HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-10-2014 clr ashbaughKremke, Kate
From: Mejia, Anthony
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 3:27 PM
To: Kremke, Kate
Subject: FW: Council Liaison Report - Recap of ITGA Conference - Proposal from Cal Poly
Agenda Correspondence for 06/10/14 as a Liaison Report. JUN 1 0 2014
Anthony J. Mejia I City Clerk
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990 Palm Street
Sail Luis Obispo, CA934 1
tel 1 805 781.7102 AGENDA
CORRESPONDENCE
From: Ashbaugh, John Date /� 1 1teM ,_�
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 3:26 PM
To: Marx, Jan; Christianson, Carlyn; Carpenter, Dan; Smith, Kathy
Cc: Lichtig, Katie; Johnson, Derek; Codron, Michael; Mejia, Anthony
Subject: Council Liaison Report - Recap of ITGA Conference - Proposal from Cal Poly
I attended the 2014 International Town Gown Conference in Clemson, SC last week along with Katie, Derek,
and Christine Wallace. Also in attendance (and presenting to the conference) were Cal Poly Administrators
Justin Wellner and Betsy Kinsley, as well as Shea Bucher, a recent graduate of the downtown "HotHouse" who
helped Derek and the Cal Poly team present that topic at the conference. The delegation from SLO also
included two members of the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association, Rusty and Michelle Hall.
Anthony, you may post this as Agenda Correspondence if you wish.
Here's a summary of the various events that I attended, taken primarily from my notes with a few excerpts from
the Conference program. Take special note of Concurrent Sessions 5 and 9, which involved Cal Poly and the
City of SLO:
Monday Keynote Speaker Jim Hunt, Founder of Amazing Cities
Keynote Topic: Taking Town -Gown Relationships From Great to Amazing
Jim Hunt is the founder of Amazing Cities, an organization dedicated to creating excellence in
municipal government. Mr. Hunt served in an elected local office for 27 years and has played a
prominent role on a state, national and international level in advancing the cause of effective local
government. In 2006, American City and County Magazine named Mr. Hunt as "Municipal Leaders of
the Year." ...During his tenure as President of The National League of Cities, the oldest and largest
organization representing municipal governments, Jim traveled throughout the United States speaking to
over 25,000 local municipal officials on. excellence in local government. Mr. Hunt talked about the
important role of collaborative agreements between "town" and "gown," and favors the use of 3`d party
mediators to do so. He's an experienced consultant in facilitating this type of public engagement effort,
and may be a good candidate for a similar effort here in San Luis Obispo.
Concurrent Session l:
Partnerships that Deliver Championship Caliber Results - Taking Your Town -Gown Relationship
to the Next Level: Officials with the City of Pittsburg, KS and Pittsburg State University described a
modern partnership that brought private, municipal and university resources together in a project that is
creating a new $17 million Indoor Event Center and is bringing an NCAA National Championship to
town. The population of Pittsburg is 20,000, and on- campus they have 7,400 students. They are now
implementing a 10 -year master plan with $65 million in construction; students will provide $20 million
through their own fees, with the increase approved through a referendum that drew 68% support. Close
collaboration between the City, the State University, and the local business community was required.
The city put up $5 million in lease - revenue financing. Contact: Chris Kelly, Associate Vice President,
University Marketing and Communications - Pittsburg State University.
Concurrent Session 2:
Getting Students Downtown: In four college towns, efforts are underway to encourage more student
participation in downtown night -life and cultural activities. These include the University of North
Dakota -Grand Forks, where the University has moved its art collection into a downtown gallery and
uses it for classes, community lectures, a base for history and architecture tours, and to display the art to
high school students from throughout the region. In Scranton, PA they make use of a downtown
"scavenger hunt" during Fall orientation to encourage students to get to know downtown businesses,
hiding a small stuffed version of the college mascot in each business and offering prizes for students
who upload "selfies" of them with the mascot after having found them. They offer discounts in the
restaurants and have a free movie night in the largest cinema to attract students into the theater. In U.
Wisconsin Madison, there are distinctively placed rocks on a 2 mile historical tour between the campus
and the downtown with a printed map and a digital app that enable students to appreciate the historic
route between the town and the campus core. At Eastern Kentucky there is a standing committee with
monthly meetings that include the downtown's "Main Street" coordinator, student reps, and the
University president and their Community Relations coordinator. Presenters were from the University of
North Dakota and the City of Grand Forks (whose Community /Government Relations Director is the
incoming President of ITGA).
Luncheon Presentation:
In the Weeds: The Wild and Wacky World of Legal Marijuana: Dr. Donald Misch, University of
Colorado Boulder; and Judge Linda Cooke -City of Boulder, Colorado addressed the health effects of
marijuana as well as the public policy implications of decriminalization. I lealth effects of cannabis are
becoming better known; excessive use is often associated with a drop in IQ, and high potency
concentrations now widely available in dispensaries may precipitate schizophrenia. There is evidence
that 13% of young -adult onset schizophrenia could be averted if cannabis use were prevented. There is a
lifetime risk of dependence /addiction of 9% with cannabis, much lower than alcohol at 15% (or nicotine
at 32 1/0). New forms of synthetic cannabis for recreational cannabis are potentially very dangerous.
Although Colorado has decriminalized recreational use. Boulder has robust enforcement of a City
ordinance that requires no public consumption; statewide, nobody < 21 is allowed to use recreational
cannabis. Any public use is issued a citation. Judge Cooke has many underage users coming into her
court. If they complete a treatment program, the citation is expunged that there is no requirement to
report the violation on the student's FAFSA, which would terminate Federal financial aid. From the
City's police perspective, the effect of alcohol abuse is worse than cannabis, but there more services
available. Judge Cooke reported that cannabis violators are usually cooperative, not unruly. Her court
will also make referrals for violators to get a QUCIT Inventory which determines how much the violator
is using; that inventory then determines the level of treatment, however these treatment programs are not
particularly effective.
Concurrent Session 3:
Creating a Bright Future for Town -Gown Partnerships: Jim Hunt, Founder of Amazing Cities, gave a
reprise of his keynote speech. Town Gown partnerships have an exciting future for Universities and
their host communities. As a fanner mayor and councilmember of Clarksburg, WV as well as a housing
professional and campus non - profit leader, Jim Hunt took one of the most difficult college
neighborhoods in America and created a thriving, viable neighborhood that became a contributing part
of the community. Finding the right balance between town and gown relationships is critical to the
success of these ventures. The session focused on four critical components of any successful relationship
Convene, Collaborate, Communicate and Celebrate are the core building blocks and allow for the
community and university to find common ground in these often difficult relationships. Like any
relationship, the foundation needs to be based on trust and transparency. Mr. Flunt provided insights into
the thought process of stakeholders and other interested parties, including how to manage conflicts, put
issues on the table, and come up with fair and equitable resolutions. He quoted George Bernard Shaw:
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
Concurrent Session 4:
High -er Education: Marijuana in Colorado: This breakout session continued the conversation started in
the Keynote regarding the health effects of marijuana and the implications of legalizing marijuana.
with Dr. Donald Misch, Director of the Health Center at University of Colorado Boulder; and Judge
Linda Cooke -City of Boulder, Colorado (see above)
Concurrent Session 5:
Town -Gown Collaboration to Build a Startup Community:'l'he San Luis Obispo (SLO) Hot1fouse is a
new community space in downtown San Luis Obispo created through the collaborative efforts of Cal
Poly, the City of San Luis Obispo, and the business community. The SLO Floti louse supports students
and community members alike as they work to create new innovations and start business ventures. The
SLO HotHouse Accelerator enlists teams of students and recent graduates in an intense three -month
compressed business incubation process. 'Fearns advance their business ideas, with office space at the
SLO Hothouse, mentors and business development consulting services via Cal Poly's Small Business
Development Center (SBDC) Consultants. The City has invested $25,000 in this endeavor, but
substantial volunteer resources were leveraged from the local business community as well as Cal Poly
College of Business and other Colleges at Cal Poly. An incubating company- l-loaneslice -will also be
showcased; :Ilorneslice is a start -up that provides active management of "roommate" households with a
potential market of 40 million adults in the US alone. Shea already has obtained $1 million in venture
capital and employs five other partners in this enterprise. Judy Mahan, Director, Cal Poly SBDC; Shea
Brucker, bounder of I Iomeslice- California .Polytechnic State University
Tuesday Morning Keynote:
Keynote Presentation: Preparing for Catastrophic Events - Insight Into Crisis
Management: retired Major General :Burchstead, former Deputy Adjunct General of South Carolina,
related first -hand experience in the complexities and challenges of multi- jurisdictional emergency
management and the role of the military in support of civil authority, frorn hurricane I Lugo through
Andrew and (most recently) Sandy. A critical failure during 1989 Hurricane Floyd was the .failure to
allow lane reversal on I -26 to facilitate the evacuation of Charleston and Columbia, the result was 15-
hour delays as 800,000 people tried to use the freeway.
Concurrent Session 6:
Improving Community and Municipal Relationships by Fostering Partnerships through Community
Based Faculty Research Grants: Relationships between university, community and municipal entities
require a delicate balance of (sometimes conflicting) expectations, resources and goals. Rutgers' Office
of Community Affairs convened a joint task force of community and university leaders to evaluate the
challenges that both groups face when working together. The task developed Guidelines for Best
Practices of University and Community Research Partnerships and the Community- University Research
Partnership Grant Program. This internal grant program, now in its fourth cycle, enables Rutgers faculty
members to perforin research in New Brunswick with local community partners. The task force was
composed of community leaders in four issue areas including education, health, nutrition, and
community planning. Stumbling blocks were encountered along the way, but on the whole this is a
successful collaboration between the State of N:I (which provides about $100,000 /year to support the
program) and the community with the University. Linda Bassett, Senior Director, Office of Community
Affairs and Melissa Selesky, Director, Rutgers -New Brunswick Community Relations- Rutgers
University
Concurrent Session 7:
The Off - Campus Housing Excellence Program: How Student Life Can Improve the Quality of Off-
Campus Life through Public and Private Collaboration: In Columbus, Of I the Off Campus I lousing
Excellence Program at OSU serves the varying needs and interests of a diverse off - campus community
and improves the quality of off - campus life by enhancing educational opportunities and access to
information, and maximizing relationships with property owners and outside partners. Program uses
voluntary home visits (NOT "inspections ") by Columbus FD inspectors to provide education to students
and assess off - campus housing. The key to the success of the program is that almost all Off- campus
housing for OSU students is obtained through the University I.- lousing office; landlords obtain free
listings for their units (which otherwise costs $3,300) oral , if they permit the "home visits" to take place.
The web site for the Off-Campus Housing office gets 2 million page visits annually. Concurrently (but
separately), the university's student body maintains a website where students rate the housing units and
landlord. Landlords also value student tenants who are prepared, with assistance of the Off- Carnpus
Housing office, to live off- campus.
Dilnavaz Cama, Department Manager - Neighborhood Services and Collaboration and Alexander
Sanchez- Program Coordinator, Neighborhood Services and Collaboration -The Ohio State University
Luncheon Keynote Speaker:
In This Together: Collaborating to Address Alcohol and Other High Risk Problems in our Campus
Community: Dr. Thomas Workman - American Institutes for Research Dr. Workman gave a dynamic
presentation that centered on substance abuse in general and alcohol and binge drinking in particular —
but he emphasized the common and legitimate goals of each "stakeholder " in the campus community as
young adults explore their limits, their sexuality, and relationships. In Lincoln, Nebraska the University
has been working with a 10 -year grant from the RW Johnson Foundation to help find ways to control
substance abuse in the campus community. Campus communities can be a great place for everyone to
live, work and learn, but it requires collaboration and coordination. Everyone with a stake in the
community comes together to find shared interest, identify areas for improvement, and share resources
to create the ideal envirorunent. The "Stakeholder Model" is an approach to address problems of high-
risk behavior by sharing data, developing a vision for improvement, and working as partners to identify
specific contributors of success. Successful campus communities were cited at Lincoln, Bloomington,
Illinois, and other colleges were described along with practical first steps — such as consistent messaging
setting high standards and codifying them, educating students about them, and enforcing them when
they are violated. Address student concerns that the "Party Patrol" is just a mechanism for the City to
make more money off them. The goal was to educate students about how to be a good social host and
avoid the Party Patrol.
Concurrent Session 8:
The Economics of Collaboration: Turning Challenges into Opportunities in a College Town
Environment: David A. Bagnoli, an architect and urban designer who works with campuses and
communities to evaluate and plan for mutual and beneficial growth opportunities, shared his research
into ways academic institutions all over the US have capitalized on their unique conditions to create
shared benefits through implementing the ideas of "Smart Growth" planning as a sustainable approach to
4
development. Mr. Bagnoli highlighted the economic impacts of new and existing campuses on
surrounding communities. There are basically 3 types of Town/Gown settings, "Fully integrated" within
the community, "Partially integrated" (like Cal Poly, adjacent to the community), and Physically
separated (like UC Santa Cruz or Reed College. These different types each have differing; resultant
impact on their community, but each one can take collaborative approaches to the complex issues of
housing, retail, the arts, business incubation, recruiting and retention, and shared infrastructure. In
1.lanover, NI-I Dartmouth College has built a 289 -space below - ground parking structure adjacent to the
campus that also provides ground floor retail and three floors of offices and apartments. Georgetown
University has developed a Master Plan that envisions improving the health of'the community as well as
its students in a sustainable development campaign. Loyola in Chicago does not allow its 1" or 2" d year
students to bring cars; the City adjusts parking standards for student residence halls and "resi - routers"
(apartments close enough to the College to walk). Students also must agree to live an "environmentally -
sustainable lifestyle" that includes not having a car as only one element. David Bagnoli, AIA, LEED,
AP, BD +C- McCraw Bagnoli Architects
Concurrent Session 9:
This was the session that featured Cal Poly and the Student Housing South Project — Derek
Johnson and Justin Wellner (Director of Government and Community Relations at Cal Poly) shared the
stage with representatives of Oregon State University- Cascades which is being developed in the City of
fiend, OR. Cal -Poly and OSU -C fiend shared their experiences of developing these projects amidst
community feedback, including what has worked well, what hasn't and lessons learned. One lesson is
that in an ideal world, the campus Master Plan would have already provided for the site to accommodate
residential dormitories: however, the university has modified both the project and the requirements for
the students (who will not be allowed to bring cans). The goal is to reduce the number of students who
will live in and park their cars in the City's neighborhoods.
Wednesday morning Keynote Presentation:
Town & Gown and the Knowledge Economy: We Need Each Other! Bruce Yandle, Professor of
Economics at Clemson University: `I "own and Gown cooperation has never been more critically
important to the success of colleges and their home communities. A new knowledge economy is being
formed, and we know that knowledge producers must and will succeed. 1-low does a town become part
of the new knowledge economy? Attract young professionals? Be COOL? While citizens seek the
prosperity and happiness that can be provided by higher education, their communities and colleges are
scrambling for revenue. A slow - growth economy, global competition, demographic change, and low -
cost connectivity form this new world. The "creative communities" of author Richard Florida are the
most successful at this project. There is a proven template that can be used for a larger set of knowledge
economy engagements, and actions can be taken that enrich student educational experiences, enhance
faculty teaching and research, and inspire productive activities. Town & Gown is the pathfinder.
Engagement is the word.
Concurrent Session 10:
"Knock and Talk" - A Multi- Agency Approach to Town -Gown Relations: In 2013, the University of
Maryland College Park, City of College Park, Prince George's County Police Department and the Prince
George's Property Owners Association embraced a new approach to promote public safety through a
program that interacts directly with students in off - campus housing by means of ongoing door -to -door
visits. This approach welcomes and informs students of community expectations for conduct and
penalties for behavior violations. Our new "Knock and Talk" program adopts a core problem- solving
tactic of community policing by involving property - owners - -a key stakeholder in the town -gown
environment and a traditionally underutilized resource to promote public safety and enhance the quality
of life in our country's college towns- with police, city and university officials forming a unified front.
One year after its inception, the speakers shared the conceptual framework supporting our program's
design, and an analysis of early program impact data. The core of the program is a mandatory inspection
program ANNUALLY for all rental housing. The program appears to be working as students already
know to look forward to seeing the "Knock and Talk" teams. 'There is a growing awareness of what the
consequences are for rowdy behavior; students have switched from "Please don't report me"
conversations to "What Can we do to clean this up ?" A panel of speakers from the UM Office of
Community E ngagement; Student Code of Conduct, and Public Safety; as well as the Prince George's
Property Owner's Association; Prince George's County Police Department; City Council; and Code
Enforcement Officer in the City of College Park, Maryland.
All in all, an excellent conference. Next year in George "Washington University, DC.
John Ashbaugh
Council Member
CrrY OF
SIM LUIS OBI
rV
Office of the Citv Council
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 - 3249
E. jashbaugh(4,slocity.org
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