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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Sister Cities Committee 09/21/06PRELIMINARY MINUTES ?p{ PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21 2006 — 3:00 P.M. �tlrUtxxai. •tip ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM I. CALL TO ORDER Committee Chair Talboys called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Member Absent: Patricia Bannon Donna Jean Darby Bill Harris Rolf Hoehn Nancy McIntosh John Marman Rose Mary Ortega Mark Talboys Frank Villar Gary Walker Jean Whitney Staff and Others: Sheila Gilligan, Assistant City Manager Stephen Aryan, Assistant to the City Manager Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary Guest: Adrianna Lugo, Executive Chief from Club IntraWest, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS MARK TALBOYS introduced Adriana Lugo, Executive Chef at Club Intrawest in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico, to the Committee. Ms. Lugo will be meeting with the Marriott Desert Springs' Executive Chef to discuss the Art of Food & Wine Festival. IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD ON JULY 20, 2006 Mr. Walker moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the July 20, 2006, meeting minutes. Motion was seconded by Mr. Villar and carried 9-0 by a show of hands. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None PRELIMINARY MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 VI. NEW BUSINESS A. CORRESPONDENCE FROM CITY MANAGER RE: ANNIVERSARY AWARD Mr. Talboys thanked Carlos Ortega for forwarding the correspondence to the Committee members. No action taken. B. CORRESPONDENCE FROM SPELD STUDENT Mr. Talboys explained the course of events that took place, which facilitated the correspondence from the SPELD student. No action taken. C. INVITATION TO "FIRST LIGHT" 007 POTTERS CONVENTION IN GISBORNE Mr. Talboys announced that Judy Livingston sent an invitation to the Committee members regarding the "First Light" 007 Potters Convention. The dates were April 6 —9, 2007, and he had information if any member was interested. A discussion ensued about the convention. No action taken. D. INVITATION TO TOUR IRELAND Mr. Talboys reported that Alan Chambers sent an invitation to the Committee regarding the Sister Cities International Autumn/Fall Board of Directors meeting in Ireland. If any member was interested, further information could be found on the Sister Cities International website. No action taken. E. MAYORAL VISIT TO PALM DESERT — NOVEMBER 2006 Mr. Talboys reported that six visitors from Gisborne: the Mayor Meng and Mayoress Yin Foon, Mr. Jim and Mrs. Ann Ostler, and Mr. Temple and Mrs. Olive Isaacs would be arriving from New Zealand on November 7 and departing on November 12. The Palm Desert Sister Cities Committee's evening reception was tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 9, 2006. Please mark your calendars. Upon question by Ms. McIntosh, Mr. Talboys responded that he was working on weekend passes for the guests. Ms. Ortega stated that three individuals from Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo were expected to arrive on November 8 and depart on November 11. She reported that during the Humanitarian subcommittee meeting, transportation of the Ixtapa- 2 PRELIMINARY MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MEETING with costs hands. Bombero hands. SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 Zihuatanejo delegation was discussed. She said they were encouraging the visitors to come to Mexicali so they could be transported from there. She was concerned about accommodations and would like rooms to be reserved for those coming from Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. She offered to be the Committee's liaison for the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo's delegation. Mr. Talboys said he would keep the Committee informed via email. Mr. Marman moved to, by minute motion, proceed with the plans for the Mayoral visit not to exceed $2,000. Motion was seconded by Mr. Walker, and carried 9-0 by a show of F. INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SALSA EVENT AT THE PALM DESERT CIVIC CENTER PARK (This item added by unanimous vote.) Ms. Ortega presented background information on the history of the event. All participating individuals were volunteers to help raise money for scholarships and to help families in need. Mr. Rosalio Plata, President, Club Michoacano of the Coachella Valley, addressed the Committee. The event was scheduled in Cathedral City, but four days before the event the City cancelled. The City of Palm Desert opened its doors to them. They were grateful and thanked the City of Palm Desert for hosting the event. Mr. Plata gave details of the event at the Park and the dinner being held at the Cathedral City Country Club afterwards. G. BOMBERO TRAINING PROGRAM PROPOSAL (This item added by unanimous vote.) Ms. Ortega stated that Ignacio Otero submitted a proposal for the Bombero Training Program. The proposal requested a budget for six fire personnel to travel to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo to train its firefighters. The proposal outlines the type of training, the cost of airfare, hotel, meals, and incidentals. The budget amount requested was $4,000. IGNACIO ORTERO described in detail the training program. Mr. Talboys stated that the training that took place last May was very successful. Upon question by Ms. McIntosh, Mr. Talboys responded that there was money in the budget for the Bombero Training Program. Ms. Ortega moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the expenditure of $4,000 towards the Training Program. Motion was seconded by Mr. Walker, and carried 9-0 by a show of K3 PRELIMINARY MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. ART OF FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL Mr. Talboys briefed the Committee on festival events. He reported that Lee Marcus and the Kaiser Group of restaurants offered to partner with Palm Desert Sister Cities to prepare appetizers with the flair of New Zealand and Ixtapa- Zihuatanejo. Subsequent to that offer, he received confirmation from Ms. Ortega that four executive chefs representing Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo would be attending the Festival. In light of that event, the Kaiser Group would be focusing solely on New Zealand fare. TAMMY PEREZCHICA stated that Pink Martini was scheduled to perform on Friday, November 10 at Desert Willow. She said Kristy Kneiding, Marketing Manager for the City of Palm Desert, shouldered the operation and advertising efforts. She said Ms. Kneiding spent a tremendous amount of time and effort on the development of the website, and she encouraged the Committee to visit the Festival website. Mr. Walker would like to promote the events for Sister Cities and offered his email information to Ms. Perezchica. Mr. Talboys stated that there would be a need for Committee member volunteers on the following dates: Thursday, November 9 at 6 p.m., Sister Cities reception at Club IntraWest, Friday, November 10 at Desert Willow, and Sunday, November 12 at The Grand Tasting. He added that he would have a sign-up sheet for Committee members at the October meeting. Mr. Walker moved to, by Minute Motion, approve moving forward with Festival activities as presented with costs not to exceed budgeted amount. Motion was seconded by Mr. Villar, and carried 9-0 by a show of hands. IX. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. CITY COUNCIL Ms. Gilligan reported that Ms. Benson sent her regrets that she was unable to attend the meeting, although, she would be attending in October. B. COMMITTEE CHAIR Mr. Talboys reported that the theme for the Golf Cart Parade this year was "Take a Walk on the Wild Side." He asked for volunteers for this event. A discussion ensued regarding the Golf Cart Parade and the consensus was to put the item on the November16, 2006, agenda. 112 PRELIMINARY MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 Mr. Talboys asked for committed volunteers for the 2007 Sister Cities Golf Tournament. Upon question by Ms. Ortega, Mr. Talboys responded that he would continue being the chair of the tournament. Mr. Walker volunteered to take charge of the silent auction and its presentation. Ms. McIntosh volunteered to oversee registration. Mr. Marman and Ignacio Otero offered to oversee the ball drop. Mr. Talboys reported that Brian Crawshaw would be visiting Palm Desert in October. Mr. Crawshaw was instrumental in developing the relationship between Palm Desert and Gisborne. C. COMMITTEE MEMBERS None D. SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS - Art, Culture & Education Ms. McIntosh reported that Pat Armstrong was getting the word out to schools in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo regarding the Aesthetic Education Program. She would be sending a follow up to Gisborne. Tourism & Economic Development None - Humanitarian Ms. Ortega reported that the ambulance donation project was underway with a tentative target date of December 2006. She added that parts needed for the existing ambulances were purchased by the Riverside County Fire Department and would be delivered to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo by Ms. Lugo. She reported on an article in an Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo newspaper praising the Lifeguard Program. The article stated that they had zero fatalities due to the training given staff through the Lifeguard Program. The subcommittee wanted to continue to support the Lifeguard Program by purchasing uniforms for the lifeguards. She discussed the need for an all terrain vehicle for the lifeguards. The lifeguards were currently using bicycles to run the long stretch of beach for rescues. The donation would be made to the City so as to ensure PRELIMINARY MINUTES PALM DESERT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 that the vehicle would be used for and remain with the Lifeguard Program. - Public Relations & Promotions None E. STAFF STEPHEN ARYAN updated the Committee on the status of the Articles of Incorporation. The City Manager's office entered into an agreement with Steve Quintanilla with regard to the filing of Form 1023. He reminded the Committee about the Committee/Commission thank you brunch at Desert Willow on October 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. X. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m. r Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary "Reminder: Our next meeting will be held October 19, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. 0