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.