2010-02-22 Regular City Council Agenda

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on the street after school but it was not clear if these youths were U City residents. He said that a non-profit can relieve the City of liabilities and financial strain, allowing the freedom to work on homes plus hire at-risk youth under age 16. A non-profit can advertise and generate private funding. He is asking Council for an opportunity to work with the City to get ideas and resources in place to start a small operation that works for U City. Mr. Davoli said to put politics aside and fund youth and senior programs outside of the government and free up more funding for infrastructure, as fire and police. Rod Jennings, 1306 Mt. Olive Mr. Jennings spoke of the Martin Luther King celebration on January 17. He noted that it was sad that many did not attend. Next he thank Mr. Price for something he believed in, our children. Mr. Jennings stated it was a hard fought battle and Mr. Price studied the issues, gathered the facts and has taken much heat for the program that will give young people of all races an opportunity to learn a work. He said the program was open to all students regardless of color or class but stressed that the student has to be a good student, not a trouble maker student, but rather steer the good student away from trouble. Mr. Jennings noted the young people should pay attention as history was being made here tonight referring to the fact that a man in an earlier meeting said you did not want to work. He said that is a very suttle form of racism that the young people must overcome. Mr. Jennings encouraged the youth to step up and when they come before the Council they should speak like they have been the beneficiary of a good education. He said that when they come up to speak they should represent Martin Luther King, Byron Price and himself. Mr. Jennings told the young men to pull up their pants and make it look like they have some sense. He would like the youth to make their mark with intelligent conversation, with good work and a socially acceptable appearance. He said he wanted to leave them with words given to him from Cecelia Nadal the mother of the Honorable Maria Chapelle-Nadal, “a young person, especially a young minority, must be beyond approach because society is looking to ways the exclude us.” Do your absolutely best young people and the best will come back to you? Lastly Mr. Jennings wanted to report that the Brittany Woods Robotic Team is still working on the logo and advertising for UHelpU program. He met with the University City Trend volunteer group are mobilized and ready to distribute material and solicit corporate sponsors and donors for UHelpU. They also came out with the idea of a ceremony and a press conference for the roll out of UHelpU. Mr. Jennings stated that as of today they have collected $37 and a report of where the money came from and wanted to give this to the City Manager tonight. Gregory Pace, 7171 Westmoreland Mr. Pace was present to speak on the fire dispatch outsourcing. He wanted to re- emphasize a couple of points. He said that University City is a primary call center and North Central is a secondary call center so now and in the future all calls must come into the City’s call center, be answered ascertain that it is a fire EMS call and then transfer to North Central. This creates a time delay in dispatch. His second point was the City dispatchers knew the City’s streets. Finally he said it was noted by the Chief that North Central has the ability to pinpoint the location of cell phone users but Mr. Pace said the City’s dispatchers also had that ability. He said it was clear to him from reviewing the minutes that this was not properly studied. He said there were several options: going with North Central which is a fine organization, joining IGA set up in 2001 set up by neighbors of Webster Groves, Shrewsbury, Maplewood, Richmond Heights and Clayton for dispatching. Mr. Pace noted he could no record that U City communicated with them 10