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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/20/2014 SCC Minutes Sister Cities Commission Minutes March 20, 2014 5:30 p.m. Village Hall 50 South Emerson Street Mount Prospect, IL 60056 I. Meeting called to Order : Judy Thorne, Vice Chair, acting as the chair called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Attendance: In addition to Ms. Thorne, attendees were Mayor Arlene Juracek, Evelyn Dorman, Patricia Fusilero, Lorrie Huber, A. John Korn, Judy McGinnis, Paula and Gary Randant, Rafi Sahakian, John and Mary Ann Sibrava, Rachel Toeppen, Robert and Pat Usnik, Barbara VanArsdale and former Mayor Irvana Wilks. Absent: Former Mayor Skip and his wife Janice Farley, Paul Siels and staff liaison, Village PIO Officer Marianthi Thanopoulos. II. Approval of the Minutes : Motion to approve the minutes of January 16, 2014 was made by John Sibrava, seconded by Gary Randant. No discussion. Motion Passed. III. Citizens to be heard : None. IV. : Mayor Juracek mentioned the municipal elections in Sèvres and that Mount Prospect would have to ascertain how best to move forward with exchange visits. Also she named individuals to advise her on a possible German city to be Sister Cities with Mount Prospect. V. Judy gave general announcements. She recognized Rafi and Diana as new parents: phone picture was passed around. Judy received a letter from the VanArsdales resigning as co-secretaries. Irvana will take minutes temporarily. Mount Prospect is invited to attend a Hoffman Estates French Sister Cities event. Through the Illinois Sister Cities there is an annual awards program. We did not enter this year, but in the past we entered and won. VI. : Judy was sent a note by Skip advising her that he and Janice would be out of town. Trustee Korn. (Report attached) Bob offered to follow up with Skip to see if there is need for a different type of evaluation. Judy encouraged him to do so. VII. Committee Reports a. French Trivia Night - January 24: Tricia Fusilero reported the event profited $826. Bob said he compared the income from 2014 French Trivia Night to previous years and noted it is not a big money maker. Tricia explained it familiarizes residents with the French culture, but also serves as a fundraiser. Sister Cities Commission Minutes continued March 20, 2014 24 Page of In general each event chair submits an Event Form detailing time, place and planning. In addition it asks: does this event further an understanding of France, does it pay for itself, and does it make money? It was explained that former Commission Chair Dorothy Kucera initiated using Event Forms which Tricia designed and which Commissioners currently follow. The event evaluation procedure was explained to newer Commissioners. Although Event Forms are currently being used, Bob said he wanted to keep an eye on expenditures and to again formalize the Event Reporting procedure. Tricia made a motion to require submittal of an event planning document no later than one month before the event. Motion seconded by Rafi. Motion passed. b. Pot Luck Dinner -- April 24 in Village Hall at 6:30 pm No admission charge: Judy distributed the Event Form detailing musicians, speakers, supplies needs and expenses to date (Event Form attached). Judy also provided letters for commissioners to give to business people who might provide raffle gifts. Trustee Korn who is in charge of the raffle asked for clarification about the type of raffle gifts to ask from businesses (particularly banks). At the January meeting, it was discussed that attendees may not like small winnings of bank envelopes with $5 cash. Judy had asked John Eilering at Mount Prospect State bank to sponsor the musicians with a $100 contribution. He offered to take back the smaller gifts and to write a check to sponsor the musicians if that would help. For years Ralph Wilder and other musicians provide dinner music without compensation and Judy wants to pay them. Discussion centered on how to pay Ralph, since admission to the potluck is free. Paula made a motion to give the Village. Gary seconded it. Motion Passed. The banks would continue to give envelopes of cash as raffle gifts. Potluck posters were distributed to the commissioners to take to local businesses, however they had errors about the program. The posters were returned to Judy to give back redistribute. c. Wine Tasting Fund Raiser May 22 in World Market from 6pm to 9 pm: Paula distributed posters and tickets to sell. Although the tickets are not presentation at 7 pm about their French Wines. th d. July 4 Parade: Paula and Gary will march with the Sister Cities float provided by Public Works Department. They invite others to join them. Sister Cities Commission Minutes continued March 20, 2014 34 Page of e. Family French Festival -- July 9 at Mount Prospect Public Library from 6:30pm to 7:30pm: Mary Ann Sibrava distributed an Event Form (see and program about France which is jointly sponsored by the Library and the Sister Cities Commission. Language Stars will give the program at no cost. Commissioners should attend and will be introduced. f. Book Crossing: Mary Ann Sibrava reported the librarians are choosing the books in Mount Prospect and Sèvres. g. German Sister City: From her responsibilities with the Illinois Sister Cities, Paula mentioned her impressions about how towns with multiple Sister Cities operate. Judy asked for clarification from Mayor Juracek about how the German sub- committee would work. The Mayor had asked advisors to meet to discuss which German City would be a good pairing for us. Members of the advisory group are: Skip Farley (Chair), John Eilering (Mount Prospect State Bank), George K. Busse (former chair, Board of Police and Fire Commission), Paula Randant, (Commission member and Illinois Sister Cities president), Georgia Mitchell (Bosch). Would they meet and present options to the Sister Cities Commission to make the final determination, or would their findings be presented to someone else? Mayor Juracek stated the final determination would be presented to the Commission, but the decision would go to the Village Board. It was asked if present commissioners would be required to travel to Germany as well as France. That is not known. h. Library Sister Cities Display: Lorrie Huber reported the Library display would be up in April. She used things from Marianthi and things from her home. Commission boxes with decorations like flag bases were found in the basement. Other boxes were filled and left in the Community Room, but cannot be found. i. Brochures: Tricia and Irvana are working on them. Previous 3-fold brochure was last one published in 2007. There are a few copies to use as a template. Because SCC is part of a world-wide organization, its mission is different from other Village commissions and there is a need for a brochure. Tricia suggested looking into having a narrow card stock brochure, similar to one she uses for her travel-film company. j. cost of mailing several copies to France, Rachel Toeppen will send only one copy . She will send the Fall 2013 Mount Prospect Newsletter, which featured pictures of Sèvres delegation visit. Sister Cities Commission Minutes continued March 20, 2014 44 Page of VIII. Illinois Sister Cities Association Convention Paula reported that she and Gary will attend the convention be held in Urbana on April 12 13. Judy acknowledged her thanks for them going. IX. Open Discussion: None. X. Adjournment: John Sibrava made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Trustee Korn. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7p.m. Respectfully submitted, Irvana K. Wilks Temporary secretary NEXT MEETING SISTER CITIES COMMISSION OF MOUNT PROSPECT MAY 15, 2014