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Home My WebLink About2010-03-11 ACE MINUTES• • • ALLIANCE FOR COMMERCE IN ENGLEWOOD March 11, 2010 I. CALL TO ORDER l?] The regular meeting of the Alliance for Commerce in Englewood (ACE) was called to order at 11:37 a.m. in the City Council Conference Room of the Englewood Civic Center, Chair Lonborg presiding . Present: Lonborg, McDermott, Vasi las, Schalk, Champion Absent: Sarconi (Espinosa), Calonder Also present: Joe Jefferson, City Council Liaison (e ntere d 11:43 ) Sergeant Contos, Englewood Police Department Impact Team Joel Jose , Englewood Police Department Impact Team Matt Mander, Englewood Police Department Impact Team Chad Read , Englewood Police Department Impact Team Staff present: Alan White, Community Development Director Darren Hollingsworth, Economic Development Coordinator Michael Flaherty, Deputy City Manager (e nte red 11 :42) APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 14, 2010 ltlJ Chair Lonborg stated that the Minutes of January 14, 2010 were to be considered for approval. It was determined there was a quorum. Chair Lonborg asked if there were any changes or adjustments to the Minutes. There were none. McDermott moved: Vasilas seconded: THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 14, 2010 BE _,APPROVED AS WRITIEN. The motion carried unanimously. II. ACE BUSINESS INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS l:@l Chair Lonborg asked that everyone introduce themselves. Mr. Champion stated he is the owner of Anderson 's Vacuum and Colorado Shaver Center. INTRODUCTION OF ENGLEWOOD POLICE IMPACT TEAM l?lJ Sergeant Contos thanked ACE for inviting the team to the ACE meeting and for lunch. He introduced the members of the current team . The new team became fully operational on February 2, 2010. The officers work 7 to 5 Monday through Friday, but if an issue requires them to change their hours they have the abi lity to do so. Back in 1996 there was a po li ce impact team made up of a Sergeant and four officers, just like the current team. That team was disbanded in 2003 due to budget cuts in the City. The members of that team were reassigned back to patrol duty. The police department has been trying to get the 1 • • • team back together since 2003. In early 2009 President Obama signed the Stimulus Grant bill known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of $787 billion. One billion dollars of that money was set aside strictly for law enforcement operations for the purpose of law enforcement agencies to either rehire to get to a staffing level that they could continue to help the community prior to losing staff or to develop programs that would allow police departments to expand their partnerships and community oriented policing projects. The City of Englewood was one of about 7,000 police agencies in the United States that put in for the one billion dollars asking for a total of eight billion dollars. The Englewood Police Department was fortunate to test number one in the State of Colorado based on the grant application. The department was awarded just under $700,000 from the US government which pays for three entry level police officers for a period of three years. As part of the grant the City was required to supplement that $700,000 with enough to fund those officers for a fourth year. The $300,000 was set aside by Council and the department was able to accept the grant. Three officers were hired and several vacant positions were filled, which was another requirement of the grant. The department is now fully staffed at 73 officers. Fifteen officers applied for the four impact team positions. Our uniforms are not the standard police uniforms you are used to seeing. They are different by design so that the team stands out and are very visible in the community. The team's office is located on the main floor of the City's office building next to the library. The team is rarely there; they are out and about either on foot, in cars or on police mountain bikes. The primary mission of the impact team is to (1) develop partnerships with the community, businesses, community groups, and organizations in the community, (2) increase our visibility in the community, (3) work with the community to solve the community's problems and (4) help those individuals, businesses or what have you that have problems that cannot be solved simply by calling an officer and taking care of it in a one or two hour period. The team is divided into two groups so there is always a backup and patrol officers do not have to be called in. Sgt. Contos said the team visits businesses and organizations to make sure they know who they are and what they can do for them. The officers also ask them what is going on in their neighborhood and if there is someth in g that they need help with. If it is not something that is a police matter the team has the ability to put them in contact with someone who can help. He offered to answer any questions ACE might have. Chair Lonborg asked what issues the team has seen. Sgt. Contos said homes with illegal activity (drugs, a number of transients living in a home) and people living in cars along Englewood Parkway are some of the issues that have been dealt with. Chair Lonborg asked what ACE can do as area businesses to help. Sgt. Contos said communication is the biggest thing. Let the team know if there is a problem. Call 911 if an emergency or the non-emergency number if not an emergency. The dispatcher will contact the appropriate party. The impact team can be contacted through their website through the police department on the City's web page, email address at policeimpact@englewoodgov.org, through the recorded message line at 303-762-2498 . Messages are checked every morning. You can also call police dispatch or stop any officer on the street and ask them how to contact an impact officer. 2 • • • Sgt. Contos said so far an impact officer has v isited all the stores in the 3300 and 3400 b locks of South Broadway. Othe r marketing efforts have been through the Englewood Citizen newsletter, Engl ewood Hera ld, Channel 9 News, Englewood ed iti on of Yo ur Hub, the Denver Post, and CNN ran a story on the team. Chair Lonborg thanked the impact team for their presentation . 11:58 ADJOURNED TO COMMUNITY ROOM FOR SOUTH BROADWAY POST OFFICE HISTORIC DESIGNATION MEETING 12:51 RECONVENED WITH ALL MEMBERS OF ACE PREVIOUSLY IN ATIENDANCE MURAL DISCUSSION ~ The mural discussion was tabled until the April meeting. ELECTION OF OFFICERS ~ Vasi las moved: McDermott seconded: Ms. Lonborg be nominated to serve as Chair and Ms. Sarconi be nominated to serve as V ice Chair The motion car ri ed unanimously . Ill. COMMENTS & EVENTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE t?lJ Ms. Mello passed around a copy of the Englewood Dining Guide that w ill be go in g to p rint on Friday. There wi ll be an After Hours at the cosmeto logy schoo l o n Tuesday, March 16th from 5 pm to 7 pm. She invited everyo n e to attend. The hat gala wi ll be held on March 30th from 6 pm to 9 pm . The cost i s $40; details are on the Chamber web site . Chair Lonborg sa id it is a pr ivilege to hand o ut the Dining Guide and maps of Englewood that the Chamber has designed . They show professiona lism in material. BID COMMENTS ~ Mr. Vas il as said ads shou ld start appearing on TV the first of April. The BID has a contract with Comcast. The BID discussed sponsoring a big event in 2011; like a music and be e r fest ival. They will b e workin g with an event coordinator. Overall the BID is moving in the r i ght direction . ACE MEMBERS l:?lJ Chair Lonborg noted that Ms. Espinosa was recent ly married . Her married name is Sarconi. 3 • • • Mr . Schalk stated he would like to see all ACE meetings scheduled for this year held with no breaks . Mr . Vasilas welcomed Mr. Champion to ACE. He said he will be an asset to the group . STAFF COMMENTS ~ Staff had nothing further to report. No further business was brought forth for consideration. The meeting was adjourned at 1 :00 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for April 8, 2010 . 4