheduled for Village of Wellington Page 3 Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes - Final March 24, 2021 Wednesday, June 23, 2021 beginning at 6:30pm. B PSC-152 PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE DISTRICT 8 WELLINGTON REPORT Lt. Shaivitz introduced himself to the committee, since the last couple of meetings he had attended were held on Zoom. He shared that, in the early 2000's, he was one of the first two Community Policing deputies in Wellington. He went on to review current crime trends and statistics, reporting a decrease in crash rates but an increase in crashes along 441. In response to ongoing speeding complaints in those areas, Operation Bent Metal had been created. The Street Team had been very active in the Village and, along with their day-to-day assignments, Deputies had been assisting area families in need. Chair Michael Weil responded that he had seen the information online regarding Operation Bent Metal and was pleased with PBSO's targeting of these specific areas to address speeding concerns. C PSC-153 PALM BEACH COUNTY FIRE RESCUE REPORT Chief Tozzi introduced himself to the Committee and provided a brief history of his tenure with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. He looked forward to being part of the Public Safety Committee and acknowledged Committee members Michael Arena and Richard Christmas who had assisted him during his time with Fire Rescue. Chief Tozzi reviewed the December 2020 Response Time Report, stating that total response time was 6 minutes, 41 seconds with a total of 497 calls. He went on to review the January 2021 Response Time Report that showed a response time of 6 minutes, 57 seconds with a total of 547 calls. The February 2021 Response Time Report showed a response time of 6 minutes, 58 seconds and a total of 449 calls. One of the things built into the response times was the turnout time. The staff at Fire Rescue was working hard to maintain those response times which continued to remain stable from the previous year. Ms. Hutman congratulated the Chief on the response times. X Public Comments There were no public comments. XI Closing Comments Mr. Arena thanked all of the students who had submitted essays, stating that they were very insightful. He also thanked PBSO and the Village and congratulated Chief Tozzi on his new role with PBCFR. Mr. Weil thanked all the students who had submitted essays and looked forward to next years submissions. Mr. Akther thanked staff and the citizens, committee members and Council members who called him regarding the recent events in Georgia. He thanked them for their support for the Asian American community. Ms. Hutman welcomed Chief Tozzi and echoed the previous comments. Village of Wellington Page 4 Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes - Final March 24, 2021 Mr. Archambo thanked Council for the opportunity to be part of this committee. Mr. Johnson thanked everyone for their participation tonight. XII Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Village of Wellington Page 5