public meeting -
01/14/2015
Tri-County LTR Public Meeting Minutes
January 14, 2015
The public meeting of Tri-County Long Term Recovery was called to order at 3:02 p.m. by Vice Chairman Jennifer M. Orban. In attendance were John Bates, Terry Bibo, April Crotts, Ben Davidson, Jessica Dillon, Kevin Gramm, Tricia O'Neal, Jennifer Orban, Liz Pollack, Tom Pelger, Walter Wilkins, Kitty Yanko.
November minutes: Gramm made a motion to accept, seconded by Pelger, and the minutes were approved. There was no public meeting in December.
Treasurer: As of Jan. 12, Gramm said, LTR has a balance of $364,508.10, plus a checking account balance of $5,805.65.
Spirit/emotional: O'Neal said the committee met Jan. 13. Wilkins said they are creating a strategy for the upcoming year. They want to spread more information from the ˜Don't let one disaster become another' campaign, possibly using flyers or radio/TV ads. There are some federal funds. United Way is helping to provide weather radios which will be offered to Washington businesses along with campaign materials, in hope the businesses will display materials for their customers. In the future, there will be community-wide educational efforts to help people recognize when someone is having a problem. Youth mental health training will be offered and there is a possibility of a critical incident de-briefing team, if funding becomes available. The team would supplement what the Red Cross does.
Communications: Bibo said both November and December were outliers for LTR media contacts. In November, there was huge interest because of the one-year anniversary of the tornadoes. In December, there was a lull because of the anniversary aftermath and the holidays. However, there was good coverage of the Holiday Open House and some follow-up. As always, visit Facebook, suggest story ideas. In particular, the focus is turning to gathering lessons learned and preparing for future crises, which will be reflected on the website. There were a couple of positive comments about the website's evolving content.
Donations: Dillon said $22,000 was donated in December.
Volunteer Management: Davidson said the volunteer front has been pretty quiet. Nov. 15 was the last work day for the year and there were not a lot of jobs to do. The volunteer lines have gone dormant and there are no plans for spring yet. He said Bethany Baptist Church in Peoria, which planted his own Bethany Baptist Church in Washington, is offering and preparing to lead volunteer management should there be a disaster in Peoria County.
Disaster Case Management: There are 1,014 cases; 298 open and 716 closed. All cases are assigned. Efforts are underway to review cases and re-open them as necessary. A new case manager, Janet Pritchard, has begun work through the Salvation Army. Pelger noted the success of the Funder's Forum, which pledged about $200,000 in 45 minutes at its meeting the previous week. Orban agreed it has been very successful. Pollack said everything done to help meet clients' needs is appreciated.
Pets: Yanko said there was a meeting with the Illinois Department of Agriculture before the holidays. The Ag department may host the proposed emergency trailer for pets. Each county which uses the trailer would be responsible for staffing and restocking the trailer.
Construction Management: Lu Ori, formerly of River City Construction, has been helping on an as-needed basis. Pollack said his help has been œawesome and it's especially important to be able to determine if damage is tornado-related.
Funder's Forum: Orban said the forum is working well. There are lots of funders and case managers devised a well-designed form for them to review cases and make decisions. Pelger added that there are more funders all the time. Crotts said she has been told the process is moving faster and more cases are being heard. Crotts asked if there were 50 cases in January; Pollack said there were 57.
Soil Remediation: A press release was sent about Funder's Forum efforts to address soil remediation cases. Orban said LTR works in stages and communicates in an effort to be as transparent as possible. Each case is looked at individually; each funder decides individually. Using this format, she said, progress is being made. Roughly $150,000 was pledged to meet soil remediation needs in January. Soil is a big issue and the full scope remains unknown. Bibo noted insurers have been unclear about how soil issues will be handled, which has slowed the process.
Other business: Planning for the future is the next priority, Orban said. An ad hoc committee is being formed to collect information as LTR prepares to go dormant. The committee will review what has worked and what could be done to make things work better.
Open forum: Crotts discussed her own efforts to prod insurance companies into covering soil remediation needs for people affected by the tornadoes. Six months ago, she said, it became clear that some insurance money might be available when policy limits had not been reached. She said an entity is needed to put everything into writing, including Environmental Protection Agency recommendations about removing the top three to five inches of soil. A letter would help residents to reverse decisions so insurance policies would pay more. She noted there are a dozen untouched properties and she is working with state Rep. Mike Unes to address their needs.
She also said there was confusion about how LTR would handle soil remediation needs. People were told the issue was on hold, or that nothing would be done until spring.
Pollack clarified: LTR never refused to take paperwork. Some cases were held from the Funder's Forum until recently as the process evolved. People can come back multiple times as new resources become available.
Crotts said perhaps people confuse LTR with the Washington Rotary, and the process œhas gotten exponentially better.
Orban said communication is a priority; Pollack suggested anyone with questions call the LTR office to get good, current information. Crotts said things are getting better, but œcommunity myths remain.
Wilkins said it is an emotional issue.
Community LTR meeting: 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at the LTR Center.
The meeting adjourned at 3:58 p.m.