Minutes 11-07-2019 Regular Meeting

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2 2. Public Comments a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda Riley Ruske said nine weeks ago, he petitioned the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each meeting. He said in a few days, veterans will be recognized, who have pledged their lives and allegiance to this country. He asked if it is too difficult to do this act of patriotism, and invited the people in the room to stand, remove their caps, and join him in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, which people did. He asked if there is a reason that the BOCC cannot agree to this simple act. Jonathan Klein said he is present to speak about the Swim for Charlie endeavor. He said he has served on the Board of Health, and serves as the Chair of Swim for Charlie. He said Charlie was his friend, and his death was the impetus for this program, which sponsors youth-based water safety programs. He said it coordinates with the schools to bring 2nd grade students to the Sportsplex to learn about water safety. He said Guilford County has gained support with its program, which consists of eight 45-minute sessions. He said the first classes will be for around 250 students at Efland Cheeks, Central and New Hope Elementary Schools starting in the spring of 2020, with the goal of expansion throughout the county and region in the coming years. Meg Pomerantz said she supports this water initiative. She said she is the Executive Director of Girls on the Run, serving girls in grade 3-8, and has seen firsthand how these types of initiatives can affect lives. She said she was the “swim test lady” at UNC for many years, and still has past students tell her of the impact of this on their lives. She said teaching a 7-year old is easier than teaching an adult, and generally children learn through swimming lessons provided through the support of their parents, but not everyone has this opportunity. She said the program’s goal is to make children safer in the water, and studies have shown that formal swimming lessons reduce child drowning by 80%. She said she is confident these programs will help children in the community to be safer. Jim Tucker said he is a 22-year resident of Orange County, and he learned to swim at age 3.5 years, when encouraged by his grandmother, because she lost her brother to drowning. He said this type of program can help create great family memories. He said he understands how public/private initiatives can start, and this program is starting with three schools and with the Board’s help, would like to expand, school by school. He also petitioned the County to fund a full rental waiver during the day to get the program off the ground for the spring 2020. Seamus O’Neill said he supports the petition to open BOCC meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance. He said he grew up in the Bronx, New York, an area that was very diverse with a lot of immigrants, and many different cultures, seeking a safe place to grow their families. He said despite these differences, all community meetings started with the Pledge or the national anthem, which everyone supported. He asked the Board to act positively upon this request. b. Matters on the Printed Agenda (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.) 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members Commissioner Bedford said that the Town of Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) have an agreement with local pools to support Special Olympics and other programs, so perhaps the County could look to them regarding the Swim for Charlie program. Commissioner Bedford referred to the reported lack of diversity on the Climate Action Committee, and asked if this was being addressed. She petitioned to reexamine the list of appointments to add diversity to this committee.