Town of Cary
SISTER CITIES COMMISSION (SCC)
Page-Walker Arts & History Center

Minutes of May 15, 2003

Present: Jinnie Davis, Sharon Hannigan, Cricket Harrell, Ian Henshaw, Steve Morrison, Darrell Stover (Staff Liaison)  

Absent: Mary Lou Addor, Mary Brice, Amy Feistel, Samuel Fudzie, Sarah Sheffield, Jack Smith (Council Liaison), Nadette Welterlin-Hugg  

Guests: Visitors from Kernersville: Larry Brown (Mayor), Ray Smith (Human Resources), John Wolfe (Attorney)  

Handouts: Agenda and minutes (Steve), Subcommittees list (Steve)  

CALL TO ORDER:  On the advice of Darrell Stover, Steve Morrison called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m. despite the absence of a quorum.  

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Without a quorum, approval of the minutes of 15 April 03 was postponed. Steve asked commission members to send comments on the minutes to him or to Jinnie.  

MEETINGS:  Several members have indicated a desire for the meetings to move along more quickly and to end by 9:30 p.m. or sooner. To that end, Steve asked each member to be succinct at the meetings. Topics requiring lengthy deliberation may need to be discussed in detail by the appropriate subcommittee before consideration at a full meeting.  

DELIVERABLES: Steve asked for every member’s cooperation in ensuring that tasks are completed as promised. Everyone should read the minutes to remember assignments and deadlines. Subcommittee chairs should send reminders to their members about deadlines and follow up with Steve if needed. Individuals who take on a responsibility should try to meet deadlines or let the subcommittee chair or Steve know as soon as possible if they will be unable to complete their assignments on time.  

SUBCOMMITTEE REVIEW:  Steve reviewed the subcommittee assignments and chairpersons. With respect to the Town of Cary ’s Web site, Darrell stated that Karen Gray is ready to ask the town’s technical staff to post items such as the proclamation. Ian will compile appropriate documents and send a packet to Karen for posting.  

Lazy Daze Subcommittee. Cricket explained that she will be traveling much of the time and will not be in town for the festival. We will need a replacement for Cricket to work with Mary on the sales booth.  

UPDATE ON LE TOUQUET SUMMER EXCHANGE: Cricket gave a status report on planning for the French students arriving July 11 and leaving July 25.  

Donations. She has solicited donations from Goodberry’s, Putt-Putt, and Buffalo Bowling.  Buffalo Bowling has requested a letter for tax purposes, which Cricket asked Steve to write. Sharon said that SCA letterhead exists; she will look for it and e-mail it to everyone.  

Transportation. Cricket has checked with Absolute Elegance, Capital Style, and Capital Ford Crossroads for possible transportation options and thinks it best to get the per-day, rather than per-hour, rental rate offered by Capital Ford. It would be necessary, however, to find someone who can drive a fifteen-passenger van. Ian suggested checking with local churches that may have vehicles we can use. Cricket said that school vehicles need special licenses; she will follow up with churches to see whether they also have that requirement.  

Location.  Cricket proposed an outing at Bond Park on July 14 with some group activity followed by a picnic for the host families and commission members. Darrell says that use of Bond Park should not be a problem on that date. Offering a ropes course, however, will involve costs and staffing, and he is still discussing it with Parks and Recreation. He suggested that it would be easier to arrange an activity such as canoeing. Sharon mentioned use of the paddleboats in the past. Steve asked all members to note the July 14 picnic on their calendars. Cricket will see if any restaurants are willing to supply appetizers, and other attendees will be asked to bring dishes. She circulated a copy of a flyer soliciting host families for the Summer Exchange Program. Steve has e-mailed SAS about interested participants.  

English classes.  The classes will begin July 16.  Darrell has checked on the use of Bond Park for English instruction, but because of a full schedule of summer activities, neither it nor any other Town of Cary location will be available. Barry has asked about Chamber of Commerce space, and Steve mentioned asking Jack Smith about other possibilities.  

Host families. Cricket has one definite and one possible host family and three additional potential names.  

DISCUSSION OF LAZY DAZE:  Steve reported on a message from Barry that Markham has withdrawn its participation in this year’s Lazy Daze because of a trip to Greensboro in July and because the SARS threat is limiting travel. He noted the health risk for travelers from Taiwan as well. We will, however, proceed with the invitations.  

Invitations.  Ian reported that he needs contact information for the invitations to Markham and Le Touquet, which Steve will obtain for him.  

SCC BYLAWS:  Sharon is still awaiting the online version of the bylaws and will follow up with Karen Gray or Sue Rowland.  

OTHER BUSINESS:  Sharon reported that, at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, she met a woman from Ireland who offered to help set up an exchange program for students, probably beginning with correspondence between elementary-school students.

CULTURAL EVENTS:  Darrell announced upcoming exhibits, performances, and other events sponsored by the Town of Cary .

Meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.