HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/5/2023 - Meeting Minutes MINUTES FOR THE
Sister Cities ADVISORY BOARD
July Sth, 2023
5:00 PM- 7:00 PM
City County Building- Cannon Room
1. Roll Call: The following members of the Sister Cities Advisory Board were present:
• John Wilson
• Ricardo Beccera
• Joe Zeidner
• Nicole Pessetto
• Mattie Mortensen
• Annie Quan
• Ahimara Suarez
• Olga Efimova
• Sheri Sorensen (Online)
The following members of the Sister Cities Advisory Board were absent:
• Ross Chambless
• Missy Greis
Also Present:
• Sean Huang- International Peace Garden Academy
• Steven Lemon - International Peace Garden Academy
• Katherine Matheson - Department of Economic Development
• Joshua Paluh - Department of Economic Development
2. Approval of the Minutes:
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved without amendments.
3. Briefings by the Staff:
Updates on Sister Cities:
1. Chernivtsi, Ukraine: No updates were reported.
2. Izhevsk, Russia:
a. Efimova shared that a nursing college in Izhevsk, is interested in a
Health Care Class through the University of Utah. Wilson inquired
about sending them supplies, but it is not currently possible.
3. Keelung, Taiwan:
a. Huang is interested in joining the board. Keelung is not visiting this
summer, but may potentially visit in 2024-25.
4. Matsumoto,Japan:
a. The Japanese Delegation Visit is scheduled, and the board will be
involved in various events, including a proclamation ceremony, a
Climate Change Panel at the University of Utah, and a dinner at
Squatters Brewery.
5. Torino, Italy:
a. Conversations about student exchange, innovation, sport, and tech
are ongoing after city staff Matheson and Paluh met with Torino city
staff.
6. Trujillo, Peru:
a. Beccera, Matheson, Paluh met with community member Juanita, who
is planning a cultural event in August. Ricardo needed a space for 70
dancers to practice, and options like Publik Event Space and
FairGrounds were discussed.
b. Beccera is trying to get in contact with the firefighter chief in Trujillo.
Beccera would like a seal that can be placed on his emails for official
business
4. Business:
1. The Advisory Committee:
a. The board agreed to explore the possibility of forming an advisory
committee. Further conversations and proposals will be made to determine
the best course of action.
2. Planning:
a. Zeidner says we need to discuss more directly the direction the board wants
to go with future meetings.
b. Matheson will send San Antonio's strategic plan for reference.
c. Zeidner prompts the question: How do we address interest in the sister city
program?
d. Quan stated the board should value-map current cities - "we have four cities
that reach cultural goals but only one that reaches economic."
3. Review Primary and Secondary City Preferences:
a. Members shared their primary and secondary city preferences.
4. Google Folder:
a. Issues with accessing the Google folder were noted, and members will be
contacted by city staff to update their email addresses.
S. New Board Member Process:
a. The process for adding new board members was discussed, and one board
member will join staff members in the interview process. Quan volunteered
to join the interview committee.
6. District 2 and 7 Representation:
a. It was noted by city staff that District 2 and 7 currently do not have board
members, and efforts need to be made to fill these positions.
7. Youth Representation:
a. Non-voting positions will be available for youth members aged 15-18.
8. Timing of Meetings:
a. The frequency of meetings was discussed, and it was decided to meet once a
month until the end of the year.
b. Meetings will now be an hour and a half long, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm.
9. Public Comment:
a. Lemon asked for support for funding International Peace Gardens Academy
and provided information about petitions and emails.
Adjournment:
Wilson motioned to adjourn the meeting, and all members present voted in favor. The
meeting was adjourned.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Ross Chambless, Chairperson
This document and the recording constitute the official minutes of the Economic
Development Sister Cities Advisory Board meeting held on July 5th, 2023.