02-15-99 Health & Public Safety and Residential Neighborhoods

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• f r COMM ttttt Ztport: Health and Public Safety Committee&Residential Neighborhoods Committee So tit Common QtountUY of tbt etty of 16outb latttb: The February 15, 1999 meeting of the Joint Committee Meeting of the Health and Public Safety Committee and the Residential Neighborhoods Committee was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Council Member Karl King, Chairperson of the Residential Neighborhoods Committee. Persons in attendance included Council Members Pfeifer, Kelly, King, Lewis Powell, Carl Littrell,Captain Blume'and Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand. Council Member King turned the meeting over to Council Member Pfeifer. She called upon the Council Attorney who provided handouts to the persons presents on the upcoming loitering conference. (copy attached) After much discussion the following items were agreed to: Conference date: Friday,April 23, 1999 Times: 7:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. Place: IUSB's Northside Hall Room 158 (Little Theatre) Fee: None It was suggested that Mayor Luecke be invited to welcome the conference attendees. The conference would be coordinated so that participants were aware of the Blue & Gold Football Luncheon ($ 16.00 cost) to be held at noon that day and the Blue-Gold Game on Saturday at 1 p.m. Karl King offered to contact Bernie Kish for discount tickets for the College Football Hall of Fame. Carl Littrell suggested that Jeff Gibney of South Bend Heritage Foundation be contacted regarding design aspects to minimize loitering. The Council Attorney will contact proposed speakers from Chicago; Charles Asher a local constitutional attorney. Additional persons and groups to be invited would include: Larry Wolfe of the Blue Lantern & Local Bartenders & Tavern Owners Association, neighborhood groups on quality of life issues;the Housing Authority&Real Estate Management (Elkhart& South Bend); Kathy Baumgartner of the South Bend Housing Authority; COP;Mayor Archer of Detroit;LaCasa members;Dave Newton(SRO);Captain Terry Miller of Special Operations & other police officers dealing with youth; local school board members; regional police departments; Scottsdale,UP and Town & Country mall managers; library personnel and regional institutions of higher learning. Council Members King and Kelly urged that there be discussion of several types of loitering from the basically harmless activity of youth just "hanging around" to illegal activities taking place in public places. The Council Attorney noted that the persons contacted to date have been advised to address loitering as it relates to the homeless, the mentally ill, harmless activities, drugs, etc. Council Member Pfeifer noted that an increasing number of her constituents are voicing their concern that nuisance activities are ruining their neighborhoods. She further suggested that we have an information site at the conference offering free material for conference attendees.