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minutes 2008Friendship Clty Commission Meeting February 21, 2008 The meeting was called to order by Roger Swanson, Treasurer. Those present included Henry Piedra, Roger Swanson, Frank Sitko; new members Thomas Scherber, Craig Osten and Samual Stemper; Cynthy Mandl, Dave Delzer, Edwina Garcia and Jackie Farrell. Fred Walk-was excused, being at a trade show, and Carol Pease was not there. Roger Swanson handed out information regarding the mission and activities of the commission. All present introduced themselves. Craig Osten had been to Costa Rica recently staying in Heredia. Tom Scherber was also familiar with Costa Rica. Samual Stemper is a youth member, tends U of M classes and is involved in theater at RHS. It was decided to delay selecting officers until the March meeting. Members were asked to consider volunteering. Dave Delzer volunteered to take meeting minutes until a member was selected as secretary. Positions open include Chair, Secretary and Historian. Fred Walk,Vice Chair and Roger Swanson, Treasurer are incumbents. Volunteers were solicited to attend the upcoming rules of procedure training being given by the City Attorney March 12th. It is important that commissions conduct effective meetings following quorum requirements, open meeting law requirements and other rules of procedure. Dave will check with Fred Walk, the Vice Chair, to see if he can make it to the training. Due to some members also being part of the Celebrations Committee also meeting , it was moved by Frank Sitko and seconded by Henry Piedra that the formal part of the meeting be adjourned. The meeting wasturned over to Edwina Garcia, assisted by Jackie Farrel, for input regarding Hennepin County HumanServices being dispersed to south Suburbs as the decision has been made to decentralize from Century Plaza (the old Curtis Hotel) to other service locations. A green frog cake and beverages were shared. Our nine photo boards of the 2007 Tour to Heredia and Costa Rica were also on display. Friendship City Commission Meeting March 20, 2008 The March 20th meeting of the Richfield Friendship City Commission was called to order by the Treasurer, Roger Swanson. Fred Walk, the incumbent Vice Chair had been called away at the last minute by his work. New member Carol Pease was introduced. Those present included Carol Pease, Roger Swanson, Thomas Scherber, Craig Osten, Frank Sitko, and Samuel Stemper. Also attending were Cynthy Mandl, Richfield's Ambassador to Heredia, and David Delzer, past Commission Chair. Roger Swanson emphasized the need for members to serve as commission officers. Reports were as follows: Moved by Frank Sitko the minutes of the last meeting were approved as corrected. Roger Swanson gave the Treasurer's report. It was noted that our Commission is an unfunded nonprofit extension of the City of Richfield. Past activities of the Commission were gone over by Cynthy Mandl and Dave Delzer. They include being involved as we are able in City events such as Richfest, Fourth of July, Cattail Days and reciprocal visits between residents of Heredia and residents of Richfield. The Commission periodically sponsors a Friendship City Tour to Heredia. Costs are born by individuals making the trips; these costs include a small donation, which is used for special projects in Heredia and also to fund commission activities here. A recap of the presentation to the Optimists Club was given. They meet at 7:30 AM. We provided Costa Rican coffee. The meeting was well attended. Dave Delzer, Cynthy Mandl and Roger Swanson attended. Our photo displays were received favorably. Melody Mousavi from Richfield has agreed to share her experiences with "Clinics de la Mariposa" in Heredia for our April meeting. Carol Pease volunteered to share Chair duties; Frank Sitko moved and it was agreed that Fred Walk and Carol Pease would be Co-Chairs. Roger Swanson agreed to continue as Treasurer. There were no volunteers or nominations for Secretary or Historian so Dave Delzer volunteered to take the March Meeting minutes. These two open positions will be addressed in April. Highlights of the Tour trip were gone over using the photo displays The meeting was adjourned. Friendship City Commission Meeting April 17, 2008 At 7:00 PM we had guest speakers. Melody Mousavi and Debbie Grote spoke and showed pictures. They had been in Heredia and had donated their time and efforts at Clinica de la Mariposa. They provided massage therapy in conjunction with free chiropactic and medical services at clinics for those in need. Two of the clinics were in Alejuala and San Ramon.. They stayed at Hotel Roma in Heredia. Their pictures of the work in the clinics and of some of the sights in Costa Rica were very interesting. After their presentation, Roger Swanson called the regular meeting to order. Those present included Roger Swanson, Thomas Sherber, Mary Supple, Henry Piedra, Marty Kirsch, Cynthy Mandl, .Dave Delzer, Debbie Grote and Melody Mousavi. Fred Walk, our Chair, was excused as was Craig Osten. Carol Pease has resigned. Minutes were approved as corrected. The treasurer's report indicated $3975 in the treasury. - Cynthy Mandl reported that she had been given a list of names of those who might come from Heredia. She was asked to provide a letter of invitation for individuals who needed them to get their visa. This she did. The latest communication (late afternoon) was that because of flight availability over the 4th of July the group asked if they could come September 13th through 21st. Cattail Days is September 20th. `Cynthy and Roger have conflicts but both will be back September 19th. Henry Piedra suggested they come September 19th and stay for the next week, through the 28th. Cynthy will return the a-mail with this suggestion and also verify whether anyone will be coming in July. Commission members suggested various entertainment for the group. Once we find out who is coming, we can work these details out. Mary Supple is a new member. We are glad to have her. Carol Pease has resigned by notifying Doris Swanson. We are sorry she cannot continue. Meeting rules were shared with commission members to include • Open Meeting Law • Quorum and voting requirements • Parlimentary procedure basics • Practical Tips A copy of the commission's bylaws was included. Election of officer's was delayed till next month. Dave Delzer will take minutes for tonight but will probably not be able to attend in May. The meeting was adjourned. Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes May 15, 2008 The .meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by Roger Swanson. Those present were Mary Supple, Frank Sitko, Samuel Stemper, Roger Swanson, and Cynthy Mandl. Fred Walk was unavailable because of work. Minutes of the April 17th meeting were approved. The Treasurer's Report was given showing no expenses for the month so no changes in the bank balance. Election of officers was postponed again. Cynthy Mandl presented the reply from our invited guests in Costa Rica to come here the week of the 4th of July. Several obstacles to their coming on the 4th were up-front tickets and Visas; Tickets are probably the highest at this time of the year and they would have to pay for them when they are ordered and Visas are not quickly approved. Visas are necessary in order to purchase tickets. Much discussion about possibly a couple guests still may come for the 4th. The main group would come in September around Cattail Day. Without a known number of guests coming, the planning is quite flexible for housing and events. A tentative list will be put together at the next meeting. Those present filled out the data practices notices. We discussed whether we should participate in this year's 4th of July festivities and the consensus was NO, since our guests from Costa Rica would not be here for the 4th of July. We discussed Cattail Day and decided to apply for a booth as we did last year as it brought the best exposure of the Commission to our community. The details will be discussed at a future meeting. We scheduled our annual meeting with the City Council for November 10 or 12 whichever night they choose to hold it since the 11th is a holiday. The meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m. Minutes were taken by Roger Swanson. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes June 19, 2008 The meeting was called to order at 7 PM by Roger Swanson. Those present were Mary Supple, Frank Sitko, Roger Swanson, Cynthy Mandl and Dave Delzer. Samuel Stemper was unavailable and excused because he was attending Boys State. Congratulations, Sam! Fred Walk, Craig Osten, Henry Piedra were excused. The minutes of the May 15th meeting were approved. The Treasurer reported no activity so our bank balance hasn't changed. Luis & Miguel will be coming with the group in September. They will arrive Friday September 19th and depart Saturday September 27th. There will be 10-12 in the group. It was announced that Thomas Scherber had resigned for personal reasons. The election of officers was discussed, moved and approved as follows: • Mary Supple will be Secretary for the rest of the year. She is going to Guatamalia shortly so Dave will do the June minutes. • Roger Swanson will add the duties of Vice Chair in Fred's absence. We understand that the demands of his work have escalated for the time being. • Frank Sitko will be our historian. We appreciate his efforts. • We will continue to depend upon Henry for good ideas and to be our Spanish expert. Cynthy Mandl asked that we come up with ideas to entertain our Heredian friends as follows: • A day in the Twin Cities • A day in Richfield • Quick Minnesota tour There will be a City Council meeting September 23rd. ~° The meeting was adjourned. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes July 17, 2008 The meeting was called to order by 7:00 p.m. by Roger Swanson. Those present were Roger Swanson, Samuel Stemper, Mary Supple, Dave Delzer, Cynthy Mandl, and Martin Kirsch. The minutes of the June 19 meeting were approved. The Treasurer reported a balance of $4,047.88. The only fiscal activity was paying for a booth at Cattail Days. Cynthy reported on communication with Alvaro in Heredia about the upcoming trip. He will not be visiting this year, but continues to assist with communication. Edwin is coordinating this year's trip. Since he is out of town for the week, we will receive additional details at a later date. It was moved and seconded to hold an additional meeting on July 24 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall to firm up logistics for the trip after receiving the details from Edwin. A tentative schedule. and possible activities were reviewed and discussed. The Heredia delegation. will arrive late in the day on September 19 and depart early on September 27. Many of the people involved with planning the trip will be out of town for extended periods in the weeks leading up to the trip; therefore, the commission set up an a-mail routing system to make sure that someone was always available to deal with questions that may arise. It was moved and seconded to appoint Dave Delzer as head of the hosting committee. Once host families have been secured there will be a meeting for those families. Thanks to Dave. Former commission member, Linda Zacher, has also volunteered to assist with host family arrangements and hosting plans. Thanks to Linda for volunteering! Commission members volunteered to contact various community organizations and businesses to assist with the trip. The Commission's storage cabinets have been moved into the basement of the Public Works facility. Roger reported that we have secured a booth at Cattail Days for the Commission. The meeting was adjourned. Minutes prepared by Mary Supple, Secretary. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes July 24, 2008 The meeting was called to order by 7:00 p.m. by Roger Swanson. Those present were Roger Swanson, Samuel Stemper, Henry Piedra, Craig Osten, Mary Supple, Dave Delzer, Cynthy Mandl, Linda Zacher, and Martin Kirsch. The minutes of the July 17 meeting were approved. Cynthy Mandl reported on her update from Alvaro in Costa Rica. We have seven confirmed visitors with a strong possibility for five more. He also promised to send detailed information sheets on each visitor shortly. They would like to make a trip to Duluth while in Minnesota. They are arriving on U.S. Airways at 11:43 p.m. on Sept. 19 and will be departing at 7:00 a.m. on Sept. 27. Commission members were asked to forward names to Dave Delzer if additional families are interested in hosting. Discussion took place over host family placement possibilities for our guests. The commission then moved on to event scheduling. Sam Stemper reported on the timing of church services in the city. Roger Swanson will follow-up with the mayor on the welcome event and possible Medtronic tour. Linda Zacher will check into Loaves and Fishes arrangements. Dave will finalize plans for the square dancing. Henry Piedra has agreed to -help. with the translating at that event. We are tentatively looking at a Richfield day, a Duluth day, a St. Paul day, and a Minneapolis day for our visitors. Cynthy is working on the Richfield day, and Linda is checking on St. Paul sites. A list has been started of translators to .help as needed. Gifts for the delegation were then discussed. We currently have Richfield Centennial items, umbrellas from the Richfield/Bloomington Credit Union; Richfield maps .and booklets from the Chamber of Commerce, and a copy of Richfield Minnesota's Oldest Suburb. The next meeting will be on August 21, 2008. The meeting was adjourned. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes August 21, 2008 The meeting was called to order by 7:00 p.m. by Roger Swanson. Those present were Roger Swanson, Samuel Stemper, Frank Sitko, Mary Supple, Dave Delzer; and Cynthy Mandl The minutes of the July 24 meeting were approved. There was no change reported in our financial status. Our guests e-mailed to cancel their upcoming visit due to rising costs. Prospective host families and translators were notified. The Commission decided to store gifts that have been donated for a future trip. Thank you notes will be sent to the donors. A refund has been requested from the reservation for the planned square dancing event that was also canceled. Roger Swanson will give the Commission's annual report at the City Council meeting on Thursday, September 11, 2008. Our September Commission meeting will be held following. the report at approximately 7:30 p.m. Plans continue for Cattail Days. We will serve Costa Rican coffee samples at our booth. There will also be a drawing for free bags of coffee. Cattail Days will be from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on September 20, 2008. Cynthy Mandl suggested that the Commission begin brainstorming ideas for increasing connections between our sister cities that are not travel dependent. Ideas will be shared at the October meeting. The next meeting will be on September 11, 2008. The meeting was adjourned. Meeting minutes prepared by Mary Supple. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes September 11, 2008 The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Roger Swanson following his presentation of our annual report to the City Council. Those present were Roger Swanson, Samuel Stemper, Frank Sitko, Craig Osten, Mary Supple, and Dave Delzer. The minutes. of the August 21 meeting were approved. There was no change reported in our financial status. We received word the day before the meeting that three Costa Rican guests would indeed be joining us. They will be here for the same dates as originally scheduled from September 19`" to the 27`". Dave Delzer has arranged host families,. but translators still need to be secured. A motion was made to try to get volunteers, but to hire translators if needed. Craig Osten will pick up our guests at the airport. Because of the small size of 'the group, the schedule will be much more flexible. The day trip to Duluth will probably be on Wednesday. Our visitors will also go to the September 23rd City Council meeting, Wood Lake Nature Center, the Richfield Dual Language School, the Richfield Historical Society, and City facilities. Finally, Commission members are asked to bring any gifts they have gathered to Cattail Days. Plans were finalized for Cattail Days on September 20t" Ideas for future plans will be discussed more fully in October, lout an idea forwarded by Tom Rublein was shared. The next meeting will be on October 16, 2008. The meeting was adjourned. Meeting minutes prepared by Mary Supple. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes October 16, 2008 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Roger Swanson. Those present were Roger Swanson, Frank Sitko, Craig Osten, Mary Supple and Dave Delzer. The minutes of the September 11 meeting were approved. Our Commission's balance is $4,034.05. Additional expenses were submitted and will be reflected on next month's treasurer's report. The recent visit by our guests from Heredia, Costa Rica, was reviewed. People who took digital pictures of the events are asked to forward them to Cynthy Mandl so they can be organized. It was felt that the planned events were successful. The visitors were unable to take the donated walkers and wheelchair back with them to Heredia. We are checking into alternative means of getting them to Costa Rica. Thank yous and Costa Rican coffee were sent to the host families and translators. Ideas for future Commission involvement were discussed as new business. Heredia has a 150th anniversary coming up in 2010. Perhaps we could coordinate a trip to coincide with their celebrations. At our Cattail Days booth, residents inquired about possible children's activities. Video documentation, of activities was also suggested. The possibility of linking pen pals in the future was discussed. Finally it was agreed to send a press release about the recent visit to the Sun Current. Commission member attendance was discussed. It was moved and seconded to cancel the December meeting. Motion passed. The next meeting will be on November 20, 2008. The meeting was adjourned.