SouthWest Common Council Minutes 11/15/18

Transcription

1 The SWCC represents neighborhood leaders, community residents and stakeholders who meet to contribute to the vision and planning for the SouthWest Quadrant. SW Common Council - the place to come for grassroots community input THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN! NEXT MEETING: THURSDAY, 12/20/18, 6 P.M. In Attendance: John Boutet (LocationSW, SW Education, SWCC Co-Chair), Mike Bulger (Common Ground Health), Eleanor Coleman (YouthBuild), John Curran (Rapids Cemetery), Viola Curry (Montgomery/SWAN), Lori Frankunas Phillis Wheatley Library), John Lightfoot (COTS, SWCC Co-Chair), John McMahon (NSC Office), Lucienne & Jeffrey Nicholson (Woods & Us) SWCC Action Plan Discussion w/ John McMahon John has lengthy experience facilitating groups in writing Action Plans; throw out all ideas, review them and begin to sort them out. This Action Plan is for the SouthWest Common Council, not necessarily the entire Quadrant. Our topics mirror the SW Quadrant plan that is on the City s website and shows who had input. Once everyone agrees on the overall topics and listings beneath them, group members are given dots to prioritize the action steps by voting for desired steps. We are currently in the stage where we gather input. Still looking to reach out to people who used to attend believing that the Action Plan helps to focus members and can help build buy-in. Link for viewing current main categories & sub-listings: Public Safety Adopt a Library program by law enforcement Walking police officers in neighborhoods An Effective Police Accountability Board Visible police walking in neighborhoods

2 Consistency among staff serving a specific neighborhood Updated Children at Play signs New Parking Signs that are not faded and street signs that are not faded. Handicap parking on streets that need them Striping Crosswalks Economic Development Develop Job Incubator with the U of R, using SW location Bull s Head Development More business incubators for Jefferson Avenue West Main corridor at King Street area. Society Restaurant Arts & Culture Grant opportunities for public art & murals, and playful sidewalks Develop artwork for Brooks Landing Develop Artwork for Bull s Head Beats at Brooks Arts Project Education Better partnerships between institutions, libraries, per centers and schools Schools should help inform parents and the community about issues of importance to the schools Develop an instructional technology learning center in the Southwest. Create a makes space. Get U of R engaged. Keep neighborhood schools. Create after-school activities and supported services Neighborhood Development Reduce the percentage of rentals. Increase owner occupants

3 Support additional Brooks Landing activities like Beats at Brooks Troup Street Playground development with fieldhouse or amphitheater Dog Park in the Southwest Water apparatus at Troup Street or at #4 School Hamm Memorial Site development LED lighting on Reynolds Street from West Main Street, south to Frost Avenue. Montgomery Center Improvements Children & Families Health Make On the Road clinics at accessible places. (Example: shots before school starts, physicals, etc.) More accessible active play opportunities Get URMC engaged Activities or events with focus on local service providers Increase the awareness of mental health Communications Encourage skills training for seniors to access technology Southwest Quadrant website with abilities to develop web pages for each neighborhood association or block club with interactive accessible administrative rights for each group. Discussion: How do we incorporate senior services? Suggestions: Under Children and Families change that category to Intergenerational Health or Community Health. Community Health w/ more specific sub-categories. Woods & Us: Founder is Lucienne Nicholson is focused on introducing African American children of the City of Rochester to wilderness, hiking, trails and camping; research shows that there is a direct relationship with spending time in the outdoors and reducing ADD, Myopia, Diabetes and disruptive behavior. Add Trail Development to Neighborhood Development. John C. Noted that the Rapids Cemetery has been working with RIT students to develop a self-guiding cell phone tour at the Rapid Cemetery; would also like it to be connected to and follow Rochester s existing Heritage Trails. Studies show that chemicals released by trees that we can t see improve physical and mental health. John M. recommended going to the City of Rochester s website (Cityofrochester.gov) and look up trails for detailed trail information.

4 Transportation: Most churches have vans; can they be a resource to us? Added transportation and engaging churches to Neighborhood Development. UAWG (Urban Agriculture Work Group) is working on amending the procedure for being able to access vacant land for gardens to be more gardener-friendly (allowing for longer-term contracts). Added Legacy Park Station to Arts & Culture Adopt-a-Library Program was listed by Lori Frankunas; in the past, officers would come to the library, walk around, interact with teens and staff. John M. noted that a New Community Affairs Bureau (CAB) is being created that would be a good place to ask that question. to lighting department could address the poor lighting issue. Ford Turnaround Circle Bonny Mayer suggested that neighborhood groups pool together to create a substantial work of art in the Ford Turnaround Circle. Bonny has a Common Ground is engaging UR Community Health to build on the Rochester Walks program to improve and create trails. Funding available and the deliverables could connect well with Woods & Us. More people walking = lower crime. Project Reports: Brooks will continue next year Society Restaurant Brian Potter will be focusing on the restaurant building; very clear an indoor venue is much needed. The weather for last Saturday s Fall Festival was very wet and cold. UR Roteract students did a superb job of putting together games for neighborhood children but the poor weather kept residents away. Art Project - No new information. Education Committee o Woods & Us will attend the next meeting to orient members to getting inner-city youth (primarily African Americans) into the woods for hiking, camping, trails, etc. o 19 th WCA Convention is tomorrow night starting at 6pm at School #16, 321 Post Ave. Hoping to get a good number of teachers to attend. Also hoping teachers will join some families for the Candlelight Dinners highlighting homes in the 19 th Ward and connecting residents with one another. Will assess data of who attended at next Ed Committee meeting. o Short-distance busing being explored to encourage enrollment in community schools. There are two sides to the busing issue that involve unsafe neighborhoods for walking.

5 Organization Presenter SouthWest Common Council Minutes 11/15/18 News Events / Action Requested 19 th Ward Community Assn Donna Sarnacki (585) dsarnacki@hotmail.com Changing of the Scenes (COTS) John Lightfoot (585) cotsna@gmail.com Common Ground Health Healthi Kids Jen Beideman Mike Bulger Rapids Cemetery John Curran jecurran@rochester.rr.com Annual Convention is tomorrow night at School #16 starting at 6pm No Report drive2bbetter.com coalition of several organizations who are working on a public education campaign that highlights traffic safety as a barrier to people walking and biking; SLOW DOWN when driving. Currently upgrading the self-guided tour. SW Libraries Joan Lee (585) Joan.lee@libraryweb.org Lori Frankunas SWAN/Montgomery Viola Curry (585) Health Care Navigators will be at Arnett 11/27 and Wheatley Dec & Jan Rawson Duckett s mother (Rawson manages SWAN s Grow Green program) has been working with Viola to plan out raised beds that accommodate seniors. Hoping to have seniors begin by planting seeds in the basement. Hoping to engage neighbors.

6 Organization Presenter Woods & Us Lucienne & Jeffrey Nicholson SouthWest Common Council Minutes 11/15/18 News Loves intergenerational focus and planning around making trails more visible and accessible Address transportation concerns Planning on a Gear Drive so camping gear can be made available o Husband worked 35 years with RCSD including Marshall, #21, & School #44 for many years; was involved with the Boy Scouts o Breaking down community schools reduces parent involvement Events / Action Requested YouthBuild/CFC Eleanor Coleman (585) eleanor.coleman@gmail.com Settling in to new location Lincoln Ave, between Chili & West Ave Third cohort started 11/5; to enroll for next cohort (February) contact Reg Walton at Open House will be 12/14 from 3pm-6pm Contact Information Co-Chairs: John Boutet, jboutet@frontiernet.net, (585) John Lightfoot, cotsna@gmail.com, Scribe Services: Eleanor Coleman, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com, (585) Respectfully Submitted, Eleanor Eleanor Coleman CFC YouthBuild