Education, Workforce, Youth Development & Community Services Subcommittee - Regular Meeting

Now it is calling the meeting to order and identifying our curtain members in the house. We have Councilwoman Elizabeth Waterhouse and Councelor Mike Oliver. We'll await any others that choose to join. Um, our first order of business is old business, a discussion and status update regarding the CNA program. Uh, I have communicated with um, principal uh, Jesse White and uh, had a brief conversation with our superintendent. They are all uh, still excited about this program. Uh just briefly, it's a partnership with Bloomfield High School and Capital Workforce Partners and 19 students currently have passed the classroom and clinical portions of the exam. And out of the 19 students, seven have passed both uh portions of the exam and three have passed one portion and nine will test or nine half tested. We'll just get the results uh in one of our council meetings coming up uh possibly next week. Um, the high school's been provided a youth academic advisor and who has guided students through the entire process until they receive their CNA credential certificate. We've been told that there have been several um organizations that have hired uh some of these students, so they actually are working now. and uh there's the prospect

for uh the program to continue. So um right now they're looking for funding. Uh but I know CWP is uh anxiously awaiting word as to whether or not uh they will continue at the same level. [Music] Um any questions, thoughts, concerns regarding the CNA program? I do know that uh the plan is not just to have students become CNAs. That this is more or less a prelude to some who have desires to become nurses. Now, everyone's not going to fill that ticket because nursing does um if they're going to to [Music] um Capitol Community College, which I know it's a different name now, or Goodwin, they'll require biology, uh anatomy and physiology, uh accredited math, and uh English composition. So the hope is that they'll uh gain interest and um the academic skill to be able to forge through uh that process. Uh new business a discussion regarding the 2025 Bloomfield summer bridge program. So, we have begun to uh communicate with uh Capital Workforce Partners, who was the organization that kind of put the program together this past year. And just uh briefly, last year was a 4-week

eligibility skills summer program for 15 Bloomfield youth. We ended up having 22. So we upgraded to some extent and the hope is that we'll be able to do the same. But I must first state at the present time we do not have a funding agent. We have prospective uh funders that uh have not as yet committed and the hope is that within the next couple of weeks that will happen. So we're working uh feverishly with capital workers partners and they're working also with um another organization uh CRI which provided the strive uh it was facilitated by strive and they provide employability skills and NRF customer service credential. There are scheduled to be some other changes because we thought the four weeks was just a little short last year and the hope would be to expand it to 6 weeks but again that will have everything to do with the funding. Uh, one of the good things is as it has always been uh the three years prior, youth must reside in Bloomfield and we can determine whether or not we will work with juniors or recent grads or otherwise. So, um, uh, one of the problems in the past had been that we had great interest, but because we're in Bloomfield versus Hartford, Harford doesn't have an income uh, guideline, whereas in Bloomfield, we

do. And the ones that really wanted the program were sometimes ineligible. So, um, we're addressing that. Uh, youth will attend program programming 5 days a week and, uh, they will receive daily meals, incentive payments for completion, and some supportive services for bus passes, for example, which we don't anticipate bus passes having to be to be a part of this because everything is here in Bloomfield. case management and a credential. Uh so they they try to focus on each program that they have that the students in the program with a credential and we're hopeful to do that. outcomes are that we will work to ensure every participant is placed in part-time or full-time employment, enrolled in post-secary education and or connected with supportive services uh programs like we owe a youth. So for instance, if a student was not going to school, uh was not going to work, they could still enroll in the WEOA youth program where there are other um they call ITA program. So if they needed um uh IT training, if they were looking for uh other types of training that would improve their opportunity to gain employment, then they would have that opportunity. And I think it's up to $7,500 that they would be eligible for. And the overall goal is to teach necessary soft skills, which we know many of our youth may lack to some extent to arm them with a useful credential for any entry-level job and

to support them in creation of a plan. So uh again um this program is being run uh through the opaces of capital workforce partners. We're still identifying space. We used last year um the library in Bloomfield High School. I have tentatively been notified that it would be available but there's a lot of construction activity that's going to be going on in the high school. So I can't rightly say as at this moment if if it will be available. Um and as far as recruiting youth participants andor helping to identify eligible candidates, we will once we identify the funding, we'll have uh CWP pretty much administer that. Um and a youth provider would be available to operate the program. We have to identify who that youth provider is. Last year was Blue Hill Civic Association. That may very well be the provider this year, but in the absence of solid funding right now, we can't really say. Um, and that I believe is it. I mean, I do have a budget here, but it makes no sense to discuss it at this point because we don't have any uh defined funding right now. Um, I open up the floor. Um, when you talk about the CNA program and possibly other opportunities the kids want to go into a nursing program, is there a like a brother sister program we

have with like UHart or can we get one with them? I I know I know that there was a relationship developing between uh the state community college capital um capital yes uh I don't know of one being developed with good one as yet and private right but U-Hart is right down the road exactly exactly um and in fact I believe there are funds at UHart because uh a couple years ago there was a student that was uh a hardship case financially and they were about to expel him and we made a couple of calls to that office and found money that was clearly directed for Bloomfield students. Now I don't know how much that is uh but clearly there is some funding that is set aside for our Bloomfield students. So, so if our because I know that uh some of the CRE programs offer courses at UHart. Um I had a friend of mine, her daughter took some of the classes so she could get a leg up her junior and senior year. She was excelling and it was a it was an opportunity for her and she was able to get six classes before she even graduated high school. that might give students an edge up and an introduction slowly to what to expect in college because it it could be a rough drop for some of them. Yeah, I I I know they had programs in Bloomfield and in Harford before that I forget what the name of the program is, but they were clearly uh uh designed to provide that opportunity for young people to gain credit, get the credited courses.

um out of the way so that when they did have opportunity to go to a community college or a university that they'd be ready, you know, with with uh uh biology and and uh you know the the courses that would be required would be able to Yes. and we had brief conversation, but she is 100% on um new development and so I'm I'm really excited about okay uh her involvement. [Music] Um, so I wonder if there uh, Councelor Oliver, any thoughts or or concerns, questions that you'd like to um, No, I'm I'm here listening. Um, sorry it took me a second to unmute. It always gives me trouble. No, no, no, no concerns. Um, I'm I'm I'm impressed and uh uh good job with everything you're doing. Thank you. Thank you. Um, so we do have an item in new business. However, we we do not have the authority uh or knowledge to to partake in that discussion. So, we're not going to move forward with it. Uh, we're going to move to the reports from the town staff. So, we're going to start with our friend Iette Panel Hug. Oh, excuse me. Hu panel. I'm sorry for senior

services. Hello. Yeah, it's on now. All right. So, good evening. Um, I just wanted to share a few things about um what's going on. So, you know that we we requested a um to be part of a a potential um DOT new replacement bus. Um and so we've done the first three um segments of that process. The process actually doesn't end until February, January or February 2026 before you know if you did or did not um get selected. You don't have that one. Sorry. Sorry. Um and so we're waiting um patiently step by step. So far things are going well, but you never know. Um so I just wanted to let you know that that's um in the process. In addition, we're really excited. I think I mentioned it at one of your um budget meetings, but I wanted to say again that we have been awarded a grant from the the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and the Blue Hills Civic Association. Um we've gotten $25,000 to be able to do a number of programs for April, May, and June. We've already scheduled them all. Um one start, the first one starts on uh Monday. Um we're partnering with the police department to do three um different trying to stay away from scams, home safety. Um and this a lunch and learn program and that that's going to be in three Mondays in um April, May, and June. We also have um the 3:30 walkers club. So we do have people who walk inside and they walk every day and they walk outside when the weather is good. And so we're going to be bringing together um folks who are already signing up for these programs to walk outside. There'll be someone who's the fast worker in the front and I'll be bringing up the slow group in the back.

Um and so we have um we're ordering t-shirts for them um so they can sort of feel excited about the program and and getting out and doing exercise. Um we have a get on your feet. That's a dance night and that's similar to what we've been doing is um every quarter we've done a dance party but these two will be one in April. Um I believe it's the 24th and one in June. So those um programs are coming. It's it's sort of like a mocktail happy hour. Um people get up and dance. They have light refreshments. It's really a very exciting thing and it's become very very popular. Um hands-on nutrition. So we're going to be doing three things. one in April, May, and June. One will be about salads, one will be about oops, one will be about um smoothies, and one um frozen drinks or frozen items. I'm not sure what's going to be a drink. Um in addition, we have an ingratitude of women. And that's going to be one of the special programs that we do. We're going to be um talking about um women, all women um especially um those that um are associated with black, brown, beige, um everyone. So, so that you can sort of have a a moment to talk about women and women's issues and and what women have done for this country over time. Um chair yoga and stretching. So, we used to have a chair yoga instructor and so miraculously we were able to get someone to come in and do three three um months of chair yoga. It's a really great program because if you're not able to get on the floor and you're not able to do the things that traditional yoga does, it's a a program that allows you an opportunity to have the experience without having to physically get on the floor. Um and then drumming to your own

beat, which is something that um people have been uh we've had our Duncaster gave us a grant to do that and now this grant will pick that up. And so um that's pretty much the exciting things that we have coming up and we're looking forward to see how um we progress and maybe we'll be able to find other funders that will keep things going after this three-month period. Thank you. Um I I will say that we are reaching out to some uh community members, business community, and hopefully we will have some word soon in terms of whether or not um assistance can be provided. I did speak with uh Pastor Shawn and as you know, I mean, he's just a friend of Bloomfield period. And so he did indicate that uh if his facilities were needed for any type of fundraisers of any sort that he would be open to, you know, uh providing that service. And um so we're just trying to get things started because we know uh there are exceptional programs in our community and we want to make sure that we can still find a way to offer them. So thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. And next we will have social and youth services Camila Hillian and Angelica Thompson. Start. Good evening. I'm going to go over the programs for the youth services department. We have our summer youth

employment program. The application is um officially has been launched in March is posted on the capital workforce website. Bloomfield is accepting ages 14 through 17. Um in terms of amount of slots, we're waiting in terms of funding to determine how many slots we're able to accept for the program. But we continue on with the process in terms of going over the program overview and getting things in place for um the start of the program. I have started to get work sites for the program. I have a couple of town departments and some local businesses. I'm still working on securing some of those spaces early to secure some work sites. In terms of community activities, we have our monthly parent series that's in partnership with the Bloomfield Public Schools. Our next series will be on the April the 22nd from 6:00 to 7:30 at 3:30 Park Avenue. Our focus is on supporting young children with behavioral and health challenges. We open this up not only to parents, but as educators as well in the school district, they can attend as well to get some additional training. In terms of another big community event that we have planned is the youth summit that will be on May 10th. That's a collaboration with the parks and recreation department and the Bloomfeld West Harford District in the town of Windsor. The focus is on mental health, financial literacy, and some drug prevention. We also are going to have some colleges there as well withformational booth. Our goal is to have about 10 colleges there to provide information to the youth as well. So, we're really looking forward to that piece. We're going to have a couple workshops focusing on financial literacy and some mental health speakers. We also have for the mental health piece that we're trying to work with our young men's group. We have a partnership with the Harford rolling in those Invilles biking program. There's start date and start for the program will be April

through June. We're going to have them doing some outdoor recreation activities, different biking trails on about the health and wellness piece for that. So, we're excited for that new partnership. So, that concludes all of my youth services updates so far. Thank you. Any questions? Okay. Sounds like some great programs. Thank you. All right. Good evening on and I just wanted to mention for many of our programs are really waiting to see kind of as um what councelor Harrington mentioned what funding will look like for fiscal year 26. We depend on a lot of grants. Capital Workforce Partners is funded through the same program as your summer bridge. So we're moving along as though we'll get the funding but we're not sure. Yeah. I I just want to mention that uh I went to the state legislative office building on two occasions um for the appropriations committee and then the education committee and uh spoke on behalf of the town. There are many many organizations throughout the state and right now they're looking at 5 million which they're hopeful to bring it to a level of 10 million which would be equivalent to last year's funding. The goal really is 25 million but considering what's been happening uh that's probably not uh uh possible. But the hope is that they can gener they can bring it to last year's level and and and so every with everyone can be restored at least for this summer. Yeah, there's so much uncertainty and with uh uncertainty brings about a lot of anxiety not just for those of us who are planning these programs but for the recipients of our services. um you know

if you watch the news it's enough to just you know make your heart melt and just wonder what will what will happen. So we get a lot of inquiries from our residents our seniors and fear of social security and fear of medical benefits um you know and not just our seniors all residents who rely on some of these services. So um we just have to wait and and see what happens. Yeah. Um, however, moving on, I will mention, um, we're in the midst of renters's rebate for the elderly and disabled. That started on April 1st, and we will continue to accept applications through September 30th. Uh, renters's rebate program, that's for uh, seniors who are 65 years of age or older. If you're under the age of 65 and receiving Social Security disability, you may also qualify based on your household income. A single person, the maximum gross income is 45,200. A couple, married couple is 55,100 and you can contact our office for additional information. Uh the state energy assistance program is continues to accept applications. Um May 30th is the last day to apply for any type of assistance. They're no longer accepting applications for deliverable fuel, but if you paid out of pocket for deliverable fuel, you can submit um proof of your payments and receive something towards that. And we're also not sure of the future of the energy assistance program either. Um, in keeping up with the news, we know that that's something on the chopping block. So, we are also anxiously awaiting to see what happens with that for next year. We are happy to announce

that um in partnership with senior services, we will have meet your veteran service officer. Um, we have two veteran service officers who will be available to answer any questions related to benefits and claims assistance. Our two officers will be there on Tuesday, April 15th, and Tuesday, April 29th from 10:00 a.m. to noon in on in the first floor lobby at 3:30 Park Avenue. So, we ask you please to come in, drop in um between any of those times with any questions or concerns that you may have. They are always ready and willing to help. And lastly, we want to send a shout out and a thank you to Councelor Waterhouse for spearheading a food and diaper drive with the Lions Club and the Bloomfield Republican Town Committee. It was a very successful food drive. I was out of town on Saturday, but I heard great things about the event, collected lots of food. I walked in and I'm like, our shelves are full in our food bank. So, we thank you all um from the bottom of our hearts. We know how difficult it's been to keep up with the demand and we know that it will continue to be difficult. So, we're grateful. Receive lots of lots of diapers and monetary donations. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all that you do to support us. And that's the end of my report. So, question. Yes. With the monetary donations, are they to buy more Pampers or is it to buy food? Both. Unless they specifically designated where they would like the funding to go, but um if it's not specifically designated, then we use it to either buy food or diapers. And how are we situated at this particular point in time?

Um, our shelves are decently full, not completely full. We have shopping day on, yes, which is this coming Monday. So, we know we will see a a decline in the food that we have on the shelves, but it will allow us to meet the needs um for this month. Uh we are grateful um on a weekly basis we get 20 food bags um from the backpack program which is a collaboration with several churches in town. So that also helps us with the distribution of food on our regular food bank days on Wednesdays and Fridays as well. So how often would an organization or group need to hold similar type you know activities for the food bank to be at its at its peak at its fullest. Yeah. Um, I would say if organizations and we can figure out a timeline, we have several organizations that donate food to our food bank throughout the year, maybe quarterly. Um, and if we spread out, you know, the months that, um, those organizations would host those food banks, so they're not all around the same time. What tends to happens is when the holidays come like Thanksgiving and Christmas, everybody donates all at, you know, one time and that gets us through to the spring. I will say that um those donations that come around that time does get us through to the spring. So, this is about the right time um for us to get donations. And then when school is out for the summer, that's another good time to reload um with donated food cuz kids are home um and going through more food because they're home. So,

that's also a good time as well. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. And next we have uh parks, recreation, and leisure services with Dave Mlesco. Good evening. Good evening. Um just a few things to report on for some more so for upcoming events. Um we start the new program for us this year um is the Connecticut flag football program. It's a co-ed flag football program that'll be housed at the fields at 3:30 Park Avenue. Um, so we're running a session right now in the spring, which was supposed to start this past Saturday evening, but due to the weather and the conditions of the fields because the wheels fields are a little wet, uh, they're being postponed till this Saturday, which also may be in jeopardy if you look at the weather. But fingers crossed, optimistic that um that we'll be moving forward that this Saturday. Um BJSA programs are they're starting up their in-house program in a few weeks. They've already started their travel travel program. Um they were they too were supposed to have two home games this past weekend as well and they had to get cancelled due to the weather. So hopefully they'll What sport is that? Uh BJSA is the Bloomfield Junior Soccer Association. Sorry, don't shouldn't deal with acronyms over here. Um, and then sticking on the youth sports side of things, the junior Warhawks, the Bloomfield Junior Warhawks football and chair program are planning on adding two new divisions this year. So they are planning to expand their program a little bit more. Um, so I've been working with them handinhand, regular conversations with Trevor, the president, Trevor Ford, president of the organization, and figuring out with where we're going to put everybody out there for practices and so forth. But it's a good problem for us to have, right? Um today I was working with the uh trees for bloomfield and beautifification

committee. Um we housed um just under 30 volunteers from the Cumins group Jake Break um to come on over to uh Lassellet and to help us out with invasive management and on the Lassellet property. We received funding through the uh the Arbor Day Foundation in order to um to pay for pay for the service. So, as a result, they got some hand tools. Um, they we provided lunch for them and we got several hours of community cleanup day from them. Um, so that that was a nice event that we had today. Little windy. It was supposed to be last Friday, but they needed to postpone it till today, which was in the mid60s and beautiful on Friday, but it's old news at this point. Um some of the programs that we have, we have the extravaganza, our annual extravaganza this week um this Friday. Uh next week we will be housing um approximately 50 kids in the center for our spring break um vacation program. Um kind of shifting back over to the beautifification committee and some larger functions that we have. Uh we will be housing the community cleanup day here again this year. Um that'll be held on Saturday, April 26th. Um I'm working with Indie Rogers office on that um as well as DPW and we'll be sending out some additional information on that for hopefully get some more volunteers. I think last year we had about 150 volunteers come on out for it. Um so hopefully to expand on that a little bit more this upcoming year. Um so that'll be April 26th. The following weekend, which is May 3rd, will be the Philly Park grand reopening. Um, so that'll be at 11:00 a.m. on May 3rd at Philly Park. Um, we'll have a small little ceremony um to kind of open it up. Hopefully, we'll have a ribbon cutting ceremony. We'll have a uh we have an ice cream truck um coming in for

a day, a little bit more of an upscale ice cream truck. I know working with youth services. um they kind of turned us onto a specific ice cream vendor. Um so it's a little ice cream parlor in a in a in a in a in a van or a I should say a bus. Um so we'll have them there and we'll have a DJ services as well. Um the uh Bloomfield Public Library will also be part of that event as well. They'll be leading some story book trails um activities going around the trail system that they have at the Scott Trail property. Um, Memorial Day is coming up as well on Memorial Day itself. Um, and then to conclude to wrap up May, uh, we'll also be hosting the fishing derby. So, the fishing derby will be Saturday, May 31st, I believe. Oh, I'll get that one as well. Sorry. Um, so that'll be held at Philly Park. Um, Council McClary's instrumental in that. um he's has been working hard in terms of working with outside organizations to raise the a lot of funding and able to offset the cost of the program or not even to offset I think he'll be able to raise enough funds or if not has already raised enough funds to be able to provide um accessories for the kids fish and poles potentially tackle boxes or at least some gear to go along with it um as well as to um provide assistance um to stock the pond. Um that was my goal for the day. Yeah. So, yep, we've been making preparations on that now. So, working with my colleagues, they've been working with the state fishery department. They provide us contact information and who to reach out to. Um, it's kind of nice to see. I was driving by Philly Park last week and there were two two young men that were already out there fishing. So, it's great to see that we'll be housing that fishing derby once again this year. Um, yeah. So, I I did say conclude in the month of April. Um, but I forgot to mention that shred day will be coming up on May 17th at Bloomfield

High School between the hours of 9 and 12. So May will be a busy month for everybody. I think everyone will be ready for a vacation at that point. Um, we are in preparations to exploring the possibility of starting the farmers market earlier this year. Um, so maybe do something near the end of April. We kind of have some preliminary plans to start it there, but I don't want to go too deep into that right now. But I'm at least kind of throw that out there that we are discussing the possibility of doing something with that um right now. Um and also working through the Tree City USA, working with both um Paula Jones, the chair of the CEC and DP uh Dan Carter, the director of public works. Um, we requested funding through the urban for through an or urban forestry grant to assist with our uh rightway tree inventory. So, the rightway tree inventory all of town roads if you see um uh trees along the roads, we would like to have inventory of all of those. And so if something were to happen, a vehicle accident, a lightning strike, or just due to the condition of the tree, the tree were to fall, we'd have inventory of it, and we would know um how to replace it and what the the the correct plan is. Um so we're working with them now. So we I believe that we're receiving we'll receive approximately $30,000 for that grant. And additionally, um, we also were, um, moving forward with the Rockwell, uh, Rockwell Park project. The RFP or excuse me, the RFQ process closed last Thursday. So, we'll be moving into, uh, interviews within the next couple weeks with potential engineering architectural firms to help us move forward with that to hand up the construction management of that. And then one other thing that

was actually during the month of April, which I failed to mention, the 26th is the uh community cleanup day. The 27th uh Trap Rock uh Trap Rock Ridge Land Conservancy will be doing Arbor Day um event at um Hawkill Hawkill Farm on Sunday, April 27th. And that concludes my report. Thank you very much. Any questions, Council Oliver or Councelor Mahan? Oh, thank you, Deputy Mayor. Yep. I actually have one more thing. If I me when you mentioned uh councelor Oliver, I'm actually working with councelor Oliver right now and councelor mccclary um to put to uh get the uh the trades the carpentry trade um program up and running. So we we met last week we met again yesterday. We'll be meeting again this Thursday. Um so we're looking to get this program up and rolling um by the middle of May. Excellent. Excellent. Thank you. You're welcome, Council Oliver. Uh, yep. I just want to appreciate tell Dave I appreciate all the help he's given me and guidance. Um, you know, it's been a lot of moving parts. It's all, you know, new to me. Just something I I've never done before. Um, and I want to thank also India for helping me in the background. You know, she's been there consistently with all the adjustments and changes of uh the direction we were taking. Um, and I'm just I'm just happy to say that now we're getting ready to move forward and you know, it's it's been a it's been a little bit of a roadblock, but you know, we're getting through it and as a team we're making it happen. Thank you. Great. Great, Council Mahan. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. I don't have

any questions at this time. Oh, okay. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Appreciate you. And at this point, um, we move into other business. I I'm just going to mention that, um, at our last meeting, we had an organization come in to discuss, uh, Bloomfield Trinidad style carnival. given the myriad of expenses in the town and the timing and what's going on in DC, all of that. [Music] Um, I don't think it would be possible for us to do anything this year. Um, but we love the idea and we'll see if something can happen uh for next year. Um and I guess that is it. So we will move into public comments. At this time we move into public comments. Anyone would care to uh make a statement or question. It is your time. We move into public comments, second request. And we move into public comments, the third and final request. So we move forward. Uh I believe now we have a quorum. We were fearful. Um for the approval of minutes uh January 14th, 2025. Any second? Second. All those in favor? I I and the chairman deputy mayor.

Well, thank you. Uh it's moved uh that we have the approval of minutes and uh we move now to adjournment. So move second. I don't think I I I need to ask who is in favor. So, thank you all for coming uh this evening and we appreciate you and we hope that we have some great news at our next meeting relative to some additional funding opportunities. Thank