It is December 19, 2019, and it's 5.30 p.m. The first thing on the agenda is approval of
minutes from the community redevelopment agency meeting on September 5, 2019.
Contact for this approval is Erica Anderson, the deputy city clerk.
I'll move for approval of the meeting.
Second.
I'd like to open the floor for our public comments at this time. Anyone that would like to come forward can.
Your question regarding the order, did you all vote on item 2.1?
I just introduced the minutes from 2.1.
Okay. I think a vote is needed.
She was in audience comments.
Okay. All right.
I do believe we have one person that wishes to speak.
Okay. Please come forward and state your name with your address, please.
Hi, Lawrence.
Hi.
Good to see you.
How are you?
Too many years.
My name is Oscar. Last name is Pineda.
From 940 West Colonial Drive, Suite 700, Nocoy, Florida.
The owner of the building across the street.
Level 1 is Main Street here in downtown Haines City.
I'm here to finally, after too many years of suffering, probably already you know my case.
You know what I went through with as an investor.
For too many years, we've been suffering drastically with tenants that don't want to be part of the building,
they don't want to be on Haines City for too many reasons.
Last couple of months, we lost in the fate of being here.
We do everything that we can, a lot of negativity from the city of Haines City.
And finally, we met Jane Waters behind me and Julie, wonderful, amazing women.
They recovered our fate on Haines City again.
And as you know, they know, explain about how we're feeling about the city,
how we're feeling about different things because it's like you're losing a war, you know,
here with too many hours and too many days and different things and that.
Finally, they come to our, you know, different meetings and they give you hope
to do something with the building and do something positive to the city of Haines City
where I'm right now here to thank Jane and Jane Julie and the city of Haines City
to be in a couple of months before we're to be something very positive doing
some things with Umbrella probably as you know.
I think it's what was a wonderful idea with we very lucky to be the hardest spot
in Haines City to bring not just for the building but to everyone around us,
you know, to get benefit about this attraction to the city of Haines City
to be some positive things about the city of Haines City
with everything's been happening right now in the couple of less than a month.
So I'm here, I'm the owner to support Jane and Julie and my city,
the city of Haines City to everyone.
They live here around to be a benefit of this step,
the smallest step we've been doing that and I would like to thank you guys
to be a positive and help us in this project.
Thank you.
I just couldn't see you again by the way.
Some time ago, I know you and I had been talking and you were working through some issues
and a while back I lost my cell phone and I didn't back up anything
so when I inquired about you, I was told you didn't own the building any longer.
So I assume you had moved on or moved on to something else.
So I apologize for that but I'm glad to see that something's finally happened
because I know you've been struggling to do something wrong.
The thing that happened was like someone, they say,
well, let me management you're building with a different name
because we are afraid to say something in here in the city of Haines City.
Any tenant was denied from the city of Haines City for one reason, another reason
and people call us to rent space and we don't even get excited anymore.
I mean just like go and ask and see what happened
and some company came and they say, no, we're going to make some change
and it would let me management but we know it wasn't all around
because people, you know, they don't do anything.
They say, you know, we're wasting our time here.
It is nothing we can do here and thank you
and they take the building for like almost six months in the management of the building.
But happy to see your answer.
I'm glad to see things that we're looking out for you.
When I was troubled, you was very kind with us and in that kind of situation
and thank you so much.
We never forget that.
I'm going to close public comments
and we're going to go forward with the proof in the minutes for 2.1.
Motion has already, we've already proved it.
Motion is made.
So we got that.
Approve the minutes.
So all in favor?
Aye.
All right.
So the minutes for 2.1 have been approved.
The next item is 2.1 minutes from the community redevelopment agency meeting
on November 21st.
Okay.
Item 2.2 has been approved.
All those in favor for 2.2?
Public comments.
Oh, sorry.
All right, guys.
Public comments for agenda item 2.2.
Anyone that wants to have a comment, please come forward.
Seeing none, I'm closing public comments
and moving to vote on 2.2.
All those in favor of 2.2, please say aye.
Okay.
2.2 has been approved.
Next item on the agenda is public comments.
I'm opening the report for public comments.
Seeing none, I'm closing public comments.
We're moving on to new business.
4.1 Oakland Community Paint Day presentation.
This is going to be presented by Mark Bennett,
the Deputy Director of Development.
Madam Chair, Board Members,
thank you very much for this evening.
Jane and I are going to do a tag team here.
So if you'll bear with us.
You want to go ahead?
I thought we can definitely move forward.
Okay.
So, how do you want?
I think that's just too new.
Well, first of all, everyone should have one of these.
Thank you.
Our sponsors, I know we have a couple that are on their way,
but this portion of the presentation,
we may want to wait until the end until they arrive
so that they have the opportunity to meet you
and be greeted by you as well.
But I think that we do want to at least acknowledge
that the Paint Day program, our return on investment
was somewhere around $72,000 on that program.
We spent less than $3,000
and we had about,
and we have this in our presentation,
but somewhere around $21,000 donated
to make the day happen,
which is an amazing return on investment.
It was really a huge community impact day.
And so we want to definitely take time
to thank Gator Giles with Gator Pressure Cleaning
and Custom Painting.
John Mayhand with Omni Services.
Mike Tru with Sherwin-Williams
and Mark Whistler with Whistler 4 and Paint.
Those were our four sponsors that contributed
to the success of the program.
Oh, there's Gator.
Gator, please come on up, sir.
And so a lot of the work happened
prior to Paint Day even taking place.
So Gator had his guys out,
painting eaves and getting the houses ready
so that all of our painters could just show up
and roll the flat surfaces,
which was greatly safer for sure.
But he makes everything possible
whenever we call on him.
It was amazing and we just appreciate you so much, Gator.
Glad to help.
Okay.
You're in the process.
You have to do it right.
You're in the process.
I'm sorry.
Sorry to interrupt, sir.
It's not like I'm feeling the Protectors.
I have lots of emails that take pictures.
It's weird.
And Gator is also here on his birthday.
Yes, thank you.
Yes.
I've already eaten way too much cake.
Pleasure.
Thank you.
And if it's okay with the board and the interest of moving along, we'll go ahead and discuss the other agenda items.
And then as the other people show up, we'll go ahead and present then.
That's okay.
All right.
So if we can then move to 4.2 when you're ready.
I'm 4.2 to discuss CRA Home Rehabilitation and Repair Program.
It's going to be presented by Jane Waters, CRA Project Manager.
Sure.
I'll give a brief overview of the program, and then Jane has a couple slides and will provide some details.
As you're aware, with the CRA, we have three priorities.
The Northeast, Oakland, neighborhood, historic downtown, and affordable housing.
And part of our goal with affordable housing is what we wish to accomplish is to establish a housing rehab and repair program.
The rationale behind that, of course, is that if we can improve our existing housing stock, then that provides safe housing.
It provides for affordable housing because the housing is already owned.
And also, it prevents what I'll call the downward slope, if you will, of houses not being in proper repair, which then leads to potential code enforcement issues.
So by accomplishing this also, if we can avoid potential code enforcement problems in the future, that's a good thing.
The intent of this program is exterior improvements.
This is our, I'm stealing a little bit of your thunder, but something I learned in the Army is the concept of crawl-walk-run.
You start out with a program initially, and as you get more involved and more experienced with it, you implement and expand it.
So that's where we're at with this program.
And at this point, I'll turn it over to Jane, and she'll give a brief presentation.
Okay, so we are starting with, no, that's okay, that's okay.
Home rehab and repair or paint, and we're starting with paint day, that seems appropriate.
Okay, so just kind of a pictorial journey of some of the houses before talking to residents to the final day where we had 93 volunteers, four sponsors.
We spent $2,936, we had $20,150 donated, and again, the return on investment is somewhere around $72,000 for the total of nine homes that we did.
And as Mark mentioned, it's just very important that we do as much as we can in rehab and repair to keep in good condition or best possible condition the affordable housing stock that we currently have.
You know, we are working toward building new affordable houses, and those are very important as well.
But to maintain what we have, we could not afford or ever repair those houses at that cost if we had to.
So I think that paint day was a huge success.
Probably the greatest success for us at the CRA was the community engagement aspect of it.
It gave us the opportunity to really get into the homes of our residents to know what their real needs are.
Paint is sort of a band-aid in understanding what social needs are in a community, which is why that program works so well.
You don't know who needs food, you don't know who has inadequate toilet facilities and bathroom facilities until you have a conversation with somebody.
And so this opened the door to do a lot of that kind of communication.
This program also made it possible for us to have a 40-
43 person waiting list for rehab and repair. Right now, we're 43 people deep, and that is
the purpose of coming to you tonight to launch this program fully. As Mark said, we are
wanting to launch it in really two phases, and the first phase would be specifically
exterior. We have to have a solid foundation, and that's the purpose of exterior first.
We want to be able to do the roof, the walls, the outside walls, windows, doors, work on the
porches, the entryways to homes, the things that get people in and keep them safe. I'm
going to ask if you would mind just going back one. So how do we qualify these individuals?
We'll have to qualify our individuals through HUD standards, which is how really every
program like this one or similar to this one qualifies their first round of recipients.
So owner occupied, very low income, would receive a full grant. Low income would
receive a 50-50 matching grant, and the Haines City CRA provides a minimum of 50%
of the total cost up to the maximum available award level. In level one is 5,000,
in level two is 25,000, and the difference between those two levels is the difference
between putting on a complete roof and putting windows in, or do we need to paint it
and do just some fascia work, okay? So they must qualify in those three areas,
and then one or more of the following elderly, disabled, veteran, or single parent.
And if you have any questions, please grab me while we're going through the slides
and I'll be happy to answer them.
Windows, doors, roof, and exterior paint is what we're looking at in phase one.
Again, this is just sort of a recap to that, but the total could,
would not rather exceed $30,000 on a grant through this first phase program.
And next slide is, so who and how one more time, because I think it's very important
that as we're communicating with our residents that they understand
that it is owner occupied and that there are income verification qualifications
that have to happen for this particular fund.
Now, one thing I do want to mention is that we are aggressively seeking matching dollars
in our community through financial community reinvestment act programs
and things of that nature. The idea would be to match the funds that we have
to do, you know, provide greater services or two more houses.
So I think what we're bringing to you tonight is the basis of our program
and I would open that to questions at this time.
What's the age for elderly?
62.
Do we have the next paint day schedule?
No ma'am, not at this time, but we will be doing that soon.
Because it does take about six months to make that happen.
Count me in.
Thank you.
So with your approval, we'll move forward with this program.
There aren't any more questions on the board so we can move forward with approval.
Move for approval?
Yeah.
All right, so all in favor?
Public comments.
Does anybody have any public comments?
Please come forward.
Okay, so you want to please state your name and your address?
Richard 2105, Dr. Martin of the King, Junior Way.
I had the opportunity to participate in the program and I was excited about it
and the citizens were and it's just good when the community gets together
and the city gets together and we can help each other.
So I think this is a fantastic program.
Thank you ma'am.
So we have been closing public comments and all in favor?
Can y'all please say aye again?
Aye.
All right, so motion carried.
It has been approved.
Thank you.
Okay.
The next item on the agenda is 4.3 update work plan definitions.
So in September we were charged with revisiting the targeted business assistant grant
and redefining it and after looking at it and some of the questions that were brought to the CRA by you,
we did revise it and this is the current definition.
I think that the confusion was in what are we actually doing?
Is this a marketing fund or are we helping businesses with this fund?
And I think that's kind of where we left it.
So we redefined it to a program rather than just a grant
because the only real funding that comes out of CRA for this is with regard to rent subsidy.
So I will just read verbatim what this says and then take questions if that's okay.
So the targeted business assistance program provides funding for specific businesses
that are essential to economic growth and stability within the approved retail districts.
The funding is awarded to business owners bringing restaurants, art and culture,
or advanced technology excluding telephone retail business.
The purpose of the grant is to strengthen economic vitality, create jobs,
improve foot traffic, and increase retail operations within approved districts.
This program provides rent subsidy, business planning assistance,
marketing planning assistance, and a personalized approach to recruiting desired businesses.
Funds are awarded as available.
I was the one that had the questions, was it marketing or are we just paying rent for people
and not knowing if they're going to leave the following month.
I think that this new definition certainly answers all of my questions.
I would like to get with you all later to find out how you determine under the rent subsidy
who's going to get it, how long do they get it, what's the criteria for them to qualify for it.
But this is perfect for me.
Wonderful.
We have a waiting list on this as well.
Not at this time.
Right now, and without looking at my file, I apologize.
I want to say that we have two active rent subsidies that are timing out
with their six month time out, but we've had a total of five.
But I would have to confirm that and email that to you.
Are those five?
Are all five going to live beyond the six month period?
All but one.
Okay.
All but one, which is actually a really good statistic for rent subsidy.
Yeah, it is.
Are there any more questions from the board?
All right.
We're going to open it up for public comments.
Seeing that I'm going to close.
I'm going to go ahead and vote.
We don't have to move to approve this update.
All right.
I move for approval.
So all those in favor?
All right.
So updated work plan definitions has been approved.
Moving on to the next item on the agenda.
4.4.
The C.R.A. Board appointment.
Yes, ma'am.
Chair board members, I'll present this item.
My understanding is Erica is out.
Sit.
So we'll go from there.
Kay Amberace was the other citizen member of the C.R.A.
Board.
She has submitted a resignation.
So therefore we do have one opening.
The original agenda identified one person.
The amended agenda that went out has identified two persons.
I'm terrible with names.
So bear with me.
Thank you.
I apologize in advance.
And Albertine Richards are two candidates that are interested.
Let me mention that Ms. Richards indicated to me that she would like to
speak before the board.
However, at this point, staff is recommending that this item be
continued and to clarify some issues or concerns.
And if there are any questions, I'll ask you to defer to our C.R.A.
attorney regarding that.
So my suggestion, ma'am chair is open it up.
Public speak Ms. Richards speak and then continue it.
We don't have a date set for the next C.R.A.
Board meeting, but we would ask that it be continued to the next C.R.A.
Board meeting.
Thank you very much.
I'm going to open it up for public comment.
I am a proud graduate of Haines City High School.
I am a product of Haines City.
I've lived here 50 plus plus years.
After I went to college, all my friends and associates were begging me,
why don't you come where I am?
I said no, no, no.
Haines City is my home.
This is my heart.
And I want to come back and do what I can for my city.
So my heart has always been in Haines City.
That's why I've lived here all my life.
And anytime I have an opportunity to make Haines City a better place,
I want to be able to do that.
So my goal is to make Haines City a better place,
a community for everyone.
And my desire, because I live in the community,
I know and I see the needs, desires and the wants of all citizens.
People come to me and talk to me, stop me on the street.
Hey, what about this?
Well, I'm here to help any way I can.
So I hope you all will give me the opportunity to continue to serve Haines City.
Thank you.
It's an honor and a privilege to stand before the commissioners
and board this evening to represent a nomination for Vice Chair of the CRAC.
My name is Khadija Nyang, Executive Director and Board Chair
of Smart Start Learning International, Inc.,
a 501c3, not-for-profit tutoring and college advisory program
serving underserved youth to reach their full potential.
I am a recent Chamber of Commerce business member
and have served on boards for over 25 years.
I hold a bachelor's degree in human services and an MBA in management
with 15 years entrepreneurial experience.
It is my passion and purpose to give back to the community
and to implant all efforts to rebuild communities and the people thereof.
Thank you.
We will continue this item for the next meeting.
We'll do the formal motion.
So open up for a second.
All right, accepted.
So we're going to vote.
All in favor say aye.
Aye.
And the next item on the agenda is board comments.
Well, I just want to thank Khadija and Ms. Richard
for coming before us and speaking.
I think it's noble whenever you want to serve the city of Haines City
because sometimes it's not the most glamorous job in the world.
But so I applaud both of you for coming forward and wanting to serve.
I'd like to echo that.
The reason commissioners sit on this thing, Mark,
I think if you remember some time back, we couldn't get participation.
The board was not made up of commissioners.
The only way we could maintain the process was to get somebody we had
captive, which was us.
I think that the interest from people I was raising
that I could clear up that plus plus she added, but I'll leave that alone.
I think if we consider again, I don't know if we did a matter of
resolution counselor or not, but I think we may be entering the age
where we can go back to the original intent of the CRA,
which is to have a citizen based board.
I think that brings ideas that some of us who are too close to the
wheels, so to speak, don't see.
So I would encourage the board as we sit now to give some thought
to taking the direction that CRA was originally constructed.
And under which was citizen board service. Because I think both of these individuals would
make excellent CRA members. And I wouldn't want that forwarded simply because some of the seats
are reserved for commissioners. So if my board would give that some thought, maybe we can
look into that.
Well, first of all, I want to thank the CRA department. You all have done a great job.
Thank you so much. Thank you, Jane.
Painting the homes, revitalize the neighborhood, and looking at what you have for the future
is only going to instill more pride from the community in the neighborhoods. I know you started,
you know, in Oakland and I know you'll end up all over the city where there's a need, but
I really, really, really appreciate that. And as a resident of the Oakland community, I
thank you. I agree with what Commissioner Tyler said that this should become citizen base. I
don't think that we are at that point now because we just had someone to resign. But
perhaps, you know, over a short period of time, we would be able to get someone to
replace the commissioners, replace us, not necessarily all at once because they come and
they don't stay. And sometimes it's because life has taken the wheel. So I don't think
that we're at that point right now, but I certainly would welcome someone else sitting
in the seat and advocating on behalf of all of the residents in the city.
I want to echo the same thing because I've been here for a while, so Commissioner Tyler is
exactly right. That was the intent of the CRA. And I don't know if the city attorney would
frown, but if we're going to start that process, I would be the first to give up
my seat. And if both these ladies, if it's approved by the commission, one of them
can have my seat at the CRA table so that we can start the process. I'll be the first
to go.
I'll definitely be the second.
Hold on a minute. Was it not I who brought that to the table?
Don't I give first dibs?
Okay. All right.
Vice Mayor Huffman's concern I think will always be a concern on any board we have.
This one included. At some point in time, life does in fact become again the primary
issue with, but I just simply would not like to pass over the possibility of people
who've come to that point where they say I want to give back to my community.
I think it'd be a travesty to not allow them to do that.
And a varying voice has always made the better decision, so to speak. And I certainly
would like to see us move toward that. And then this group can draw straws as to who
starts to succeed from this union, so to speak.
Well, in my comment was not to get away from the CRA board, but to put people who
wanted to serve outside of the commission. And I listened to both these ladies and
I heard their resume, one being a lifelong citizen and I know have been in the
school system for years. I listened to Ms. Khadija's resume and I thought, well,
both these people are highly qualified and so why not start the process now?
So I just wanted to clear the air that I wasn't trying to run away from
responsibility, but rather find people who would assume that responsibility
and move toward the ultimate goal of having a citizen CRA.
And I agree with Commissioner Huffman not all at once.
So that's why I wanted to see if maybe one of us could step down and see if we
could start moving toward that and see if it works out and if those folks
stayed and maybe over a period of the next four to five years we could get
the majority of our citizens on the CRA board versus the commission.
So that was my reason for making that comment.
Two points if I can make. We do have a citizens advisory committee for the
CRA and we have a couple openings there.
So that, of course, is a one immediate option.
And secondly what I'm hearing from the board is to examine the possibility
of changing the current makeup of five commissioners and two citizens
to perhaps something else, four, three, three, four.
So depending your guidance I'd like to bring back to maybe in a workshop
format or something like that.
Let us research what the rules requirements are, the different options.
I know from personal experience I've seen a four, three type of setup.
So that's what I'm hearing and that's unless I hear otherwise we'll come
back to the CRA board with something like that.
Okay.
Some variables and you said four, three, five, two, what?
Because it never escapes this body's accountability.
I truly understand that.
It's not like we're passing the baton to somebody else.
The baton still rests here.
I'm clearly aware that.
It's just that I feel like that we now have folk who are aware of the
significance of.
I think part of the problem, Commissioner West, if you remember,
is the CRA just didn't have a nickel to give us.
So they were tired of coming to the meetings with nothing
essentially to accomplish.
So now that that has evolved to a degree, I think the opportunity
for others to serve is pertinent at this point.
Yeah.
And we should continue to have some commission presence on the CRA board.
I don't know if I would agree that we should all move out.
But I think that having the commission's perspective on things
and having someone represent the commission on the CRA board
will always be a plus.
Okay.
Real quick, I'm going to...
Okay.
Unfortunately, no other awardees, if you will, are here.
So the final comment is thank you for your support on behalf of the CRA team.
I say those two ladies make it happen.
I try and do the general management thing and get out of the way.
And accomplish great things.
So with that, thank you very much.
Happy holidays.
And I'm sure there's nothing else.
All right.
I think I knew what you were saying.
Okay.
There's no other comments?
No.
I just want to thank you guys for having me again.
This hour is being thank you so much for being here and going here to the meetings.
But yes, I would love to introduce my knowledge and expertise from a business standpoint
to help a hate city grow.
Good.
Thank you.
All right.
We're going to go ahead and adjourn the meeting at 6.05.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.