Community Relations Committee

Village Hall Village of Lombard 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Community Relations Committee Trustee Dan Whittington - Chairperson Trustee Bill Ware - Alternate Chairperson, Pamela Bedard, Lisa Biegalski, Ahmed Ali, Michael Ledonne, Sharon Vish, Barb Ware, Gladys Piper and Jenny Swensen Staff Liaison - Bridget Doyle Monday, June 9, 2014 7:00 PM Trustees Conference Room 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Trustee Dan Whittington at 7:01 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Firefigther/Paramedic Bob Hopper. 2.0 Roll Call Present 7 - Trustee Dan Whittington, Pamela Bedard, Lisa Biegalski, Ahmed Ali, Sharon Vish, Barbara Ware, and Gladys Piper Absent 2 - Michael Ledonne, and Jenny Swensen Also present: Communications Coordinator Bridget Doyle and Firefigther/Paramedics Tim Gorvett and Bob Hopper. 3.0 Public Participation None. 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Ahmed Ali, seconded by Barbara Ware, to approve the minutes of the March 10, 2014, meeting. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 1 Community Relations Committee Minutes June 9, 2014 5.0 Old Business 130274 Youth Leadership Program Wrap-up discussion. Bridget Doyle presented to the group information about the Village’s first Youth Leadership Program. Eight students made up the first class. The class was comprised of both young men and women, from three different high schools and ranging from 15 to 18 years old. The students were excellent listeners, active participants and interested in local government as a career path - though some more than others. They spent at least 45 minutes with leaders from each department who presented on their operations and gave tours of their facilities. Students were also able to ask questions and received materials and goodies to take home. At the third session, the students sat in on a Village Board meeting and were able to witness the elected officials in action. Overall, Doyle and Village leaders were very happy with the first group of students. For next year, the suggestion would be to have four sessions, each at least 2 hours long., to allow students a full hour at each department, instead of a rushed 30 to 45 minutes. This was also a suggestion from one of the students. The Village plans to host the next Youth Leadership Program in March/April instead of April/May to avoid being too close to the end of the year and the chaos that comes with schoolwork. 130530 Youth Firefighter Program Wrap-up discussion. Firefighter/Paramedics Bob Hopper and Tim Gorvett lead discussion with the committee about the Village’s recent, and first-ever, Junior Firefighter Academy. The academy was split into two Saturday sessions, held on May 17 and May 24. Gorvett reported the group was supposed to be 10 students based on registration, but only eight showed up the first day. On the second day, the leaders of the program were able to make contact with one of the missing registrants and bring her out for the final session. The program was a combination of classroom learning and hands on experience with Lombard Firefighter/Paramedics. Many of the students, Hopper reported, seemed like they were considering fire science as a career path after high school. The group was a spectrum of students, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old and from numerous different area high schools. The students were able to learn about the history of the Lombard Fire Department and maintained a positive attitude throughout the program. They learned the teamwork the Fire Village of Lombard Page 2 Community Relations Committee Minutes June 9, 2014 Department must employ on a day-to-day basis and a “day in the life” as well. The students learned about hose operations, truck company operations, how to vent and enter and more. The Fire Department used a fake smoke machine to simulate smoke and the low visibility firefighters face in an emergency. The students were kept as safe as possible and learned how to wear personal protective gear. The students also practiced techniques related to forcible entry and got to check the engines and rigs. Most of the classroom instruction was at Station 1 and the interactive lesson was at Station 2. Moving forward, the Lombard Fire Department would like to host the program again next year and considers its first year a success. The LFD suggested adding a third day, as the instructors felt somewhat rushed to teach the students as much as they could in two days. They recommended keeping the number at 10 students and giving priority to Lombard residents who apply first. They also suggested 6.0 New Business 140237 Senior Fair 2014 Discussion of upcoming Senior Fair. The Village of Lombard’s 2014 Senior Fair is set for Oct. 1, 2014. Bridget Doyle will make sure the facility is reserved and begin figuring out how many vendors can comfortably participate, given the new layout of the main room suggested by the committee. It was noted by the committee that the Village should work to have the Senior Fair photo on the front of the Lombardian, if possible. It is also suggested that the Village reach out to community groups such as Rotary, Jaycees, Kiwanis and others to recruit applicants for the Senior of the Year 2014. The time will also be changed this year and take place from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. 7.0 Other Business None. 8.0 Information Only None. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Sharon Vish, seconded by Gladys Piper to adjourn the meeting at 7:41 p.m. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 3