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Minutes - Human Relations Commission - 09/17/2012 City of Boulder Human Relations Commission Minutes Monday, September 17, 2012 1777 Broadway, Boulder, CO 5:30 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Leisha Conners Bauer Jonathan Dings Peter Osnes Shirly White COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Amy Zuckerman STAFF PRESENT: Carmen Atilano Beth Van Dusen Karen Rahn 1. Call to Order The September 17, 2012 HRC meeting was called to order at 5:34 p.m. by L. Conners Bauer. IL. Agenda Adiustments Latino Task Force has withdrawn their CIF application from consideration. Add HRC Handbook. L. Conners Bauer asked if this is to be added under Work Plan Updates. C. Atilano stated that yes, it is. L. Conners Bauer asked for an update on the Boulder Latino History Project. C. Atilano stated that this will be included under Celebration of Immigrant Heritage. III Approval of Minutes P. Osnes moved to accept the August 20, 2012 minutes as amended. S. White seconded the motion. MOTION carries 4-0. IV Community Participation None V. Action Items A. Community Impact Fund Proposals 1. Bridge House- Emily Himes, Development Director from Bridge House gave an overview of the project. L. Conners Bauer explained that part of the reason that Bridge House was asked to present their proposal is because the HRC has been the only sponsor, Are there plans to look at sponsorships from other organizations? Emily replied that last year the event went over budget and Bridge House had to use funds from their general fund. J. Dings commented that the event ineets needs in the community and does follow a national model, however because it is held on the longest night of the year in December this may deter people from attending. Are there any alternative events that may engage people in the needs of the homeless community? Emily replied that Bridge House does follow a national model and that 150 other cities participate in the event. It is symbolic to hold the event in the cold to help raise awareness. It may be possible to hold the event at a different location or indoors and most communities hold the event at night but Bridge House holds the event during the day. P. Osnes also raised concern for those who may not be physically able to attend the event due to access and weather. Emily replied that there is access close to the stage and you do not have to climb the stairs to participate. S. White commented that this is an important way for the community to remember the homeless who are part of our community and it provides a memorial service. Emily replied that it is the only service provided for the homeless community and that there are pictures of those who have passed with flowers placed near each picture, there is an opportunity to speak for those who wish to do so and there are readings and music during the event. Twelve homeless people have died in Boulder this year and twenty died last year in Boulder. L. Conners Bauer asked how many years has Bridge House been sponsoring the event and has attendance increased over the years? Emily replied that they have been sponsoring the event since 2008 and yes attendance has increased, P. Osnes inquired about the possibility of outreach for the event at BI-IS and stated that there is a lot of insensitivity at BHS with regard to homelessness. Emily commented that Bridge House has been discussing issues of the homeless population with the principal at BHS and this would be a good opportunity to raise awareness. S. White moved approval and P. Osnes seconded the motion. MOTION passes 4-0. 2. Conflict Resolution Declaration- S. White proposed the declaration and asked that the HRC forward the proposal to the Mayor for a required signature declaring October 2012 Conflict Resolution Month. It is consistent with the goals of the HRC and will help to inform the community of the various ways to deal with conflict in our community. J. Dings moved to recommend to the Mayor that he approve and sign the declaration. P. Osnes seconded the motion. Motion passes 4-0. 3. Multicultural Awards Banquet- L. Conners Bauer proposed that the HRC purchase a table at the banquet. The banquet is a benefit that provides scholarships to low income people of color. The cost is $650 for a table of 10 and former commmissioners, current commissioners and staff will be invited to attend. It is a good show of support for an event that supports the community. S. White inquired about inviting or including youth, perhaps from the YWCA. S. White moved approval and P. Osnes seconded the motion. MOTION passes 4-0. 4. Community Action Development Corporation (PERL)- L. Conners Bauer recused herself from this agenda item. Perla Delgado gave an overview of the proposal. PERL provides a training program that trains and empowers people of color to serve on boards and commissions. Creating Connections provides cultural competency training. The funding is requested for focus groups to revamp the Connections training. J. Dings asked how the funds will be used? Perla Delgado responded that the funds will be used to pay a consultant and to provide a stipend for participants,which is essentially a recruiting tool. The Cultural Competency training will include determining ways that PERL can help boards and commissions build a more inclusive and diverse board and also to determine the tools needed. K. Rahn commented that boards and commissions in the city are appointed by City Council and that sitting boards and commissions do not have the same opportunities as non-profits to build diverse boards. S. White asked if PERL participants are trying to get on boards and commissions and at what rate are they being denied. Perla stated that PERL has trained 275 participants (75 in the City of Boulder) and that the population of low income people of color is not representative on boards and commissions. J. Dings asked about the cost of the consultant and the length of the focus groups. The consultant will be paid $1,000 per focus group and the length of the focus group will be 2-3 hours. P. Osnes asked about the skills and qualifications of the consultant and requested credentials for the consultant. S. White asked how many people will attend each focus group? Perla said that they are targeting between 10-15 people per focus group. P. Osnes moved to fund the proposal in the full amount requested. There was no second on the motion, motion fails. S. White moved to approve funding at one half the amount requested with the option to fund other focus groups as needed. Motion withdrawn. J. Dings moved to approve funding in the amount of $ 1,000. There was no second, Motion fails. P. Osnes moved to fund the proposal in the amount of $2,904 with the assumption that there will be two focus groups. S. White seconded the motion. Motion passes 3-0. K. Rahn asked if the focus groups will address the boards with regard to barriers that exist to seating a more diverse board. Yes, Perla will send the final questions to Karen. VI. Discussion/Informational Items A. Boulder Civic Area Project- Lesli Ellis, City of Boulder, Senior Planner, Project Coordinator. Lesli provided an overview of the project which began this summer. The purpose of the Boulder Civic Area project is to create a shared community vision for the civic heart of Boulder, from 9"' to 1.7`x' streets and from Arapahoe Avenue to Canyon Boulevard. Lesli asked for feedback from the HRC on the general approach to the project, project goals, objectives and issues identified to date including characteristics for the future of the area. Lesli commented that of concern to the HRC may be the transient use of the current municipal area and the downtown area. It is a sensitive issue, The goal is to make the area more family friendly and to include public art. S. White commented that it is important to keep in mind those who are not generally connected to downtown area and to be sure that they are considered during the planning process. S. White also commented that street vendors and the permitting process to hold a public event at the Municipal Plaza currently is very cumbersome and perhaps this issue can be addressed. The existing play area can certainly be improved upon. L. Conners Bauer commented on the Soul of the Community Survey and that Boulder is not perceived as being welcoming to immigrants and that this may provide opportunities to be more welcoming. P. Osnes commented that he would like to see myths surrounding homelessness dispelled and increased sensitivity to the transient population in Boulder. Additionally, he suggests that a focus group should be held in conjunction with the Boulder Homeless Shelter. K. Rahn commented that this is an opportunity to develop a more culturally diverse, multi-use area that will represent the City more broadly. J. Dings asked if there are particular questions for the HRC or what kind of help the HRC can provide in the process. Lesli replied that there are opportunities to do more outreach, for example, with Bridge House and other Human Service groups that provide direct services in the area. L. Conners Bauer corninented that the area should continue to be a place where people can gather, a place for forums and public participation. B. 2012 Work Plan Updates 1. Budget Update, Carmen Atilano presented the current budget to the HRC. J. Dings asked for clarification on how the budget was prepared. P. Osnes asked why the CEF grants come from the 2012 budget and the CIF grants come from the carryover. C. Atilano explained that per the 2012 CEF RFP the grants are administered out of the 2012 budget not the carryover. 2. IAOHRA Conference Report- defer until A. Zuckerman is present. 3. Meeting with Mexican Consulate- S. White and C. Atilano attended the meeting at CYF. S. White reported that there are many students who may qualify under deferred action, perhaps 20-30,000 in the state of Colorado. There was discussion regarding the implementation of the deferred action program. Several committees were represented including Legal Affairs, Cultural Affairs and Community Affairs. 4. Celebration of Immigrant Heritage, P. Osnes and S. White attended the last Immigrant Advisory Committee meeting. Carmen distributed a poster for the event. Commissioners are to let Carmen know if they plan to attend. If three or more Commissioners attend, the event will need to be noticed as a public meeting. 5. Age Discrimination Update- L. Conners Bauer announced that this issue will be deferred until a future meeting to allow staff additional time to research the issues. 6. LGBT Vision Summit- Training will be held on Friday, September 28, 2012. Information is included in the HRC packets. Commissioners should let Carmen know if they are able to attend. 7. Event Reports- will be deferred until the October 17, 2012 HRC meeting. 8. HRC Handbooks- Copies of the handbook were distributed at the meeting. C. Follow up Tasks - 1. Revise August HRC meeting minutes. 2. Process the declaration of Conflict Resolution to forward to the mayor for approval and signature. 3. Reserve a table for the HRC at the Multicultural Awards Banquet to be held on October 4, 2012. 4. Provide input to Carmen regarding the Boulder Civic Area Update and she will forward them to Lesli Ellis. VII. Action items- No immediate action items. VIII. Ad_iournment- J. Dings moved to adjourn the September 17, 2012 meeting. S. White seconded the motion. The motion passed with a vote of 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Attested: Approved: Board Secretary HRC Chairperson