steering committee meeting -
04/01/2015

Tri-County LTR Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

April 1, 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, Kevin Gramm, Jennifer M. Orban, Tricia O'Neal, Lu Ori, Tom Pelger, Alyssa Pollock, Jeff Turnbull, Amber Wells, Kitty Yanko.

March minutes: Approved.

Chairman's report: In response to a question posed at the last steering committee meeting, Fassino clarified LTR insurance issues. He said there is liability coverage, but it would not cover someone injured while volunteering. That would be up to the organization sponsoring the volunteer or personal insurance. LTR itself has no funds, he said, and the money at the Community Foundation of Central Illinois is dedicated to specific purposes. In order to sue LTR, willful wrongdoing would have to be proved, which is a difficult standard.

He also thanked everyone for help during the transition in case management, particularly Pelger, Clausell and Pollock. Some efficiencies have been worked out and communication has stepped up. Alemzadeh brought donuts so the caseworkers could join the steering committee after the meeting.

Vice chairman: Orban said there is not much to report, other than the next community meeting on May 13. But she did point out all the work Turnbull and Friendship House have done in writing checks on behalf of Funder's Forum members. Fassino said LTR will pay Friendship House $500 a month for its services, which is far less than LTR would have to pay for an outside firm. Turnbull said the workload is a testament to LTR's success; there were 56 checks to be written just for the morning's Funder's Forum. Wells said she will be writing people to let them know who the funders are; Turnbull said it was a lesson learned after the last few months -- enclose a card to explain the funding.

Spirit/emotional: O'Neal said the committee is scheduling its next meeting. Corey Campbell had an interview with WEEK Channel 25 about the emotional effects of the storm for a story which will be broadcast later in the spring.

Communications: Epstein said the WEEK story should be timely. He outlined a story by Mark Roberts, which will run in the May issue of InterBusiness Issues. It gives a synopsis of how the Funder's Forum works. He said the Journal Star had a couple of stories related to LTR issues; more will probably be coming in the spring. Information is being obtained for LTR shutdown, which will be condensed for future use, most likely in the form of bullet points. One issue to consider is where those materials will be stored, whether in hard copies or online. Fassino said that leads back to the Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) discussion, which may be a way to house the dormant LTR. Pollock suggested copies of the LTR materials could be left with a COAD chair.

Donations: No report.

Volunteer Management: Davidson continues to be excited about the COAD idea and said the most recent meeting shows promise. The volunteer hotline is open to minimal activity, about eight phone calls so far. Volunteers are needed for the tree planting day April 24, which requires 40 to 50 people.

Disaster Case Management: Pollock said much of the past couple of weeks has been spent on transition, but there have been walk-in clients, as well. More people have heard about soil remediation possibilities. There are 148 open cases and 887 closed cases for a total of 1,035 cases. She said a meeting will be held April 6 to discuss future needs; staffing will probably be scaled back by summer. Fassino said different funding sources are ending, as Liz Pollack's funding did. Pelger said they know where funds are wrapping up and they're getting a grasp of the need. Capt. Clausell said The Salvation Army lost one case worker in the transition and is determining whether or not they need to hire another. She said the Funder's Forum information didn't always include Salvation Army assistance which wasn't in CANS; they're finding a way to get that data added.

Fassino said processes and procedures have been reevaluated. Epstein said the executive committee met with case managers to make the best use of their skill set. Overall, Epstein said, it was very positive because œthey're what makes it happen. Fassino said he had been concerned about a 90-day lag in feedback, but it turned out no complaints went unaddressed. œWe're in a better place, Fassino said.

Pets: Yanko said she has identified lead agencies to participate in Woodford and Tazewell counties if there is another disaster. Their representatives will not attend regular meetings, but will be available. She is keeping in touch with the Illinois Department of Agriculture about the potential emergency trailer for pets, but has not heard anything yet. She was told the office has used all the gift cards from Petco and will see if she can get more.

Funder's Forum: Fassino said the Jewish Federation of Peoria was not at the Funder's Forum in March or April. He wonders if the bigger concerns have dampened the smaller funders. Capt. Clausell said the commitment letters will be helpful. She wondered if there should be a time frame set for the use of funds, since others may be able to use the money now. Fassino emphasized that this is not LTR money.

Construction Management: Ori is working with Alemzadeh and Wells to give an idea of how cases should look. He described his own invention of priorities from P1 (base) to P3 (sod), with estimates and guidelines. Alemzadeh said it helps a lot.

Finance: Gramm said there is $10,075.87 in checking. Before the April forum, LTR had given $261,457.31 in grants, leaving a balance of $305,500.33.

Soil remediation: Alemzadeh said there was a large case in the morning's Funder's Forum, but most people concentrate on parts of their yard. Soil remediation concerns could go to next winter with these bits and pieces, and cases are getting more complex.

COAD/VOAD: According to Pollock, Adams County Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) representative Emily Robbearts talked about their best practices when the group met March 25. She said there were subcommittees set up, in part to get bylaws, and more members are needed. After the subcommittees meet and review their findings, another meeting will be set, probably at the end of May.

Other business: Wells said everyone has been good to work with during the transition. Pollock said there is a possibility of a self-care workshop and offered a fact sheet. O'Neal said she wasn't sure what the turnout for such a workshop might be, and wondered if continuing education credit would be available. Davidson reiterated his enthusiasm for the COAD format. Turnbull noted that the RSVP program which ended in February 2014 will start up again on July 1, and could be part of the COAD/VOAD format.

Community meeting: Orban will chair the next public meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at the LTR Center. Fassino said the goal of the meeting is to give the public a look at LTR, not hold internal reviews. If there are any concerns or suggestions about something which isn't working, they should be brought up immediately and addressed, rather than wait for a meeting.

Funder's Forum meeting: 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the LTR Center.

Steering Committee Meeting: 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the LTR Center.

The meeting adjourned at 9:50 a.m.