APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
It was moved by Commissioner Tecklenburg and
seconded by Commissioner Wingfield to approve the agenda as written.
Voice Vote Unanimous
CITIZEN COMMENTS: None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
A. Approval of the October 25, 2012
minutes.
It was moved by Commissioner Wingfield
and seconded by Commissioner Tecklenburg to approve the minutes as written.
Voice Vote Unanimous
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
A. Walkable Novi - Commissioners Policicchio &
Torimoto
Commissioner Policicchio stated the Walkable
Novi meeting was cancelled due to insufficient attendance for a quorum.
B. Novi Parks Foundation - Commissioners Staab and
Tecklenburg
Commissioner Staab stated there was a meeting
on Tuesday night. The Holzer agreement is now before City Council for
approval. It has been signed off on by both the Foundation and Tom
Holzer Ford. It should be on the agenda for the next City Council
meeting. They also discussed new marketing material that Erika Pratt has
been working on for the Naming Rights program. The year-end financials
were approved from their CPA, Michael Thomas. They also talked about the
renewal of the ITC commitment and developing a strategy.
STAFF REPORTS:
A. Administration Division – Director
Jason Mangum
1. Service Improvement Requests
Director Mangum stated these were
requested last month from the Commissioners and we can continue to
take any Service Improvement Request that you may have as far as
ideas. Service Improvement Requests are items which are not capital
in nature but could be improvements in the parks, recreation
programs or facilities. He will be glad to continue taking these
requests.
2. Update Pavilion Shore Park
Director Mangum stated on October 29th
the Pavilion Shore Park mobilization for construction occurred. The
mobilization at that time consisted of putting a couple of pieces of
equipment there but this week some tree protection and fencing have
been going on. The estimated completion date is the middle of July
for the completion of phase one and two.
3. Barr Property
Director Mangum stated we continue to move
forward in the purchase of that piece of property. We are looking at
ways to promote that and the art in Novi and creating that culture
of art and having that cultural hub in the City. Mr. Barr has a
series of lectures that he has given all over the country and he has
agreed to give those lectures in Novi starting at the beginning of
the year at the Novi Public Library. He has agreed to give three of
the lectures which will cover everything from the history of art,
how to understand art and about his personal works and his major
works around the world. Mr. Barr is in the process of documenting
not only his works but his life and particularly his works that are
here in Novi, especially those that will be a part of the City and
the public art display.
Commissioner Wingfield asked if the house
on the Barr Property was going to be maintained and used as a
facility. He asked if a parking lot would be added and if other art
would be added.
Director Mangum stated the Barrs will be
living there for now but we will have access to the grounds and the
sculpture that is there. The eventual plan is that when we take
possession of the home we will develop the property in to an art
park with access to the studios and make it a cultural arts center
not only for the City but for the region.
Commissioner Policicchio asked if we would
be doing anything with the DIA.
Director Mangum state we will be reaching
out to the DIA in the future. We are also looking at the College for
Creative Studies and other potential partners and museums. This
would also include the Michigan Legacy Art Park in Crystal Mountain.
B. Recreation Division – Superintendent of
Recreation Scott Pratt
1. Upcoming Theatre Productions
Superintendent Pratt stated "Stuart
Little" will be this weekend. It is at 7pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday and
Sunday. "The Nutcracker" will be on December 7th, 8th
and 9th. Our 2013 season will start with "The Wizard of Oz" and
"The Little Mermaid". The Novi Choralaires "Christmas Past and Present"
concerts are coming up on Sunday, December 2nd at the Church of
the Holy Family at 4pm and on Friday, December 7th at the
Farmington United Methodist Church at 7:30pm. They will also have a concert
at our Novi Senior Center Auditorium on Saturday, December 8th at
7:30pm.
2. Tennis court refurbishing
Superintendent Pratt stated today we
had our bid opening on the tennis court refurbishing for the two tennis
courts at ITC Community Sports Park and for the two tennis courts at Rotary
Park. We will be going to City Council with the motion to get the courts
fixed.
A Commissioner asked if this was on the
Capital Improvement Plan for this year.
Superintendent Pratt stated it was
rolled over a couple of times and we finally got it on the docket to get it
done this time.
3. Recreation Software Update
Superintendent Pratt stated the staff
has been training and getting ready for the new Rec 1 software. We are
getting the data in. It is going to be user friendly and we will be able to
produce reports quicker and easier.
4. Youth & Teen Programs
Superintendent Pratt stated we have a
Holiday Family Road Rally which is for all ages on Friday, December 14th.
You register as a team of four to six members and the deadline for
registration is December 7th. It was very successful last year.
During the December winter break we are
offering a Camp Winterblast at Township Hall in Fuerst Park. It is for ages
six to twelve years old. The registration deadline is December 13th.
The camp runs December 27th and 28th.
We have had a very successful fall
basketball and volleyball season. The deadline for winter basketball and
volleyball is December 11th. Registration is going on now.
We do have art in the Atrium. It is
from Arts of Novi and is mixed media. Last month we had art from the Colored
Pencil Society which was all colored pencil art. The current display runs
from December 2nd through the 30th.
Commissioner Tecklenburg asked about
the refurbishing of the tennis courts.
Superintendent Pratt replied that they
will patch the courts and fill in low spots as well as paint. There may be a
different color on the courts due to the USTA change of color for standard
painting of courts.
Commissioner Tecklenburg stated he had
been by the courts the other day and he feels it is time and is glad to see
we are doing this.
MATTERS FOR COMMISSION DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION:
A. Discussion and possible action on support of
Older Adult Services Strategic
Plan – Rachel Zagaroli
Older Adult Services Manager, Rachel
Zagaroli, stated she is very proud of the 2012-2013 Strategic Plan
for Older Adults. She and Tracie Ringle have been working on it for
a while. There is a tremendous amount of information in the
Strategic Plan book the Commissioners were provided. The beginning
of the book starts with the rich history of Older Adult Services.
The next section lists all of the services they provide and all of
the trends. It is very important to know the current trends so we
can keep up with what is popular and what our older adults would
like to see. The next section is "Contributing to the Community." It
is very important that we contribute everything we can to the
community so they can fulfill their wishes and everything they want
to do. The last thing is the goals we completed with the last
Strategic Plan. There were twenty-nine goals. She is proud to say
that they completed all twenty-nine goals. Next, it shows all of the
current offerings, how people perceive us to be and our Strategic
Action Items. This will be our road map as to what we are going to
do in the next three years. It is very important that we have this
because it keeps us on track. More things could come up or we might
be doing more things. These are the major things we want to
accomplish. One is to engage a larger audience. This means that we
need to make sure that we have the activities, programs and
opportunities that are specific to our older adults. We also need to
encourage a sense of community through volunteer opportunities. We
need to increase program awareness through effective communications.
This means everything is social media so we are learning and
teaching and making sure our older adults stay on track with all of
this. We want to educate our residents on how to use our online
system so they can register for classes using our webpage. On our
Facebook page we have eighty "likes". We will collaborate with
schools, non-profit and other people for off-site programming.
Providing and promoting social service is of the utmost importance.
This means going to workshops and seminars to stay in touch with
everything that is going on. Working with all of our social service
agencies such as the area Agency on Aging, the Fire Department and
the Police Department are all going to play a big role in what we
do. Transportation is also of the utmost priority. We need it to
take our older adults where they need to go and extend their life by
letting them live in place and going places for socialization and
medical visits. There is a transportation overview that shows just
what our transportation is, the vehicles we have, how many miles
they have, their maintenance and our drivers. We also listed our
partner organizations. We can’t do what we do if we don’t have a
tremendous list of partners and agencies that we work with. It is
exciting to have this and she will be happy when it is totally
completed. We will then move on to completing the twenty-six goals
that we have to do.
Commissioner Wingfield stated he noticed
that the Older Adult Services moved their offices to the Civic
Center. He asked how the transition has gone for the staff as well
as the senior adults.
Manger Zagaroli stated it is hard not only
for staff but also for the Older Adults. It was hard to move from
the location they were in to the new location and they wondered how
they were going to serve the Older Adults. It is working out very
well though because they have seen people come through the door who
have never come through their door before. There is a whole group of
older adults who will not go to a Senior Center because it is not
what they want to do. We are in a neutral territory, in the heart of
the City and are able to have people come in and pick and choose
what they want to do. It has been a good transition. It was
difficult for a lot of people at the Senior Center because they
thought we were leaving them. We have not done that nor taken any of
the programs out.
Today was a perfect example. We had our
Thanksgiving Show today. Over one hundred and twenty-five people
attended. The Senior Variety Show was there to do a portion of their
show and it was wonderful. She was at the door greeting people and
talking to them. The move is working.
Director Mangum stated for
intergenerational programming there are things that can be done by
those in High School to connect with the Older Adults.
Student Representative Singh commented on
volunteer opportunities at the Senior Center for High School
student.
Manager Zagaroli replied that some
students come in and volunteer on the Senior Center "Super
Saturdays" and other special events when they are out of school.
Some students are volunteering at the information desk in the Civic
Center but she would love to hear some other ideas for volunteer
opportunities for High School students.
Student Representative Kodali stated the
volunteer opportunities should be advertised because not many
students know about them.
Manager Zagaroli stated they will be doing
that. We have a big event at the end of this month, "Light Up the
Night", and we always need volunteers for that.
Superintendent Pratt asked how the
students hear about volunteer opportunities.
Student Representative Singh stated that
students can find out about opportunities at the Volunteer Office.
Commissioner Polocicchio asked if there
were other things the seniors could be helping with in the community
that they aren’t already doing. It is a two way street. The youth
can help the seniors and the seniors can help the youth in their
development.
Commissioner Polocicchio stated the way
the plan is presented is exemplary because it first focuses the
department on specific objectives that need to be performed to
benefit the community and also holds everyone accountable when you
are able to come back a year from now and say "here was the
checklist and this is what we accomplished or this is what we still
have left to accomplish." He thinks it covers all of the bases in
terms of where seniors can be involved in the community besides just
their own recreational acitivities.
Commissioner Staab made a motion to
support the 2012-2013 Older Adults Services Strategic Plan as
presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Wingfield.
Voice Vote Unanimous
Director Mangum stated Manager Zagaroli does a
phenomenal job in her role as the Manager for Older Adult Services. Not
only does she bring a wealth of knowledge, her passion, understanding
and compassion makes her an incredible asset not only to the department
but also to the City. This Strategic Plan is one of the physical
evidences of this. He thanked her for her service.
Commissioner Staab reinforced Director
Mangum’s statement. He asked how the plan would get out to the public.
Manager Zagaroli stated the Older Adult
Services Strategic Plan will be on their webpage and there will be
notice of it on Facebook. They will send it out to the people who were
on the committee for the plan as well as all of our partners.
Commissioner Staab asked if there would be a
press release.
Manager Zagaroli confirmed this.
CITIZEN COMMENTS:
Lewis Williams stated he supports the Older Adult
Services Strategic Plan. It is straight forward and he likes the way it was
laid out.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS:
Student Representative Kodali stated the
Senior Plan was very thought out and was a detailed plan.
Commissioner Tecklenburg thanked Manager
Zagaroli for coming. He got a chance to look through most of the Strategic
Plan prior to the meeting. It is a great document and he appreciates the
history section. He stated on November 30th we have "Light Up the
Night" and he encourages everyone to participate. He saw that some of the
preparations have started outside the building.
Commissioner Wingfield thanked Manager
Zagaroli for the great job on the Strategic Plan and the job she does with
senior programming. It is one of the best he knows in the metropolitan area.
Commissioner Staab recapped some of the
activities and events coming up in the City which Superintendent Pratt
talked about in his presentation. He stated that programs and activities
like these are what make Novi a great place to live. He wished everyone a
Happy Thanksgiving.
Commissioner Policicchio stated that if the
minutes are accessible online, for those who may not be listening this
evening, he would like emphasize a couple of things. He thinks this meeting
reflects a department that is very broadly based, covering all of the areas
that are necessary to have a good quality of life in the community. It
builds infrastructure, such as Pavilion Shore Park. It expands in to new
areas that will attract more attention to our programs, such as the Barr
Property acquisition. He is not aware of any other community which will have
that type of a park facility. It will enhance the quality of life here and
consequently property values that every homeowner is concerned about. It is
also broadly based in terms of its outreach to all demographics of the
community. They are quality programs and well attended. They are
quantifiable and the taxpayers can hold us responsible
for the tax dollars and how they are spent. He thinks that is something that
is absolutely necessary to future commitments from the public for whatever
resources are needed. He thinks anyone who looks at Novi as a place to live
is going to look at it as a quality community with everything you need
regardless of your age, interests or needs. He wished everyone a Happy
Thanksgiving.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made to adjourn by Commissioner
Wingfield and seconded by Commissioner Tecklenburg.
Voice Vote Unanimous
The meeting was adjourned by Commissioner
Policicchio at 7:41pm.
DATE APPROVED:
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