001oh absolutely Heather could you help us take the role uh and just remind folks that uh and there has been a request do we have transcript recording uh by the way I just saw that pop up I just turned that on yeah so I don't know if really other people can view it unless you join in on Zoom I think you can access it I don't think you see it over CTN but um for those who are may we don't have any guests here but if anybody joins us by Zoom then they I think they can access this okay all right um well uh if you could help us take the role and just a reminder for everyone to uh note where they are located which municipality all right so Eric Briggs is absent uh
002Stephen boardster of absent Jennifer Cornell is absent Mr dehoney absent Alan Haber Ellen you are muted my friend sorry yes here I am in the municipality of the old west side and armor and Sarah Hammerschmidt is absent Jeffrey Henning uh I'm here in Ann Arbor right Rita Mitchell you're in Ann Arbor that's great Alice Ralph you're in Ann Arbor Frank Wilhelm what wonderful place are you in Ventura California I'm Adam zenke you're an Ann Arbor thank you heather um and uh with that uh if we could have an approval of the agenda agendas posted through legislar it's just a no special items it's our usual agenda this evening um we have a motion to approve the agenda move by Frank seconded by Rita uh all in favor uh say aye aye aye any opposed all
003right excellent thank you uh approval the minutes the minutes are listed in the agenda there's two uh series of minutes and unless there's any objections we can do them together I think one is from the December 1st meeting and then one is from the special meeting we had on December 21st um to review the recommendations of a prose plan was the second one so uh any uh do we want to move to and then if there's discussion we'll have that yep so motion to move both minutes uh has been made second uh second by Frank uh is there any discussion around either of the minutes before we move them both okay uh hearing none then we'll call uh for the approval uh all in favor say aye all right all right any opposed okay motion
004carries minutes are approved um Heather do we have any members of the public joining us this evening don't usually we do but not tonight all right must be one of those nights um okay so uh let's get right into the agenda we have uh the two working groups uh as the main meat of our agenda item and just updates today uh and so I'll go first with the future space Design This was sort of the blanket term that we adopted for the RFP and fundraising planning Etc and uh so um we've been working on progressing on that um a few of us have been starting to take what uh Heather had helped us work with with the RFI uh and do some offline work uh around the scope this is to follow up on previous
005discussions with the uh parks department around writing the RFP it's just some preliminary work there and then I think we're going to try and you know Pare down a little bit what we had and um then engage Heather and I think she is going to be the one who is working more directly with uh Park staff as we get into that phase um We are continuing to actually have an announce that so I've taken a position at the Housing Commission which I'll be right over to um yeah so it probably won't be me but it would be Michelle Bennett likely who is a new community engagement specialist so I'll introduce you to her at some point but um she would be likely the one to to take on the role of of um managing Community
006engagement on that process all right do you mean also coordination with Parks or or is that yet to be true for the design process yeah yeah Michelle is a planner that's her background so similar background so she would she has a lot of experience and and running planning processes okay so you're are you changing your department are you going to leave us or you're just leaving this RFP where are we yeah what's happening I'm going over to the Housing Commission so I'll be working with Jennifer Hall over there so it's very exciting it's congratulations great it's Mission based so it's near and dear to my heart and I'm very excited I'm also a bit terrified because it's a it's a lot of work there's a lot of work to be done so um but I
007think you know I really believe in the in the cause so I think that'll keep me fueled and going but I'm sure we'll be intersecting in various ways related to that and I look forward to that excellent so this person you mentioned Michelle is she gonna be at our next meeting where you are right now we don't know yet he will be taking on that role it might be Michelle it might be somebody else okay all right well congratulations thank you I'm sorry to drop that on you suddenly that's okay the first chance that I've had to mention it and of course to have a perspective definitely so uh so uh we will uh keep moving along with uh the scope for the RFP and working on that we're also been working um on fundraising
008as well um and uh have uh been continuing to pursue uh some uh ideation around grants and private one-on-one fundraising so that part is moving along uh as well and Heather I want to thank you for getting that document ready for us and everything I very much appreciate that um so that's that's sort of where we're at on feature space design sort of chugging along as we have been and I think we're getting very close we do need a couple of uh things to break our way in terms of the fundraising piece but then um then it will happen quickly I think so um happy to entertain any questions uh on that element otherwise I'll turn it over to Rita how does input get to the uh staff that is uh right in the uh
009the former boilerplate which is pretty much given but the scope of the work how does input get to that from the community or from us or from the initiating committee or from um yeah that's like a question I think it could go a variety of different ways one the new staff liaison could take your input and record it and give it to staff or that that staff could work directly with this group um to gather that input yeah Alan if you would like to talk you know I know we met yesterday but if you'd like to talk uh offline um I can definitely do that because I've sort of been the one coordinating the right yeah yeah I just want to get it out there thank you you're totally you're getting it all together I
010appreciate it oh we'll we'll we will see okay you know and I should mention that I'll be passing along all the documentation so far of the input that we've received so everything that we talked about related to the RFI that RFI itself and then I I keep all of the emails that you send um so all of that is documented and recorded and will be passed along okay all right thank you that is does that uh I mean I guess the documents that are on our web page are also available to anyone to come follow you such as the original re original RFP or RFI or whatever that was correct and the task force report would be yeah yeah that'll stay up there the task force report and all of the appendices which have a
011lot of information included in that appendix that'll stay up there excellent Frank your hand up yeah I just had a question uh Heather do you have an official start date for this new appointment that's to be determined so it's either going to be at the end of February or the middle of March uh so if it's the middle of March you might be seeing me again but just in case okay I might know yeah I wanted to let you know before then yeah no problem well it's a huge opportunity so and there's some very cool stuff going on at the house yeah thanks for what you've been doing for us yeah absolutely yes well thank you um okay any other questions around the future space design okay well let's go to activation Rita do you
012want to give us a little bit of an update as to how things are progressing um yeah at this point um I'm working on uh potential connections with community members and organizations who may wish to be using the space during the coming warmer seasons and looking into how that process gets how they get engaged with that process and also working and and so it is kind of like that two-step thing so it's like who and then how and that's that's really kind of the the place where I am right now and just getting it outlined and um I think there could be some really great things and I've got some um positive responses from number of people so I'm looking forward to moving it forward excellent and I think oh go ahead sorry I didn't
013mean if you have any questions go ahead I would just like to say too I think uh you know Ben uh doing this in in uh sort of a smaller working group uh with a couple of folks and I think Rita's got a lot of detail that she's putting in to these recommendations and I think we'll probably have an update for the group in terms of a I don't know if I'd call it a report but some type of you know document um at the next meeting and so um I think we're it's there's a lot there's a lot of detail that's going into it so very good I I heard a report that uh Maura Thompson from DDA had to come to look kindly on sharing the storage space in the alley and propose
014making a division of that half of which would be available to the commons and half remain therefore City or parking structure storage whatever and now that gives a place for donated tables and so on but for Earth Day we will again need tables and uh if there could be inquiry as if about whether from you to uh yeah the parks people are the uh uh yeah sonic boom sonic once whether the materials that the the city has how they could be made available for programs on the commons such as for Earth Day you know otherwise you know we always get in our own stuff that'll be very nice if in the activation for Earth Day or for any other thing that people want to do or party or uh free market or something to know
015what tables and chairs are sort of close at hand rather than having to be scrounged from here and there right that is totally understandable and uh what I can say is we're working on it so details later there couldn't be a better person working on it I'm sure and I know I I know that uh there was a conversation with the DDA about um those spaces as well and so and I and Alan I'm glad you brought that up because I had forgotten about that conversation briefly or that part of the conversations uh and I do remember they actually mentioned they spoke with you so yeah are you talk Adam are you talking about the car spaces or the storage space storage spaces so yeah I have I have that documented so um the storage
016issues so yep that's part of what's going on all right any uh any other um any other uh questions at all for Rita okay um so uh with that we'll work uh we'll round out the working groups and uh we're on track to be our fastest meeting ever tonight wow yeah and uh so uh the next agenda items is the item on the next on the agenda ironically um and uh I think that you know the the the only thing I don't think I'd like to add anything to this uh for the next meme but certainly um you know I think we'll have some uh pretty strong updates around uh where we're at with the RFP previous conversations um had yielded that February sort of a key month now that the pros plan is done
017to start working on that and then also um we're in a really good spot with all Rita's hard work um around the activation uh planning and so um I think we're gonna start to see some of the fruits of that labor and so I would just like to say I'm not sure that amounts to any new agenda items but uh certainly I think the next meeting will have some really robust updates and um I think that'll be great so Adam are there any related potential recommendations to counsel ahead of us um I I think that the uh you know the the one thing might be around the activation plan and technically we may have to make a recommendation around the RFP I'm not sure we'll have to touch base um about that um but um
018but um you know certainly we we will uh we'll have to we'll have to check in actually read it or Alice I'm not certain if those are recommendations to council certainly the the activation plan could be in line with uh the charge that uh that uh Council passed uh as part of the resolution in the fall to investigate the uh the activation of the space um but I'm not sure if that requires us to do more recommendations or just sort of fill in and supplement um information so we're thinking about I mean not not only need tables and chairs on but we need off to yeah definitely so and I know Rita is covering all of that in terms of usable furniture and things like that in the in the plan but may I just
019say that it's not like I have them they are in writing yeah not in physical form right yeah okay other items for next agenda items at all otherwise well I I have uh a couple of things on my mind I would like the Council of the Commons in our spirit of activation to be a sponsor or supporter or something like that of the earth day that will be the first most likely the first big activation and it would be good if we could all be behind that and let it be as best we can a plane out of how we are and on the activation plan for an event and what other people could learn from that about how they could also have events because I think everything is sort of to uh and recruit
020the next thing and to spread the the web of inclusiveness so I'll bring that up and uh and we'll have a clearer sense of exactly what the program is and and there can be some talk or expression from the you know smiling Adam or Alice to represent the Council of accountants from presumably we will have a state the other thing I want to bring up we have two vacancies as I understand I would like to see a Native American person added into our conversation I think that would give us a added perspective on the sense of what is a Commons and what is what is in perpetuity and uh I think we would probably have a window to more than we generally know and the other addition I've been very uh engaged with the United
021Nations decade for people of African descent and it began in 2015 it concludes in 2024 simultaneous with our bicentennial and I've been promoting in relation to the bicentennial that we see a liaison with the work going on all over the country on reparations and writing the unrated wrongs of racism and so on these questions all over the country in this whole experience we share and it's somebody who would be a liaison with that work going on all over the country and relevant to us in terms of the African-American Community the descendants of people from Africa slavery all that and I think that would uh be beneficial so if people could think about that and we could maybe have a discussion how we would actually add people and who we might add and people's talks about
022that [Music] yeah I think that's a very good thing to think about Ellen and I think that you're you're uh inclusivity um uh with um uh adding somebody of Native American descent and African uh American descent I think is a really good idea um and so um I I think certainly if any members of the public are interested in applying you should certainly do so and you know obviously but if there are other folks that folks have in mind too um you know please encourage them to apply go ahead and Alan in terms of the Earth Day uh celebration why don't we work on drafting something for the next agenda and you can uh see about getting something on the uh next to Jenna for a discussion item specific to that event right okay um
023all right in that case we close out that agenda item and we will go into public comment um Heather do we have any members of the public wishing to speak tonight foreign person that joined us but uh no hands raised but somebody that joined by phone so that is star nine if she did want to raise your hand and join okay well I'd like to make one comment uh and I don't know I don't want to do this out of order or anything but can I make a commentary in public comment [Laughter] yeah sure so I'd like to just sort of make a a comment you know there have been um in the last uh 30 days or so we've started to learn about some things being said uh maybe a social media and seeing
024some things social media and made in the in the public sphere um that uh as well as some um uh I don't want to use the word threats because I think that might be uh that's a little strong of a term but some real nastiness uh being said about both members of the commission and also members of of the public who have been engaged in any activity around the space and um I would just like to indicate that I don't think that is appropriate at all it's not civil and it does not promote Community engagement in any activity um and I'd like to compliment the folks who have been part of the commission and those who have volunteered in different activities on the space for their work and uh and I certainly do not condone
025any of the comments that are made um in the in the public sphere uh in negative light I think it's really disgusting frankly um so I'm not going to get into any specifics but I wanted to make that comment because these have all sort of surface themselves we've learned more about them I have learned more about them at least in the last 30 days since our last meeting and um and so I wanted to acknowledge that because I don't think that any um local or other type of board members deserve that type of treatment and certainly not any Community engaged members who assist in activities as completely inappropriate so um no one should be subject to that type of um of uh commentary about them so I would just like to put that on the
026record because I think that's very important that we do not allow that type of um Behavior to permeate Frank do you have a question well I guess I'd like to Second your the comments you just made uh I think it's uh very appropriate to to make that comment and and in the spirit of positive comment I'd like to underscore uh the great work that uh Rita has done on this activation document it's and I know it's still in draft form but it represents a tremendous amount of work and effort and just like to publicly thank Rita for that thank you I think especially as we move closer to the wanted Bicentennial is it bicentennial um it's important to create a culture of kindness and understanding and um certainly I appreciate Adams recognition that there are
027some people who are failing to use that look at kindness and understanding and none of us condone that kind of the negativities working together for the common goal and um with the Positive attitudes oh I appreciate Adam's comment and I support Rita's word and Frank and all everyone that's uh that's uh building this new idea center of our town there's a comment I always remembered from my days in the legislature and that is you could disagree without being disagreeable that's right that's always stuck with me and um certainly we have our debates uh around here uh and uh elsewhere but um but keeping things civil and productive uh allows for anyone who's a member of the public to feel they can be engaged that is very important regardless of your opinion so it's um the
028person that joined us from the public has that they're hand raised if he wanted to go back to publication absolutely we're still in public comments so please feel free uh Heather if you want to advance them uh all right you're allowed to talk person on the phone ending in 464 um oh can you hear me now yes oh hi so this is Linda burrower I've been listening and I wasn't going to say anything but after Adam's um comment I wanted to I just wanted to express my appreciation to him for taking some leadership and expressing that publicly and publicly supporting the other members of The Commons and um and just voicing the opinion that that kind of kind of toxic dialogue isn't helpful I I really so much appreciate you taking that leadership Adam um
029I have a couple other things I'd like to say as long as I'm talking and that is I I am afraid that if you guys have only realized all this bubbling up in the community in the last month you've really been out of touch it's really scary if you've been that out of touch because it has been going on for a long time it's the first time it became official through a proclamation public proclamation to council and an actual email with a draft resolution to council but it has been perking up for a long time and I am worried and what's even more worrisome to me is that it's not only and I don't want it spread the pan you know push the panic button but I guess I am a little panicked because it's
030been it's been so many years since the resolution and I don't blame any of you um that things haven't progressed more quickly but I do think that we need to put our heads together and figure out why it has progressed so slowly and try to find some strategies to make it go a little bit faster and I know that there's been a lot of resistance and counsel or by some council members but you are an advisory body to the council and I think you could be more proactive in reaching out to council and actually submitting resolutions of things that you recommend I'm only aware of one that you've set um a long time ago about getting food trucks on um I just think I don't know like Adam you've been in Lansing you know you
031know how politics works I was chair of the parks advisory commission so I know a little bit but not as much as anybody who's been in Lansing it's a political thing and and you guys need to um I think you need to develop some strategy to communicate better with Council and here's another example I think you've got two open seats for months ever since Jen Cornell got appointed as the official Council liaison her seat is open and then Camilla zundia I think left a few months ago you've got two open seats you should be lobbying Council to get a couple new members um you know things like that just simple things um and and you know try to get members that are very supportive of the concept of the Council of the commons and I
032don't know that you need to okay when you when you develop some suggestions and you like a resolution and you want to vote on it I don't think it has to be however many people you have voting members I think there's 12 voting members you don't need every 12 all the 12 people to sign up on us on it you need a majority you know hopefully you can get more than the majority of super majority but I I don't know these are just some suggestions because the um the Rumblings in the community are just going to get stronger about undoing this and and I'm worried and um I just I just think nobody should have their heads buried in the sand anymore that's all I I'm I'm sorry I hope I don't sound too negative
033I just it's kind of like just a wake-up warning because I'm concerned and the supporters are getting concerned that's really concerning you know what I mean so thank you for listening thank you so much and thank you Adam yeah thank you again for I wouldn't even talked if you hadn't had the courage to to just say what you did so thank you well I appreciate the concern in terms of the progress Linda and there are a number of pieces that uh we'll talk about at a future meeting here but I think that the point that I was getting at is there have been some unique um extraordinarily um uh just you know frankly disgusting comments that have been made and some real intimidation factors that have started to come to light uh and that there's
034a difference between uh sort of pace and um and disagreement versus uh downright nastiness and uh that that's the reason I'm making the comment uh this evening so but we'll certainly talk about the resolutions and Council and things like that so else go ahead I just want to assure Linda and others who may be listening that we are aware of all of this having taken and it's nothing new um and um I can personally vouch for at least a decade of awareness of the um of positives and the negatives um we've had a you know we've had a lot of support even through a ballot initiative and now we're in that new era of organized and regulated activity in the establishment of the commission and we are making progress um after I mean we did
035have a pandemic in there and that slowed things down a little bit but um I think that um the there will may not be very more months left to approach the bicentennial celebration and you have this uh have something to show for our work at that point so we have many things to do and I think there's a lot of progress being made in recent months and maybe it's the new year let's look at it that way excellent okay well I thought that was important to say and sort of acknowledge this evening um Rita I just want to add my thanks to your leadership Alan and um just say that I appreciate working with all of you and look forward to continuing and making some really solid and fun changes I would agree I think
036that uh I do think that the the two work stream process that we adopted in the fall will yield uh some um good fruits uh as we as we chug into the warmer months of 2023 um and uh you know frankly in terms of just the structure of the Council of the commons I think that is sort of a um unique structure for the type of activity that we've been charged to do um and I I have to say I don't know that I would have um uh created the structure had I uh engaged in a blank sheet of paper at the start of this process but we are here and we're going to kick off this RFP and we're going to kick off an activation process for the for the spaces and that is
037part of our charge and those things are in process right now and will happen and so I feel good about those activities and I'd like to just clear the air that as we continue the nastiness I will need to stop and that's not directed anybody here obviously but but more in defensive folks here and defense of others who have engaged in our assist some okay 30 minutes late and I missed a lot oh we'll catch up after um and uh Sarah it's good to have you this evening sorry I was late you're good well I don't know what's going on but let me know are there any other members of the public uh wish to speak there is not no okay all right uh in that case I think uh the only other other I
038closed out the agenda in the midst of that so I was I think the next item is just a motion to adjourn am I correct on that Heather yeah okay well Heather I have to say I hope this is not your last meeting um even though we wish you well uh and we'll all have to get together in person and um and uh you know say uh good luck uh before you officially take off so yeah thank you yeah it would be nice to maybe have a social Gathering I don't know if we have to notify um we'll have a little mini or mini meetings so with that can we have a motion to adjourn I so move second by Frank all in favor say aye aye okay all right thank you all right see
039you guys for two minutes