HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Parks and Human Services - 10/18/2012 ���I� Parks and Human Services Committee Meeting
�✓ KENT October 18, 2012
Council Present: Elizabeth Albertson, Dana Ralph, Chair Debbie Ranniger arrived later
in the meeting.
Item 1: Minutes of September 20, 2012 - Approve
Ralph moved to approve the minutes of September 20, 2012. Albertson
seconded. The motion passed 3-0 with Ranniger's concurrence.
Item 2: Multi--Care Fun Run Title Sponsorship - Accept
Mark Hendrickson, Program Coordinator reported that this is the 30th year of the
Christmas Fun Run. Mark announced that MultiCare has signed on as the title sponsor for
the 2012 Christmas Rush Fun Run in the amount of $15,000. This is the first time the
event has had a title sponsor. Mark introduced Janelle Tiegs, Regional Manager from
MultiCare, who is partnering with Mary Bridge Pediatrics to share that they are very
excited to be involved in this event, especially how well how it fits with what they want to
do with their patients and the community. It is their mission to be involved in the health
and well being for the pediatric population, as well as the adult population.
The funding will cover registration fees for kids ages 13 and under, allowing them to
participate in the run at no cost. Staff is pleased to partner with Multi-Care to continue to
extend this unique opportunity to the youth of our community. The Tab Wizard started
this tradition with their sponsorship five years ago. According to our research, the
Christmas Rush may have the fifth largest youth participation of kids 13 and under of any
run in the United States. There were 2,500 participants in 2011.
Jeff commended Mark for altering the course the past couple years with the re-route of
the trail due to flood control sandbags.
Ralph moved to recommend accepting $15,000 sponsorship from Multi-Care and
approving the expenditure of funds in the Cultural Program's Division budget.
Albertson seconded. The motion passed 3-0 with Ranniger's concurrence.
Item 3: National Endowment for the Arts Grant - Accept
Lori Hogan, Superintendent of Recreation and Cultural Programs announced that the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded the Kent Arts Commission an Arts
Education in American Communities grant. The funding will support the presentation of
educational outreach activities by Ken Waldman, a poet/fiddler, Bill Harley, a
writer/storyteller, Taylor 2, a modern dance company, and returning classical pianist,
Alpin Hong, as part of Spotlight Series.
Ralph reminded everyone that the Spotlight Concert Series begins Friday, October 19,
with Steve Lippia, with many other great performances on the schedule..
Ralph moved to recommend accepting the $10,000 grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts and approving the expenditure of funds in the Kent Arts
Commission's budget. Albertson seconded. The motion passed 3-0 with
Ranniger's concurrence.
Item 4: 2013 - 2017 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated
Plan and Funding Allocations - Authorize
Dinah Wilson, Human Services Coordinator reported that in order to receive Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) as an Entitlement City, the city is required to submit a Five-Year
Consolidated Plan for Housing & Community Development. The City's current
Consolidated Plan is in effect from 2008-2012; therefore, a new five-year plan for 2013-
2017 is required. HUD created a new online template that jurisdictions must use to draft
the Consolidated Plan, so the format is quite different than in previous years and staff is
still tweaking it.
Prior to the beginning of each year of the Consolidated Plan, the City must inform HUD
and the community of the specific actions that the City will execute to implement the
objectives and strategies of the Consolidated Plan; this is outlined in the 2013 Action Plan,
which is included in the Consolidated Plan (AP-15 to AP-85). The Action Plan also includes
the allocation of estimated resources that will be used to carry out the objectives and
strategies, and a description of each program that will receive funds. The Human Services
Commission recommends that a major portion of CDBG funds be used to support the
City's Home Repair Program. This program serves many low-income, disabled and senior
homeowners in Kent by providing needed repairs. The program also ensures that a
portion of Kent's low/moderate-income housing stock is maintained and preserved.
Dinah stated that as shown in the plan, the demographics in Kent have changed. The
population shows that 51% of the city's population of color and different ethnicities. This
can create a challenge with language and cultures.
On September 24, 2012, the City of Kent published a public notice on its website and
informed the community, organizations, and stakeholders that the Draft 2013-2017
Consolidated Plan was available for review and comment for a period of thirty (30) days.
On October 18, 2012, the Human Services Commission held a public hearing for the
purpose of taking comments on the 2013-2017 Consolidated Plan.
The Human Services Commission reviewed and approved the 2013-2017 Consolidated
Plan and recommendations for CDBG funding for 2013.
Ralph supports the goal to help people get back on their feet and become self-sufficient.
Jeff complimented Dinah for her management of the CDBG program. Elizabeth
commented on her attendance at the opening of the new Valli Kee Community Center and
the collaboration between HUD and the City of Kent.
Ralph moved to recommend Council approval of the Proposed Community
Development Block Grant 2013-2017 Consolidated Plan for Housing and
Community Development, including funding allocations and contingency plans,
and authorize the Mayor to execute the appropriate certifications and
agreements.
Item 5: King Conservation District Grant Agreement - Authorize
Jeff Watling, Director of Kent Parks, Recreation and Community Services announced that
staff applied for and received a $49,539 grant from the King Conservation District to
continue implementation of the Green Kent Partnership for Year three. Specifically, this
grant will fund project coordination from Forterra to collect and track the field work being
done by volunteer stewards, staff and contracted crews, as well as provide technical input,
recruitment outreach and leadership as needed. A portion of the grant ($23,674) will also
fund a Green Kent temporary employee to supplement available Parks personnel and
provide support to the stewards in the field. And $4,125 will offset the Special Programs
Manager's time overseeing the project.
Ralph moved to recommend accepting the $49,539 grant from the King
Conservation District, approve the expenditure of funds in the Green Kent
Partnership budget, and authorize the Mayor to sign the agreement. Albertson
seconded. The motion passed 3-0.
Debbie Ranniger arrived and gave her concurrence on all previous items.
Item 6: Homeless Task Force Report - INFO ONLY
The Homeless task force, co-chaired by Oriana Pon, Human Services Commission Chair
from Home Street Bank, and Jim Berrios, Kent Chamber of Commerce, President-elect
and owner of the Golden Steer, was formed and held its first meeting Friday June 8tn
2012. The membership included business, faith, service providers, people experiencing
homelessness, police, Human Service Commissioners, and concerned residents. Staff from
Housing and Human Services, Kent Chamber and Kent Downtown Partnership provided
administrative support. Dennis Higgins and Elizabeth Albertson served as City Council
liaisons.
The task force met four times between June and September, discussing a range of
services and options aimed at reducing the number of homeless individuals in the
downtown core and improving the accessibility of services. The group had two main
charges: review services gaps, cost models associated with shelter and case management
and discuss best practices from other communities. The consensus of the Homeless
Taskforce was that there is a need for a 24 hour shelter in South King County; the shelter
needs to be professionally staffed; have access to a full range of services; and a coalition
of service providers, community members and volunteers would be need to plan, locate
and service the shelter.
Human Services Commission Recommendations:
Based on the findings and recommendations of the Homeless Taskforce the City of Kent
Human Services Commission is forwarding the following recommendations to Council. The
first recommendation continues to support the community in its efforts to be actively
involved in addressing the issue of homelessness in Kent. The second recommendation is
a policy recommendation that address social issues that impact the entire community.
Civility laws address the issue of appropriate conduct while in a public space. It should be
noted that the Parks Department receives many complaints and comments regarding the
behavior of others while in public spaces. Parents are concerned about what their children
are being exposed to and the difficulties they face when attempting to educate the next
generation about civil, appropriate behavior when children are exposed to behaviors such
as cussing, spitting, littering and harassment.
• City support for the creation of a community driven steering committee to research
a potential site and funding for a 24 hour shelter in Kent. The Housing and Human
Services Manager appoints a staff member to serve on the Homeless Steering
Committee. The Council encourages the Homeless Steering Committee to vet any
site selected with the community including residents, business, service providers
and faith groups and be responsive to their input and concerns.
• Adopt and enforcement of Civility Laws to protect the health and safety of all Kent
residents. Civility laws apply to anyone in a public space engaging in inappropriate
behaviors. The City Attorney will be bringing an ordinance to Council in the coming
months. Currently there is a difference between the behaviors and actions that are
allowable and legal at the Kent Transit Center and in all other areas of the City of
Kent. King County Metro has civility laws in place that allow police to intervene
preventing disturbances and crime. The recommendation is that the City of Kent
expands the area covered by civility laws to include the entire city limits.
Elizabeth asked for more detail on the civility law because it seems nebulous at this point.
Jason said they are looking at other jurisdiction's civility laws. Jason felt this ordinance
should be for everyone, not targeted at a certain population. Jeff added that these poor
behaviors have had quite a negative impact on our public spaces and we will approach
this with sensitivity. Elizabeth feels that we need to have a systemic approach. She feels
that we need to provide restrooms if we are going to penalize people for using public
spaces inappropriately.
Jeff brought up the increased amount of feeding programs in downtown Kent. Staff will
work with the task force on the challenges, impacts and issues of these programs in the
downtown area and it will be discussed at the task force meeting on November 6.
Elizabeth acknowledged Jason for his work with the homeless situation, adding that she
felt the discussion at the task force meeting was quite an eye opener for many at the
table and that many were surprised at the extent of the homeless situation in the
downtown area.
Item 7: 2012 Third Ouarter Reports - INFO ONLY
Jeff showcased Summer Day Camp and commented on what a great job staff does with
the program. The inclusive approach this program makes such an enriching experience for
all the participants and families. The Counselor in Training program within Summer Camps
has become very popular and is a great opportunity for teens to learn some great
leadership skills. In a quote from the mother of a child with Cerebral Palsy who
participates in camp, she can't tell staff enough how much the camp means to her family.
Congratulations to the Police Department for organizing another great National Night Out
event. For the second year, Phoenix Academy was a very popular site with approximately
250 kids and parents having a good time.
In Park Planning and Development, the Green Kent Stewardship program has broadened
its volunteer base with 19 new stewards, bringing together many volunteers to complete
numerous cleanup projects throughout the park system. A quote from a Panther Lake
resident states that for many years he offered to work with King County to get rid of
blackberry bushes encroaching upon his property. He contacted Victoria Andrews through
the Green Kent Program became an active steward and began working with volunteers to
get rid of invasives.
Seven Oaks Park will be invigorated with park renovations based on the results from our
first virtual public meeting, which launched in the third quarter. The community was given
the opportunity to go online, look at the project options and make their decisions. There
were 41 comments returned.
The Contributions Report reflects $37,531 in monetary or in-kind donations that
demonstrate our leveraged resources and community partners.
Item 8: Director's Report - INFO ONLY
Green Kent Day (aka Make a Difference Day) is at Morrill Meadows Saturday, October 20,
with Forterra and volunteers from REI.
Riverbend Golf Complex will be presenting a status report at the Parks and Human
Services Committee Meeting in November.
The old point of sale (POS) software needs to be replaced at the golf course. Staff worked
with IT to contract with Active Network, the same vendor that provides the POS Class
system software used for registration in Recreation.
An information sheet on Proposition One - Parks/Roads Levy will be mailed to residents
this week and will be available at our public spaces. The document identifies projects,
location and what would be completed with these resources.
The meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.
Submitted by,
Teri Petrole
Council Committee Secretary