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Home My WebLink About2002-05-21 VAC MINUTESVETERANS ADVISORY COMMISSION CITY OF CHULA VISTA �r MINUTES MAY 21, 2002 Human Resources Conference Room TUESDAY, 6:02 P.M. City Hall Building PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE MEETING CALLED TO ORDER — 6:03 p.m. ROLL CALL — Stephen Arends P , Carmen Fedje P , Agustive Hermes, Jr. P . William Poindexter P , Robert White , P , A.Y. Casillas P _,_Stephen Millikin P Guests: Commissioner John Willett, Chula Vista Planning Commission 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Motion was made and seconded for approval of April Minutes with corrections. 5. ACTION ITEMS 0 Unfinished Business a. Street Names Mr. Arends wrote a letter to the developers in Chula Vista giving them an overview of the Veterans Street Naming Project and asking them if they would like to participate. The developers who received a letter are: The McMillan Companies, Otay Ranch Co., Brookfield Homes, Trimark Pacific Homes, and Eastlake Development Company. The letters were signed by all seven commissioners and VAC Advisor, Capt. Ken Dyke with courtesy copies sent to Jim Sandoval, Bob Leiter, Commissioner John Willett, and Planning Commission Chair Kevin O'Neal on Thursday, May 30, 2002. (Copies of all five letters are attached.) Maps of the city were displayed and Mr. Willet provided information on areas and timing of development near the existing 53 Veterans streets in Sunbow. b. Veterans Park The Commissioners held a discussion to determine the next steps after the City's Parks Dept. completed the three design workshops in April.being advised that the original plan was scrapped. There was also discussion on whether or not to place directions on the memorial. Mr. Willett clarified that the Parks and Recreation Commission makes only a recommendation to the Mayor and City Council regarding park designs and names. Their meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month. The Veterans Commission voted unanimously to draft and jointly sign a letter to Mayor Horton and all City Council ,,,members to clarify the Commission's and the public's recommendations pertaining to the design and naming of the future neighborhood "Veterans Park" in Sunbow. That letter was delivered to the Mayor's Office on Monday, June 3, 2002. 1 • c. Chula Vista Veterans Home Support Foundation Update Mr. Arends informed the commissioners1hat the Foundation will receive $3,500 funding from our City's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program during the next fiscal year. Our city contributed $2,000 in CDBG funding during the current year. The Foundation expects to receive $10,000 in Community Enhancement Funding from the County of San Diego during the next fiscal year. That decision will be made in late June. Mr. Arends also said that the Naval Officers' Spouses' Club of San Diego i5 contributing $1,000 at a ceremony on 6/4/02 'a NAS North Island which he will attend. Mr. Arends also provided the commissioners with some new statistics from the Veterans Home. The average income of the residents - $18,072. Over 75% are considered in.the low income bracket per the new HUD guidelines. According to ethnicity reports of the 213 residents, 186 = Caucasian 16 = Hispanic 7=Black 3=Aleutian/EsNimo 1=Asian The Army has the most residents, followed by the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, in that order. d. Veterans Home Update •Commissioners were reminded of the City's Memorial Day Service to be held at Glenn Abbey at 11:00 a.m. hosted by Fleet Reserve Association Branch #6. Afterwards all are cordially invited to the Home's Second Annual Birthday BBQ Picnic hosted by the Veterans Home and AMVETS. The birthday celebrations last until 1:30 p.m. and all Commissioners and Foundation Directors are invited, as are City Council Members. e. Veteran of the Year Update Mr. Poindexter sent letters to those who nominated last year's nominees. Information regarding next year's Veteran of the Year should be in the next issue of the Spotlight. f. Goals and Objectives Same as previous month. Mr. Arends explained that the Mayor is in the process of interviewing candidates to replace him after being in a "holdover appointment" since July 1, 2001. f. Legislative Reports Mr. Arends advised that Veterans Education Bill AB 1841 was co-authored by Chula Vista Assemblyman . Juan Vargas. A copy of this bill will be included in the council members' packets. h. Oral History Mr. Poindexter mentioned that he has been speaking with people from Hilltop High School who may want to get involved with the oral history project. He has already arranged to have several World War II veterans from Chula Vista to be the first to participate in this project. • 2 0 6. COMMUNICATIONS Chairman Arends continues to field questions from Chula Vista citizens and developers regarding the ongoing Veterans Street Naming Project and the Veterans Research Project. CHAIR'S COMMENTS Mr. Arends informed the commissioners that he had recently met with Mike Burgess, the new Editor of the Star News. He passed out copies of the recent Star News that featured a front page story about the efforts to create a satellite VA cemetery at Glen Abbey in Bonita. Chair Arends was the guest speaker at the American Legion Post #867 monthly meeting at the Veterans Home on May 2, 2002. He updated the Legionnaires on local Chula Vista veterans issues including Veterans Park, the veterans' street naming program, the veterans cemetery program at Glen Abbey, making the Veterans Home a polling place in the November 2002 election, etc. Commissioners Arends and White represented our VAC at the City's "Chula Vista Vision 2020" General Plan Update Seminar in the Council's chambers on April 25, 2002. They made recommendations to the City staff at this meeting regarding the importance of veterans and military families that are a large percentage of our City's growing population. They recommended that residents at the Veterans Home be included in future Visioneer training. COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS None • STAFF COMMENTS None PUBLIC COMMENTS None 7. ADJOURNMENT — 7:20 p.m. Next regularly scheduled meeting at 6:00 p.m., on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 in the Human Resources Conference Room at City Hall, 276 f=ourth Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91910 Tru W. Mayes Clerical Support r� U 3