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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Human Relations Commission - AHRC Minutes 5-24-2012M I N U T E S HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION May 24, 2012 The Ames Human Relations Commission meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Members present were vice chairperson John Klaus, Amy Longenecker, Lea Vogl, and Barbara Woods. Klaus asked for unanimous consent to reorder the agenda, with the FACES discussion to occur first. There was no objection. Old Business FACES – Amber Corrieri was present in the audience. She stated that she and one other person were the only active members of United Ames remaining. John expressed that he would like to see FACEs continue, though the Commission does not have the expertise to put it on. Amber noted that she had suggestions for a date. John mentioned that September 22 coincides with the Maximum Ames Music Festival. That has been a successful partnership in the past. Amber agreed that a tie-in with Maximum Ames would be desirable. Moved by Woods, seconded by Vogl to hold FACES on Saturday, September 22, 2012. Motion carried unanimously. Amber urged that a meeting be held soon to start planning. A meeting should be held with the Human Relations Commission, United Ames, Nate Logsdon from Maximum Ames, Lynne Carey from the Ames Public Library, and Mike King from Ames Parks and Recreation. John recognized Liz Beck from the audience, who described the origins of FACES. Amy asked how soon rentals would need to be reserved. Amber suggested they should place orders within the next three to four weeks. Moved by Longenecker, seconded by Vogl to hold a special meeting of the Ames Human Relations Commission to discuss FACES on June 6, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall. Motion carried unanimously. Amber stated that she would invite individuals she believes should participate in the meeting. Jan Beran was in attendance, and provided the Commission with FACES documents. Liz Beck suggested contacting various university offices to get them involved early. Specifically, it was suggested to contact the Dean of Students Office, YWCA, and the international student communities. Barbara suggested that the International Students and Scholars office be contacted now to inform them of the date. They can then pass that message along to the student organizations. Lea and Barbara volunteered to contact university organizations. Barbara suggested checking with the Ames Public Library’s list of community organizations for other groups that may be participants in FACES. Lea suggested that the special meeting of the Commission on June 6 th could provide an opportunity to set up committees for various tasks. City staff will look at previous FACES documents to determine if anything proposed would has required City Council approval in the past. Public Forum No one came forward to speak at Public Forum. Old Business Moved by Woods and seconded by Vogl to approve the April 26, 2012 minutes. Motion carried unanimously. Humanitarian Award – Moved by Longenecker and seconded by Woods to approve the Humanitarian Award criteria and process as proposed. Motion carried unanimously. Moved by Woods and seconded by Klaus to present the Humanitarian Award at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration annually. Motion carried unanimously. Employment Training –There was discussion about who the flier should be distributed to. Barabara asked if there were particular groups the Commission desired to reach out to. John suggested some of the small employers without human resources experience. He suggested contacting United Way and the Main Street Cultural District. Barbara suggested contacting local churches. She offered to email the flier to churches. Commissioner Comments – Barbara expressed hope that with the summer coming, the Ames Police Department would have a positive presence at some of the outdoor activities. She asked whether it would be possible to ask the Police Chief for information regarding how the Police Department would be engaged in the community. City staff person Brian Phillips asked for clarification regarding the purpose of this information, and whether the Commission would plan to do anything with it. John noted that it is part of the Commission’s charge to keep informed about the community. He offered to call the Police Chief briefly in lieu of a written report from him. Barbara raised the comments made by Councilmember Larson regarding Breaking Down the Barriers during the joint meeting with the Commission. He asked how we welcome people to Ames. The Commission discussed this topic and decided that it would be good to continue thinking about this item. The Commission will next meet in a special meeting on June 6, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. The Commission’s next regular meeting will be June 28, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. Adjournment The Commission adjourned at 6:30 p.m.