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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-03-2013 Work Session Minutes Meeting of: COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL Date of Meeting: JUNE 3, 2013 Time of Meeting: 7:00 PM Location of Meeting: CONFERENCE ROOM 1 Purpose of Meeting: WORK SESSION CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Peterson, Council member Williams, Council member Nawrocki, Council member Diehm, Council member Schmitt, City Manager Walt Fehst, Public Works Director Kevin Hansen, Police Chief Scott Nadeau, Community Development Director Scott Clark, and City Clerk/Council Secretary Tori Leonhardt. DISCUSSION ON NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAM: The Community Development, Police, Fire, and Public Works staff has been working closely on the concept of identifying neighborhoods in Columbia Heights and would like to start a pilot program with the Huset Park neighborhood. By creating/identifying neighborhoods the City is bringing residents and property owners together to make the neighborhoods a better place to live, for purposes of facilitating communication between residents, City staff, and Officials, to build a civic infrastructure and promote community engagement, and to drive private reinvestment. Neighborhood identification can assist in grant applications as well. Goals of neighborhood identification: 1) create identity for the city/neighborhood 2) community engagement 3) promote civic involvement 4) community pride 5) recognize and understand diversity in your neighborhood 6) Create a mechanism to identify and resolve neighborhood issues. Staff objectives unique to their neighborhood as a subset to the goals of this program. City staff would be a resource for the neighborhood as well as a facilitator and leader when needed. Staff would like to kick off this pilot program at the Police Community Picnic if the Council directs staff to proceed. Staff requests the Council appoint a councilmember to be a liaison to this process and establish a neighborhood committee of the staff that was been identified above as working on this project. The goal would be to have the pilot program completed by December 2013 and working on the next neighborhood by 2014. A communication plan, next steps and resources page are attached. UPDATE ON BIKE LOOP REPORT: Kevin Hansen updated the Council on the Bike Loop project.