HomeMy WebLinkAboutYouth Commission Minutes 021022CITY OF GALESBURG
Parks and Recreation Department
Operating Under Council – Manager Government Since 1957
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Youth Commission Minutes, February 10, 2022
City Hall, Galesburg, Illinois
Meeting was called to order by Joy Bososa-Nzumba at 4:30 P.M.
Roll Call: Present: Members: Courtney Wallace, Jennifer Foubert, Brother Shabazz, Paula
Johnson, Deion Crider, Precious Dortch, Eciel Burns, Chantiara Jackson, Joy
Basosa-Nzumba and Director of Parks & Recreation-Tony Oligney-Estill
Absent: Mia Haneghan and Zakary Warfield
Minutes: Minutes from the January 13, 2022 meeting were approved.
Recreation Division Report:
• Director Oligney-Estill informed the committee that the Recreation Division hosted the I-
74 Girls’ Basketball tournament for grades 3-6 on February 5th and 6th and the I-74 Boys’
Tournament for grades 3-6 on February 12th and 13th. Director Oligney-Estill also
reported that he met with a gentleman that was interested in creating more opportunities
for disc golf and providing more awareness of this sport. The final item of the report was
a sled library was added to Kiwanis Park.
Old Business:
• A reminder was made that all the Commissioners needed to complete the Open Meetings
Act on-line training. People are working on creating a space where all the students on the
Youth Commission can do this training together.
• Churchill surveys are still being collected. The students working on this project hope to
have all the surveys collected by the end of February. Commissioner Burns has
volunteered to tabulate the survey results. Students are working on getting this survey out
to students in the elementary schools as well.
• Commissioner Wallace asked the Commissioners if they would be interesting in helping
organize an event for Dale Kelley to honor a couple students by providing a scholarship
to them. The Commission thought this would be a good service project to work on. The
Commissioners also decided to adopt HT Custer Park as part of the City’s Adopt a Park
Program. The Commission also approved scheduling park clean up days during the
summer at various parks around Galesburg. The Commission will work with the
Recreation Division to try and jointly schedule the park clean up in conjunction with the
Mobile Playground schedule. Director Oligney-Estill said he would get the Mobile
Playground schedule to the Commission once it is finalized.
• Director Oligney-Estill reminded the student Commissioners that they needed to
complete their W-9 forms in order to get paid for attending the meetings.
New Business:
• Joy Basosa-Nzumba and Precious Dortch talked about the City meetings they attended.
Information pertinent to the Youth Commission surrounded a recreation facility of some
CITY OF GALESBURG
Parks and Recreation Department
Operating Under Council – Manager Government Since 1957
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kind or the possibility of the City acquiring Churchill Junior High School and what to do
with Hawthorne Pool as it needs $2.3 million in maintenance.
• The Commission has appointed Eciel Burns to attend the February 21st City Council
Meeting, Chantiara Jackson to attend the February 28th Work Session and Eciel Burns to
attend the March 7th City Council Meeting.
• By Ordinance, the Youth Commission is required to present City Council with a written
report each month. Commissioner Shabazz has volunteered to write the report that will
cover January and February 2022. Commissioner Dortch as agreed to present the report
to the City Council.
• The Commission talked about the requirement in the Ordinance to come up with
programs. The Commission talked about whether it wanted to create and execute
programs or come up with program ideas for the youth in Galesburg and then try and
partner with other groups and organizations to put them on. No final decision was made
although the Commission was leaning to partnering with other organizations.
• Director Oligney-Estill reminded the Commissioners the importance of communication
and responding to emails as well as being accountable to the Commission and the people
they represent when they volunteer to do a task or be somewhere as a representative of
the Youth Commission.
• The Commissioners discussed the Churchill building and their thoughts on what they
would like to see happen to the building if the City acquired it. The consensus was it
depended on the person. All of the students in attendance new other youth that would
come to Churchill if there were programs that interested them regardless of what the
building looked like. They also all knew students that would not come to Churchill unless
it looked different and not like a school.
Citizen Comments:
• Molly Miller talked about her idea to create a recreation facility in-between Hawthorne
Pool and Hawthorne Gym.
Meeting adjourned at 5:40 P.M.
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Tony Oligney-Estill, Director of Parks and Recreation