HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 4/7/2020 - Memorandum From Patsi Maroney Re: Library Park Neighborhood Meeting PlanPlanning, Development & Transportation
Community Development & Neighborhood Services
281 N. College Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2350
970.224.6134 FAX
www.fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
DATE: March 25, 2020
TO: Mayor Troxel and City Council Members
THRU: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager
Caryn Champine, Director of PDT
Tom Leeson, CDNS Director
Marcy Yoder, Neighborhood Services Manager
CC: Jacqueline Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer
Beth Sowder, Social Sustainability Director
FROM: Patsi Maroney, Senior Specialist, Neighborhood Services
RE: Library Park Neighborhood Meeting Plan
Purpose:
This memo is in response to a request from both Library Park Neighbors and City
Council members to facilitate discussions with Library Park neighbors, the Mennonite
Church, the Community of Christ church, and Food Not Bombs representatives. In
addition, the final page of this memo includes information from Outreach Fort Collins
that Council requested.
Background:
On February 18, 2020, a Library Park neighborhood representative emailed the
City’s Mediation Program staff to request mediation services with the pastor of
the Mennonite Church. Staff held an initial discussion about the request with four
neighborhood representatives on February 24, 2020 and planned to schedule a
follow-up meeting to discuss further.
The four neighborhood representatives who attended the February 24, 2020
meeting with staff were attendees at the March 3, 2020 council meeting; among
other things, they expressed their desire to have a discussion with the churches
and other service providers about the impact their services are having on the
Library Park neighborhood. Council members agreed that mediation services
would be appropriate.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5EF5B6CF-9647-437D-A319-6F17AF2030E3
It’s important to note that a key requirement for convening any group mediation-
related process is that all parties must be willing to participate.
Next Steps:
Staff is currently inviting the pastors of both the Community of Christ Church and
the Mennonite Church as well as representatives of the Food Not Bombs group
to participate in a facilitated mediation-style dialogue process with a small group
of Library Park neighbors. Staff requested answers to these invitations by early
April. As of today, staff has received one affirmative response. NOTE: If any of
the invitees say no, then the process will move forward with those who said yes.
If an invitee says no now and decides to say yes later, staff will schedule
additional sessions to bring them into the process.
Staff is also contacting the four neighborhood representatives from the February
24, 2020 meeting to update them and to confirm whether they also want to
participate.
Plan:
Once staff determines who all has accepted the invitation, staff will schedule the
first of two ‘rounds’ of facilitated dialogue sessions. The goals of the initial round
are as follows:
o to create respectful & sustainable communication between all parties.
o to create mutual understanding of each other’s perspectives.
o to increase understanding about the impact that services to persons
experiencing homelessness are having on Library Park.
o to discover if the parties will support a second round of dialogue sessions
that would likely include a much wider audience, such as more Library
Park neighbors, church partner agencies, church members, persons
experiencing homelessness, City staff, and other stakeholders.
The initial round will start off with staff doing one or more individual preparation
meetings with each party who’s planning to attend. The structure and timing of
these meetings will depend on the City’s COVID-19 Emergency Staffing Plan in
effect at the time.
o After all the individual preparation meetings are completed, staff will
design, schedule, and facilitate a minimum of two dialogue sessions with
the smaller initial group. The ultimate number of sessions will depend on
the progress made in each session compared to the stated goals. Again,
the structure and timing of these meetings will depend on the City’s
COVID-19 Emergency Staffing Plan in effect at the time.
o If the result of the initial round is that the parties agree to support a second
round of dialogue sessions, staff will work with the initial group to help
design, arrange, & convene the second round of dialogue sessions. The
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structure of the second-round sessions and the proposed timeline will be
determined at that time.
Communication Update:
Staff will update Council on a monthly basis about the progress of this effort. If
significant changes happen between monthly reports, staff will inform the City
Manager’s office and Council more frequently as appropriate.
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Outreach Fort Collins
Summary of Library Park Outreach
The following is a general report of Outreach Fort Collin’s outreach efforts in the vacinity of Library Park. It includes an
overview of the Library Park Neighborhood, including all contacts within one city block of Library Park, as well as data
specific to Old Town Library and the intersection of Oak Street and Mathews Street, which encompasses Mennonite
Fellowship and Community of Christ.
Summary of Library Park Neighborhood
Since our inception, the Library Park neighborhood has been a focal
point of outreach efforts. This includes close collaboration with the
staff and security at Old Town Library and D1 Police Officers,
particularly around issues of conflict, safety concerns, and potential
service coordination. Outreach staff proactively patrols the area
multiple times per day, as well as respond to community concerns in
the area. From June 2016 to February 2020, the Library Park
neighborhood represents:
13.2% of all OFC contacts
9.6% of all Client contacts
3.5% of all Conflict contacts
8.8% of all Escalated Behavior contacts
6 contacts requiring Police, 4 requiring EMS, 5 requiring Crisis
Center support
Old Town Library
In the first two years of operation, OFC received more calls of
community concern from the Old Town Library than any other business, service provider, or police service. In 2019, Outreach Fort
Collins entered a partnership with the Old Town Library to provide open service hours 5 days a week. Service hours have allowed
OFC to educate and support library staff to deescalate disruptive or socially inappropriate behaviors. Since starting open service
hours Old Town Library calls for support have decreased 46%.
Open service hours have also increased our case management support of clients accessing higher barrier needs. In 2019, we offered
clients resource education 94 times and provided 37 individualized service referrals. Of the 10 highest frequency clients, OFC
supported 6 in accessing long-term housing solutions. Of the 72 contacts that we had with those 10 individuals in the library park
neighborhood, 95% took during place during open service hours.
Oak and Mathews Intersection
Beyond the Old Town Library and Library Park itself, another area that we frequently
encounter clients is the intersection of Oak and Mathews, near the Mennonite
Fellowship and Community of Christ church. These contacts are concentrated around
times when services are being provided in the area, such as a community meal or
warming shelter. Since these clients are often actively engaging with services, OFC does
not generally provide outreach services during these times. As a result, the total
number of client interactions is not representative of the total number of clients
present. Of the contacts in the Library Park neighborhood, this area includes:
23.8% of Client contacts
15.1% of Safety Concern contacts
16.9% of Escalated Behavior contacts
14.3% of EMS & Police calls
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5EF5B6CF-9647-437D-A319-6F17AF2030E3