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minutes 2007Friendship Clty Commission Meeting January 18, 2007 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM January 18, 2007. Members present were Henry Piedra, Frank Sitco, Carol Mortensen and Fred Walk. Also present were Cynthy Mandl, and Marty Kirsch. Chairman Delzer was recuperating from major surgery and Leah Walk was ill. Will Berend was also unable to attend due to job responsibilities. Since Treasurer Will Berend's term was up, he gave the checkbook and all accompanying material to Cynthy to give to Dave. Fred issued a check to Cynthy for $5, 697.20 as payment to Carrousel Travel for airline tickets trip deposit. It was noted that this was Carol Mortenson's last meeting; since her final term was up as of this meeting. She was warmly thanked by all for her service, cheerful attitude, and helpfulness. Cynthy informed us that there had been no attrition in the people going on the Costa Rica trip. Cynthy had also received a "wish list" from Heredia of items they hoped the group could bring. Non-medical items were listed, such as soccer gear and puzzles, and specific medical equipment was also desired. This included wheelchairs, a certain type of blood pressure monitor, a nebulizer, blood sugar testing equipment and walking canes. Discussion was held as how to accumulate these items and all agreed to help find certain items with Cynthy as the point person. We are waiting to see if any new members have been appointed to fill existing and upcoming vacancies before a new Treasurer and Secretary are selected. The meeting adjourned at 8:15. Richfield Friendship City Commission February 15, 2007 There will be a gathering of tour group members at Cynthy Mandl's around 6:00 p.m. February 20th. All Commission members are invited. The Mandl's address is 6529 Logan Ave So in Richfield. Please come if you can. A draft of February 15th meeting minutes follows, please let me know if there are any corrections or additions. Thank you. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Those present included Frank Sitko, Cynthy Mandl, Martin Kirsch, and myself. The 2007 rosters were passed around. Henry Piedra's sister passed away in Ecuador just after the January Commission meeting. The Commission extends their sympathy to him and his family. Fred Walk was excused due to work constraints, new member Roger Swanson was also excused due to a previously scheduled meeting in Maplewood. Frank Sitko moved the January minutes be approved. Dave Delzer reported $8,372.20 in checking and $6920.33 in savings. While tour expenses have escalated it appears there is sufficient funds to cover tour expenses plus some money to allocate to projects and some money to keep the commission afloat. It was decided to allocate about $250 for the Children's Library, $200 for senior daycare items and $200 plus $25 for the soccer group. Other donations would be welcome. Frank Sitko is working to see if a wheelchair can be obtained. Marty, Cynthy and myself have miscellaneous items we plan to contribute and Carol Mortenson has generously donated puzzles for the senior center and/or daycare and children's groups. It was made clear that those going on the tour will not be asked to donate beyond the $100 included in the tour fee. Doris Swanson is being very helpful in many different ways including getting letters to those who are donating and coordinating City Council recognition of Carol Mortenson (Feb 27) after three terms and also recognizing Will for his work as treasurer. Her help is appreciated. Thanks also to Yady Allen, who in Henry's absence, translated the Children's. Library list. Thanks, Yady! The March meeting will be rescheduled till March 29th, the fifth Thursday @ 7:00 p.m. to avoid conflicts with the tour and the Celebrations Commission meeting. The meeting was adjourned. David C Delzer. Minutes Richfield Friendship City Commission March 29, 2007 The meeting was called to order. Those present included Frank Sitko, Roger Swanson, myself, Cynthy Mandl, Martin Kirsch and visitors from the Sun Current, Steven Pease and a photographer, I didn't catch her name. Fred and Leah Walk were excused because there was flu at their house. . The minutes were approved with the addition of a thank you to Yady Allen for helping us interpet the list of needs for the Children's Library in Heredia. The treasury was reported to have $2130.27. The savings balance remains at $1920.33. A check was written to Cynthy Mandl for $21.01 to cover the cost of colored markers from WalMart to give to the Children's Library. A donation of $100 was accepted from Ken and Cynthy Mandl. Thank you, Ken and Cynthy! It was further reported that Mervin Medical in Richfield donated a used wheelchair for the Lion's Club/ Red Cross in Heredia, Costa Rica. We will keep in inventory until there is an opportunity to get it to them. Thank you, Mervin Medical. Thanks also to Frank Sitko and Joe Garcia for their efforts in securing the wheelchair donation. There were no applicants for the four vacancies on the commission. We will see if any from our tour group are interested in joining the commission and attending meetings. Roger Swanson volunteered to be treasurer and was gratefully accepted. Fred Walk will continue as Vice Chair and David Delzer will continue as Chair. The Secretary and Historian functions are still vacant. Cynthy Mandl,who led the tour, Martin Kirsch and Dave Delzer reported on the Friendship City Tour. They explained some of the history of other tours and how the Friendship City relationship came to be. The tour went well, old friends were seen and new friends made. The donations to the Children's Library, the Soccer Association and the Senior Daycare Center were well received. Many interesting things were seen and done. We traveled Monday through Friday visiting various attractions including the Rainforest Aral Tram, Selva Verde, Rio Sarapique, a banana plantation and Tortegero village and National Park. Costa Rica is indeed scenic and diverse. The host families were extremely hospitable and our contact with them gave us an extraordinary and unique opportunity to learn about their culture and the Costa Ricans themselves. We hope that the hands of friendship that were extended will have a positive effect not just for us but for world understanding in general Some of our delegation were fortunate in meeting with Manual Zambota, Presidente of the Heredia City Council. Alvero Quesada was asked to attend and represent us at their regular Thursday meeting. There is an understanding that an invitation will be tendered to Heredia to join us (if they can) during our 2008 Centennial Celebration. The April meeting of the commission will be at 3:00 PM at 6925 Logan Ave South in Richfield. There will be a picture exchange for tour members after the meeting. David C Delzer Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes June 21, 2007 The meeting convened at 7:00 pm in the Heredia Room at City Hall. Those present included Roger Swanson, Henry Piedra, Frank Sitko, Dave Delzer and Marty Kirsch. Fred and Lea Walk were excused. There was no secretary's report as we have no secretary and there was no meeting last month anyway as we did not have a quorum. The minutes for the April 15th meeting were approved.The treasurer reported that he has not yet gotten any statements from RBCU. There is a form that needs the vice chairman's signature which may be delaying the statements. Dave Delzer presented expenses from Michael's for the Community Center Display.. • The Honoring All Veterans groundbreaking ceremonies went well. Our silent auction donation presented Costa Rica adequately. • The Art Display at the Community Center will be in August. We will display pictures from the group that recently traveled to Heredia. Anyone wishing to help Cynthy, Tom Rublien and Dave prepare the displays is (are) welcome. We will be preparing eight picture boards for display in the common areas. Our August meeting will be at the Community Center. •_ We have prepared an invitation to our friends in Heredia to attend our Centennial Celebration. The next step is to be sure Mayor Goettel sees it as it will be presented to the Heredia city government officials by our colleague Alvero Quesada. They may even choose to come to Richfield to see first hand how our city government does things. • Cattail Days will be September 15th. We plan to participate as in the past, having a booth,giving away free coffee and displaying items of interest regarding Heredia and Costa Rica. We hope to use the Art Display boards. • It was suggested that we might again participate in the July 4th Parade. It will take some preparation but would be a good thing to do as a part of the 2008 festivities. • Again if you know someone who may be interested in joining our commission or even just helping out, we really need them as we have four vacancies and are indeed shorthanded. • The meeting adjourned. Minutes Richfield Friendship City Commission April 15th, 2007 The meeting was called to order. Those present included Frank Sitko, Roger Swanson, David Delzer, Cynthy Mandl, Martin Kirsch and Arlene Sitko. Henry Piedra was excused due to work. We met at Ken and Cynthy Mandl's, 6529 Logan Avenue South in Richfield. Spellings of Costa Rican names and locations were verified as corrections to the minutes of March 29th. The treasury report reflected an increase of $100 thanks to a generous donation from Ken and Cynthy Mandl. We were pleased with the article by Steven Pease in the Sun Current issue April 5th. We will try to follow up and reiterate our need for volunteers and possibly host families should our friends from Heredia accept our invitation to join us during our Centennial Celebration. We discussed the form the invitation should take. It was decided the invitation should be a formal document from the Mayor and the Commission Chair specific to Manual Zumbado and Alvaro Quesada sent to Heredia through our Costa Rican contacts. Dave Delzer will provide a draft for the commission's approval. Arlene Sitko suggested that if host families are hard to find we might approach some of the hotels in Richfield for lodging donations. The next meeting will be May 17th in the Heredia Room in City Hall. ~IVe adjourned and enjoyed pictures on slide shows and prints and potluck including gallo pinto, fruits, and postres. There were some very good photographers on the tour. I have been contacted by the committee promoting the Veteran's Memorial at Veteran's Park (see attached). They would like the commission to donate a basket by May 20th for inclusion in a silent auction May 28th as part of the groundbreaking for the Veteran's Memorial to be erected in Richfield. They have a website at www.richfieldveteransmemorial.ora. I solicit comments. cc Frank Sitko David C Delzer Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes July 19, 2007 The meeting was called to order. Minutes of the June meeting were approved. Those present included Fred Walk, Frank Sitko, Roger Swanson, Cynthy Mandl and myself, Dave Delzer. Henry Piedra had to work. Roger Swanson reported that he was not getting RBCU statements. There was a form to be submitted that needed a signature. The form was signed for Roger to take into RBCU. He will see where the statements are presently being sent. The Photo Display for the Arts Commission at the Community Center will be in August. The expenditures for materials and photo processing, were approved to be made. Tom Rublein is to be thanked for proposing the idea to Ron Wilson, the Chair of the Arts Commission. There will be at least eight boards. Cynthy has started selecting from over 2,000 digital photos taken by tour group members. Dave will prepare narratives for each board. Roger volunteered to furnish a place to assemble the photos on the boards and his wife's expertise to put them together Assistance with any of these tasks is needed and certainly will be appreciated. Cattail Days will be September 15th. Expenditures for registration and to buy coffee to give away and to sell were approved. We will need help to put up, man, and take down the booth. Maybe we can get help from others. The next meeting will be August 16th at the Community Center. We have the Fireside Room reserved. The September meeting will be our Annual Report to the City Council. It will be September 11. The regular meeting will follow in the Heredia room. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes August 16, 2007 ' The August Friendship City Commission meeting was held at the Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Avenue. Those present included commission members Fred Walk, Roger Swanson, Henry Piedra, Frank Sitko, Dave Delzer, Ambassador Cynthy Mandl, past and present tour group members Roger Acton, Rose Ekegren, Gene Huber; Martin Kirsch,, Tom and Sue Rublein, Shirley Erickson, Ollie and Dot Hoffman, Will and Renee Nelson, Doris Rubenstein and others including past commission member (three terms) Carol Mortenson and her husband- Philip. The treasurer, Roger Swanson, reported that he was now getting the bank statements. Cynthy presented a bill for the Costa Ricancoffee. Dave has a bill for cookies. The minutes of the July 19th meeting were approved. Certificates from our Mayor, Debbie Goettel and the City Council were presented to tour group members. Joan Swanson, Roger Swanson's wife, was thanked for her expertise in putting together the nine photo display boards presenting the best of over 2500 digital photos selected by Cynthy Mandl and the others that helped. The meeting recessed, and later adjourned, to -enjoy Costa Rican coffee and cookies from La Concha. Richfield residents attending the Music in the Park concert and from other meetings were also invited. The photo displays are on display at the Community Center through August and then will be on display at Augsburg Park Library for the month of September. The next meeting of the commission will be the annual. report to the City Council at 7 PM,Tuesday September 11th. We will give the report to the City Council and will then meet in Heredia Room at City Hall. Cattail Days is September 15th. Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes September 11, 2007 The annual report to the city was given to the City Council by the Friendship City Commission Chair, David Delzer. A copy of the report is attached. The commission then retired to the Heredia Room where the regular meeting was called to order. Members present were Frank Sitko, Roger Swanson, David Delzer and our Ambassador to Heredia, Cynthy Mandl. Fred Walk was traveling at his work and Henry Piedra also had to work so they were excused. No youth members were present. The minutes were approved as corrected indicating reimbursement to Cynthy Mandl for the cost of coffee and photo reproduction. The treasurer's report was given. David Delzer was reimbursed $25 for the cost of cookies. Russ Susag, former Commission Chair, City Council Member, host and traveler to Heredia donated a mini oxcart and a painting to the Commission. It was decided the painting should best be hung on the wall of the Heredia Room and the oxcart should be used as part of the display for Cattail Days. The commission is grateful for his donation. Planning for Cattail Days was accomplished. We are shorthanded but with the help of all involved we will get it done. Applications for youth members close 9/14. If you know any good candidates pass the word. The meeting was adjourned. FRIENDSHIP CITY REPORT 2007 Mayor, City Council members, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to report on the activities of the Richfield Friendship City commission for 2007. We are happy to report that the commission was able to host a tour to Heredia, our friendship city in Costa Rica, Central America. Fourteen tour members, paying their own way, were hosted by Costa Rican families, sharing Costa Rican homes and enjoying incredibly warm Costa Rican hospitality. Some of the attractions we saw were a cultural museum, a coffee plantation, mountains, volcanoes and rainforest, bananas and pineapple fields, tropical flowers and rivers The country is beautiful. We saw hummingbirds, toucans, frogs, butterflies, monkeys and a sloth. We attended an oxcart parade and one of our members got to ride in an oxcart in the parade. We took a boat trip into the jungle, saw caiman and crocodile, and visited a small village on the Caribbean. We were able to perform special projects, bringing art supplies and bilingual books and computer software to the Children's Library, shoes, socks and shirts to the Youth Soccer Association and puzzles, walkers, a cane and exercise balls to their Senior Daycare Center. Tour members and others are to be thanked for these donations. It was an incredible trip the best part of which was staying with and getting to know the Heredians themselves! Heredia is a city similar in many ways to Richfield. It is a first line suburb of San Jose, Costa Rica's capitol and main metropolitan center. Community members there have access to supermarkets, sports, culture, proximity to natural attractions, education and other amenities both similar and different from those available to us. While we were on the trip, the question was asked, "What benefit does the friendship city relationship have for the City of Richfield?" The answer was that by extending the hands of friendship to a city in a different part of the world we are promoting understanding and world peace. For those of you who would like to know more about the trip, there is a photo display that was at the Community Center and is now at the library. Stop by and take a look, there are nine photo boards and close to 150 pictures. An invitation has been made to our friends in Heredia to come help us celebrate Richfield's Centennial. They have replied that they are looking at dates around the 4tn of July. We are excited about their visit and wish to extend a warm Richfield welcome and the best of Minnesota hospitality to them when they come. The commission faces some challenges in doing that. We are presently shorthanded with four vacancies on the commission. Host families and folks to show them around will be needed. Hopefully we will be able to show them Cedar Point, the new city garage and city hall construction as well as other Twin City and Minnesota highlights. Any help we can get in these endeavors will be appreciated! Thank you for allowing us to extend the hands of friendship and to promote world peace. Are there any questions? .............. Thank you again; come join us for a cup of coffee at Cattail Days. Cattail Days Report: September 15t", 2007 The display prepared by the Friendship City Commission at Richfield Cattail Days went well. Our booth was next to and shared space with the Celebrations Commission and the Arts Commission. We want to thank Cynthy Mandl for the use of the shade canopy and her gentle instruction regarding how best to get it put up. Once up, items on display included Costa Rican treasures, a mini oxcart and photo display boards (4). At least 300 cups of fresh made Costa Rican coffee were given away. Ten bags of coffee were sold ($10 each) including one donation (with $25 a free bag of coffee) to the commission. Bags of coffee were raffled off. The drawing will be held before our next meeting. There was discernable interest regarding the tentative visit of a delegation from Heredia in 2008 to participate in our Centennial Celebration. The weather was bright and clear and only a little windy. We forgot to stake down the shelter but we got away with it. The bearded guy that brewed the coffee did okay but could have used a hand carrying the containers of hot coffee from his house to the park. The coffee was made using 1 12oz bag of Cafe Brit Organic ground per coffee maker batch (60 cups). Five pots or batches of coffee were made and very little was left over. The coffee was dispensed from a thermos urn borrowed from the KC Hall in Bloomington. Many thanks to those who helped: Cynthy Mandl, Roger Swanson, Joan Swanson, Justin Delzer, Fred Walk, Frank Sitko, Arlene Sitko, Marty Kirsch & Carol Mortenson. Christian Delzer, Dick Franzemeyer and Ron Wilson were timely in assisting us with set up. We certainly appreciated very much every one who participated and/or lent a hand. Again it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to inform the citizens of Richfield and others of our unique relationship with Heredia, Costa Rica and to participate in our own special community get together, Cattail Days. David Delzer Chairman, Richfield Friendship City Commission Richfield Friendship City Commission Meeting Minutes November 15, 2007 The Richfield Friendship City Commission met at 7:00 p.m. in the Heredia Room of Richfield's City Hall. Members present were Fred Walk, Roger Swanson and David Delzer. Frank Sitko and Henry Piedra were excused. Minutes of month's meetings were approved The Treasurer, Roger Swanson, reported being charged sales tax by Sam's Club on the two walkers purchased. They should not have because walkers and other durable medical equipment is exempt. He will pursue it with them. Pending a refund from Sam's Club the walkers cost $32.00; the treasury has a balance in checking of $2079.08 and in savings of $1954.75. Grant applications to the Richfield Foundation are to be acted on November 16th. We hope our request is approved. Vacancies and term limits were discussed. The presentation to the Optimist's Club January 16th was also discussed. Their meeting is at 7:30 am at the VFW. There will be a January meeting at our usual place and time. The meeting was adjourned.