Monday, October 1, 2012

Minutes of the September 6, 2012 Outreach Committee



MINUTES

FOR THE PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMITTEE MEETING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
IRONHOUSE SANITARY DISTRICT


DATE OF MEETING:       Thursday, September 6, 2012

DATE OF MINUTES:       Thursday, September 7, 2012



 A.     Public Comments – there were no comments from the public.


 B.      Planning of Future and Ongoing District Public Outreach Efforts
 
1. Outreach school education discussion—including school tours of
facility Oct. 22- Oct. 31 and high school program
School Tour program dates are set for Oct. 22 to Oct. 31, 2012. The committee is setting up a list of rules and guidelines and a flier to go out to schools letting them know that tours will able available on these days.

The committee suggested getting some information from local school teachers about what they would like to see in a program. We have a few teachers who asked for a tour at the Cityhood Celebration and decided to contact them and ask what they would like their students to learn about.

The event will include dividing a class in two so that students can fit on the hayride. The hayride will feature a drive around the Water Recycling Facility and with a stop off at the aeration basin building. A short walk up the stairs and around the basins and then down to the front of the UV building. Then back on the hayride to the main office.

The second set of students will be set up on the lawn outside of the west side lawn by the main office. In this area will be instruction on how dirty water gets to ISD. The difference between the sewer pipes and the storm drains, as well as how ISD recycles water to use on Jersey Island. There will be separate area when the microscope will be set up and the students will have a chance to see the bacteria. A display with the dirty water in various stages of cleaning and a language arts game where students will pick a bunch of words relating to water recycling or keeping water clean for the delta and then create a two line poem that can be shared with the class.

The tours are done in the morning. Schools who would like to, can picnic their lunch on the ISD lawn and then take the bus back to school. If there happens to be a lot of demand a new class can start while the other students are eating providing the weather is good. 

The committee is look into purchasing erasers or pencils for the students to have something “cool” to take home with them.

Next meeting discussion will include what kind of materials to give to the teachers that they can use to teach sewer science. Also, checking into putting material on a memory stick to take back to the classroom with them.


2.  Open House Oct. 27, 2012 – Set up, food, pumpkins and children’s activities.
     Oct. 27th event discussed. Canopy sample photos were shown and committee discussed the option of purchasing a canopy rather than renting. Checking to see if there is a larger size and the cost difference. Asking staff which budget the canopy purchase would come out of.

     Food for the event was discussed. The Oakley Chamber and the Oakley-Delta Lions Club are bidding on the event. The Lions Club would like to suggest chicken as an alternative to hamburgers because the cost of chopped beef is high right now. They are going to work out a cost for both and send it in.

Decided expected attendance would be 200-300 people based on last year’s grand opening and the invites for the District’s annual holiday open house, since the intention is to combine both events.
    

3. Pollution Prevention Day Sept. 22—Grease Drop-off Day
The Outreach Committee received an invitation to a Freedom High School event for this same day as ISD Grease Drop-Off Pollution Prevention Day. The committee asked to find out if we can have a staff person put together the Grease Drop-off Day while Roni Gehlke attends to the Freedom High School event. The Freedom event includes setting up a table that will show ISD’s support of a new ecology program at the high school. The Grease Drop-Off program will include setting up a covered area and table, as well as the bringing over the blue grease bin to the dirt lot by the east entrance of the ISD main building. Then take in grease containers from the public and fill the blue container. Trade grease containers with information on ISD’s pollution prevention programs, which will be supplied by the Outreach Committee. ISD’s event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

 C.      Discussion on future items for Outreach Committee meetings
          **ISD Board member Mr. Contreras ask to work on bringing a computer with internet access or Wi-Fi into the conference room for committees to use to gather information when needed.

          **The District was contacted by a Brentwood Afterschool Program who will be working on a cleanup project outside of the District fences along Marsh Creek about sponsoring T-shirts. The cost is $325 to sponsor 30 shirts or $600 to sponsor 60 shirts. The Outreach Committee worried about the idea of sponsoring shirts for an outside of ISD’s boundaries and offered the suggestion of making special safety vests with ISD’s logo that could be borrowed by groups that do projects like this. The vest could be returned after use, and borrowed again in the future by other groups. These vests offer an easy visible way for groups for see all of their children.

          **More recycling grocery bags with ISD logos on them. These bags are very popular. The Outreach Committee had hoped to have enough to last the year, but worry, because of other activities coming up, there are not enough. The committee also would like to see some of the P2 messages written on the bags instead of just a big logo.

          **Oakley Harvest Festival. The City is hosting a Harvest Festival on Oct. 20 and the committee discussed hosting a booth at the event. The main reason would be to promote not only the P2 programs, but also the upcoming open house. Committee instructed looking into price of space and staff availability as the event is just one week before ISD’s open house event.

          **ISD Insider Newsletter. The Outreach Committee is concerned about the procedure the committee takes in editing the newsletter. They suggested a procedural form be developed and agreed upon. The form would include a sign off on the top of the completed mock up of the newsletter signed off by the committee members, ISD General Manager Tom Williams and any other party deemed necessary for each individual newsletter. A procedural form will be showed at the next meeting.

 D.     Adjournment


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