The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCLD-003-12 Clar*wn REPORT MUNICIPAL CLERK'S DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: January 23, 2012 Resolution#: f° -/ By-law#: Report#: CLD-003-12 File#: Subject: LOCAL LOOK BACK PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report CLD-003-12 be received; 2. THAT the Municipality of Clarington endorse the Local Look Back Project in principle only; and 3. THAT all interested parties listed in CLD-003-12 be advised of Council's decision. Submitted by: Reviewed by: 6 Franklin Wu, Municipal Clerk Chief Administrative Officer PIb CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 REPORT NO.: CLD-003-12 PAGE 2 1. BACKGROUND At the Council meeting of December 19, 2011, Council referred correspondence and a delegation from Rosemary McConkey regarding the Local Look Back Project to staff to report back in January 2012. The Local Look Back Project is being advertised as an opportunity for young people to connect with members of their municipal government and share a local look back at how their communities have evolved. The competition would be open to grade 7 and 8 students in Durham Region, who would be invited to write a 500 word essay/speech describing the origins of their school and what their community was like at the time their school was built. The essay submission deadline would be May 1, 2012. 2. MUNICIPAL INVOLVEMENT At the time of Ms. McConkey's first contact with the Municipality, her requet to Members of Council was to meet with the selected students and their families in Clarington Council Chambers sometime in May, at a date and time Council decides, and listen to their speeches and provide the winning student with an award (which could be perhaps a one-year free family members to a Clarington community centre). On January 5, 2012, Ms. McConkey forwarded an email outlining the following specific request of Council: 1. A commitment to host a Clarington Local Look Back event finale in Clarington Council Chambers sometime in May, 2012; 2. Name the date and time in May decided on by Council members for the Clarington Local Look Back event finale and post it on the Municipality's website with details about the essay/speech competition; 3. Name one or two Council members as the `point to' person(s) for the Clarington Local Look Back project who will respond to media questions/interviews and emcee the event finale; 4. Decide how many Members of Council will be involved in the Clarington Local Look Back event finale in May, i.e. whether all Members of Council will be participating, or a minimum of three Council members, who will listen to and help adjudicate the student speeches; 5. Decide on the number of student speeches to be presented in total; 6. Prepare and issue a predetermined number of `Clarington Certificates of Participation' to present to representatives of the top participating schools at the May event; REPORT NO.: CLD-003-12 PAGE 3 7. Determine the prize to be awarded to the student who has presented the best essay/speech overall (example: a one year family membership at one of Clarington's community centres). Prizes will vary between Durham municipalities. Each municipality will promote the prize it will be awarding the competition winner on its website and in any media releases and flyers distributed to the schools and/or libraries. The decision about naming the winner will be reserved, and the winner's name will be made public a short time following the May event finale (and possibly be invited to repeat their speech to Durham Region Council in June), although the top participating schools may be recognized at the May event finale as in paragraph 6 above (that is, those schools that submitted the greatest number of high quality essays). Selection of the overall winning student will be made by a minimum of three Members of Council who listened to the speeches and any other adjudicator(s) Council may want to involve in the judging. 8. After the May 1 st submission deadline, issue formal invitations with RSVP requests to the May event finale in Clarington's Council Chambers to the students who have been selected to represent their school and include invitations to the selected student's families, teachers and principal, local school board superintendents/trustees as well as issue a Media Release in advance; 9. Encourage any interested local heritage/library/community groups to assist in whatever capacity Clarington Council may consider beneficial, ie, displays of local heritage memorabilia and/or offering refreshments; and 10.Design and print flyers that incorporate Clarington's logo and other information specific to Clarington (such as the prize being awarded, the Municipality's address and event finale date) into the standard flyer format. 3. PROJECT SUPPORT In order to garner support for her project, Ms. McConkey has contacted each of the area municipalities and each school board. As of the writing of this report, the following are the responses received: City of Oshawa — Endorsed in principle only Town of Whitby— The Operations Committee referred the request to staff for review. Committee had concerns with the time commitment for staff and Council, and felt that the speeches should be at the schools and it should be a school driven process. REPORT NO.: CLD-003-12 PAGE 4 Town of Ajax — Staff are recommending that the Town provide limited support for this year only, as follows: 1. Having at least three Council members attend an evening of speeches that will last no more than two hours, presenting participation certificates and selecting a winner. If sufficient Council members are unable to volunteer, a suitable panel will be made up of members of the Heritage Advisory Committee, prominent citizens familiar with the Town's history, etc.; 2. The Town will modify the flyer to make it Ajax-specific and provide 150 copies for distribution to the schools and posted in Town and other public facilities, on their website, etc.; 3. The Town will compile an invite list and send out invites for the final speaking event; and 4. The Town will determine an appropriate prize for the winner. City of Pickering — Council asked to have correspondence brought back with detailed information on how the project would work. The correspondence will be presented at the January 23rd meeting. Township of Uxbridge — Hoping that Ms. McConkey will make a deputation regarding the project. Township of Brock— Council supports the concept by way of hosting the awards but Ms. McConkey's requests are to be referred back to her for implementation. Region of Durham — Rosemary McConkey appeared as a delegation at the Health & Social Services Committee meeting of November 24, 2011 and then to the December 14, 2011 Regional Council meeting. Questions were asked of the delegation, but no further action was taken. Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board — Forwarding the information to the individual schools and letting each school decide if they wish to take part. Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board — Will not be participating in the project. Durham District School Board — Support of the project as it has a literacy focus. Durham Catholic District School Board — Support of the project, ie, circulating flyers through their courier system. 4. CONCURRENCE - Not applicable REPORT NO.: CLD-003-12 PAGE 5 5. CONCLUSION Given the amount of time and resources required to implement the project which is not one of the Municipality's core functions, the fact that no funds have been allocated in the 2012 budget and the fact that the school boards with jurisdiction within the Municipality (the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board) have not fully endorsed the project, it is recommended that the Municipality of Clarington support the project in principle, but not participate in the project this year. CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN — Not Applicable Staff Contact: Patti Barrie, Municipal Clerk List of interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: Rosemary McConkey