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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Family Advisory Board 2019-12-05RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, December 5, 2019 Minutes of a regular meeting of the Family Advisory Board of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Room 202 of the Estes Park Town Hall, on the 5ih day of December, 2019. Present: Rachel Balduzzi Laurie Dale Marshall Michael Moon Christy DeLorme Karen Randinitis Jodi Roman Sue Strom John Bryant Also Present:Ron Norris, Town Board Liaison Travis Machalek, Town Administrator Suzanna Simpson, Recording Secretary Absent: Nancy Almond Guests: Claire Bouchard, United Way of Larimer County Katherine Chu, Larimer County Chair Dale Marshall called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Claire Bouchard would like to give a presentation on Continuum of Care at a future meeting. Member DeLorme shared that the building where Mountaintop is located has sold and the new building owners have made several repairs and are set to paint this month. Crossroads Ministries donated a van to Mountaintop. Enrollment is good, but always goes down a little in the winter. Catherine Chu announced that a new marijuana law passed at state level. HB1230 addresses marijuana hospitality spaces. The bill allows business owners to request a license allowing public use. Communities can opt out, or opt in. TRUSTEE LIAISON REPORT Trustee Norris encouraged participation in the special election. He noted that the January meeting falls on the 2nd and asked if the board should consider moving the meeting. The board agreed that the January meeting would take place Jan. 9 APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER MINUTES: It was moved and seconded (Roman/Randinitis) to approve the November meeting minutes and the motion passed unanimously. FAMILY CONNECTION OPPORTUNITIES Member Randinitis added that the library offers free tutoring on Thursdays and attendance for grades 6 and up is low. The Polar Express activity has a waiting list of 40 people. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Family Advisory Board — December 5, 2019 — Page 2 Vice Chair Balduzzi was invited to a Facebook group for parents of children in the Estes Park school system and was unsure of its authenticity. Member Bryant says that it is unaffiliated with the school and was started by a parent who wanted to use the page as a support group for parents. COMMUNITY CHILDCARE EFFORTS & UPDATE Discussion about the monthly childcare collaborative. CTC has funding that could support childcare items such as a follow-up childcare needs assessment. Town Administrator Machalek stated that one of town's strategic plan objectives regarding childcare has been completed — to initiate conversations between those working on childcare in the Estes Valley. Member Moon added that there have been some conversations among different organizations that are looking at common services to reduce expenses. SB 63 includes recommendations to streamline licensing, funding. Member Bryant inquired as to how the Family Advisory Board could get data from the County's chart on wage demographics out to a broader audience. This led to a discussion about overall outreach and methods such as social media or email lists to distribute information. Town Administrator Machalek remarked that the role of the Family Advisory Board is to advise the Town Board and efforts should be focused on that rather than outreach. In addition, meeting minutes are a good tool to share with anyone who is seeking more information about the Family Advisory Board. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR UPDATE Town Administrator Machalek shared that there is a $10,000 childcare capital grant pool, modeled after a program in Steamboat Springs. He also provided clarification on how marijuana may be taxed if the ballot initiative passes Dec. 10. The default is that sales tax that is collected would go to the general fund like any other business. If the Town Board wishes to levy an additional tax it would have to go to a vote, likely in the general election. The option would exist to create a specific tax for a specific purpose or use. A new Assistant Town Administrator has been hired and will start Jan. 13. His name is Jason Damweber and he will take over as the Town's staff representative for the Family Advisory Board, in addition to being designated as the Town lead for involvement in childcare and workforce housing initiatives. ADVOCACY AT TOWN BOARD MEETINGS Chair Dale Marshall updated the board on the plan to have members speak at Town Board meetings. She will work with Executive Assistant Simpson to send a poll with the Town Board meeting dates for Family Advisory Board members to sign up for specific dates. Town Administrator Machalek suggested that the Family Advisory Board send the Town Board a letter advising them of this plan so that they are not surprised. Chair Dale Marshall will send the letter to Town Administrator Machalek for distribution to the Town Board. He also encouraged her to make sure that the comments tie back to the focus area. OTHER BUSINESS: Seeing no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:33 p.m. NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Family Advisory Board will take place Thursday, January 9 at 3:30 p.m. in room 203 at Town Hall. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Family Advisory Board — December 5, 2019 — Page 3 Suzanna Simpson, Recording Secretary