Draft Subcommittee Meeting Minutes for Aug 31st

Beautify CNMI Subcommittee Meeting
Monday, August 31, 2009 - 5:30pm
Whispering Palm School, Navy Hill

“Operation Paint Over --- What do we want to do about/with graffiti in our community?”

Present: Frank Camacho, Angelo Villagomez, Tyler Yoshimoto, Rebekah Yost, Mike Pai, Laurie Peterka

Email/Phone/Other: Ichiro Shirata, Nick Nishikawa, Retta Sue Hamilton, Adam Hardwicke, Jim Arenovski, Victor Barrett, John B. Gonzales

Minutes:
1. August 17th meeting minutes reviewed and adopted.
2. Share ideas (3-mins so we can give everyone a chance and allow time for discussion)
a. Frank Camacho – Neighborhood Watch, Dan Dan
i. Multiple projects – focusing on Dan Dan park
ii. Working with sanitation on issuing citations
iii. Working with zoning on issuing citations
iv. Addressing graffiti in Dan Dan Neighborhood Watch
1. Painting over existing graffiti
2. Putting lighting in to deter vandalism
v. Judge Govendo comments
1. Minors – get parents to paint over damages
2. Community service hours
b. Angelo – anti-graffiti team
i. Couple of teams of people who always have paint in their car and paint over graffiti whenever they see it
ii. Team up with Mayor’s office and/or Neighborhood Watch
3. Report from Victor on Zoning village meetings.
a. Kagman meeting
i. Uneventful – not a big showing
ii. People there didn’t seem to think they have a graffiti issue
iii. Driving through the neighborhood, it doesn’t seem too bad
b. Beach Road meeting
i. People were concerned about graffiti around the hotels
ii. Eye sore for tourists and the community
4. Report from Laurie – email communications:
a. Shirata – will come to next meeting, tied up with work obligations
b. HANMI – Nick Nishikawa and the hotel association, work with Catherine Anderson to conduct a survey via email with the hotels
c. PD’s Office – Adam Hardwicke, will provide a write up on property damage laws (graffiti) here in the CNMI.
d. Crime Stoppers - Jim Arenovski, commercial filming schedule; we can consider adding our message or program to their commercials for about $200-400
e. John B. Gonzales – interested, but not able to make this meeting; thinking about how he can incorporate the issue into one of his weekly shows
f. Neighborhood Watch – Frank B. Camacho, Dan Dan
g. NRCS – last week’s meeting; suggested as a potential project for Resource, Conservation & Development Council (RC&D) to consider; Angelo elaborated on what resources are available
5. Consider next steps:
a. Developing a stakeholder list by village; dividing up the list and begin making contact to bring those people into the discussion (Crime Stoppers, Neighborhood Watch) – ACTION ITEM: Laurie
b. Plan out how to achieve a photo journal of the existing graffiti issues village by village – ACTION ITEM: Tyler
c. Assign one person to attend each of the remaining village-by-village Zoning meetings so that we can inquire about "graffiti" in that village – ACTION ITEM: Victor Barrett, Zoning Office to provide an email with remaining village-by-village meeting schedule so that we can share attendance duties.
d. Bring Eric Atalig, Neighborhood Watch – ACTION ITEM: Frank B. Camacho
6. Next meeting date/time/location
- Monday, Sept 14th, 5:30p, Whispering Palms School at Navy Hill

The principle concept is to follow the Beautify CNMI established style of getting things done. We build a coalition, share resources where we can and support individual(s) and/or group(s) that have an action plan.

Note: Current organizational partners already committed include Rotary Club of Saipan, Island SK8 Society, Crime Stoppers and HANMI.

Obyan Revegetation Announcement

What: Obyan Revegetation Project
Where: the old (blocked off) lower parking area upland from the Japanese bunker at Obyan Beach
When: THIS Saturday, November 10th, 8:00 am
Contact: Kathy Yuknavage, 664-8311, or kathy.yuknavage@crm.gov.mp

CRM in partnership with the DLNR, Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA), and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will be holding a Beautify CNMI! planting event at Obyan beach this Saturday, November 10th. The planting activity will reduce upland erosion at Obyan.

As many beach goers have observed, the coral road leading to Obyan regularly washes out during heavy rains. Stormwater gouges the soil, exposing important archeological artifacts to the elements, and then carries the soil to the shoreline. The soil or “sediment” enters the water reducing visibility for divers, and harms coral by preventing sunlight from nourishing the living organisms within its skeleton. The sediment eventually settles out on the corals’ surface, further stressing the coral reef’s health.

DLNR forestry experts will be teaching volunteers how to use various non-point source (NPS) pollution prevention “Best Management Practices” (BMP) to disperse stormwater run off. The BMPs are part of a comprehensive Conservation Planting Plan for Obyan created by the NRCS. Saturday’s planting event is just the first of many phases contained within the plan. People interested in learning how to implement BMPs, about other phases of the plan, or just wanting to help are invited to join volunteers from MINA, the Boy Scouts of America, and other Beautify CNMI! volunteers this Saturday, 8:00 am, in Obyan’s paved parking area.

Volunteers should bring sturdy work gloves, a hat, and sunscreen. Light refreshments will be provided and a raffle drawing will be held at the end of the event. Two lucky winners will be given (2) water park passes and a buffet lunch at PIC on November 12th, as part of MINA’s fundraising activities. Funds raised through ticket sales will be used to support MINA’s second Teachers’ Environmental Education Camp next summer. If interested, please contact Kathy Yuknavage at kathy.yuknavage@crm.gov.mp for more information.