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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-07-13MINUTES OF THE CITY OF OCOEE COMMUNITY GRANT REVIEW BOARD MEETING HELD AUGUST 7, 2013 CALL TO ORDER Chairman Sills called the regular meeting of the Community Grant Review Board to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Commission Conference Room at City Hall. Chairman Sills called for a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The roll was called and a quorum declared present. PRESENT: Chairman Sills, Vice - Chairman Carrington, and Members Dunn and Henderson. Also present were Community Relations Manager Wright and Recording Clerk Turner. ABSENT: Member Butler (A /E) NEW BOARD MEMBER Chairman Sills welcomed new Member Henderson, who spoke briefly about himself. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Regular meeting held on February 6, 2013. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to approve the minutes of the Community Grant Review Board Meetin,- held February 6, 2013. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 1 - Autism & Related Disabilities Gym Program JoAnne Houwers attended to represent the organization. She explained that this is a program to help support individuals with disabilities in attaining their full potential. Funding would be used for swimming lessons, barbeque and pool party for families, and bowling night for families. Chairman Sills confirmed with Ms. Houwers that the program serves approximately 200 Ocoee residents. Vice- Chairman Carrington asked how many swimming lessons were offered for the year, and how many students were Ocoee residents. Ms. Houwers responded seven lessons were offered, and approximately four were Ocoee residents. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to recommend that the City Commission award the Grant funding of $500 to the Autism & Related Disabilities Gym Program. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 2 — The Gift of Swimming Susan Polder attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used for two pre - qualified children to receive swim scholarships. Each scholarship provides seventeen swim lessons at the reduced rate of $15 per lesson. Chairman Sills confirmed with Ms. Polder that the program served approximately 25 Ocoee residents in 2012. Community Grant Review Board August 7, 2013 Vice - Chairman Carrington asked if the grant money could be earmarked for Ocoee residents, and Ms. Polder responded in the affirmative. Member Henderson inquired if there are local foundations that fund swimming lessons, and Ms. Polder answered in the affirmative. Member Dunn inquired if the $500 grant money is for two students to receive lessons, and Ms. Polder responded in the affirmative. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Henderson, moved to recommend that the City Commission award the grant funding of $500 to The Gift of Swimming. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 3 — Ocoee High School Athletics Scott Drabczyk, attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used to refurbish the stadium entrance area, which is a main walkway for spectators entering the facility. The project is to help provide a safe area for student- athletes waiting to be picked -up after a sports event and for aesthetics. Vice - Chairman Carrington asked if the land in question is owned by the Orange County Public School System (OCPS), and if they are assisting with funding the project. Mr. Drabczyk stated the land is owned by OCPS, but they do not contribute funding to the athletics program. Vice - Chairman Carrington asked if City funds were pledged for this project. Mr. Drabczyk replied, "no ". *Vice- Chairman Carrington, seconded by Chairman Sills, moved to recommend that the City Commission award grant funding of $400 to Ocoee High School Athletics for the Phase 2 cost as specified in the application. Motion carried unanimously. *This motion was amended at the end of the meeting. Please see the amended motion below. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to amend the initial recommendation that the City Commission award grant funding of $400 to Ocoee High School Athletics for the Phase 2 cost as specified in the application, to the grant funding requested in the amount of $500. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 4 — Boy Scout Troop 922 Doug and Denise Heath attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used for tents, Coleman stove, Dutch oven, grill, cooking supplies, camp chairs and canopy. Ms. Heath explained that Boy Scout Troop 922 is a new troop and has no camping equipment. There are currently eight troop members, and six live in Ocoee. Vice- Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to recommend that the City Commission award the grant funding of $500 to Boy Scout Troop 922. Motion carried unanimously. 1A Community Grant Review Board August 7. 2013 Application No. 5 — CARE Feline TNR, Inc. Melissa LaNinfa, Vice - President, attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used to assist Ocoee residents with trapping, neutering, and releasing feral, abandoned or stray felines. Vice - Chairman Carrington inquired how many feral cat cases are being addressed in the City of Ocoee. Ms. LaNinfa responded that there are approximately five appointments for this week in Ocoee, and a total of 155 locations within Ocoee since the organization's inception. Vice - Chairman Carrington noted that the application is missing the non - profit status letter, and asked that she provide Staff - Liaison Wright with the letter. Member Dunn asked if the grant money could be earmarked for services in Ocoee. Ms. LaNinfa responded in the affirmative. * Chairman_ Sills, seconded by Vice - Chairman Carrington, moved to recommend that the City Commission award grant funding of $200 to CARE Feline TNR, Inc. Motion carried (3 -1), with Member Henderson opposing. *This motion was amended at the end of the meeting. Please see the amended motion below. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to amend the initial recommendation that the City Commission award the grant funding of $200 to CARE Feline TNR, Inc., to the grant funding requested in the amount of $500. Motion carried (3 -1), with Member Henderson opposing. Application No. 6 — Troop 198 Eagle Scout Project Alec Nachtsheim, Eagle Scout Candidate, and Theresa Nachtsheim, Assistant Scout Master, attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used to enhance the butterfly garden in downtown Ocoee, and to make a memorial in honor of the Mayor's late wife, Beth Vandergrift. Vice- Chairman Carrington stated that if the board recommends approval of the grant, they will need to provide their non - profit status letter. Chairman Sills asked if the non -profit status letter is on file as grants have been approved previously for Troop 198. Staff - Liaison Wright stated she will research the matter. *Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Chairman Sills, moved to recommend that City Commission award grant funding of $300 to the Troop 198 Eagle Scout Proiect. Motion carried unanimously. *This motion was amended at the end of the meeting. Please see the amended motion below. Vice- Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to amend the initial recommendation that the City Commission award the grant funding of $300 to Troop 198 Eagle Scout Project, and increase the grant funding to the requested $400. Motion carried unanimously. 3 Community Grant Review Board August 7, 2013 Application No. 7 — Matthew's Hope Ministries, Inc. Karen Gowing attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used to offset transportation costs for the homeless guests by providing them with bus passes, bicycles, bike locks and bike lights. This will allow them to job- search and attend doctor's visits. Member Dunn applauded the efforts of Matthew's Hope Ministries, Inc. Chairman Sills asked if the organization receives any funds from the city of Winter Garden. Ms. Gowing responded that the city of Winter Garden does not contribute any funding. Chairman Sills asked if the grant money could be earmarked for the Ocoee guests. Ms. Gowing answered in the affirmative. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to recommend that the City Commission award grant funding of $500 to Matthew's Hope Ministries, Inc. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 8 — Girl Scout West Orange Service Unit Wendi Snider attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used to offset the cost for camping trips and events hosted by the Girl Scout West Orange Service Unit. Chairman Sills inquired if the grant money would go directly to this specific unit, or if it would go to the organization. Ms. Snider explained that the check would need to first go to the Citrus Council; however, the funds would come back to the West Orange Service Unit. Member Henderson inquired about the missing formal organizational support documentation. Ms. Snider stated that she had requested the letter of support; however, has not received it. Vice - Chairman Carrington stated that to be consistent with past practice, he would recommend denying the grant application due to lack of supporting documentation, and asked that Ms. Snider reapply for the January grant cycle. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Chairman Sills, moved to recommend that the City Commission deny grant funding of $500 to the Girl Scout West Orange Service Unit for lack of letter of support, and encourage the Service Unit to reapply during the January cycle. Motion carried (3 -1), with Member Henderson Opposing. Application No. 9 — Ocoee Elementary School PLC Cheryl Johnson, attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used to help purchase teacher professional books, Incentives Meeting supplies, and office supplies. She continued by saying that teachers stay after school, on their own time to help children who are still struggling with reading. Vice - Chairman Carrington asked for Ms. Johnson to explain the office supplies and Incentives Meeting supplies line items on the application. Ms. Johnson explained that Incentives Meetings are held after school hours, and some of the grant money would be used to provide snacks for the M Community Grant Review Board August 7, 2013 teachers. She continued by saying that general office supplies are needed for the meetings and tutoring. Member Henderson asked if the school receives Title funding. Ms. Johnson responded that the school does receive Title 1 funding; however, that money is very specific and does not cover the Professional Learning Communities (PLC). Member Henderson, seconded by Vice - Chairman Carrington, moved to recommend that the City Commission award ,grant funding of $500 to the Ocoee Elementary School PLC. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 10 — Ocoee Church of God/ Lighthouse Christian Academy Thomas Odom, Lead Pastor, attended to represent the organization. Funding would be used for playground improvements for the church and school. Chairman Sills asked how many parishioners are Ocoee residents. Pastor Odom stated approximately 50 Ocoee residents attend the church, and 22 Ocoee children are enrolled in the academy. Vice - Chairman Carrington asked if the playground is open to the public, and Mr. Odom replied only during special events. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Chairman Sills, moved to recommend that the City Commission deny grant funding of $500 to Ocoee Church of God/Lighthouse Christian Academy. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 11 — Barkie's Legacy Jennifer Bark attended to represent the organization. She explained that Barkie's Legacy is a large -breed dog rescue organization. Funding would be used to help offset the cost of dog food and treats, supplies, and crates for the animals. Chairman Sills asked if there was a pet adoption fee. Ms. Bark confirmed there is a pet adoption fee. The fee is charged to help offset costs and to make the dogs valuable to the new owner. Ms. Bark continued by saying that approximately thirteen dogs have been saved from the streets of Ocoee within the last year, and six of the dogs have been re- homed. Member Dunn, seconded by Member Sills, moved to recommend that the City Commission award grant funding of $500 to Barkie's Legacy. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 12 — Junior Achievement of Central Florida (JACF) Susan Haugen, attended to represent the organization. Funding will be used to sponsor one of twenty classes at Ocoee Elementary School that receives a volunteer - taught Junior Achievement program. The program is based on financial literacy as the difference between a need and a want, how a community works, and the skills needed for various careers. The program costs approximately $550 to deliver one class. Funding will help offset some of the cost of training, recruitment, recognition and evaluation costs, as well as program materials for each student, volunteer and educator. Community Grant Review Board August 7, 2013 Chairman Sills asked if the grant money could be earmarked for Ocoee students, and Ms. Haugen responded in the affirmative. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to recommend that the City Commission award grant funding of $500 to the Junior Achievement of Central Florida. Motion carried unanimously. Application No. 13 — Indian Horizon of Florida Hari Singh, President, attended to represent the organization. Funding will be used to promote Indian cultural programs within the city of Ocoee and Central Florida. Member Henderson asked if this type of event could be fostered by the Human Relations Diversity Board (HRDB). Staff - Liaison Wright explained that Mr. Singh has been in contact with the HRDB and is a volunteer on the board, but the HRDB cannot assist with funding this event. Member Dunn asked for clarification on how the grant money would be used. Mr. Singh explained that it would help pay for the organization's upcoming venue at Wekiva High School. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Duun, moved to recommend that the City Commission deny grant funding of $500 to Indian Horizon of Florida. Motion carried unanimously. COMMENTS Chairman Sills thanked the board and Staff - Liaison Wright for their hard work. Member Henderson stated that it is important that the applications include all of the requested supporting documentation prior to being presented at the City Commission Meeting for approval. Chairman Sills and Vice - Chairman Carrington explained that Staff - Liaison Wright ensures that all applications are complete prior to submission to the City Commission. Vice - Chairman Carrington and Member Dunn asked to reconsider some of the applications that received reduced grant funds for budget consideration. The board reached consensus, and the following amendments were made to previous motions. Vice- Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to amend the initial recommendation that the City Commission award the grant funding of $400 to Ocoee High School Athletics for the Phase 2 cost as specified in the application, and increase the grant funding to the requested $500. Motion carried unanimously. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to amend the initial recommendation that the City Commission award the grant funding of $200 to CARE Feline TNR, Inc., and increase the grant funding to the requested $500. Motion carried (3 -1), with Member Henderson opposing. Vice - Chairman Carrington, seconded by Member Dunn, moved to amend the initial recommendation that the City Commission award the grant funding of $300 to Troop 198 Eagle Community Grant Review I3oard August 7, 2013 Scout Project, and increase the grant funding to the requested $400. Motion carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT at 8:35 p.m. Attest: Diana Turner, Recording Secretary APPROVED: