HomeMy WebLinkAboutHousing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes 01-22-1993 SpecialMBD
CITY OF PLYMOIM
3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447
GATE: January 22, 1993
TO: Chuck Dillerud, Community Development Director
FRO11: Milt Dale, Housing Specialist
SUBJECT: MINUTES OF SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING OF JANUARY 22, 1993
On January 22, 1993 a meeting was held at Plymouth City Hall involving Joy
Tierney, Councilmember; Brian Warhol, Plymouth HRA Commissioner; Marcy
Shapiro, Executive Director of West Hennepin Human Services Coup.61 and
myself.
Discussion centered on the options the City of Plymouth has as to a Head Start
Program most beneficial to the City of Plymouth. One option considered was
j the support of funding for a Head Start facility in Brooklyn Park at the old
Town Hall site. Second option was to work with a group of communities in
proximity to Plymouth who may want to start a Head Start program closer to
their communities. The third option was initiation of a 'home-based' program
where a Head Start teacher would visit home sites. The fourth alternative
would be to develop a similar program to Head Start, with the same emphasis on
helping low income families and their children to prepare for grades K-12.
Marcy Shaprio gave a history of the Head Start program for the Hennes n County
and Wright County areas. She said it started as an anti -poverty prayram with
a community action agency, i.e. in the case of Hennepin County ibis being
Parents In Community Action (PICA) as the federally designated agency for Head
Start. In 1989 a task force was developed to encourage more Head Start
programing in the suburban communities. Up to that time, most of the Head
Start activity was- directed towards children residing in Minneapolis.
Sometime in 1991, the state legislature passed legislation requiring that one-
third of state funding operating dollars go to Head Start programs for
suburban children in Hennepin County.
Discussion also centered on whether PICA is too strongly orientated toward
facility based classrooms for the program. It seems that the Wright County
Community Action agency is basically a home-based operation. However,
Plymouth falls outside the jurisdiction of Wright County and must, if wanting
to be involved with Head Start, allow PICA to initiate the programs in
Plymouth. It is evident that PICA wants to concentrate on the development of
the Brooklyn Park Town Hall facility before considering needs in the Plymouth
area. Concern was expressed regarding the number of children that are served
from Plymouth both now and in the near future should Plymouth provide a
contribution to help pay for costs in rehabilitating the Brooklyn Park Town
Hall facility.
It was decided that Phil Cohen from Brooklyn Park be invited to a subcommittee
meeting along with Amy McClurg, the "Success by 60 coordinator. Consideration
was also given to talking with representatives of .the communities near
Plymouth such as Minnetonka, Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Deephaven, Golden
Valley, New Hope, Eden Prairie and Wayzata. It was also decided that a letter
be addressed to Alyce Dillon of PICA to inquire if a •home-based' program
would be possible in Plymouth and if PICA would provide us with the number of
Plymouth children that are enrolled and/or on the waiting list for Head Start
now.
hra/mi/head:dh)
J