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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Sister Cities - 5/19/05"V L S 4 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2005 - 3:00 P.M. ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Talboys called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Patricia Bannon Donna Jean Darby Bill Harris Rolf Hoehn Briana Kirkwood Nancy Jo McIntosh, Vice -Chair John Marman Rose Mary Ortega Gilbert Slagel Mark Talboys, Chair Frank Villar Gary Walker Jean Whitney Staff/Others Present: Donna Gomez, Visitor Center Manager Alibaba Farzaneh, Ex-Officio Member Sarah Healy, Ex-Officio Member Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD APRIL 21, 2005 Mr. Walker moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the minutes of the April 21, 2005, meeting. Motion was seconded by Mr. Villar and carried 12-1 by a show of hands. Mr. Marman abstained. APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MAY 19, 2005 V. NEW BUSINESS A. CONSIDERATION OF PURCHASE OF VIDEO EQUIPMENT Mr. Talboys thought it was important to document Committee's events for historical purposes and that those documents should be done well. He felt that the Committee should purchase its own video equipment so that the documentation would be of better quality. He believed that the Committee could purchase digital video equipment with sufficient resolution for $1,000 to $1,200. Upon question by Mr. Harris, Mr. Talboys responded that the Committee could enlist a task force under his stewardship, and he would welcome participation and expertise from everyone. Mr. Harris believed that research could be done first and then brought back to the Committee with an amount certain. Mr. Talboys responded that technology changes so rapidly that the Committee may need to revisit this proposal in three or four years. He did not think the Committee needed to spend an exorbitant amount of money. Ms. Darby expressed support for Mr. Talboys' suggestion as long as the purchase price for the digital video equipment fit within the budget. Mr. Walker agreed with Mr. Talboys that technology does change quickly, and he believed that $1,000 would cover the cost of video equipment with the level of sophistication that Mr. Talboy's proposed. Ms. Gomez suggested that the Committee could approve the proposal with the condition that the video equipment not exceed a certain amount. Mr. Villar agreed with the comments made by the other Committee members. Mr. Marman moved to, by Minute Motion, approve expenditure not to exceed $1,500 for the purchase of video equipment for the use by the Committee. Motion was seconded by Mr. Walker and carried unanimously by a show of hands. 13-0 B. CONSIDERATION OF LIFEGUARD PROGRAM Ms. Ortega reported that the Humanitarian Subcommittee and Ms. Gomez met to discuss the Lifeguard Program. She said the Subcommittee wanted to conduct research on the viability and interest in the Program before bringing any recommendations to the Committee. She added that she would be receiving a report form Mr. Otero, which would contain the research he had done while in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. She said the Subcommittee would meet again, after all research information was received, to discuss the Program and then return to the Committee with its recommendations. 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MAY 19, 2005 Mr. Talboys suggested that the proposal be fast tracked since the Committee would be traveling to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo at the end of the month. Mr. Ortega responded that she was not comfortable fast tracking the proposal. Ms. Ortega moved to, by Minute Motion, table the decision until more information was received and reviewed by the Humanitarian Subcommittee. Motion was seconded by Mr. Harris and carried unanimously by a show of hands. 13-0 VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VII. OLD BUSINESS A. DISCUSSION OF U.S./MEXICO SISTER CITIES CONFERENCE, JUNE 1-5, 2005 Mr. Talboys said he believed that the objective for attending the National Conference was to support Palm Desert's Sister City in Ixtapa- Zihuatanejo, meet old friends, and develop new friendships. He briefly went over the projects that were being produced for the Conference. A discussion ensured about transportation and who would be attending the Conference. Mr. Talboys said the Joint Committee Retreat was scheduled for June 6`h. He asked Committee members to allow the entire day for the retreat. He also asked that they participate in all of the scheduled events at the Conference. He thanked Ms. Gomez for all her hard work. Ms. Gomez announced that she had packets for each Committee member who was attending the Conference. She noted that airline and hotel reservations were made, and the attendees could take care of any changes that need to be made. No action taken. Vill. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. CITY COUNCIL Ms. Gomez reported that the City Council approved out-of-state travel for Committee members to attend the U.S./Mexico Sister Cities Conference in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, June 1-7, 2005. B. COMMITTEE CHAIR Mr. Talboys announced that the proposal to recommend that the Sister Cities Committee become a non-profit community based organization would be considered by City Council at its June 71h budget meeting. 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MAY 19, 2005 Mr. Talboys reminded new Committee members to read and acquaint themselves with their new member packets. He added that the information would be invaluable to them. Mr. Talboys also reminded the Committee of the procedure to follow with regard to new ideas. He said ideas should be given to the appropriate subcommittee for assessment and review. The Subcommittee would then bring its recommendation to the Committee for discussion. Further discussion was held regarding subcommittees. Mr. Talboys announced that he received a letter from the President of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo's Sister City Committee formally notifying him that Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo had acquired a second sister city, Collingwood, Ontario Canada. C. COMMITTEE MEMBERS Ms. Darby inquired about the status of the Ex-Officios who were on the Committees' roster but had not been involved in any activities for the past six months. She believed participation was required to remain an Ex- Officio member. Mr. Talboys said that was discussed a few months ago, and the Committee would revisit that again in the near future. D. SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS Art, Culture & Education Ms. McIntosh mentioned that the Subcommittee was waiting to hear from Gisborne with regard to the student exchange program. Ms. McIntosh received the schools' requests for supplies from Ms. Gomez. She said the Subcommittee would review those requests and bring its recommendations back to the Committee for approval. Ms. Gomez explained that the requests Ms. McIntosh referred to were from the three school districts that would receive the proceeds from the golf tournament. Upon question by Mr. Slagel, Ms. Gomez responded that there was approximately $10,000 to be distributed. Ms. Darby announced that the Aesthetic Education Program would begin June 20, 2005. She said there would be two teachers from Gisborne and four teachers from Ixtapa- Zihuatanejo. She gave detailed descriptions of the tentative schedule for the ten-day program. Mr. Talboys encouraged the Committee to take advantage of the workshops and the events. He said the Aesthetic Education Program was a world-renowned program and a huge success for M APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MAY 19, 2005 the Committee. He added that the program was a fantastic and enriching experience for everyone involved. Ms. McIntosh said tickets for the performances were $10, and the performances were excellent. Ms. Gomez commented that in the past, Kajsa Thuresson-Frary had not minded the Committee viewing the actual workshops. Ms. McIntosh said that was not offered last year. Ms. Darby said she would ask Ms. Thuresson-Frary at what point Committee members would be able to view the workshops. Ms. Ortega said it would be helpful to be able to learn more about the program. Upon question by Ms. Healy, Ms. Darby said the initial hope was that the teachers from Gisborne and/or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo would take the program back with them to begin their own Aesthetic Education Program. She reiterated the concerns by Gisborne with regard to starting its own program; i.e., financial and community support. She gave a brief presentation about the history of the Program and how it began in the Coachella Valley. Mr. Talboys reiterated that Committee involvement was important and hoped everyone made note of the dates of the scheduled activities. Ms. Darby said the Artist in Residence Program was still up in the air. Tourism & Economic Development Mr. Talboys thanked Mr. Hoehn, Ms. Bamber of Club Intrawest, and the Committee members who participated for a successful tournament. He said the 2006 Golf Tournament was scheduled for April 21, 2006. Mr. Talboys congratulated Mr. Hoehn and the Public Relations Subcommittee on the fine public relation efforts before, during, and after the tournament. He added that all of the subcommittees should consider utilizing the Public Relations & Promotions Subcommittee for all of its endeavors. Mr. Hoehn spoke about the priorities and details that he would be working on for next year's golf tournament. Mr. Talboys gave a brief presentation on the ideas discussed for the Sister Cities Community Day. He said the target date was January 8, 2006, so the Subcommittee would have to move very quickly to get things in place. 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MAY 19, 2005 Humanitarian Ms. Ortega announced that the Humanitarian Subcommittee won the Innovation Award for its Humanitarian Assistance Program. She said the Program was a grassroots effort and a wonderful collaboration between many individuals. She added that the Committee now had two Sister Cities International Awards. Ms. Ortega reported that the paperwork for the delivery of the fire truck was completed. She said the shipping company was notified and was awaiting the arrival of the paperwork before it could complete the delivery. Mr. Talboys thanked Ms. Bannon, Ms. Ortega, Mr. Nueva, and Mr. Ortega for all their hard work. A discussion was held regarding donated vehicles to Ixtapa- Zihuatanejo. Ms. Ortega felt that better communication and coordination was needed in order to ensure timely transfer of any vehicle across the border. Mr. Talboys noted that he had a conversation with Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo's Sister Cities Board about it making a financial commitment with regard to the delivery of vehicles to its country, and the reply from the Board was, "No problem." A Committee member suggested that a member of the Humanitarian Subcommittee attend the Intemational Conference to accept the Innovation award. A discussion ensued regarding the International Sister Cities Conference in Spokane, WA. Public Relations & Promotions Mr. Hoehn distributed notes from the Public Relations & Promotions Subcommittee meeting of May 91h. He went over the subcommittee notes with the Committee members. Mr. Hoehn reiterated the fact that he wanted to continue promoting the Sister Cities Committee with programs that occur all year long. He said he wanted to recognize the training trip to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo by the firefighters and the Innovation Award for the Humanitarian Assistance Program to the community. The Committee discussed how best to promote the Aesthetic Education Program and to reach the Latino community. Mr. Hoehn reported that Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Sister Cities Committee members were very enthusiastic about attending the Golf Cart Parade. He requested that the Committee members who were attending the Joint Committee meeting in Ixtapa- Zihuatanejo confirm the attendance of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo's Committee members. A discussion ensued regarding the Golf Cart Parade. An organizational meeting was scheduled for June A APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE E. STAFF MAY 19, 2005 161h at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall to further discuss plans for the Golf Cart Parade. Ms. Gomez distributed an article given to her by Mayor Crites regarding Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. Mr. Gomez spoke to the suggestion made by a Committee member to add another person to the International Conference registration. She said the out-of-state travel would have to be approved by City Council since the previous approval was for two Committee members. Upon question by Mr. Marman, Ms. Gomez said that any two Committee members could attend. Mr. Marman said he was going to be in Northern California anyway and was going to drive to the Conference; however, he said he did not have to attend if a member of the Humanitarian Subcommittee would like to go to accept the award. Ms. Ortega thanked Mr. Marman for his offer. She said she did not have to attend, and if another member of the Subcommittee wanted to attend, it would be okay with her. IX. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m. Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary *Reminder: Our next meeting will be held June 16, 2005 at 3:OOp.m. 7