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Home My WebLink About2022-04-25 - MinutesCITY OF FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS MEETING MINUTES TOWN AND GOWN ADVISORY COMMITTEE April 25, 2022 1 3:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Via Zoom The public is invited to provide comment on Committee agenda items and during general public comment as well. Members: CITY COUNCIL & COMMUNITY MEMBERS REPRESENTATIVES • Mark Kinion City Council Member • Zane Colvin U of A Student - Off Campus • Alexandria Howland Community Citizen at Large • Annie Dowling Community Citizen at Large • Megan Duncan Associate Superintendent of Schools CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE STAFF REPRESENTATIVES • Susan Norton Chief of Staff Committee Co -Chair Lisa Thurber Director of Communications and Marketing Jonathan Curth Director of Development Services STAFF RESOURCES WILL BE CALLED UPON AS NEEDED UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS REPRESENTATIVES • Laura Jacobs Chief of Staff/Committee Co - Chair • Mark Rushing Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Relations • Scott Turley Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities • Coleman Warren President, Associated Student Government • Katherine Dzurilla President, Graduate Professional Student Congress Meeting Video: https://accessfavetteville.-granicus.com/plaver/clip/8065?view id=14&redirect=true 1. Call to Order Susan Norton called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. 2. Roll Call In attendance: Alexandria Howland, Megan Duncan, Susan Norton, Lisa Thurber, Jonathan Curth, Mark Rushing, Scott Turley, Coleman Warren, Katherine Dzurilla, Annie Dowling Absent: Mark Kinion, Laura Jacobs, Zane Colvin 3. Approval of Minutes Jonathan Curth moved and Scott Turley seconded approval of the Jan. 24, 2022 meeting minutes. The minutes were unanimously approved. 4. Approval of Meeting's Agenda Norton confirmed consensus among committee members for approval of the April 25, 2022 meeting agenda. Mailing Address: 113 W. Mountain Street www.fayetteville-ar.gov Fayetteville, AR 72701 5. Old Business No old business was discussed. 6. New Business a. Earth Day activities recap: Kristina Jones, Volunteer Coordinator for City of Fayetteville Public Works Department, shared an overview of volunteer activities within the City related to Parks, Public Works and several different spring -related volunteerism opportunities. Earth Day was kicked off by a Mayoral proclamation, followed by approximately 70 volunteers cleaning up parks, trails and seven different area creeks, resulting in approximately 250 pounds of trash and five 30-pound bags of recyclables. Similar amounts were collected during a Lake Fayetteville clean up around Earth Day. Jones noted that U of A students are an important part of the City's volunteer base. Heather Ellzey, Environmental Education for the City's Recycling and Trash division, discussed food waste composting accessibility for Fayetteville residents. This program is available for students living in apartments. Ellzey noted the importance of raising awareness of recycling and composting with the student population. In collaboration with the U of A Walton School of Business, Ellzey and a City colleague have acted as guest advisors for a social entrepreneurship class; they have contributed large class projects focused on local businesses becoming "green." Additionally, she has worked to connect Greek organizations at the U of A to City recycling and composting programs. Norton noted that the City of Fayetteville was recognized as a Volunteer Community of the Year for 2021 at the Winter Arkansas Municipal League Conference. b. Community Solutions Summit: Norton and Jacobs, on behalf of the Mayor and the Chancellor respectively, convened a group of different community organizations who provide services to unhoused community members. This initial collaboration creates a directional goal to proactively provide for the care and keeping of the unsheltered while, at the same time, upholding community safety and the preservation of parks and trails. Turley added that everyone who participated is committed to this cause, even though their existing roles or areas of focus may not all be the same. c. Spring commencement planning: Rushing advised that U of A commencement activities will take place on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14. Bud Walton and Barnhill Arena are being used for ceremonies, which will be in -person and non -ticketed. Masks are recommended but not required. More information is available on the U of A registrar website, including parking info. For Fayetteville Public Schools. Duncan shared that senior scholarship awards night will be Tuesday, May 17 at the FHS arena gym followed by commencement at Bud Walton Arena later that evening. Masks are not required, and the events will not be ticketed. Keith Macedo recognized Coleman Warren for being named a Rhodes Scholar; Warren added that early primary voting is set for Bud Walton arena the week prior to commencement. d. Emergency and non -emergency alerts Keith Macedo, City of Fayetteville Information Technology Director, described the City's updated approach to resident communications around emergencies (weather and non - weather). CodeRed, the previous system, did not adequately serve the community because it was based on landlines and opting in; Macedo noted that the best way to keep community members and visitors informed is through Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). He said this option allows the City to communicate with the largest number of people without any database maintenance or opt -in for use. Macedo shared a presentation detailing how WEAs work for weather -related emergencies issued by National Weather Service based on real-time user location. He also detailed how the City can use WEAs to provide non -weather -related emergency communications. Curth asked if WEAs can be "geotargeted" to very specific locations; Macedo confirmed this is possible. Rushing indicated an opportunity exists for the University and the City to discuss where collaboration/overlap exists for emergency communications. He noted that there are two types of weather -related alerts sent by the U of A: tornado and "immediate action required" notifications. Curth asked why the City does not have tornado sirens and why the U of A does have sirens; Norton indicated that the City has never had sirens, while Rushing advised that weekly testing of the U of A sirens takes place on Tuesdays. He said the sirens are strictly for tornados and not for other warnings, though it is possible to use them for other instances. Turley agreed that imminent server weather is the intended use for the sirens. Norton noted that as community expectations change, the City must update technology to meet those expectations; with 90% of 911 calls coming in from mobile phones, WEAs that focus on mobile delivery along with geotargeting of alerts is a more efficient delivery system. Warren agreed that it is important to get student feedback in safety notification systems. 7. Public Comment/Other Discussion a. Pedestrian Safety Dowling advised that October is Pedestrian Safety Awareness Month. City, U of A and FPS communication channels are a good option for communicating this across Fayetteville. She recommends following the National Highway Safety plan driving awareness/promoting and communicating pedestrian safety topics. Dowling intends to work on this over the summer; Norton indicated she should connect with Dane Eifling, the City's Mobility Coordinator, for help with this project. Rushing recommended Dowling connect with J. M. Thomas, U of A Media Lead, and suggested that ASG may be interested in getting involved. Warren agreed that safety teams would want to get involved and asked to be kept in the loop up until he vacates his ASG position. Duncan advised that Alan Wilbourn is the contact for FPS. Rushing noted that the top issue seen on campus is students using crosswalks without looking to make sure vehicles are stopping. Norton added that the same issue happens regularly on Dickson Street. 8. Next Meeting and Adjourn The Q3 Town and Gown Committee meeting will take place on July 25, 2022. The group indicated a desire to continue holding meetings virtually, though this preference will be reconsidered each quarter. Duncan moved and Turley seconded to adjourn the meeting. Norton adjourned the meeting at approximately 3:57 p.m. M