Thank you.

So good morning.

Uh uh welcome to Health and Human Development Committee meeting for July the 9th.

And uh it is now 9 0 9 10.

And so madam Clerk, would you please call the role?

Call the woman ties.

Present.

Present.

Present.

Chairboy.

Present.

Audible woman keys.

You have five present.

You have you have a corn.

Okay.

Uh thank you all, everyone for being here today.

And uh now I'll ask for the approval of the minute.

I move that we approve the minutes for the biggest meeting.

Audible keys.

Aye.

Auto woman Sonier.

Aye.

Audder woman cock sentences.

Aye.

Chairboard.

Aye.

We have five eye votes.

Thank you.

We have no board bills for review, no resolutions for review.

So our committee discussion today is the mayor's appointment of Dr.

Carl Wilson.

Oh no, this is the wrong.

That's the old one.

Okay.

So today's meeting is the appointments of uh candidates for the forest park board.

And so uh who do we have first?

We have all the woman hubbert who is here representing them and uh advocating for them.

So did you want to say a few words, auto woman hubbert?

I did briefly.

Thank you so much, Madam Chairman, members of the board.

Thank you for taking the time uh to hear from these candidates today.

I know we also have director Hayes here that I would love to be able to make an introduction as well and just to speak um to just briefly about the process that they go through, even before they come here.

I want to thank them right for not just taking the time this morning, but for signing up to serve the city this way in this unique way.

I attend these forest park um forever advisory board meetings.

There is some amazing work that goes into this all volunteer board and some amazing people that have signed up um to take on this service.

So with that if Mr.

Uh Director Hayes is on.

I would love uh for him to speak and I would um ask here one of our um appointees is a teacher, and so he would have never been able to make this time of meeting this morning, but that's why I um in this this time of morning meeting.

So that's why I want to direct the Hayes to talk about the vetting that goes on.

We have their resumes in the drive, and I'm asking that um as we also consider the two that are here that we consider uh Mr.

Rosenberg is well to pass him on so he um can do the service that he signed up to do.

Thank you.

Thank you thank you uh sorry, sorry, chairwoman.

That's okay, that's all right.

Good thing good minds think alike, and so uh uh director is the director commission.

I always get confused.

I can be called either, but I'm director Hayes.

Okay, because I'll just I'll just like you, my friend Greg, so I'll just call you Greg, but I'm not gonna do that.

So director your camera on, please.

Yeah, Rosal, is that was that Rosalind that said that?

Yes, uh-huh.

I keep I keep clicking on first of all.

Can you hear me very well?

I keep clicking on video and clicking off video, and pretty much 99% of the Zooms I'm on, much of the shagin of others.

My face is there.

Let me let me ask Anna if she has a technical, if she has some technical assistance, because I am trying to show my face here.

I don't know what's going on.

Um can you bear with me folks just one minute?

Oh, do you know what's going on here?

I'm clicking on that.

Anna is right behind me.

Oh, you bet should be on I apologize, folks.

I apologize, folks.

I was messing with it, waiting on the meeting to like well, at the beginning.

So let's see.

Are you showing your video?

No, but I told myself not to.

So I could go to a different computer 10 feet away if Kara's videos working.

Okay.

I just don't want to go.

I don't want to delay anybody any further.

Is that supposed to computer?

Yes.

Yes, ma'am.

I'll move her over.

I can't get my video to turn on either.

Tara can't get her video to turn on either.

So must be something going on here.

We just have so much fun on this committee.

Yeah.

So Kara can't do video either, which is unusual.

Try money one more time.

Anna's gonna try hers one more time.

She's right next to right.

Okay.

All right, Greg, you can go ahead and speak.

Uh yeah, we're probably okay without them.

Yeah.

As long as we've got uh the candidates there on camera, looks like okay, Greg.

Go ahead and the candidates are fine.

Thanks for the accommodation.

Yes, I can assure you.

I'm in I'm in my office in Forest Park.

So um it's sounds like you too, Greg.

We we believe you.

Thank you, Alderman.

Uh first of all, Chairwoman Boyd and Alder Woman Clark Hubbard and the rest of the committee.

I want to thank you for your time today.

I know these are busy times.

Going back to Alder Woman Clark Hubbard's comments.

So anytime vacancies come up on the Forest Park Advisory Board, it's a representative panel with uh specific disciplines and slots on it, so to speak, and we have non-voting uh members as well.

And Mr.

Rosenberg unfortunately couldn't make it due to his teaching commitments, but it would be great if he could be considered for passing or approval.

He has been in touch with me again early this morning.

He simply could not get out of it.

He is a non-voting candidate, just so you know.

So uh with Maria and Vin, uh a little bit of the process.

When vacancies are on the horizon, I contact colleagues, aldermen, alder women, anybody in their particular ward who has someone who would be a good candidate for this board.

They are advisory to the director of parks position.

They attend monthly meetings.

Typically we do nine uh on average a year, maybe 10 out of 12 months.

They're 4 30 every the third Thursday of the month.

You're welcome to attend.

And they're as Alder Woman said, they're they're very informative meetings and they're they help guide the Capital Projects plural process.

So these two individuals were referred to me, highly recommended professionals in the field, and I think I'll let them, of course, speak for themselves with their expertise, their educational background, their work experience, etc.

Hopefully you find this them as impressive as I and we do, and we'd we'd really like to get them on the board and participate.

It would be a great thing for their for their term coming up.

So I'll stop there and let the committee handle the process that subsequent to my comments.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, great.

Uh let no, we are start with the process of the candidates or all the candidates here except for the young man is teaching yes.

Okay.

So could you all raise your right hand?

Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth?

So help you got.

Yes.

Thank you.

Because me and he took the mute off.

So I can hear him.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

Okay.

And so we can start with uh Marie, Maria Cavden.

Is that correct?

Okay.

So Maria, tell us why you want to sit on this committee.

Yes.

Thank you for all having me today.

And thank you, Greg, for those nice words.

Um I'm excited to be a candidate to sit on the advisory board.

Uh as you may know from my resume, I currently uh work at the St.

Louis Art Museum as the event operations manager.

So I have the opportunity to work in Forrest Park on a daily basis.

And through that, I understand a lot of the complexities of balancing, you know, the public access, institutional needs of all the different organizations in the park, the visitor experience, the environmental stewardship, among many other things.

Um and in my role as with operations, I uh you know work with managing and planning a lot of big events um at the park or in the in the park, um hosted by the museum, such as our film series and our art and bloom annual festivals.

So through that uh and with other projects I work on, I you know have a lot of partner organizations, internal teams, funders, public agencies uh that I work with to um make those events as successful and as less uh impactful on the park as possible, but also promoting the park itself.

Um and also just my background with my project management, um, my operational leadership.

Uh I'm also working on my facilities management certification at SLAM.

I also lead our green team, so I'm very involved with uh the other ZMD organizations.

Um are also uh in the park.

So we have a lot of shared um interesting goals and uh sustainability around um our different organizations.

Um and just you know, uh long-term perspective on the life born and raised in St.

Louis.

I uh went to was raised in St.

South St.

Louis.

I went to St.

Stephen Proto Martyr School, graduated from the no longer St.

Elizabeth's um academy on Arsenal, and I still live in ward um four.

Uh and I know that this is just Forest Park is such a cherished space and um community gathering place for St.

Louis and it's it would be an honor to uh you know keep that torch running strong for future generations.

Um is there anything else that you would like for me to expand upon.

Thank you for that summary, Maria.

But I will of course hand it to the committee.

Uh thank you, Maria.

Let me turn camera on.

Thank you, Maria.

Uh I don't have any questions at this time, not unless uh we can ask our committee members.

Uh Alderman Odenberg, do you have any questions for her?

No, Chairwoman, no questions.

Maria, thanks for for wanting to serve.

Appreciate that.

Thank you.

Okay.

Alderwoman Sonia.

No questions, just thank you for your service.

Alder Woman, uh Laura Keys.

No, uh I don't have any questions.

Thank you so much.

Good to meet you online, Maria.

Yes, thank you.

Alderwoman, Jamie Cox answered.

Um, no questions, but I will just say thank you for being willing to serve.

And and I appreciate the two things that you pointed out about you working um at a museum within the park and being kind of used to all the things that folks um are experiencing coming to visit.

I think that's a really key asset um with your day-to-day experience there, especially with the environmental stewardship that you mentioned.

I think that's really needed at this time with all the work going on.

So appreciate you highlighting those things and uh excited to support your appointment.

Thank you.

And I don't have any questions.

I think with you uh as uh Auto Woman Sonye and Jamie Cox and Tree said with you working there already in that environment, so you're very much aware of it, and I think it will be an asset uh for you, and so that you're a good pig to me to uh add to the Forest Park Advisory Board.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

And so on that note, do we have any comments or uh anybody have anything to say, Raj, at this time about that?

Oh, is it Philip or is it Roz?

Where are we at?

Who are you?

I'm here.

Uh okay.

We have no written testimony.

Okay.

All right.

So on that note, I'll ask that we do a vote, ask for a nomination um motion to accept Marie to the uh committee of the Forest Park Advisory.

So moved.

Second.

Okay, could you do a roll call, please?

Alder Woman highest, Victor Odenberg.

Alder Woman Keys.

Aye.

Alder Woman Sony.

Hi.

Chairboy.

Aye.

We have five eye votes.

the uh committee of the forest park advisory second okay could you do a roll call please auto woman ties sir odenberg auto woman keys aye auto woman sonier aye auto woman coxence we're boy aye we have five eyeballs so congratulation maria you have been uh a nominated to be accepted as the uh representative for the forest park advisory board well thank you so much i look forward to serving and i appreciate your time this morning thank you so much we appreciate you too thank you for being here thank you all right so mr ben you're on next thank you so much um i want to thank everybody on the call for taking the time to um to connect um so my name is vin co i'm currently my role is with nine pbs i am the director of community engagement um my background is um i'm a lifelong st louic and um so have a very close relationship with forest park from going to picnics in elementary school there to um working when i was with the soccer team working with the Missouri History Museum on a soccer exhibit there um and then um now as a parent of a three year old I find myself in forest park at slam mohis the zoo all the assets and even just walking around forest park with my family um on a regular basis so I have a deep connection to the park um itself and I really see it as a regional asset that um is world class and having the opportunity to be a part of what makes it go is something that I'm really passionate about um so my background is in you know community development economic development um right now it's with nine PBS on community engagement so my role is to really listen and um connect with community members to build relationships but also hear about what are the concerns and issues that we're facing throughout the region but also who are the folks in the region working on solutions so how can I bring that to the perspective and those voices to the table as a member of this committee um you know it's something I'm really passionate about um uh is the St.

Louis region um bullish on us and I think we have a lot of assets here um me and my family we live in the seventh ward in the gate district um so yeah I'm lifelong St.

Louis and went to school here went away for college came back worked in economic development fundraising um at a local private high school and then uh worked for the soccer team first helping them build the foundation to the community um when they're creating the bid for the team and then ultimately was director of team operations and then realize day to day team operations uh I wasn't as passionate about so jumped over to nine PBS another essential institution in the region and uh and have been here for eight months so are there any questions or anything else I can elaborate on uh thank you Ben uh at this time I'll ask the committees do they have any questions Alderman Oderberg oh chairwoman thanks Ben Audible Sonia I don't have any questions thank you for your service Ben um yeah I'm in support of the appointment usually authors of the ward um uh make the appointment but I think this one is forest park uh forever's board which is in the a separate ward but I'm certainly supportive of the appointment thank you alter woman keys um welcome aboard Ben I'm I'm gonna speak it into existence and so excited to have you guys uh doing the work thank you alder woman cox anchor uh then thank you I'll echo my colleagues really appreciate you stepping up to serve and as you mentioned forest park is a true regional asset so your experience and background and community development and and caring for our regional assets will be really helpful glad to see that you like to serve and Ben you know what I kept looking at you and I kept saying I know him from somewhere and you said St.

Louis soccer I said that's where I know him from so thank you for being committed because that's what it takes to build our city back so people like you and Maria commit committed to rebuild and help our city that's makes us make the strides that we need so I appreciate you thank you so much thank you on that note I asked for a motion uh to accept Ben as a candidate as nomination for the Forest Park advisory board so moved second previous role previous roles no objections all right so Ben Maria you all have been unanimously accepted we thank you for your time and uh we'll get ready to put you on the floor to let people know we're excited about you coming thank you Auto Woman Hubbard for bringing them to us and so we're excited did you want to say any last words

So moved.

Second.

Previous role.

Previous role.

No objections.

All right.

So Ben Maria, you all have been unanimously accepted.

We thank you for your time.

And uh we'll get ready to put you on the floor to let people know we're excited about you coming.

Thank you, Auto Woman Hubbard, for bringing them to us.

And so we're excited.

Did you want to say any last words, Auto Woman Hubbard or or Greg?

Yes, madam chairwoman.

I did ask in the beginning.

Thank you all for the support.

Thank you again, Audder Woman on Stangay for making sure that then now he had his other ladies, his outer woman's support.

Um, you know, when I did speak in the beginning, that Mr.

Rosenberg is the teacher.

I have his resume in front of him.

Me is also in the drive.

I believe me or Mr.

Greg can speak to him and hopefully get him considered and move forward um to start with this board today as well.

So I need that a motion to be headed.

Yeah, from the no, I move we accept Mr.

Rosenberg also as a as a nominee and appointment to the Forest Park Advisory Board.

Thank you.

So it was a motion made by Tom Odenberg, seconded by Auto Woman Keys.

Yes, ma'am.

And then we had a previous role.

Any objections to previous role?

Okay, see no objections.

So Autumn Woman Hubbard, we have accommodated you to make sure that you and Greg have your people on for your committee.

Thank you.

Thank thank you so much.

I want to thank everyone on this call, this committee call.

Also special and all for all the various roles you played.

And I congratulate Vin and Maria and Barry.

The last thing I want to say is special thanks also to Anna Wingren, Claire Sapa, and Kara Hine who play an invaluable role with everything Forest Park Advisory Board.

I know Clara is fairly new.

Claire is fairly new, but Anna and Kara do a lot of behind the scenes coordination.

And there's one more thing.

Please, I I encourage all anyone in the board of Alderman that if you have a candidate moving forward who is interested, please send me a resume.

I will follow up with a personal phone call to that individual to talk to them about this process, the advisory board about being a possible future candidate when when uh terms end.

So please don't have any hesitation to send me a name in the future.

So thank that's how we that's how we find out who may be interested.

So thanks for that in the future.

Well, thank you, sir.

We appreciate those kind words and that bit of information.

So on that note, does anybody have anything in regards to the candidates?

Anything else to give?

Okay.

So uh thank you all for coming.

And so uh committee, we're just waiting on Mr.

Um, I mean Sergeant Donnell Waters, because he'll do a presentation about the park rangers.

You all are welcome to stay if you want to stay, and then or you can leave to go on with your day.

Thank you, folks.

Have a good day.

You too.

Thank you.

So Ross has he can't is he there?

Thank you.

He is not online.

Uh Lemisa trying to contact him.

Okay, thank you all very much.

I don't know if people is too well, it's not too early for people.

I don't know what's going on.

I just think maybe communication might be an issue.

So while we're waiting, do you all have any uh because I think next week is the last meeting, and I know we were trying to get people in, but after this young man talks about park rangers, because I think that's a quiet area nobody is really knowledgeable about, and so uh I wanted to try to get ready for next session.

Do you all have any suggestions on who you want to bring?

We have to bring back the recreation department because it was a mix up with communication, but is it anybody in particular particular you all were looking to come before the health committee?

Because as I dove more and more into it, I have found out uh more things that we're over, and we don't know what's going on or who's doing what.

I know the health department, I've been working close with them, and so the recreation department.

I've been checking the parks within the city and the rec centers, and so I was just wondering was it anybody else that you all you know wanted to do, wanted to have come speak to kind of tell you who they are.

Do you know who we are uh what our committee is over and consist of?

I'd like um those ideas, Alder Woman, and I'll be happy to put some thought to it.

I don't have anything to add right now beyond what she said, but I think it'll be good to think about and discuss.

Yeah, it's weird because people didn't know we so we're over anything connected with children, and so I know that in the health department, the parks, the wrecks, the park rangers, we're over all of that.

We talk to those people, try to get an understanding of what they're doing, and that's why I try to bring them to the committee so you all can be knowledgeable of who we are dealing you know, what we are dealing with, and I know everybody's dealing with 10 million things at once, but I just wanted to say so.

Did you all get them, Ross?

Um, let me read up to Lamisha.

Uh let me let me call her and see one second.

Okay.

And she has give voicemails, and he she corresponded with him yesterday, and she didn't get any reply.

And I didn't get a reply to the email, sending him the link to the meeting as well.

Okay, that's fine.

We'll move forward.

Because you know, I I don't like to waste people's time, and I have a great committee that's really trying to stay, you know, focused.

So we don't have any written testimony, testimonies.

Do we have any announcements?

Uh excuse men members is all the woman ties uh with necessary absence.

I asked for a motion to adjourn.

So move.

Thank you.

All right, thank you all so much.

I have a great committee.

Thank you.

Thank you, madam chair.

Bye bye.

Bye.