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BC - Minutes - 11-14-18 MINUTES OF THE BEAUTIFICATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2018 The regular meeting of the Rosemead Beautification Commission was called to order by Chair Brian Lewin at 7:00 p.m., in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PRESENT: Commissioners Duran, C. Liu, L. Liu; Vice-Chair Oceguera; and Chair Lewin ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: City Clerk Hernandez,Deputy City Clerk/Staff Liaison Natalie Haworth,and Senior Management Analyst Pat Piatt PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Vice-Chair Oceguera 1. PUBLIC COMMENT Darrel Kelty,Resident,praised City staff for planting several trees on sidewalks a few years ago; inquired if the City has any plans to plant more as a few of the previously planted trees are dying. Chair Lewin indicated that matter is outside of the Commission's purview. City Clerk Hernandez stated that staff would forward his information to the Public Works Department so that they can discuss this matter with him. 2. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Beautification Commission Meeting Minutes Recommendation: That the Beautification Commission approve the Special Meeting minutes of October 17, 2018. ACTION: Moved by Commissioner Larry Liu and seconded by Commissioner Can Liu to approve Consent Calendar Item A. Motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Duran, Lewin, C. Liu,L. Liu, Oceguera ABSENT: None 3. MATTERS FROM STAFF A. Schedule Next Beautification Commission Meeting Recommendation: That the Beautification Commission determines when to hold the next Commission meeting. Rosemead Beautification Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2018 Page 1 of 7 City Clerk Hernandez suggested the Commission consider canceling their next regular meeting of December 12th and schedule a special meeting on December 19th which would allot additional time for residents to decorate their homes and Commissioners to judge the houses. If the December 19th special meeting is approved, the Commission will announce the winners of the Holiday Decoration Awards Contest at that time, then the reception will immediately follow. Vice-Chair Oceguera indicated support to schedule the December 19th special meeting and reception; noting this way,the element of surprise for the winners will still be there. Chair Lewin expressed concern that if the December meeting is rescheduled to a later date, the busier people will be with the holidays; stated in past practice, the meeting and reception were held separate dates, otherwise you risk the chance of more people leaving once winners are announced and not staying for the reception. City Clerk Hernandez clarified that if the Commission chooses to proceed with the December 19th special meeting and reception, both can be held at the Rosemead Community Recreation Center; asserted staff can ensure a slideshow of the nominee's homes will be displayed as done in previous years. Commissioner Duran indicated support to schedule the December 19th special meeting. Vice-Chair Oceguera inquired which worked best in previous years, holding the meeting and reception on the same day or on different days. Chair Lewin stated a benefit to holding the meeting on a separate night than the reception is it gives another opportunity to advertise about the reception for those attending and/or watching the meeting online; opined he would support whichever option the majority of the Commission feels most comfortable proceeding with. Senior Management Analyst Piatt noted in previous years when contacting the nominees, Friday receptions are a struggle as many participants already committed to attending a holiday party or were leaving town for the weekend. Vice-Chair Oceguera opined events held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays statistically have better attendance. Chair Lewin noted with the new meeting date of December 19th, that would make the deadline for applications on Thursday, December 13th, and scoring sheets due on Tuesday, December 18th City Clerk Hernandez inquired if the Commission wanted to keep the regular meeting time of 7:00 p.m. or start earlier. Rosemead Beautification Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2018 Page 2 of 7 Vice-Chair Oceguera noted the earliest she could be here from work is 6:30 p.m. ACTION: Moved by Vice-Chair Oceguera and seconded by Commissioner Duran to cancel the Beautification Commission's December 12,2018 regular meeting and schedule a special meeting on December 19, 2018, at 6:30 p.m., at the Rosemead Community Recreation Center. Motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Duran, Lewin, C. Liu, L. Liu, Oceguera ABSENT: None 4. MATTERS FROM COMMISSION Chair Lewin requested an item be added to discuss Nominations and Scoring System. There being no objections from the Commission,an Item D was added to tonight's agenda. A. Flyer for the Annual Holiday Decoration Awards Recommendation: That the Beautification Commission direct staff on which flyer and contest dates to proceed with and start advertising. City Clerk Hernandez presented the 2 proposed flyers for the 6th Annual Holiday Decoration Awards contest,noting Option 1 is closest to the flyer initially presented at the Commission's last meeting. Vice-Chair Oceguera indicated support for the design of Option 1 while utilizing the layout of the text in columns from Option 2. Commissioner Duran echoed support for the Option 1 flyer. Chair Lewin indicated support for Option 1' and to adjust the dates accordingly. Chair Lewin opened discussion on the application portion of the form. In response to Vice-Chair Oceguera's inquiry, City Clerk Hernandez stated individuals can submit their applications in person at City Hall, via mail or e-mail to Deputy City Clerk Haworth. Chair Lewin stated the dates of the "Judging Period" should be changed to December 14th through December 17th ACTION: Moved by Vice-Chair Oceguera and seconded by Commissioner C. Liu to approve the Option 1 flyer and the application form as amended. Motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Duran,Lewin,C.Liu,L.Liu,Oceguera ABSENT: None Rosemead Beautification Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2018 Page3of7 B. Award Categories for the Annual Holiday Decoration Awards Recommendation: That the Beautification Commission approve the award categories in which the decorations are being considered. City Clerk Hernandez provided a brief overview of the proposed award categories, which will assist the Commission in determining the winners for the Annual Holiday Decoration Awards. Vice-Chair Oceguera thanked staff for bringing new ideas to the Commission for the awards categories; suggested "Cultural Tradition Award" be added as a title option; indicated interest in the "Come One, Come All" title as it focuses on inclusivity. She disfavors the "Multicultural Holiday" as a title because we want to honor the multiculturism but not have the name for the sake of doing so. Commissioners Larry Liu and Can Liu expressed support for"Joy to the World" as the title. Chair Lewin indicated partialness to "Joy to the World"because that is as inclusive as it gets; requested the description be changed as follow: "Delight us with decorations that honor cultural and religious traditions or your own personal twist." Commissioner Larry Liu opined if the verbiage about a manger scene or menorah is removed, then it is not clear what this award category is for. City Clerk Hernandez stated the last sentence of the description can read"Examples include a manger scene, menorah or kinara." Chair Lewin moved discussion onto the next category; opined changing the title from "Enchanted Entry" to "Enchanted Entryway." Commissioner Larry Liu inquired if Christmas should be removed from the title of "Christmas with a Twist"to be inclusivity-minded. Chair Lewin suggested changing it from "Christmas with a Twist" to "Holidays with a Twist"to encompass Hanukkah, Kwanza, etc. Deputy City Clerk Haworth stated the Commission might confuse residents by overlapping the "Christmas with a Twist" with the "Celebrating Tradition"; noted there should be a clear distinction between the awards. Commissioner Duran concurred to keep it as "Christmas with a Twist" in the title instead of using "Holiday with a Twist." Regarding "The Spirit Award" (Marie Spadaro Christmas Castle Award), Chair Lewin recommended dropping "The Spirit Award" and just naming it "Marie Spadaro Christmas Castle Award" (Grand Prize). Rosemead Beautification Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2018 Page 4 of 7 Deputy City Clerk Haworth provided a summary of the Commission's proposed changes to the Award Categories. ACTION: Moved by Commissioner L. Liu and seconded by Commissioner Duran to approve the award categories as amended. Motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Duran,Lewin,C.Liu,L.Liu,Oceguera ABSENT: None C. Gift Options for the Winners of the Holiday Decoration Awards Recommendation: That the Beautification Commission direct staff on which gift option to proceed with. City Clerk Hernandez displayed 11 gift options for the winners of the Holiday Decoration Awards; stated the Commission has the option to give an ornament to each of the award recipients or only to the Marie Spadaro Christmas Castle Award (Grand Prize)recipient. Chair Lewin noted Option 11 could be the grand prize as it has an ornament and a snow globe. Commissioner Duran indicated support to have the snow globe as the grand prize; expressed interest in Option 3 for the ornament as it is shaped as a house. Commissioner Larry Liu inquired if all ornaments must be the same? City Clerk Hernandez stated from her knowledge, only the grand prize received an ornament, and all other participants received a poinsettia. Chair Lewin clarified in previous years all participants received a poinsettia and gift card, and the grand prize was the only one that received an ornament; opined the Commission should keep in mind if we give ornaments to all recipients, some of the winners will repeat. City Clerk Hernandez noted she is waiting to hear back from local businesses to see if they will sponsor the event by donating gift cards or a gift basket. Vice-Chair Oceguera indicated support for Option 8,a teardrop ornament or Option 4, a round shaped glass ornament with the menorah. Chair Lewin inquired if the Commission would like to proceed with Option 8 for all the categories and give staff the discretion to choose which icon to use for each respective ornament. By consensus, the Commission selected Option 8 to present to all award recipients along with poinsettias and a gift card, with the grand prize receiving a snow globe. Rosemead Beautification Commission Regular Meeting Minutes ofNovember 14, 2018 Page 5 of 7 ACTION: Moved by Commissioner L. Liu and seconded by Vice-Chair Oceguera to have staff proceed with Option 8 (teardrop ornament), poinsettias and gift cards for all award recipients, with the grand prize to also receive a snow globe. Motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Duran, Lewin, C. Liu, L. Liu, Oceguera ABSENT: None D. Nominations and Scoring System Senior Management Analyst Piatt provided an overview of the scoring sheet for the Holiday Decoration Awards; emphasized it would be beneficial to staff for the Commissioners to provide their responses in the excel spreadsheet. Commissioner Larry Liu inquired if the points must be whole points or if they could be '/2 points. Senior Management Analyst Piatt asserted '/2 points would be acceptable to use, however, not '/4 points. Chair Lewin noted the Marie Spadaro Christmas Castle Award would not be a scored category,rather it would be the average score from the other four categories. He mentioned it would be helpful if the Commissioners received their name badge so that residents are not alarmed while we are out scouting decorated houses. City Clerk Hernandez emphasized it is best practice if everything is brought through staff, so residents do not feel as if they are being solicited; stated staff will send letters to all prospective nominees once received by the Commissioners. Vice-Chair Oceguera recommended the Commission use $50 to place an ad on social media so that residents get reached electronically as well. City Clerk Hernandez reiterated we plan to utilize the City's social media venues such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.; stated.we can also be proactive by handing out flyers at the Christmas Tree Lighting and Dinner with Santa events. By consensus the Commission divided the Area Watch map as follow: • Area 1 —Vice-Chair Oceguera • Areas 3 and 4—Commissioner C. Liu • Areas 5 and 6—Chair Lewin • Areas 2 and 9—Commissioner L. Liu • Areas 7 and 8 —Commissioner Duran Rosemead Beautification Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2018 Page 6 of 7 Chair Lewin requested to add an urgency item for a Discussion of Calendar be added to tonight's agenda. ACTION: Moved by Chair Lewin and seconded by Vice-Chair Oceguera to approve adding an urgency item to discuss the Commission Calendar. Motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Duran,Lewin,C.Liu,L.Liu,Oceguera ABSENT: None Chair Lewin shared that he previously made a master calendar to assist the Commission in preparing for events throughout the year such as the Holiday Decoration Awards or Civic Pride Day; emphasized its importance as it keeps the Commission on track with tasks and priorities. City Clerk Hernandez clarified a decision does not have to be made tonight, staff can work on the previous master calendar to present at the January Commission meeting. By consensus the Commission directed staff to work on the master calendar of events to review at the January Commission meeting. 5. ADJOURNMENT Chair Lewin adjourned the regular meeting at 8:30 p.m. As approved at tonight's meeting, the Beautification Commission will have a special meeting on December 19, 2018, at 6:30 p.m., in the Rosemead Community Recreation Center. ),y1t014) 24kNiliv Natalie Haworth, Deputy City Clerk APPROVED: B Pre CIFIPPIPP- Rosemead Beautification Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of November 14, 2018 Page 7 of 7