04202010 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gwen Burton, 1109 Tate Trail, co- director of Girl Scout Troop 881, reported that the troop is • working on a project to make San Marcos a better place. She introduced the troop members to the City Council. Lindsey Burton, 1109 Tate Trail, a member of Girl Scout Troop 881, reported on the Silver Girl Scout Award project. They are hosting the first annual "GOT 2B Green" (Get out there to be green) on May 22. There will be guided hikes, and educational speakers at the trailhead at Prospect Park. Most of the population does not know about our greenbelt and trailheads. The water we drink is filtered in this area, and we need to take care of this shrinking wilderness. Merlin Scott, 1009 Gravel Street, spoke on river clean up project. He has spent the last eight years doing this, and he is seeing the trash increasing each season. They are not able to keep up. They have estimated a budget under $20,000 for a full time position. If we can get a handle on it during the busy season, it will be easier the rest of the year. Shawn Blakeley, 420 Craddock Avenue, spoke about the recreation hall renovations. When the building burned down, they were as upset as others. But this increase is almost double from what the budget was. He asked if construction costs have gone up that much, or is this the cost for drafting new building plans? He hopes the money is being spent wisely. We see government across the nation spending money unwisely, and he is concerned about the cost of things. Tom Goynes, 444 Pecan Park Drive, reported that he has lived in the area since 1972 and has been organizing river clean ups since 1972. He participated in a big clean up on March 1, and is they made it 60 miles to Palmetto Park. They have been doing this for no charge. He asked Council to keep in mind that there are some people spending a lot of time and lot of effort to do this, and they would appreciate some help. 9. City Council Reports A. A report on proposed legislation from National League of Cities by Councilmember Chris Jones. Councilmember Jones reported on the Jobs bill. $75 billion has been committed over two years. The distribution method is the same as the CDBG; however, the actual formula is different and based on unemployment and poverty levels. 50% of the funding can be used to retain employees; 25% can be given to local community -based organizations; and the remaining funds can be used to hire new employees or re -hire those that have been let go. No more than 20% can be used for municipal management. There is also $500 million available for an additional 50,000 on-the-job training positions. 10. Staff Progress Reports A. Update on Earth Day Activities by Tom Taggart, Director of Public Services. Tom Taggart, Director of Public Services, reported that on the Green Living Showcase on is March 20. Green topics included recycling, water and energy conservation, and clean RM042010 Minutes Page 3