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06-08 - 02-07 - Extend Scope of Envision Connection Project Board Resolution 06-8 February 7, 2006 Member Pentel introduced the following resolution and moved its adoption: RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE SCOPE OF THE ENVISION CONNECTION PROJECT EXECUTIVE BOARD WHEREAS, Envision Golden Valley encouraged citizens to share their individual ideas and develop a collective vision for the community; and WHEREAS, those ideas coalesced into the themes of creatively connecting people and places and inspiring care for the community, further detailed in the Vision Guide: A Shared Vision for Golden Valley's Future, referred to herein as "the vision"; and WHEREAS, the Golden Valley City Council (Council) desires community involvement in carrying forward ideas brought forth as part of Envision Golden Valley; and WHEREAS, the Council has identified the Golden Valley Connection Project as a way to provide for citizen involvement, and would like to extend the scope of its Executive Board to implement strategies identified in the January 17, 2006, Report to the City Council titled, Recommended Direction for Envision Connection Project, attached as Exhibit A; and WHEREAS, the composition, charge and term of the Executive Board should be adjusted to relate to its updated mission and responsibilities. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Golden Valley, that a renewed Executive Board of the Envision Connection Project is hereby established with the following mission, responsibilities and procedures: I. MISSION AND RESPONSIBILITIES A. Mission The Executive Board shall advance specific implementation strategies for the Connection Project that meet the following objectives: 1. Present the Vision Guide to the community and get feedback from interested parties; help them to understand the vision and know where to go for more information. 2. Link people, groups and resources that are inspired by particular visions. 3. Encourage interaction between the Council, City staff and Envision volunteers and other citizens on ways to advance the vision. 4. Sponsor events or other strategies to involve more people in advancing the vision. 5. Create a community-wide sense of progress toward the vision. Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 B. Responsibilities The Executive Board shall: 1. develop a schedule for proposed activities for an eighteen (18) month period, from February 2006 through August of 2007, with a detailed budget for each activity or group of activities, using the "Recommended Direction for Envision Connection Project"as the basis for activities; and 2. secure Council approval for proposed activities and related budgets; and 3. take leadership in implementation of those activities (through Board work teams as appropriate) or facilitate the implementation of those activities by other community organizations or individuals; and 4. identify ways to accomplish the Connection Project mission and responsibilities through another entity or entities outside of the scope of city government while retaining the possibility of links to the City of Golden Valley. II. MEMBERSHIP, MEETINGS AND TIME FRAME A. Membership 1. The Council will appoint up to 15 persons to the Executive Board: a. Some members will continue from the initial Executive Board. b. Additional members will be recruited, with an emphasis on recruiting members to lead key activities undertaken by work teams (subcommittees). c. Volunteers not appointed to the Executive Board will be provided opportunities to participate on work teams. 2. The Mayor will be a member and serve as chair of the Executive Board. 3. The City Manager shall provide appropriate staff support. B. Meetings and Time Frame 1. The Executive Board shall complete its charge in eighteen (18) months. 2. The Executive Board shall meet at least monthly, on the fourth Thursday of the month. It may call special meetings as necessary, in compliance with the State Open Meeting Law. 3. A quorum must be present to conduct business. Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 4. Members who miss three consecutive or twenty-five percent of the total meetings in a twelve-month period will be requested to resign. 5. All meetings shall be open to the public and subject to the requirements of the State Open Meeting Law. III. REPORTING A. Minutes shall be kept of all meetings and forwarded to the City Council upon approval. B. Recommendations regarding the established responsibilities and the permanent establishment of the Golden Valley Connections Project shall be presented to the City Council by August of 2007, with an interim report in February of 2007. C. Additional Interim reports may be issued, if desired, by the Board. 40C� Linda R. Loomis, Mayor ATTEST: 1 / , /t%tL Susan M. Virnig, City Clerk The motion for the adoption of the foregoing resolution was seconded by Member Shaffer and upon a vote being taken thereon, the following voted in favor thereof: Freiberg, Loomis, Pentel, Scanlon and Shaffer; and the following voted against the same: none, whereupon said resolution was declared duly passed and adopted, signed by the Mayor and her signature attested by the City Clerk. Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 EXHIBIT A g „ „.g 3 , ,i ,,, 4 '': ''' ''' , y4 tl sol3en valleg OUR COMMUNITY TODAY AND TOMORROW Recommended Direction for Envision Connection Project Report to the Golden Valley City Council January 17, 2006 Presented by Connection Project Executive Board Jim Heidelberg Helene Johnson Riva Kupritz Linda Loomis, Chair Philip Lund Kristi Miller Dean Penk Charlie Quimby Marshall Tanick Blair Tremere Luke Weisberg Staff Support: Jeanne Andre and Cheryl Weiler Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 INTRODUCTION The City Council through Resolution 04-69 identified the Connection Project as a means of providing for community involvement. The Council appointed the Executive Board comprised of citizens and the Mayor to study and to recommend options for establishing the Connection Project. The Board's term was set for one year. The Board was assigned four responsibilities, and the Board framed its work through 2005 by these charges: • Presenting the Vision Guide to the Community [Look at alternative ways to present the Vision Guide to the community and get feedback from interested parties.] • Linking People, Groups & Resources [Identify ways to link people, groups and resources that are inspired by particular visions.] • Encouraging Council, Staff, Volunteers & Others [Identify ways to encourage interaction between the Council, City staff and Envision volunteers and other citizens on ways to advance the vision.] • Involving More People [Recommend an event or other strategies to involve more people in the vision.] The Board addressed these areas by following up on the details of the Work Plan presented to the City Council in April, 2005. This year-end report was also requested by the Council. It outlines our recommended strategies for the continued vitality of Envision and the successful establishment of the Connection Project. We have organized our response under three themes: • Help citizens understand the vision and know where to go for more information • Link people, groups and resources to encourage involvement • Create a community-wide sense of progress toward the Vision In this report, the Board also presents recommendations regarding the responsibilities and the "permanent establishment of the Golden Valley Connections Project" as directed by the Council. Based on its work to date, the Board believes a substantial amount of work remains to be done. Implementation of the Council's goal - and satisfaction of expectations of those many citizens involved with Envision - requires dedicated, ongoing attention. The Board is willing to continue pursuing the fundamentals and the details for the Council. Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 2 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 Guiding Principles The Envision Connection Project applied these connection principles in developing its recommendations: • Help citizens do things for themselves that benefit the larger community • Emphasize citizen-conceived and -run initiatives, with the City as facilitator if needed • Create conditions that encourage people, within realistic legal and fiscal constraints, to try out new ideas • Think big and start small; favor projects that focus or connect existing community energy - rather than diluting it or diverting in new directions • Rely largely on existing groups and infrastructures to manage participation rather than developing a separate framework Lessons Learned In addition to completing the activities described above, we gained several insights into the state of community engagement in the city. While there are a number of community-related groups in Golden Valley, their organization, level of activity and membership vary widely. They are not looking for new ideas or projects. Rather, they need more active members and new blood. It was telling that many groups contacted had difficulty identifying someone to respond to our request for information. There is still good awareness of Envision, but the momentum has slowed as we try to move the community from vision to action. We believe the philosophy of not dictating specific projects and letting citizens do for themselves is correct, but most people prefer some structure and identifiable tasks they can agree to take on or not. The Envision Connection Project Board in its first year was a policy and planning body. It needs to evolve with better- defined roles and be more focused on implementation. We would like to acknowledge the support of the City, and in particular, the role of Jeanne Andre in helping the Board stay on track and in bounds. Cheryl Weiler has also been proactive in helping to keep Envision before the public. Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 3 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNCIL ACTION The Council, Staff and Commissions are already pursuing activities in support of Envision. The Envision Connection Board believes it has laid out a clear future direction for Envision, and many of the actions recommended are either already under way or do not require explicit City involvement or Council resolutions. However, we request the following from the Council: 1. Reappoint the Envision Connection Board and renew its charter for another year. The new Board should include individuals with interests and skills to serve as coordinators for Web outreach, Bridge Building, Neighborhoods, Business and Community liaison. 2. Authorize approximately $2,000-4,000 in City funding for the training of Bridge Builders as detailed in this report. A specific proposal will be submitted once dates and costs are finalized. For more detail, see Bridge Builder Description document - attached as an appendix. 3. Agree in principle to support the introduction of a community Web site using (- Neighbors or other Web-based tool to encourage citizen involvement and facilitate community connections. This may involve a future request for modest seed funding from the City or local businesses. Recommended 2006 Time and Events Of the Connection recommendations presented on the following pages, we have determined that establishing a group of"Bridge Builders" will be a key pacing item for initiatives in 2006. Council approval of the recommendations above will allow the Board to begin timely work on the following events: Approve Bridge Builder (BB) Initiative Funding January Publicize BB Role January-February Recruit and Select BBs March Orient BBs to Envision April Train BBs May 12 Introduce BBs to the Community May 19-20 (Valley Days) Begin BB Activities June Publicize Projects, Opportunities and Outcomes July-Ongoing Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 4 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVED CONNECTION HELP CITIZENS UNDERSTAND THE VISION AND KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR MORE INFORMATION 1. Use existing city resources and activities to publicize and draw connections to Envision-related activities. These suggestions either amplify or add to what the City has already been doing well. ► Provide ongoing updates through City News, Channel 16 and Web site ► Encourage Council Members to be Envision ambassadors and invite them to be involved in specific Envision activities ► Continue the joint Council/Commissions annual meeting; include Envision content and recognize commissions that have helped advance the Vision ► Incorporate Envision-compatible standards for future reference and implementation in the City's Comprehensive Plan 2. Enlist other community/local government resources in furthering community awareness of Envision-related activities. These outreach activities could be undertaken by the Envision Board and its coordinators. ► Book a Bridge Builder presentation with each service group in the community database ► Develop liaison with Hennepin County Library branch and explore joint programming ► Develop liaison with Jeanne Fackler/Seniors Coordinator and explore potential of established seniors groups as "small sparks" ► Develop liaison with Summer Playground Program and explore a Parks-based outreach initiative ► Enlist sponsors to produce a Community Assets Map to supplement information in "Getting Around Golden Valley" - highlighting Golden Valley businesses, events, historic sites, cultural assets, places to eat, schools, bicycle trails, parks, etc. ► Enlist local cafes/coffee shops to co-host Community Coffees with Bridge Builders 3. Introduce newcomers to the Vision and Envision-related activities. This would formalize and expand what the City is already doing. ► Provide a copy of the Vision Guide, Assets Map and I-Neighbors community Web information as part of communication package to each new resident, developer/permit applicant and business owner in Golden Valley Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 5 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 LINK PEOPLE, GROUPS & RESOURCES 1. Recruit and train volunteers from diverse segments of the community as "Bridge Builders." This initiative would identify potential BBs, train them and turn them loose to "fan the small sparks" of passion in the community. It would require one or two coordinators. Ideas in this report and the Vision Guide may serve as inspiration for BBs, but the focus of their activities would be determined by their individual enthusiasms and community connections. ► Become knowledgeable enough about Golden Valley to act as a referral, liaison, connecting point ► Communicate what's happening to individuals and groups ► Get people connected (through personal interest and follow-up) • Encourage them to join I-Neighbors • Tell them about activities/opportunities for involvement and offer to connect them (if appropriate) • Share the activities of your club, interest group or organization with others in the community ► Generate "small sparks" - sample activities • Organize an interest group in the City o Initiate a "small spark" yourself (or with another Bridge Builder), which will attract others with the same interest o Recruit members to your club or interest group • Convene individuals who expressed interest in specific Envision area at the Summit to explore follow-up • Organize your block/neighborhood o Help initiate an activity in your block/neighborhood o Link your neighborhood to others in the community ► Participate in periodic Bridge Builder meetings o Share what's happening, how-tos, get suggestions, maintain the excitement 2. Use I-Neighbors to test viability of the Web as a tool for community connection. We are currently testing I-Neighbors, a free community-building tool. A pilot project will use this tool to create a Golden Valley community site. If the project shows reasonable effectiveness, we may continue to use I-Neighbors as a platform or move to a more customized site. A coordinator with appropriate Web skills will be required for this project. ► Populate I-Neighbors with community information, including database of community groups, contact information and primary interest areas ► Train one community organization, one affinity group (e.g., Seniors) and one neighborhood to use I-Neighbors as their organizing/connection tool; use the examples of these "pioneer" groups to enlist and train other groups ► Publicize I-Neighbors to entire community after pioneer groups and content become established and create a critical mass of users Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 6 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 3. Encourage neighborhood groups to self-organize and participate in community building. Neighborhoods represent a potent base for community action. A few selected initiatives could stimulate neighborhood-centered Envision activity. ► Offer an "Envision Your Neighborhood" Community Ed class ► Develop liaison with Historical Society to develop a "Golden Valley Neighborhoods" educational program ► Promote neighborhood identification; encourage neighborhood naming • Link neighborhoods to history, parks • Offer City funds for neighborhood signs ► Leverage Neighborhood Night Out and Neighborhood Watch structure ► Partner with Summer Playground Program - present to wider neighborhood ► Promote intra-neighborhood relations and collaboration • Identify ways to link block clubs • Identify joint neighborhood activities o Spirit of the neighborhood competitions (tug-of-war, pumpkin festival, popcan tab collection, gardens, holiday decoration, etc.) o Shared activities (cookie baking, kite flying, community gardens, focus on kids, seniors, trail/creek cleanups, etc.) ► Invite academic study of neighborhood community building - Follow up to Envision study by Humphrey Institute 4. Identify groups that have a reason to connect and promote concepts for community-wide events that have cross-sponsorship potential. Some inter- organization collaboration already occurs, in part due to cross-membership. These are examples of initiatives that could broaden contacts and stimulate new action. ► Sponsor an All-Organizations Conference annually to promote exchanges and shared projects ► Repeat the Envision Connection Summit, focusing on an annual theme - perhaps in conjunction with Valley Days/GVCEF • Envision-centered speakers, exhibits, activities that highlight and connect community groups that now sponsor their own booths at Valley Days • Allow groups to recruit and publicize their projects Sponsor Community Reads - with Library, schools, Community Ed or HRC • Selected book, groups sell book, organize book clubs, discussion board ► Golden Valley Parks Day - with Open Space & Rec, Environmental Commissions, Music in Parks, Neighborhoods • Coordinated parks events city-wide, bike tour or run-the-parks Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 7 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 CREATE A COMMUNITY-WIDE SENSE OF PROGRESS TOWARD THE VISION 1. Issue an annual "State of the Vision" that is a joint report from the Council and the Envision Connection Board. This report would not simply list activities or projects, but would attempt to quantify the community's progress toward its Vision. Establish a few key metrics that could be tracked annually to measure progress Publicize successful Envision projects Itemize City and staff actions consistent with the Vision Update organization and project information 2. Establish an Envision Award - annual recognition of Envision projects, groups or individuals. Citizens could supply nominations, similar to Views of the Valley photo contest. 3. Supplement existing communications and provide larger context to keep citizens informed. Much valuable citizen information would be delivered under "Help Citizens Understand the Vision," Bridge Builders and I-Neighbors sections described above. The Envision Connection Board would monitor coverage and the resulting sense of progress, suggesting story topics and promoting information sharing. ► Engage Envision alumni - those who worked in earlier stages of the Envision project - in subsequent phases ► Develop three Envision story ideas annually and pitch to Sun-Post or other local media ► Work with City Communications coordinator to develop a communication plan ► Provide content and updates for delivery through I-Neighbors Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 8 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 APPENDIX - BRIDGE BUILDERS Bridge Builders —With "think big and start small" as a guiding principle, these selected individuals would be trained to reach out to the various "pockets of people" and involve them in community building activities that capitalize on their interests and skills as well as provide opportunities for additional involvement by other citizens. In essence, they would "ignite" small sparks in the community and generate the momentum. Ideally, these represent a cross-section of the community's "pockets of people" and are not limited to the "usual suspects" Possible Job Description Become knowledgeable enough about Golden Valley to act as a referral, liaison, connecting point. Activities would be based on interest and level of participation. Initial Backgrounding Activties • Orientation to the city, Envision, Connection Project • Orientation to the role of Bridge Builders • Information about other community resources-schools, churches, library • Information about other levels of government • Attend State of the City, all-commission meeting; meet council members and key staff Ongoing Activities • Receive updates on the Connection Project • Communicate what's happening • Speak at official functions or informal get-togethers • Use key messages and materials developed & updated by Connection Project Board, City Staff, designated Bridge Builders • Promote a project you would like to see happen in the community • Get people connected (through personal interest and follow-up) • Encourage them to join I-Neighbors • Tell them about activities/opportunities for involvement; offer to connect them (if appropriate) • Share the activities of your club or organization with others in the community • Recruit members to your club or interest group • Link your neighborhood to others in the community • Participate in periodic "bridge builder" meetings Share what's happening, how tos, get suggestions, maintain the excitement Ideal: Be assigned to a population group that is not currently very involved in the community, meet with a representative group to explore possibilities, follow-up Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 9 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 Generate "small sparks" • Organize an interest group in the City • Initiate a "small spark" yourself (or with another Bridge Builder), which will attract others with the same interest • Convene individuals who expressed interest in specific Envision area at the Summit to explore follow-up • Organize your block/neighborhood • Help initiate an activity in your block/neighborhood • Link your neighborhood to others in the community Special Bridge Builder Leadership Assignments: • Coordinator - Speaking Engagements o Schedule speaker training session after materials are completed o Field requests; line-up speakers o Forward any changes to the message/materials as developed • Organizer/Convenor - Bridge Builder Meetings Assumes That Initial Tasks To Operationalize Bridge Builders Are Undertaken By 2006 Envision Connection Board In Conjunction With City Staff: • Promotion, Recruitment, Orientation, etc. • Develop and Launch Bridge Builders as Communcators (as outlined below). ENVISION CONNECTION PROJECT Bridge Builders as Communicators A. Operation 1. Develop an outreach plan that is an integral part of the overall communications plan for the Connection Project 2. Recruit a. Develop list of potential bridge builders b. Recruit and maintain a group of volunteers from the community 3. Develop materials (an official template/script which can be adapted to the various audiences and contexts) 4. Promote bridge builders as a resource within the context of the overall communications plan a. By the City b. Via web site c. Through events, flyers, etc. as determined appropriate 5, Designate a volunteer as Coordinator who can respond to requests for a Speaker (with advertised phone number and/or email) 6. Keep bridge builder speakers up to date with any changes to the message and materials. Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 10 Resolution 06-8 - Continued February 7, 2006 Content of Presentation ("Message") NOTE: An official script approved and sanctioned by Envision directors should be developed and maintained. Speakers have flexibility to adapt presentations to actual audience, but the fundamental themes and message must be consistent with the script. It is a tool and it is THE official message. Envision directors should provide for assigned persons or group to be responsible for "the message" maintenance and dissemination to ensure consistency and accuracy. 1. Envision History (brief synopsis---the starting point now for those getting the message is the Envision Project "product." We are where we are and looking ahead) 2. Purpose of Connection Project a. "A vision intended to inspire citizens and empower creative participation" b. To promote care for the community c. To facilitate citizen-led initiatives d. To creatively connect people and places 3. Role of the City of Golden Valley including the formal statement of Support from the City Council a. City Staff has been directed and authorized to participate in the Connection efforts and to respond to public inquiries (referral to volunteers who "run" the Envision effort, and eventually referral to Envision-produced lists and rosters) b. Missions of Departments, Boards and Commissions are linked to Envision strategies [note: we should request a progress report back from these advisory Boards and Commissions who were asked by the Council to undertake this task last winter]] c. City's Comprehensive Plan (the incorporation of Envision-compatible standards for future reference AND implementation. This is very basic since the comprehensive plan is required to have goals, objectives, and criteria for the city's planning....it literally is the legal base for city planning and the city is legally required to ensure that its ordinances and policies---"official controls"--- are consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan.) 4. Examples of Successful Envision Projects 5. Review "Bridge Builders" Initiative: finding and maintaining a cadre of volunteers who can sustain the Connection Project 6. Promote Connection Strategies (in-place systems) a. Furnish database of groups b. Promote positive self-management using web or email Materials Needed by Bridge builders/speakers 1) Envision Guide (and other available promotional literature) 2) Power Point Presentation (kept current) 3) Clippings and the like showing examples of Precedents: photo images of improved, vibrant communities brought about by citizen-led initiatives, private-public collaborations, and contributions of institutions and groups. Access to laptop computer and/or digital projector 4) Access to current group data base with contact names and phone numbers Envision Connection Project Report-January 17,2006 11