Minutes 2/21/17

PENDING APPROVAL

February 21, 2017

Minutes

p	Bruce Hoffman, Chair	e	Woody Dukes	p	Brock Campbell
p	Michael Livingston, Vice Chair	p	Bob Hanna	p	Bill Holmstrom
p	Sarah Owens, Secretary-Treasurer	p	Neal Kern	p	David Dahle
p	Erma Hoffman	p	Rebekah Engle

p=present a=absent e=excused

Residents: Carla Loecke, Rob Uplinger

Organizations: Jimmy Jones, MWVCAA; Simon Sandusky and Jeanine Knight, UGM; Maurice Anderson, Salem Homeless Coalition and St Mark Lutheran Church.

City and County Representatives: Officer Josh Edmiston, SPD  

Guests: Jackie Jones, Lorrie Walker, Erin Boers, Joseph Penner

The regular meeting of the CanDo Board of Directors was called to order at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, at the First Christian Church at 685 Marion Street NE, Salem.  The Chair and Secretary-Treasurer were present.

The minutes of the January meeting were approved by unanimous consent.

Officer Edmiston reported that trespassing complaints relating to people sleeping in doorways and under awning were up, that the City was expecting an influx of as many as 50-60,000 for the August solar eclipse, that there are no more portable toilets available to rent for that event and the City may have to look elsewhere, maybe Idaho, to meet the need.  He said SPD had “moved on” eight to nine people living in the foundations of the former Boise Cascade structure, now South Block apartments, and they were checking the property every couple of days to make sure they did not move back.  Six of the eight had been trespassed from UGM, he said, and so had nowhere to go.  The City is in the process of cleaning out the site, which had been occupied for about a year.

The Chair reported that Councilor Kaser had written the board to say she could not be present for the meeting, as the Council had a work session scheduled for the same time, but would attend in March.  Her email included these CANDO-specific items:  there will be an open house to share thoughts about the Winter-Maple Family Friendly Bikeway plans on March 7, from 4 to 7 at Broadway Commons.  Interpreter services will be available.  The City removed the playground equipment at Marion Square Park and plans to reinstall it at Cascades Gateway Park.  The move was made with the approval of the City Manager, but without notice to CANDO.  The reason for the move was lack of use and the frequent use of the adjacent area under the bridge to serve meals to homeless and indigent persons.  The City has been contacted about the lack of notice. 

In public comments, Erma Hoffman informed the board that the second piece of equipment for the Pringle Park playground had arrived, and would be installed some time this spring.

There followed a presentation by Jimmy Jones on what his research is revealing about the needs of Marion and Polk County’s homeless residents.  (Slides pasted below.)

Sarah Owens’s motion to authorize the Chair to execute the letter regarding Salem’s role in the Rural Oregon Continuum of Care (aka Oregon’s “Balance of State” Coc passed unanimously.  The plan is to retain the letter to submit at a future date along with others from various parts of the community.      

There being no other business before the board, the meeting adjourned at 7:03 p.m.