Doesn't she look? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Welcome to the Sister Cities Commission meeting. Um, Monday, March 2nd. Uh, let's call the meeting to order. Let's start with roll call. Reju, Ellie
Sweeney, Carolyn Marty Smith, >> Larry Mack, >> Jane Mayday, Hokei, >> John Borwick, >> Tamara FTH, >> Tony Bernick. >> Okay. >> Backer. >> Okay. And at this time, I'd like to welcome um our new members, Lori, Lori
Juel, and Tamara FTH to our committee. Thank you for joining us. Okay. >> Welcome. >> Thank you. >> All right. We'll start with the approval of the minutes. Has everybody read the minutes for the last meeting? Yes. >> I'll make a motion to approve minutes.
>> I'll second it. >> Any discussion? If not, all in favor? >> I oppose. >> Motion pass. And then we've already welcomed our minutes. Um next we'll look at our financial reports. We'll look at
the general fund and first and um there were no changes to that at all for the general fund. We have a balance of $3,570. And then we will look at um the sister city's um special project fund and we
have $7,59 in there. There was only one expense and that was in January and we approved that. So, are there any questions or >> pretty simple? >> All right. I look for a motion. >> I'll move to approve.
>> I'll second that. >> Any discussion? If not, all in favor? I >> I >> oppose. Motion passed. Okay. Next on the general um agenda is our exchange program and we
had um selected um John Rosenberg and does anybody know have we found anything for him to do here in New? If not, we really need to address that so we can let them know whether or not we find something. Um,
well, we left it at I think Kathleen had contacted Cararissa. Is that right? >> I think that's as far as it went. >> Oh, okay. And I think we were wasn't Lisa going to try and get some information whether his credentials would uh >> transfer
>> transfer over to the US, you know, so we could further try to find employment in his occupation in the medical field area or what he could do. So, let me follow up with Lisa and see what she found out if those credentials
are going to be valid over here. And then after that, we'll have to appoint maybe a couple of us to start really looking to see what we can find. >> Sure. >> Okay. >> Well, and maybe it maybe we could ask Lisa for a time frame, what what >> what's going to work best for him to
come here if it's June or if it's August. So, if we're out looking for employers when that time comes, sounded like they didn't want to offer it to him unless we knew we had a place. Lisa said, you know, I hate to offer it to him. Say, oh, well, now we can't find
anywhere for you to work. >> Yeah. So, there are some things that I will follow up with on Lisa and the credentials. I'll look at if they know what time his time frame is for coming here. That'll give us a good idea of how much time we have to work um with trying to find something for him to work in his
field. >> Can I interrupt with a question? I don't remember. I might be getting different applicants mixed up, but if I remember right, I think he kind of thought he might not be able to work in the medical field. Was he the guy who also has worked in restaurants or something like that? So, it might be that he has a backup option.
>> That's true. >> Just in case. So, we might look at both of his options for employment in case the medical thing doesn't work out, we could always do the other. >> You know, a good point there is if it's both, maybe um Oakills because he could work in their food
>> um service. Um they cater and then um probably help um with some of the medical stuff. >> I'm sure they always are looking for work workers, so that might be >> So that might be an option. So um let me follow up with Lisa. Let's um see what
where we need to go and then we'll go from there. Okay. >> All right. And then um there's still discussion on processing securing um internation for our three that we sent them. We have not heard back from them.
All right. And were those three notified that they were of the top three? >> I believe Lisa did that. >> Okay. Okay. So they they all know that it was sent to and I think she explained that we sent the three to Germany for them to
see what they could find and accommodate um to the best of their ability. All right. All right. under old business, the possibility to collaborate with Brown County Historical M Society Museum on their summer program. Ellie, do you have any more on that?
>> Yep. Carolyn and I met with Christina uh Kester at the Brown County Historical Society. She's the program coordinator. And first we were thinking about doing their their um like summer young kids
camp that's held out at the Brown County Fairgrounds. But then she she came up with they have a heritage heritage chores day >> that's going to be on August 13th and we thought that might be a little better for us not doing like the school room
setting. And it it is held at the Keyasling House and it's from 9:00 to 1:00. I'm pretty sure I wrote the date right. It's the 13th. And they have fifth to sixth graders, I think. And we're going to make Spencel with them. >> Yeah. >> How's that sound?
>> I do know. I do not cook. I'm going to clean for following behind Ellie. >> I will help. Okay. >> Yeah. She was excited and she said, "Then they can make the butter and we can put the butter on the spatula and it'll just be super fun." And I think something, you know, that they can do
help mix it up and >> they can do the scraping across the top. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> And so we are planning on doing that and it's just a one day thing. So it's not And I think Caroline and I and if you want to help that'd be great. >> It's not going to take a lot of prep or
anything like that. >> Buy eggs. >> Buy eggs. >> I might I might have you hooked up on that one. >> Nice. >> My mom's got like 30 laying hens. Oh, perfect. We got eggs. >> Down. Tony has eggs.
>> Um, yeah, because we can make the batter up a little bit ahead of time and have it just ready to go. >> Yeah. >> So, yeah, I will help. >> Okay, that sounds like a wonderful idea. How do we promote that? >> She will. We talked to her about it and she's going to do it as will just be an
addendum to her thing. So, it's an extra thing for her. get. >> I'm sure she'll put the sister cities. >> Yeah, exactly. So, >> joint. >> What was the date on that again? >> August 13th. >> 13th. That's a Thursday. >> Yeah. >> Is that during the the fair? >> It's during the fair. That was what I
was just looking up. So, >> we will have a three-day event then if we got the broad stand right. >> Well, I wondered if I couldn't remember what those dates were, but we can do it. >> We had to do her I mean, we had to do it when she said I had another date for her in June. >> Oh, that's probably the old date. June
June 16. >> That was the old date. Never mind. >> I think we'll make it work even with the broad stance two days before because we rotate our time through there and so um we could um figure out how we'll cover all three dates. It shouldn't be an issue.
>> So that's next on our business. >> Sorry, Ellie. Will um will German language be included in the >> Well, it would be a good idea. We could have the German words for everything we're doing. Yeah, we can do that. >> Just simply including the German language maybe. for the recipe or whatever. >> Exactly. Yeah.
>> Okay. >> Yeah, I think that's a good idea. >> Invinc include language. I'll put >> Thanks, Lori. We'll do that. >> Yeah. >> And then we do have our broadstat stand dates. They are Tuesday, August 11th, and Wednesday, August 12th. They're
backtoback dates, a Tuesday and a Wednesday. Um we'll get everything together. Lisa is going to start sending out um the um schedule to all the friends of um the sister city so we can get that going and get that filled and
um like we were saying it'll be nice to have it two days in a row. We don't have to tear everything so much down. We can just set everything inside and bring it back outside and um make it easier. >> What's the What's the times on that? >> Usually from 9 till 5:30. >> 9 till 5:30. >> 5:30.
>> We don't open at 9:00. No, but we're there getting set up. Start cooking. Get the grill hot and all of that. Okay. >> Make sure all the papas and all the buns and stuff are there. So, >> make sure it's a windy day, too. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Like, we were really windy last year.
>> It was like having an air balloon. >> What if we put a gag on you? It won't be so windy. >> Oh, all right. Let's move on to um our new business and um Lori had talked to um about having a
marketing plan. >> So do you want to talk a little bit more about that because we don't have a marketing plan and would like to >> So as the categories of how people wanted to be involved I chose to be a part of the marketing um subcommittee of
this committee. So, I just wanted to have a little direction on which way to go and maybe learn what has been done for marketing this organization in the past and then be able to better facilitate marketing it in the future. Um, and if there's certain ways that we have marketed in the past that worked
really well, wonderful. Then let's just keep doing those. But if there we haven't been marketing at all in the past, then maybe we need to figure out a plan in order to do that. So, um, yeah. And right now, I think I'm a oneperson subcommittee. Um, which is great. I'm small but mighty,
but I just wanted to get some advice or some feedback. I don't know if any of you have been a part of the marketing subcommittee in the past, but I'm just wanted to get some some support around that. >> I just think that in the past because Brian was on the board, we did stuff through KUJ through him
>> and I'm sure they would >> I mean he announced like when our broadstand dates were coming up and he'll still do that I'm sure. But that's some of the stuff we advertise. We do advertise um when we have um get
ready to select new candidates every year, make sure that information gets out um to the general public. Um we have our students write letters to the journal, two, three, two or three from Germany to say what they're doing each time
>> and those get printed. >> Yes. Yes. The journal is good about that. And then um >> Ryan did like community affairs or he you know he would you know >> interview a commissioner you know in those regards and >> and then interview the um who were hosting
>> and um inbound and out inbound outbound um about their experience or what they're looking forward to while they're here. >> So um those types of things and I think another thing that would really be nice to um advertise is when we do the welcome
>> Mhm. for our inbound and we do the farewell. I think that um it's nice to do just friends of the commission, but sometimes I think maybe we need to broaden that out a little bit so that people in the community are more aware of this function and what we do and how
it go we go about hosting and maybe that will pay off when it comes to finding host families to finding um different things that are because that's always a problem finding places for the kids to stay. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So, have we used Facebook in the past?
>> I was just going to ask that. I don't know. Not >> I think Lisa kind of controls that or has put an ad out on the city's website, Facebook page. Yeah. >> Yes. I just want to clarify uh we do have a website and um Lisa Pelzo in our
administration office will post things for the different commissions. Great. >> And so that's what has been done. We don't have separate Facebook pages at this point. >> Sure. >> And um I believe that when there's press releases and so on, anything that is
done runs through the admin office just so that we have a record of it >> and it doesn't uh go along with the generations of board members and disappear. So we try to make sure everything is running through the admin office. So >> we can still do that, but I think we need to
>> get ourselves out there a little bit more. >> Yeah. um maybe even promote a little bit more within the college, you know, so we still keep getting a good >> selection of candidates, you know, it keeps them enthused because they have German program or or maybe even we could
connect our inbound, you know, student, you know, it's German, but it depending on if the college is in session or not either, you know, if they could speak at the college or coordinate with that for event. >> Yeah. The thing I wonder about with um
>> the website, the city website, how many people actually go out to that website and actually look at it to see what's going on. Okay. And so that was my thought about how we can market ourselves a little bit more a little broader because not so sure a lot of people do that. Okay.
>> Do we still I didn't do it this time, but the time before I set up a schedule for the kids and then they go to Rotary and >> Yeah, we still do that. We still do that because that's important. I think somebody should take that over. >> Yeah, we need I don't know if we have we're doing it now. So, somebody should
uh >> think that's part of the marketing. I'm happy to take that over. Yeah, it does. It does. It sounds like promotion. >> That's right. >> We came to the Optimus Club. >> Optimus. >> Yeah. Right. Different organizations. So, um we need to just broaden our the
part of marketing a little bit bit for us. Okay. some good ideas and good suggestions and we'll um see where we go from now. >> I'll come up with a bit of a more of an outline of a plan for the next meeting and then I'll get your feedback. >> Okay. Thank you very much.
>> Okay. Is there any other new business to be discussed? Anybody else have anything they want to bring before the commission? If not, the next meeting will be held on Monday, April 6th at 5:15 p.m. here in
the city chambers. How council. Um, if there's nothing else, I'll ask for a motion for adjournment. >> I'll make that motion to adjurnn. >> I'll second it. All in favor? >> I oppose.
Meeting adjourned and we'll be gone.