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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 01/22/2015COMMISSION ON DISABILITY Fort Collins City Hall: Council Information Center: 12:15 p.m. January 22, 2015 PRESENT: Marilee Boylan, Michael Devereaux, Hettie Hueber, Michelle Miller, Terry Schlicting ABSENT: Jeffrey Coon, Leslie Efrid, Rose Luna & Michael Marr (All Contact) CITY: Ethan Cozzens, Rosanne McDonnell GUESTS: Angela Byrne – Community Member Lori Gallatin – Aid to Ms. Byrne Emma Belmont – COFC Transfort Andrea Liebl – COFC Transfort Mark Jackson – COFC PDT John Little – Platte River Power Authority Lucinda Smith - COFC Call to Order: 12:20pm 1. Introductions 2. Approval of November Minutes Motion to Approve – Hueber Second - Devereaux 3. Open Discussion General Public Ms. Byrne approached the COD with concerns as to how landlord dwelling inspections are creating difficulties for individuals with disabilities. She indicated there were no appointments and no exceptions to this rule. She said a person with a mobility issue may take longer to answer the door and in these cases the landlord comes in without waiting. Her neighbor with a disability was still in bed when they came in because she was unable to get up without assistance. These individuals are very vulnerable in cases like this. Hueber asked if Ms. Byrne had put her request in writing to the landlord. Ms. Byrne stated it would not help, but Hueber pointed out that a documented paper trail would be very helpful in lodging a formal complaint. Cozzens suggested that since this could be considered a safety concern Ms. Byrne should contact Melody Clark at Neighborhood Services. Boylen supplied a telephone number of an advocate who might be of assistance to Ms. Byrne. COD will follow up to see what action has been taken and decide if any further steps should be taken. 4. New Business a. Appointment of Board Member Positions Chair – Hueber nominated Schlicting. Boylen seconded. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Vice-Chair – Schlicting nominated Marr. Devereaux seconded. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Secretary – Hueber nominated Efird. Miller seconded. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Historian – Miller nominated Hueber. Devereaux seconded. Motion carried by unanimous vote. b. Presentation – Mark Jackson – Things that Matter Mr. Jackson gave a brief presentation of the Transfort Voucher Program. This program should make transportation more accessible and not bind Dial-A-Ride with limits due to MAX land use planning. c. Presentation – Lucinda Smith, Environmental Services Department Director – Community Climate Action Plan Update Ms. Smith’s department has been tasked with the reduction of greenhouse gas and the carbon footprint within the City of Fort Collins. A Greenhouse Gas Action Plan was placed into policy in 1999. There was an update to this plan in 2008 asking for more accelerated goals. The City’s greenhouse gas is currently comprised of the following: ½ Electrical usage ¼ Ground transportation 1/5 Natural gas Using 2005 as a baseline, the focus is to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The 80% goal has been moved up to 2030. Some things to consider in achieving these goals are putting stronger mandates on building codes creating stringent net zero energy buildings, or green buildings. Cost will be a key concern for builders. Also, there is a concern for existing structures to make them more efficient and bring them up to new codes. The City will be piloting a program that may look at offering incentives or rebates. Transportation is a discussion for possible reductions. Electric, hybrid and more fuel efficient vehicles are options, as well as offering more public transit. There needs to be less dependency on coal and a bigger emphasis on wind and solar energy. All of these options have upfront cost, however, the potential long term savings are quantifiable. PRPA will be encouraging public engagement and will work with the community and businesses and approach potential financing and long term effects. COD input was solicited and some offered. Input is always welcomed on the City’s website. d. City of Greeley Commission on Disability – Leticia Arguello request: insight on past, present and future projects this COD has worked on. Cozzens will reach out to Ms. Arguello and also the Loveland Commission on Disability for possible collaboration. 5. Old Business a. COD Work Plan - Hueber provided a handout outlining four of the City’s seven key outcome areas that would be relevant to this commission’s work plan. Hueber moved to create a subcommittee to work on the plan for completion and adoption by the rest of the members. Devereaux seconded this move. The subcommittee will meet on the second Thursday of each month as this commission has city chambers reserved for subcommittee work. The first meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 12:00pm. If a member commits to this subcommittee, please follow through on this commitment. b. Old Town Access Ramps Update The Coloradoan ran an article on 12.15.14 on this subject. It was written by Pat Ferrier. Copies of the article were provided to member. 6. Community News and Updates None 7. Adjourn: With no other business presented for discussion Schlicting moved to adjourn. Miller seconded. Meeting adjourned at 2:19pm. Submitted by: M. Michelle Miller