Galesburg Reporter

City of Galesburg Youth Commission met March 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

Meeting was called to order by Joy Bososa-Nzumba at 4:31 P.M.

Roll Call: Present: Members: Courtney Wallace, Jennifer Foubert, Brother Shabazz, Paula Johnson, Precious Dortch, Mia Haneghan, Zakary Warfeild, Eciel Burns, Chantiara Jackson, Joy Basosa-Nzumba and Director of Parks & Recreation-Tony Oligney Estill

Absent: Deion Crider

Minutes: Minutes from the February 10, 2022 meeting were approved.

Recreation Division Report:

• Director Oligney-Estill informed the commission that the sled libraries at Debbie Klapp, Rotary and Kiwanis Parks have been removed and stored until next winter. The ice rink at Rotary Park is not safe to skate on. Staff is just waiting for the thin layer of ice to melt so the rink can be emptied and stored until next winter.

Old Business:

• Director Oligney-Estill asked to see who still needed to complete the Open Meetings Act training. All the students still need to complete the training. Director Oligney-Estill said he would work on providing a location and computers so all seven student commissioners could do the training together.

• Commissioner Dortch said the Churchill surveys are still being collected. She hoped they would all be collected by the next Youth Commission meeting in April.

• Commissioner Wallace said a group of South Side Task Force members will be helping plan the Dale Kelley event along with members of the Youth Commission. Commissioners Haneghan, Warfield and Dortch were selected to represent the Youth Commission.

New Business:

• The next several meetings that Youth Commissioners need to attend is listed below with the Youth Commissioner who volunteered to attend the meeting.

o 3/21/22 City Council Meeting – Commissioner Dortch

o 3/28/22 Work Session – Commissioner Basosa-Nzumba

o 4/4/22 City Council Meeting – Commissioner Warfield

• Commissioner Burns attended the February 21st City Council meeting. Most of the meeting was taken up with the proposed Residential Gardening Ordinance which was voted down and the Terrace Landscaping Ordinance which was on first reading.

• No Youth Commissioner attended the February 28th Work Session. City Council Member Smith-Esters informed the Commissioners on what was discussed at that meeting. Topics discussed in that meeting that impacts the Youth Commission consisted of additional discussion by the City to possibly acquiring Churchill School, possibly building a new recreation/community building somewhere in Galesburg and how to proceed with Hawthorne Pool. No decisions on these topics were made at the meeting.

• Commissioners Burns and Dortch attended the March 7th City Council meeting. Commissioners Dortch and Basosa-Nzumba presented the Youth Commission report which was written by Commissioner Shabazz, to the City Council.

• The City ordinance that formed the Youth Commission requires the commission to provide programs for the community. A discussion on how to program, whether the commission directly programs or partners with other organizations to do the programming, was had. Additionally, the discussion included types of programs including hosting an open mic, CPR classes, tours of Knox and Sandburg Colleges and a youth town hall meeting. Commissioners were asked to think about this topic, talk to their friends, family and classmates, and come back to the April meeting with ideas.

Citizen Comments:

• City Council Member Wallace said how proud he was of this group and the work they were doing. He also said he would provide his contact information so any of the Commissioners could contact him directly if they needed any assistance from him.

Meeting adjourned at 5:36 P.M.

https://cms7files.revize.com/galesburg/Document_Center/Agendas%20and%20Minutes/Youth/2022/Youth%20Commission%20Minutes%20031022.pdf