QUARTERLY OPEN TOWN MEETING

The Quarterly Open Town Meeting was held on November 1, 1993 at 7:30 p.m. with Mayor Knopf presiding. Members of Council present were Council President Christiansen, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Tudor, Mr. Leary, Mr. Pitts, Mrs. Malone, Mr. Hutchison, Mr. Salters and Mr. Hare. Members of staff present were Chief Smith, Mr. Lucas, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. DePrima and Mrs. Boaman.

CHILDREN AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Mayor Knopf explained that he chose the theme "Children and Recreational Activities" for this meeting to make the public more aware of our current available programs and to enlighten the elected officials to any needs that are not being met. A presentation by the City of Dover Parks and Recreation Department started the discussions.

Mr. Don Knox, Community Services Director, introduced Mr. Zack Carter, Parks and Recreation Director, and Ms. Carolyn Griffith, Recreational Specialist. Mr. Carter explained that the goal of the Parks and Recreation Division is to provide all Dover residents with a broad, varied and interesting collection of recreational programs. The programs involve both passive and active recreation and must meet the needs of all residents, regardless of age, sex, social economic status, race, or handicap. Over the past several years, the Division's main focus has been on providing recreational programs for youth and their families. Since 1989, the offered programs have grown from 41 programs to 70 programs, which equates to an increase of 71%. (A list of all programs was provided to members of Council and the public.) Volunteers are used extensively in order to keep program costs at a minimum. During the same period of time, the number of volunteers utilized has grown from 152 to 437, which is a 188% increase. Mr. Carter stated that in order to meet the growing demand for recreational programs for a City of nearly 30,000 citizens, the Division has been forming partnerships with other groups such as the Dover Little League and Central Delaware Soccer Association, (both of which accommodates a large number of youths), the Capital School District, Chicken Festival, Tour duPont, etc.

Ms. Carolyn Griffith gave a slide presentation on the many programs and activities sponsored by the City of Dover. The goal is to provide a safe environment for recreational activities and an opportunity for our youth to make positive choices about their lives. Ms Griffith stated that the summer playground program serves 150 youth with a constant waiting list for others wanting to participate.

Mayor Knopf introduced Ms. Lillian Jones, Executive Director of the Delaware State Parents Association, and asked that she give an overview of her organization. Ms. Jones stated that the Delaware State Parents Association is a support network that teaches and helps parents. They have Parent Empowerment Groups that provide the opportunity for families to help families. They have a family resource center that provides child care training classes, stress management, communications, nutritional meals, etc. Ms. Jones stated that she is available to assist the City and the citizenry in any way possible.

Mayor Knopf related to a news article that recently appeared in the Delaware State News that was written by Hope Washburn. He found the article enlightening and requested Ms. Washburn to address members of Council on the subject of recreation for youth.

Ms. Hope Washburn of Magnolia, Delaware thanked Mayor and Council for giving her an opportunity to address the recreational needs of youth. Ms. Washburn stated that every young person has the opportunity to sell drugs or be highly motivated and excel in a positive direction. It is imperative that outlets be available for young adults to participate in positive programs. Ms. Washburn stated that it is important to be accepted and needed. In order to make young adults feel needed, she suggested:

1.The City recruit at least 500 special honorary police officers. The special honorary officers should be students attending local schools. They should be given a modified version of the regular police oath and issued a special identification card. Regular weekly or monthly meetings should be held where they are taught good character and how to uphold the law. It is much better having them fight for the law than having them fight against it.

2.Recruit at least 500 City employees to serve as honorary City employees. The honorary employees should be selected from students attending local schools who could perform on-the-job training in many offices and could perform such duties as filing, running errands, etc. This would be valuable training and would teach community involvement. It would also give young people some information for making career choices. Certificates should be given to those participating in a certain number of community service hours.

3.Firefighters are held in high esteem - fire departments should have a volleyball or basketball net so that children would have a place to play in an area with positive role models present.

4.An unused building or parking lot should be selected so that young people have a place to gather and converse. This would keep them from moving from one spot to another to avoid police that are constantly trying to keep people from gathering.

Officer Mike Harmon, assigned to the youth section of the City of Dover Police Department, gave an overview of the programs offered by the Police Department. The Ride-a-Long Program, in conjunction with the Capital School District, allows high school students to ride with a police officer for the entire day. The day includes a tour of the Police Station and allows a student to participate in the daily activities of a Police Officer. The program has been well received by the high school students. The Officer Phil Program is geared to younger students. Officer Phil is a ventriloquist that emphasizes safety, dealing with strangers, etc. This is a popular program with young students. The DARE program has become well known and is a very positive program. The program teaches students about drugs and positive choices to drug use and helps them to resist the many pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol and drugs. In addition, program strategies focus on feelings relating to self-esteem and interpersonal and communication skills, decision making, and positive alternatives to drug abuse behavior.

Officer Tom Logan explained the City of Dover Police Department's PAL Program. The PAL program is the Police Athletic League which provides youth with a forum to play organized sports and allows them to become acquainted with police officers in a positive way. Officer Logan stated that he grew up in New York City, in an inner-city, multi-racial, multi-cultural, and drug-infested neighborhood, and he is the product of a PAL program. The Dover PAL program was started in 1992, with the assistance of the Parks and Recreation Department. During the first year, the basketball program served 175 youths, with police officers serving as coaches. The program now includes summer and fall basketball and they sponsor two Little League Teams. The police officers have taken the young players to professional sports events which was an outstanding opportunity for the youth and the police officers. Officer Logan urged members of Council to visit their programs to see just how successful the PAL program has been.

Ms. Yvonne Bunch, Director of the DECCASA, stated that the City of Dover is one of six small towns in Kent and Sussex Counties participating in a federally funded substance abuse prevention program. The program targets youth between the ages of nine and fifteen, providing them with drug and alcohol education, resistance skill building techniques, and teaches self-esteem. The youth go to the Second Baptist Church on Mondays through Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. where they participate in homework lessons, computer tutorial programs, and drug and alcohol educational programs. A very important component of the DECCASA program is the family component which provides parent education classes for the parents of the youth that participate in the DECCASA program. The DECCASA program has served over 300 young people. However, this is the last year that federal funds will be available to fund the program. It is hoped that the State of Delaware will continue to fund the program when federal funds are exhausted.

Mr. Lacy Myers, former educator and currently in the Because We Care II Program, explained the EXPEL Program. The program is made available through the State of Delaware's General Assembly Grants-in-Aids funds. The program is an alternative educational program that works in conjunction with the Capital and Caesar Rodney School Districts. The Program accepts students that have been expelled from school for short periods of time. The program provides the necessary education for a student during the expulsion period. Since the student is placed in a non-threatening environment, outside the normal peer pressured environment, the student is better able to achieve their educational goals. This program has proven successful and is providing at-risk students with alternatives.

Mayor Knopf thanked the participants in the discussion and encouraged members of Council and the citizenry to share their suggestions and to continue to work diligently for our youth.

SUBJECT MATTER FROM THE FLOOR

Ben Bowings

Mr. Ben Bowings of 198 Haman Drive addressed action recently taken by Council to change the form of government for the City of Dover. He stated that the use of the veto by Mayor Knopf, relating to the form of government, was an act of deliberate dictatorship. He suggested that those that favored the proposal should resign or remove themselves from the ballot during the next election.

Charlie Weller

Mr. Charlie Weller of 241 Fiddlers Green stated that although he may not have agreed with the recent decision to change the form of government, he was proud that City Council has moved forward with decisions on major items of interest, including the change of government and the decision to sell the municipal parking lot. Relating to the proposal for a strong Mayor form of government, Mr. Weller cautioned members of Council to be extremely careful in their decisions of restructuring the government and the necessary Charter and Code changes to coincide with that decision. He reiterated his feelings that the City is not ready for a full-time, paid Mayor, although he felt that compensation for part-time participation would be fair. He stated that once the change is made for a paid Mayor, we will never be able to change it back to a volunteer position and he urged extreme caution when making long term changes to the Charter.

T. Magoo Dorcy

Mr. T. Magoo Dorcy stated that he agrees with the recent decision by Council to change the form of government.

Rexene Ornauer

Mrs. Rexene Ornauer of 17 Mifflin Road stated her opinion that this meeting should have centered more on suggestions from youth than on adults giving overviews of what is already offered to our youth. She suggested that the Mayor and Council form a foundation, composed of citizens of influence and financial backing, to search for ways to fund the needed facilities at Schutte Park. She specifically suggested erection of a gymnasium and swimming pool. Mrs. Ornauer stated that an aggressive search, by influential citizens, for funding these facilities would be successful.

Mayor Knopf stated that he plans a meeting within the next two weeks to begin discussions on a means of providing a facility that will provide a number of the items discussed. Mayor Knopf stated that he attempted to acquire the former Family Court building for use as a recreational and cultural facility for our youth. Because of the lack of the necessary clout, he was unable to achieve the facility. He assured the public, however, that he intends to continue to pursue this type of program.

Mr. Tudor stated his appreciation to those that spoke tonight, stating that the City of Dover is very fortunate to have such dedicated police officers and citizens. Mr. Tudor suggested that we continue to investigate offering recreational activities that are also educational such as safe boating, wind sailing, swimming, etc. He stated that we have the natural resource of Silver Lake and that we should try to teach our young people safe activities that are also recreational.

Mr. Salters reminded the public that he started the Inner City Cultural League which is a sports program that offers participants an alternative to drugs and juvenile delinquency. Since its inception, the program has been very successful, stating that not one participant has been in trouble or dropped out of school. The program is always in need of volunteers and financial resources and he urged the public to participate as much as possible. Mr. Salters stated, however, that he believes there are many more available programs that we are unaware of and suggested that the news media ask for information from the public on anything they, or their organizations, are doing to help our youth. This would provide us with a full and complete list of all youth oriented programs.

Mr. Hutchison moved for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried.

Meeting Adjourned at 9:00 P.M.

                                                                                    DEBRAH J. BOAMAN

                                                                                    CITY CLERK

                                                                                    AARON O. KNOPF

                                                                                    MAYOR

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