Board of Directors Meeting s3

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING July 21, 2016 Minutes DRAFT

A. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:44 PM by Co-Chairs Jackie McKinney and Bernadine Silvers.

Present at the meeting were Board members Jackie McKinney, Bernadine Silvers, Allen Ambrose, Joe Barber, Linda Bayer, Janice Castle, Louise Douglas, Richard Frieder, Marion Griffin, Yvonne Matthews, Martha Page, and Jeff Stewart. Absent were Board members Joyce Bosco (excused), Irving Cortes, Sally Gaston, Victor Luna, Bongi Magubane (excused), Jamie McPike, Donna Thompson-Daniels, Terry Waller, and David Yonan. Also present were Jeremy Baver, Executive Director, Bethany Spencer, Sherman Bowens, Richard Heldman, Cappy McDowell, Bonnie Malley (COO, City of Hartford) and Suzanne Hopgood

Martha Page read the Mission and Louise Douglas read the Ground Rules. Thanks to Joe and Jeremy for supplying refreshments. Jackie and Bernadine volunteered agreed to bring snacks for the September Board Meeting.

B. NRZ Roundtable

1. Frog Hollow: Joe and Marion reported that, at the last NRZ meeting, the City’s Finance Director, Darrell Hill, and Management & Budget Director, Melissa McCaw, gave an update on the Budget and representatives of ConnDOT discussed the I-84 Hartford Project with attendees. The NRZ remains concerned with the refusal of DOT to construct an overpass over FastTrak at Flower Street which would re-connect Frog Hollow and Asylum Hill. Other transportation issues that the NRZ is working on are speeding and traffic flow and congestion. Other NRZs remarked that they have similar issues and added idling school buses to the list.

2. Asylum Hill: Yvonne and Jackie reported that AHNA is working on a new financial strategy. They will be hosting the I-84 Hartford Project team at their August 1st meeting and they, too, continue to work on the Flower Street problem. The South Marshall Street block party was a huge success and Yvonne thanked other NRZs for attending.

3. Northeast: Sherman reported that Northeast is planning a cook-out at Unity Plaza in August as well as a community day to pick up litter. The NRZ is currently concentrating on blighted buildings and Chief Rovella attended their last meeting to discuss community policing issues and crime stats. Car break-ins are a problem. Sherman noted that the Swift Project is moving ahead well.

4. Clay Arsenal: Bethany reported that drug activity is a problem behind the YMCA at night. A back to school barbecue and block party is being planned for this location in August. The NRZ is working with the Promise Zone and is trying to establish a dialogue with Roni Shapiro and Mr. DeMarco who own property along Albany Avenue that could be developed.

5. Southwest/Behind the Rocks: Cappy reported that the NRZ is focusing on re-creating the small business association in the neighborhood. There will be a meeting this coming Monday evening to bring business owners together. The NRZ continues to work on the issues of ATVs and blight.

6. South Green: Richard Heldman reported that there haven’t been any NRZ meetings lately, but that there is an active South Green Facebook page. The Hanging Hills Brewery has opened at 150 Ledyard Street. 7. CSS/CON: Bernadine reported that the NRZ will not meet again until September. Tours of the Colt National Park have begun on weekends.

C. Business Meeting

1. Minutes: The May and June minutes had been emailed previous to the meeting and were available at the meeting. It was moved and seconded (Barber, McKinney) that both sets of minutes be approved as presented. The motion passed unanimously.

2. Financial Report: A profit and loss statement for the period January through June was distributed along with a partially redacted copy of the bank statement. A member asked that someone walk the group through the P&L, but no one was able to do so. The statement indicated that there have been $26,361 in expenses and $39,726 in income, leaving a balance of $13,365. The bank statement for the month of June showed an ending balance of $17,913. Members of the Finance Committee indicated that QuickBooks is not currently providing the information we need and the Committee is considering “starting over” with a new system as of January 1, 2017. It was suggested that H2K needs to have a budget in place soon.

3. Hartford Decide$: A first year (July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016) financial report was distributed by Richard and Linda, on behalf of the HD partners. They noted that the partners had agreed to provide H2K with approximately $7,000 more in funding than had originally been planned. The H2K component of the financial report was distributed by Jeremy and he noted that he had spent a great deal of time on HD that was not reimbursed. Jackie reported that the H2K Executive Committee had reviewed the material and agreed that no funds are owing from H2K and no funds are owing to H2K. Additionally, H2K will not have any further financial involvement with Hartford Decide$. There were no objections made to these conclusions. Several board members expressed the opinion that H2K should continue to be a part of Hartford Decide$. A press release giving an update on HD activities was distributed and members were invited to consider serving on one of the five Project Teams that will oversee implementation of the five winning projects.

4. HFPG Grant: Jeremy recommended that H2K apply to participate in the Building on Success Program being offered by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (HFPG). The program is intended to help small nonprofits in Greater Hartford become stronger, healthier and more stable. Twelve organizations will be selected for this 2-year program which provides group learning sessions, consultant support, and grant funding of $5,000 for each year. H2K is required to identify a three person leadership team: the Executive Director, the Board Chair, and one other leader. They must attend an introductory session plus eight learning sessions and participate in the evaluation of the program. Deadline to apply is July 29 th. The dates of the learning sessions were included in the information distributed. It was moved and seconded (Castle, Barber) that the Executive Director be authorized to submit an application to the HFPG for H2K participation in the Building on Success Program. The motion passed unanimously.

D. Other Business: Youth Service Corps: Janice Castle reported that approximately 200 youth between the ages of 16 and 24 years old will be participating in the Youth Service Corps, which is being managed by OPP (Our Piece of the Pie). There is a need for projects for the young people to work on. Examples were given such as neighborhood improvement or clean-up projects, helping the elderly with chores, or assisting small businesses. NRZs should call 311 with any projects.

E. Presentation by Police Chief James Rovella

Chief Rovella gave an overview of various Police Department initiatives. Currently, the uniformed service is at 393 officers with four leaving in August. A new class of 13 officers will have graduated and be on the street before Christmas. Two additional classes will be hired in September/October (45 recruits) and May/June (25 recruits) respectively. The new Crime Center is operating at the old Police Headquarters on Jennings Road. Several hundred cameras throughout the city feed information to the Center and staff collect data and intelligence and provide it to officers in real time. The Chief described Shot Spotter, which detects 2 gunfire and allows Police to respond immediately and accurately to the location where the gunfire occurred. This system can also detect the type of gun used and will be able to predict trends. Chief Rovella updated the group on the status of community policing. He reiterated his and the department’s commitment to community policing, but noted that budget reductions have resulted in some Community Service Officers being reassigned to patrol. Currently, there are 15 CSOs; he hopes this reduced level is not permanent. He emphasized that officers must talk with everyone and get to know them in order to be effective and to develop relationships of respect with people in the city. He acknowledged that Hartford is not immune to police/resident tensions, but the department is working hard to train its officers in fair and impartial policing and to work closely with activists and others in the community to identify and solve problems before they escalate. He also noted that the department is working to be accredited to reflect 21st Century Policing. He described a shooting simulator which the department has acquired that helps officers train to respond to crisis situations. Chief Rovella suggested that H2K arrange a day to visit the Crime Center and to participate in the shooting simulation. There was interest in doing so.

The group asked many questions and the Chief provided additional information. With regard to police- community relations, he stated that all personnel must treat all people with dignity and respect. There is a strict code of conduct and training is being provided, including special training for sergeants, being provided by Leadership Greater Hartford. If officers cannot or will not comply, the Chief will ask them to leave, or as a last resort, they will be fired. More directed patrols are being scheduled – known as “mini-beats” – in which officers are walking , smiling, shaking hands, and talking with residents and business owners so that they get to know each other as persons. He emphasized the difference between being a the “guardian” and being a “warrior”. Of the uniformed force, 7% are Hartford residents and 40% are women and minorities. More residents are hired, but many will move to another town after they have been working for awhile. He explained that the Explorer (ages 14-18) and Cadet (ages 18-24) programs are a strategy the department uses to attract young Hartford residents to policing as a career. Louise asked about the Officer Friendly program and the Chief said the department will be bringing it back to address the fact that we “lose” kids in second grade. Everyone applauded the Chief and thanked him for attending the meeting and spending so much time with us.

F. Adjournment: It was moved and seconded (Frieder, Barber) that the meeting be adjourned at 8:10 PM. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted, Linda A. Bayer Secretary