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Home My WebLink AboutSafe & Healthy - 2007-12-04SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES December 4.2007 CITY OF KITCHENER The Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:05 p.m. Present: S. Franzen, Chair P. Doherty, M. Hogg, K. Kwiatkowski, C. Schneider, B. Gould, and T. Beaulne Staff: Mr. M. Hildebrand, Interim Director of Community Programs & Services Ms. L. Palubeski, Manager of Program and Resource Services Ms. S. Wright, Manager of Downtown Community Development Ms. A. Grafstein, Community and Corporate Planning Associate Ms. S. McGee, MSW Student, Wilfred Laurier University Ms. L. Korabo, Committee Administrator 1. WORKPLAN Ms. Silvia Wright, Manager of Downtown Community Development, gave a presentation on Downtown initiatives that are currently being worked on by staff and also provided a summary of the goals established by the Downtown Safemaking Team, formed as a result of the "Creating a Culture of Safety" conference. Ms. Wright circulated a recent article from The Record highlighting several new business enterprises. She then gave a PowerPoint presentation entitled "Heart of the City: Magnet for the Next Generation" and noted that visitors to the core are looking for what makes that area unique. With regard to our Downtown and the downtowns of many North American cities, it was noted that economic conditions in the 1990's had negative impacts and resulted in: hotel occupancies of less than 50%; the closure of indoor shopping centres; vacant buildings and fires; bankruptcies; and, overall negative perceptions. Several years ago, the City of Kitchener established the Economic Development Investment Fund (EDIF) as an investment in the Downtown. Monies have been contributed to many large- scale Downtown projects and have resulted in positive early indicators that the Downtown community's health is being re-established. Early results show positive trends, noting shifts in the economy, demographics of those living in the core area, and lifestyle shifts were individuals first pick where they would like to live and then find a job in that area. Staff gained valuable market insight by visiting blogging sites on the Internet and are working on establishing a "Community Hand Print" which will include top features residents and visitors look for when selecting a community. The Hand Print includes economic, education and vitality factors. Staff is also working on recommendations contained in the Downtown Strategic Plan as a means to continue improving the core area. The top 10 priorities as identified for 2007 - 2008 are: 1. King Street and Central District Streetscape Redesign Implementation; 2. Provide urban vitality opportunities through special events and Downtown Ambassadors; 3. Develop digital media cluster business opportunities; 4. Support safety and security initiatives; 5. Develop digital media cluster business opportunities; 6. Promote positive Downtown brand strategy support; 7. Wireless Downtown business blocks; 8. Financial incentives / CIP update in Fagade and street side 9. Support parking solutions and accelerated transportation demand management / LRT; and, 10. Creating retail attraction strategy; site selection database and mapping tools. The two areas that relate directly to the work of the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee are: support safety and security initiatives, and promote positive Downtown brand strategy support. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES DECEMBER 4, 2007 -30- CITY OF KITCHENER 1. WORKPLAN tCONT'D) Ms. Wright then presented the goals established by the Downtown Safemaking Team as: • All citizens are proud of the Downtown and want to show it off to visitors; • Downtown is an attractive environment for businesses and residents alike; and, • Downtown Kitchener is the urban heart of the Region. She then identified the following gaps, issues and challenges that needed to be addressed: Media Focus Perpetuates Negative Perceptions The continued media focus on Downtown tends to perpetuate negative perceptions. Disproportionate Number of Social Services The Safemaking Team agreed that social services which require centralization should be Downtown though a balanced view would provide services where needed throughout the Region. Concentration in the Downtown results in downward pressure on real estate therefore providing less incentive for businesses to locate, increases absent landlords resulting in more vacancies. Car Orientated Community and Parking Parking is perceived as a problem because Kitchener-Waterloo is a car-oriented community and Grand River Transit has some service limitations. Streetscape Upgrades Deteriorating sidewalks and poor lighting are contributing to negative perceptions. Proposed first steps were listed as: • Mapping Downtown retail, restaurants and points; • Continued support for outreach workers; • Downtown tours and Ambassador Program; • City /Region /Province to quantify proportion of social services appropriate for the Downtown; • Find ways to provide services where needed with balanced distribution across the Region; • Continued support of EDGE program /particular attention to Fagade Program; and, • Support for renewed streetscape. Ms. T. Beaulne suggested that a copy of the Community-University Research Alliances (CUBA) report concerning the distribution of social services be provided to the Downtown Safemaking Team; Ms. S. Adams will look into obtaining a copy of final report. Suggestions for long-term action have been identified but have not been looked at in-depth. Ms. Wright noted that a balance of vitality is what is missing in the Downtown area. There are no activities to balance the "negative activity" that goes on after the Downtown area empties out at 5:00 p.m. In this regard, Ms. Adams stated that Kitchener's core is no different than those found in other major cities In closing, Ms. Wright commented that the new business owners who have recently opened in the Downtown are very optimistic. 2. PUBLIC NUISANCE BY-LAW Mr. S. Turner, Director of By-law Enforcement, attended to provide an update on the proposed Public Nuisance By-law, previously discussed by the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee in October 2007. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES DECEMBER 4, 2007 -31- CITY OF KITCHENER 2. PUBLIC NUISANCE BY-LAW tCONT'D) Mr. Turner advised that the by-law had been presented to the Finance and Corporate Services Committee on December 3, 2007, and had received endorsement. The by-law will now be presented to City Council on December 10, 2007 for final approval. He advised that several delegations appeared at the Committee meeting and raised concerns regarding the possibility that the by-law could be used as an enforcement tool against marginalized people. It was noted that the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee had voiced similar concerns and had been assured that all care would be taken that the by-law is used in an appropriate manner. The Finance and Corporate Services Committee had also recommended that staff develop a monitoring and evaluation component that will ensure use of the by-law is moving forward in the correct manner. Corrective protocols are to be established that could be implement should inappropriate use of the by-law be identified. Questions were also raised surrounding a formal or informal diversion protocol whereby issues presented by marginalized people, those with mental health issues, substance abuse issues or a lack of housing could be dealt with in a manner other than fining. Mr. Turner commented that those enforcing the by-law (Waterloo Regional Police Services, Security and By-Law Enforcement staff) are all aware of the desire to seek methods other than issuing fines to rectify situations. The next steps in the process will be to identify people and agencies who can work together and develop a plan to move forward and discuss diversionary techniques. In addition, officers will need to be trained and educated on when to issue a ticket or suggest a diversionary option. The Committee asked for clarification of the term `nuisance' and Mr. Turner advised that a nuisance is anything that has an identifiable impact on someone or something. 3. ADJOURNMENT On motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m. Linda Korabo