Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission

1/12/2021 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Kim Jordan, Mary Hussmann, Paul Rabidoux, Courtney Blasius (6:55 PM) City Staff Present: Ray Coffey, Rick Hebert, Kate Nicoletti, Nate Eddy, Gwennie Talbot, Amy Lafayette, Jenny Hill, Kate Anderson, Molly Schneider Guests Present: Tay Olson (Winooski Mutual Aid) Call to Order by: Mary Haussmann Meeting Start Time: 6:30 PM Minutes Recorded by: Kim Jordan II. Public Comment None III. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Approved Motion by: Kim Jordan Second: Paul Rabidoux IV. Council Liaison Update Councilor Amy Lafayette l Re: Master Plan Discussion: Each City Council Liaison willl be sharing out regular commissions’ work to each commission. In March or April, Mayor Lott will be communicating with us about more DEI representation on commissions and staff. l There are some aspects that SHCP owns and other aspects that are related to other City and countywide issues and concerns. l Housing Commission is exploring recommending a cap of how large housing units should be. l Rep. Hal Colston has put out a call for new bills for the legislative session that you would like him to put forth. Email him with your desired outcome. l Equity Director position is posted on City website. Seeking as many applicants as possible. l Free Covid testing everyday at O’Brien Community Center l If anyone is interested in running for elected position, there will be 2 City Council (2-year) as well as Mayor (3-year) terms that are up. V. City and Department Updates Rick Hebert, Winooski Police Chief: Showed Public Safety presentations to City Council last night. There are no Covid cases in WPD at this time. Ray Coffey: Skating rink will be up at Rotary Park soon. Looking to bring THRIVE Program into Community Services budget, which voters will vote on in March.  Rick Hebert, Winooski Police Chief: Showed Public Safety presentations to City Council last night. There are no Covid cases in WPD at this time. Ray Coffey: Skating rink will be up at Rotary Park soon. Looking to bring THRIVE Program into Community Services budget, which voters will vote on in March. Kate Nicoletti: Working on Youth Council and have received about 15 applications. Now at a council of 8 – 4 middle and 4 high schoolers. Have had first meeting and will receive money soon, and the Youth Council will decide how to distribute the money. Grant money is from Vermont After School. Jenny Hill: Free Nordic ski program partnership with Catamountt Outdoor Center in Gilbrook this Saturday. Info is posted online. Nate Eddy, Winooski Library: Appointment hours W-Sa are working great – 1 indiv/4 ppl max in household. Seeing a lot of families. 68 visits in December. VI. COVID-19 Response Update l Ray Coffey: Recent numbers and trends in the City. Since 12/20/20, total 392 cases in Winooski. We are the 2nd highest in number of cases. The trend is looking better in the past 4 weeks. Challenges include multi-family households and lack of ability to isolate/quarantine. (screenshare of VT Dept. of Health website.) Winooski has improved testing days/times at O’Brien Center on Winooski website. Appointment and walk-in capacity are both very user friendly. City is meeting with state and BIPOC/refugee service providers to troubleshoot highter rates of Covid numbers on BIPOC individuals. Ray is participating in Vermont Multilingual Coronavirus Task Force on behalf of Winooski to create and promote updated videos about Covid safety in multi languages. l Amy Lafayette: Also recommend the website www.covidactnow.org which gives a nationwide snapshot of COVID and allows you to drill down by county. It scores each state based on many factors including how much contact tracing is happening and how well prepared they are for outbreaks. l Mary Hussmann: Will info about vaccines also be publicized this way? l Ray Coffey: Requesting this logistical support from the State. VII. Winooski Mutual Aid Presentation Tay Olson: Slide presentation attached about project/needs since founding in March 2020. Presentation link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nganvfkh7kcyHgXOpQ_OW8UDqt8DdG1C8loaEKwcBsU/edit? usp=sharing Current need are space to store fresh fruit/supplies, and money to continue. Website: winooskimutualaid.org; Venmo: @winooski-mutualaid; paypal: winooskimutualaid Ray Coffey: How can the City be helpful to Winooski Mutual Aid and not get in the way? Tay Olson: The City has already provided physical space when we need it, and we appreciate the continued support for our efforts from the City. VIII. Adjourn Motion by: Paul Rabidoux Second: Kim Jordan Meeting End Time: 7:33 PM Second: Kim Jordan Meeting End Time: 7:33 PM