Committee Report - Equity - 1-30-20 — File 209677

Equity, Gender, Families and Vulnerable Populations Committee Page 1 of 4 Printed 2/3/2020 January 30, 2020 REPORT OF THE EQUITY, GENDER, FAMILIES AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Wilfred N. Mbah Chair Present Katjana Ballantyne Vice Chair Present Stephanie Hirsch City Councilor At Large Present Others present: Annie Connor-Intergovernmental Affairs and Jill Lathan-Parks & Recreation The meeting was held in the Sub-Committee Room and was called to order at 6:05 p.m. by Chairperson Mbah and adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Approval of the October 7, 2019 Minutes RESULT: ACCEPTED 209365: That the Chief of Police review options relative to the School District's lock-down drills, and provide a description of times when the protocol was used in response to a threat. Ms. Connor spoke to Chief Fallon who is working with the school department to provide a response to the committee. The chair asked questions about what would trigger a school lockdown and how many times has there been a lockdown. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 209471: That the Administration update this Council on the plan to inform residents of the expanded eligibility for tax deferral programs. Ms. Connor spoke with the City Assessor, Mr. Golden. Information about this program was mailed out to residential owners and seniors. It was stated that this program is governed through state law and DOR. Councilor Ballantyne will reach out to the city assessor for additional information before the end of the week. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED

Equity, Gender, Families and Vulnerable Populations Committee Page 2 of 4 Printed 2/3/2020 208816: That the Director of Parks and Recreation provide an update on maintenance activities for the Kennedy School Pool, as well as anticipated staffing and capital spending needs related to aquatics. Ms. Lathan sent a response with photos of the areas that were fixed which included retiling, cleaning, construction in deep end of the pool, gutters removed and cleaned. Filters will be replaced this June. Ms. Lathan stated that mid-June to end of June the pool will be closed for major construction. In August the pool will be closed to be drained, deep cleaning drains, tiles and grout. Hanging hooks will be put in the bathrooms along with better security system. Additional staff has been added along with additional programs, such as water baby and aqua Zumba classes. There is open swim on Fridays and Sundays. The committee stated it was not easy to navigate through the website to find the times for pool classes and that the calendar should be more visible. Additionally, the calendar needs to be updated with the additional classes. It was also suggested to send out a newsletter from the communications department listing the classes and times for the Kennedy Pool. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 208961: Director of Parks and Recreation responding to #208816 re: maintenance and staffing at the Kennedy School Pool. Ms. Lathan stated that the Kennedy Pool is an enterprise fund and the fund needs to be able to pay for whatever is spent on the pool. The pool is a public facility and prices are lower than some other communities. Ms. Lathan has hired 6-8 new staff members. Ms. Lathan is also developing a pipeline of lifeguards for various pools in the city. There will be a need for capital investment going forward to include: overhaul restrooms with gender neutral restrooms, security measures with sturdier locker system, and pool ventilation. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 205895: 185 citizens submitting a petition to expand access to the Kennedy School swimming pools. Ms. Lathan stated this petition was submitted when the Kennedy Pool was under the School Department. The pool is currently under Parks and Recreation since last fall and has increased the pool operating hours and programs. Additionally, Parks and Recreation works with individuals and families who may not be able to pay for swimming by offering reduced prices for season passes. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 206699: That the Administration provide information regarding the transfer of some Kennedy Pool functions to the Parks and Recreation Department. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 206858: That the Director of Personnel work with the School District to advertise open City

Equity, Gender, Families and Vulnerable Populations Committee Page 3 of 4 Printed 2/3/2020 or School positions to families of Public School students. It was stated that ResiStat has listed positions. Additionally, Councilor Ballantyne spoke to the School Department and a parent’s newsletters was also created with this information. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 196154: That the Dedication Committee update this Board on the park dedication in honor of Joseph Mackey. Ms. Connor stated she was not aware of the Dedication Committee. The ordinance is being redrafted around the Veteran’s Commission. It was stated that the Veteran’s Commission does not have a quorum at the moment and is running into a backlog with public spaces. Councilor Ballantyne stated the Dedication Committee has a list of all requests. Councilor-at-large Hirsch stated there are only two parks named after women. Councilor Ballantyne is working with OSPCD to come up with a list of potential women for naming dedications. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 201787: That the Administration consider honoring Somerville Youth League Basketball founder Fran Ferrarro with a plaque at the High School basketball court. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 202206: That the Director of Veterans Services obtain the names of all Somerville veterans from the Korean War on, for inclusion on the Veterans Memorial wall. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 205198: That the Director of Veterans Services appear before this Board’s Committee on Veterans and Public Services to discuss a Global War on Terror memorial and a Women’s Service memorial. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 205284: That the Administration consider hiring a software engineer in the FY19 budget cycle to design and maintain information management systems to link data, such as information related to properties. There was a discussion about the data systems not being linked together because the data systems do not have a unique identifier. It was suggested to add a software engineer to SomerStat or IT to help with this issue. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 202116: That the Administration update this Board on the future of Veterans Memorial Park.

Equity, Gender, Families and Vulnerable Populations Committee Page 4 of 4 Printed 2/3/2020 RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 208163: That the Administration report to the Youth Services Committee the feasibility of adding a budget line to make school facilities more affordable for use by community groups by helping to cover custodial fees. The Youth Services Committee is now apart of this committee. Ms. Connor is talking to the law office to find out if this could be put in the budget. It was also stated that the city cannot use tax payer dollars for a single group. Councilor Ballantyne talked to Tufts about using their facilities as an in-kind service to be used by community groups. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 209572: That the Committee on Equity, Gender, Families and Vulnerable Populations provide feedback on SomerVision 2040's chapter on Youth and Education with respect to metrics and key tasks. Ms. Connor stated the document is available on-line. Councilor-at-large Hirsch suggested that the committee should review and provide feedback with the next steps to the full council. There were discussions about metrics for youth and maybe bring in the community members who worked on this document to present to the committee. Councilor Ballantyne asked Ms. Connor when the date closes for community commentary. Chair Mbah motioned and it was accepted that the Planning Board extend review of the SomerVision document for input by the City Council prior to adoption by the beginning of May. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE