HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Family Advisory Board 2020-10-01
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, October 1, 2020
Minutes of a regular meeting of the Family Advisory Board of the Town of Estes Park,
Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held virtually on Google Meet, on the 1st day of
October, 2020.
Present: Laurie Dale Marshall
Jodi Roman
Michael Moon
Nancy Almond
Sue Strom
Chris Douglas
Also Present: Cindy Younglund, Town Board Liaison
Jason Damweber, Assistant Town Administrator
Absent: Rachel Balduzzi
Christy DeLorme
Guests: Claire Bouchard, United Way of Larimer County
Chair Dale Marshall called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Claire Bouchard shared that Larimer County has distributed $300,000 in childcare
scholarships, with EVICS being a local recipient.
Chair Dale Marshall asked to go on record thanking Vice Chair Balduzzi for facilitating the
September meeting in her absence.
TRUSTEE LIAISON REPORT
Trustee Younglund provided an update that the strategic planning work is continuing and
the budget process is about to begin.
APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER MEETING MINUTES:
It was moved and seconded (Moon/Almond) to approve the September meeting minutes
and the motion passed unanimously.
DISCUSS PRESENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Chair Dale Marshall opened the discussion by saying that she feels the proposed name
change is an intentional representation of what the Family Advisory Board has been doing
since they were created, and that the board addresses more issues than just childcare,
Family Advisory Board – October 1, 2020 – Page 2
which is the primary rationale for adapting and including the word “community” in the
recommendation for the name of the board. This recommendation provides the
opportunity to better define and understand the role of the Family Advisory Board and to
develop structures and mechanisms to help guide the board. She restated Trustee
Younglund’s comment at the last meeting about the Family Advisory Board acting as a
hub for the community and Assistant Town Administrator Damweber’s supporting
statement that the board should act as a conduit. Chair Dale Marshall will present the
recommendations to the Estes Park Town Board on October 27 and she would love to
have as much board member support as possible. Assistant Town Administrator
Damweber will provide meeting information to the attending members prior to the
meeting. Additionally, he added the Town Board is interested in making the terms for the
Family Advisory Board members end on April 30 to be consistent with other advisory
boards.
STRATEGIES TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNICATION
Chair Dale Marshall led the discussion to come up with an official way to communicate
with the Trustees on a regular basis. The board agreed that it would be beneficial to add
a “top 5” list at the end of each meeting to provide to the Trustees. If similar themes evolve
each month, this list could be especially informative. Member Douglas asked if there was
a preferred method of communication for the Trustees. Discussion took place on the
benefits of sending an email, creating a separate document, or providing an update at the
Town Board meetings. Assistant Town Administrator Damweber stressed the need for
any communication to be simple and high level as the Trustees receive a large volume of
email. Executive Assistant Simpson suggested that Trustee Younglund could use the list
for her updates at the Town Board meeting. The board decided to add a standing agenda
item at the end of each meeting for this purpose.
NEXT ITEM
There is a need for the Family Advisory Board to formalize its role as a liaison to various
organizations, neighborhoods, entities, etc. in order to better gather information to inform
recommendations to the Town Board. The board discussed the various segments of the
community that may not be currently represented on the Family Advisory Board. Member
Roman shared a story of a conversation she had with a member of the population who is
a senior citizen and trying to start an elder care facility but ran into significant challenges
with zoning. Member Roman advised this citizen to attend a Family Advisory Board
meeting and share their experiences. The board decided that having outside
representatives attend meetings each month to hear about issues of importance would
be beneficial. Reminding guests of the role of the Family Advisory Board in making
recommendations to the Town Board would help to manage expectations. The board
decided that given the focus on elder care with the recent Prospect Place Living Center
discussions, it would be helpful to have a representative from Estes Park Health, Good
Samaritan Society, and possibly Elderhaus, attend the November meeting.
Family Advisory Board – October 1, 2020 – Page 3
The board continued discussing the best way to formalize these updates to become a
recurring meeting agenda item, as well as how to formalize the updates from board
members. Another standing item will be added at the beginning of the meeting for
community connections, with a time-limited update of three minutes each. If speakers
cannot attend, or if Family Advisory Board members have updates but cannot attend,
written comments can be submitted.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Member Bryant shared that the Boys & Girls Club assisted the school district with remote
learning and he is hoping they will continue to provide after school care once in person
learning fully resumes. He also provided an overview of the school district’s plan and
precautions/protocol for COVID.
Seeing no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:57 p.m.
NEXT MEETING
The next regular meeting of the Family Advisory Board will take place Thursday,
November 5 at 3:30 p.m. The format will be virtual through the Town’s Zoom account.
Suzanna Simpson, Recording Secretary