HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.16.15 CEC Minutes CEC Minutes 3.16.15 Page 1
Falcon Heights – Community Engagement Commission
Minutes of the March 16, 2015 Meeting
Members Present: Chair Melanie Leehy; Commissioners Dick Carlson, Jay Colond, Helen Foster, Clem
Kurhajetz, Gary Kwong, Shirley Reider, Felicia Turner, Gwen Willems; Staff Liaisons Tim Sandvik, Katie
Thrasher; Council Liaison Mayor Peter Lindstrom; Fire Liaison Chief Rich Hinrichs; Police Liaison Chief
John Ohl
Members Absent: Commissioners Ahmed Hassan, Amino Mohamed; Fire Liaison Assistant Chief Anton
Fehrenbach
1. Call to order: 7:06 pm
2. Approval of 2.23.15 Minutes
a. Clarification and edits
3. Community Engagement Commission Purpose
a. Reading of Purpose from Ordinance No. 15-01 which merged the Human Rights and
Neighborhood Commissions. “2-119 Community Engagement Commission: The
community engagement commission shall serve in an advisory capacity to the city
council regarding the effective, meaningful and equal involvement of Falcon Heights
residents in their community. The commission will identify opportunities to
collaborate with community, educational, business and social services groups and
organizations; identify ways to improve the city’s public participation, identify
under-represented groups, remove any barriers, and engage and promote increased
participation for all residents, businesses, community and neighborhood
organizations; review and recommend ways to improve the city’s communications
efforts so as to facilitate effective two-way communication between the city and all
residents, businesses, community and neighborhood organizations; review and
recommend ways to help improve resident emergency preparedness and crime
prevention programs. The commission shall review complaints of alleged human
rights violations occurring within the city and secure equal opportunity for all
residents of the city regarding public services, public accommodations, housing,
employment and education.”
4. Goals
a. Commission Goals incorporate the goals from both the Human Rights and
Neighborhood Commission. Focus includes Human Rights incidents, annual events,
Neighborhood Liaisons, CERTs, block parties.
b. Discussion about the value and structure of the Neighborhood Liaison program.
c. Discussion about the role and growth of the CERT program.
d. Discussion about neighborhood safety and crime prevention meetings.
CEC Minutes 3.16.15 Page 2
5. Events
a. List: Annual Event (January), Spring Together, Block Parties, Ice Cream Social (July
23), Fire Dept. Open House (Oct. 3), Human Rights Day (Dec. 10)
b. Block Parties are encouraged to be held on Minnesota Night to Unite (aka National
Night Out). This provides best opportunity for Fire Department, Police Department,
and Council Member to visit.
c. Spring Together event cannot take place at Curtiss Field this year as it is under
construction.
d. Began discussion about doing a City Forum on City Hall’s green space as an alternate
to the Spring Together event. This creates a reaching out to apartments in the West
portion of the City.
6. Establish Teams on a volunteer basis.
a. Prevention/Incident Committee: Felicia, Clem, John
This team will deal with incident review, safety, CERTs and crime prevention.
b. Events/Outreach Committee: Jay, Shirley, Helen, Dick, Gwen, Gary
This team will work on the logistics of decided events, and apartment connectors
outreach.
c. Although there will be teams, we are all able to have input to plans.
7. Designate individual responsibilities
a. Each Committee shall select their own Coordinator. It is highly recommended that
Committee meetings take place at City Hall.
b. Clem Kurhajetz has volunteered to track the Little Free Libraries.
c. Dick has volunteered to coordinate music for block parties.
8. Housekeeping Items
a. Request to all: When responding to an email to someone please use “reply” and not “reply
all” unless absolutely necessary. Too many emails may cause people to become
desensitized.
b. Send request for the agenda to Staff Liaison Tim Sandvik.
c. Updating the brochure: Please verify contact information. Having contact information on
the brochure is optional.
9. The next meeting will be May 18 at 7:00pm. If the time changes notification will be made one month
prior. A May meeting allows time for the Committees to meet in April.
Meeting adjourned at 8:22pm