steering committee meeting -
03/04/2015

Tri-County LTR Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

March 4, 2015

The Steering Committee meeting of Tri-County Long Term Recovery was called to order at 9:04 a.m. by Chairman Jim Fassino. In attendance were Darius Alemzadeh, Terry Bibo, Capt. Katherine Clausell, Ben Davidson, Shelley Epstein, Fassino, Sondra Hayes, Jennifer M. Orban, Trish O'Neal, Lu Ori, Liz Pollack, Tom Pelger, Mark Roberts, Amber Wells, Kitty Yanko.

February minutes: Approved.

Chairman's report: Fassino said there has been a great deal of work involved in issuing checks for the Funder's Forum. It might be a good idea to make a contribution to Peoria Friendship House to offset expenses, especially since LTR would have had to hire someone to serve that function. He said the meeting to explore the Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) concept in anticipation of shutdown was fruitful; a speaker will offer more information at a follow-up meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at the LTR Center. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.

Vice chairman: Orban met with the Washington Illinois Area Foundation board. She said they were complimentary of the LTR process and increased their commitment.

Spirit/emotional: O'Neal said a scheduled meeting of the committee was cancelled because of bad weather. She said they continue to work on œDon't Let One Disaster Become Another materials. She will send out examples.

Communications: Epstein said a recent Journal Star story on tree planting will be helpful. Both InterBusiness Issues and Healthy Cells magazine would like additional stories. IBI already is planning on a piece from LTR for its not-for-profit issue in May; Healthy Cells is open to a story any time. The Facebook page is moving along; myltr.org is up and more efficient. He urged committee heads to continue to provide meeting minutes, which can be incorporated into bullet points/suggestions list for future LTRs.

Donations: Roberts said the ball is in The McCormick Foundation's court as far as follow-up reports on last year's $500,000 grant. He expects the next report will be more data-driven. Fassino asked what resources are available if there is a flood locally once all the snow melts. Roberts said most of the funds were specifically donated for tornado relief. About $10,000 might be available for other needs. Pelger asked if unused funds would have to be sent back to McCormick. Roberts said he is discussing what's possible. Some funds may be used to reimburse local groups for their out-of-pocket costs.

Volunteer Management: Davidson said he is excited about the COAD idea, and the Washington Ministerial Association was stoked at his description of it.

Volunteer efforts remain dormant, but the volunteer hotline will reopen March 16. Epstein said a press release could be sent out when the hotline is up and running. Davidson has decided to stick with tasks which require unskilled labor, as opposed to construction expertise. He cited a volunteer-built deck which fell apart as an example of what can go wrong.

Jon Oliphant of the City of Washington has asked for help with tree-planting on April 24. Roberts asked about the Eureka program for trees. Pollack said LTR clients have used that program, which is limited to one good-sized tree per client, and it has been helpful.

Disaster Case Management: Hayes said there are 147 open cases and 871 closed. Twenty-seven cases were closed last week; two new were opened. A meeting on program transition and staffing will be held March 9.

Mostly housing-related needs remain, along with some transportation and some mental health issues. Seven of 17 significant insurance shortfall cases have not been presented to Funder's Forum yet. Others may have additional needs because there are multiple pieces to the cases.

Wells said the shortfall cases are large, perhaps $30,000 to $50,000 each. Alemzadeh said he is catching up on documentation. He offered a dashboard visual breakdown of statistics which depicts the needs in more detailed categories.

Roberts asked if there was a timeline; Alemzadeh said soon.

Fassino said it might be good to meet with Washington Illinois Area Foundation and Washington Rotary about these bigger needs. Roberts said it's a blessing for the homeowners to get any funds, but it would be good to get a handle on it.

Pelger said he thought breaking down the cases into increments was helpful for funders. Orban said she thinks funders are looking at the pool of funds they have left. Alemzadeh said additional documentation could help funders distinguish between hardship and reimbursement.

There was discussion about assessing the range of needs and the reasons to convey that range to funders.

Pets: Yanko said she is closer to identifying point people to participate in Woodford and Tazewell counties if there is another disaster. They may not attend regular meetings, but would be available, and she would like help determining which meetings are vital.

Funder's Forum:. Fassino said LTR will begin sending letters to clients which confirm the details of their funding. He thinks it is critical the clients realize this is not just LTR. That said, the process seems to be going well. He was disappointed there were pockets of not giving during the morning's forum. Wells said there is additional information about vulnerabilities which could add emotional appeal. Pelger said churches may be getting to the bottom of the barrel for their funding. Epstein said he was surprised at the funders' low interest in soil problems; Roberts said it may be affected by the œbig four funders who contribute most to those cases. There was discussion about offering more detail on individual stories. It was agreed those details are best handled by Pollack as she gives the overview.

Construction Management: Fassino noted Ori's help is valued and makes a big difference to funders' evaluations. A case in point involved damage denied by insurance, although clearly related to the tornado, according to Ori.

Finance: Roberts said LTR treasurer Kevin Gramm told him the checking balance is $75.87; funds are being transferred to increase that amount. As of March 2, $241,000 had been granted through LTR, with an additional $39,000 pledged at the March 4 Funder's Forum. The current balance is $296,000.

Soil remediation: Although she had to leave before the steering committee, Barb Slagel said people are contacting tornadolawns@ gmail.com for more information. She expects the numbers will increase dramatically when spring weather arrives.

Other business: Fassino said Washington City Manager Tim Gleason is leaving for a job in Decatur, adding that he had been great to work with. Most LTR cases seem to involve Washington. Fassino said there has been little recent interest from the mayors of East Peoria or Pekin, but he would be glad to check. LTR shutdown, and a possible celebration, are tentatively slated for the second anniversary of the tornado next November. Pelger said the office itself may be down to a skeleton staff by midsummer, but it's the most difficult cases which remain.

Community meeting: Orban will chair the next public meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at the LTR Center.

Funder's Forum meeting: 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, at the LTR Center.

Steering Committee Meeting: 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, at the LTR Center.

The meeting adjourned at 8:50 a.m.