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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 1 1 Town of Los Altos Hills Community Relations Committee Teleconferenced Special Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1. Roll Call; Committee Membership The teleconferenced special meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM, by chairman Roy Woolsey. Present: Members, Roger Burnell, Lana Einschlag, Karen Emerzian, Roy Woolsey. Associate members, Ron Knapp, Medha Rishi. 2. Introduction of Members of the Public; Public Comment. Kjell Karlsson, who participated in the discussion on Picnic and Newsletter items. 3. Review and Approval of Prior Committee Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Lana Einschlag, seconded by Karen Emerzian and approved unanimously to approve the minutes of the last meeting, as distributed in draft form. 4. Review of Prior City Council Meetings. No report. 5. Report on Recent Town Activities Roy Woolsey noted the Joint Community Holiday Video, including the Virtual Barn Lighting as well as replacement for cancelled Festival of Lights parade, on KMVT and available on our Town website. 6. Welcoming of New Town Residents Roy Woolsey reported that files for printing of new resident welcoming letter mailing labels were sent to Town Hall for mailing the welcoming letter from Council to the seven new residents in Town for October, and for the follow up letter from the Committee to the 18 new residents in Town for August. 7. Discussion of TEDx Program Medha Rishi let a discussion of her draft TEDx presentation that introduces TED and then reviews TEDx, the program of local cities. Themes and topics we could host: Gateway to better economic development, to stronger diversity and to more inclusion, or environment and tech. Medha said we should have a broad topic or overarching umbrella, so we can have topics like fire safety, state rules on zoning, etc., under that umbrella. We need to get license from TED, and need volunteers to do work, including speaker outreach to get speakers. We are not doing a seminar where we do topics; rather, we let speakers choose the topics. Our initial presentation should cover just the theme, with the agenda of topics included in invitations later. Medha explained that TEDx strives for independence of thought, so TEDx does not like selection of topics. We should not control the topics, but let topics flow with the speakers. But we should all send Medha our suggestions topics for individual talks within the umbrella topic, which would serve as examples of what could be done. We can Google TEDx Palo Alto or TEDx Los Altos High School, and look at what these entities did for their TEDx programs. Medha helped with Union City’s TEDx program. Karen Emerzian suggested an overall topic of “Why Los Altos Hills.” Medha said the Council is apparently familiar with TEDx, but the issue is getting the resources to put this together, so our presentation should address this resource issue. Medha recommends getting Council approval first. Ron suggests speakers for several startups and what they did, their challenges, etc. Medha included tech in the topics, since we are in Silicon Valley. Ron also suggested some LAH wine makers give presentations. 2 It was agreed that all Committee members would e-mail suggestions of topics to Medha, and she will incorporate them as suggestions as well as screen shots of programs from neighboring cities into an updated presentation which the Committee will review in its next meeting. 8. Los Altos Hills Town Picnic The Committee discussed a Town Picnic in 2021. Roger Burnell thinks people might want to be outdoors and do something by next June, perhaps in a controlled environment that we design. Entertainment should not have to be arranged too far in advance because entertainers are much more likely to be available this June than usual. Ron Knapp thinks he could get a band to hold the date until perhaps 30 days before, perhaps a group we’ve already work with. Ron will work on the matter and report status at the next Committee meeting. Karen Emerzian suggested people might just bring their own food, and we do the entertainment and have people get together. At a minimum, people could bring their own cooler and blankets and get together. We could offer pre-packaged sandwiches or box lunches that don’t have to be served. Roger suggests going into new and risky territory to do something different. He suggests attendees pick up something at check in to indicate they have had the vaccine, and wear that, so people could be less sensitive in conversing with them. We should consider what to do when have a mixed group -- keep brainstorming open because it might lead to some good ideas. We should provide a “post covid budget” for the Picnic. 9. Our Town Newsletter The Committee conducted a brief review of Newsletter, noting the lead article about horses and no emphasis on fire protection. Ron Knapp is concerned about what defensive measures residents can take to protect their own houses -- things that residents can do on their own, that don’t cost a lot and that don’t depend on government. Ron wrote a two-page Our Town article for next March covering these items. He could write 12 to 16 pages that might become a fire safety handbook, including evacuation plan, as well as what one can do for preparing property for wildfires in LAH. This would help justify LAH needing its own fire district. Ron noted drones that can drop fire retardant. Ron will contact Courtenay about the article in the Newsletter. Roger Burnell suggested a community fire protection alert box or column: A contribution from “your Community Relations Committee” that might discuss putting a sprinkler hose on one’s roof or having a pump to get water from a pool. Roger moved that Ron prepare draft of such a box, and contact Courtenay to support it. Lana seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved. The Committee discussed a digital e-version of Newsletter. Ron Knapp expressed concern about long lead time on printed edition. Ron thinks an e-version should be available, and could come out a month before the print edition. It was suggested we might have a highlight box in the Newsletter, stating “Your CRC working on planning on digital version of Our Town” and asking people to phone or e-mail and see if there is enough interest and ask for volunteers with experience to please contact us. Karen Emerzian suggested we should take small steps, and ask Courtenay to support box with fire safety information. Ron will provide details to Courtenay. All of this should help justify keeping the fire district. Kjell Karlsson thinks George Tyson might be a better contact, because he is also a fire commissioner. Karen knows Kavita and will talk with Kavita. We should contact LAHCFD regarding working on a 12 to 16 page Handbook. One would think that the LAHCFD would be most interested in doing this, given the issues between LAHCFD and the county. Roy will e-mail the Important Phone Numbers list to Committee again for a final review. 10. Additional Items or Contributions from Committee Members. None. 11. Date for Next Meeting and Adjournment The Committee agreed to meet next on the regular January meeting date, January 26, 2021, at 7 PM. Karen Emerzian moved, Lana Einschlag seconded and the Committee unanimously agreed to adjourn at 8:41 PM. Minutes prepared by Roy Woolsey, December 14, 2020.