From: Leota Childress

Sent: Fri Apr 10 14:34:26 2020

To: Keith Swigart; Elizabeth Klein; DeLise Palumbo; Jody Newland; Terry Shankle; Crystal Robles; Dan Huff; Christie DeSantis; Darlene Bishop; Gerald Fisher; Chaunee Seifried; Alice Cannon; Frank Schoenfeld

Subject: My Council Meeting Report

Importance: Normal

Mr. Mayor, Fellow City Councilors, City Manager Huff, Department Heads, and Lead Office Staff,

First, thank you, Dan and Staff. You are the best. Thank you for showing up every day, for brainstorming on how we can go above and beyond to serve our community during these unprecedented times, for keeping us up to date on directions from the County and State, for taking this opportunity to catch up on DPW projects, for keeping us safe (PD) and exploring how we can operate in this new virtual world. I know you're trying to develop a process around budget approval.

If we were at a Council meeting, this would be my report. I would like to encourage you, Mr. Mayor and Councilors, to send a report as well. We would also like to hear from staff if you have time to send something. Just another form of keeping in touch.

Triangle Design & Graphics is open for business at 114 Engle Avenue. This new shop is owned by Dean Blades, co-owner of Colton Winery. If you drive by The Main Shop, you'll see a large, encouraging poster in the window. Dean produced that poster and he and Ken Fetters are encouraging businesses to put similar posters in their windows.

Although we've been distracted with the COVID pandemic, I like to plan "as if". As if we will soon be sharing the Visioning project and as if Celebrate Molalla will happen in September.

• * I have stayed in touch with Roque Barros at The Ford Family Foundation.
• * He has encouraged us to file for a 2020 grant so I will get a budget together to go forward with that. Dan Huff, the Celebrate Molalla committee, and Ken Fetters will be included in the process. The Molalla Culture & Arts CPC will join us in planning and execution of Celebrate Molalla.
• * I believe this year's celebration will be bigger and better than before. In addition to the usual, there will be a Piano in the Park dedication of the piano that honors first responders. Bob Oblack is leading that project and bringing in representatives of the City, County, and State first responders as well as government dignitaries. Since the project, Rodeo Days, will be cancelled, the businesses and organizations that were going to be involved, will hopefully join Celebrate.
• * Many businesses will have suffered negative financial impacts due to COVID so fundraiding may be a challenge.

I am in almost daily contact with Ken Fetters of The Main Shop. He is doing so much to meet the needs of the community. Here are a few

• * Making deliveries from the store of coffee, honey, wine, books and art, and face masks. His seamstresses cannot keep up with the demand so I've starting masks, as well. He spends most of his day filling orders and delivering.
• * He and Dave Jackson have set up a video studio in Dave's shop. You can find these videos on Dave Jackson Photography and Welcome to Molalla fb pages.
  • * Dr. Olesya Salathe
  • * Wine tasting (hilarious)
  • * Cardboard Castle Contest
  • * Interview with Ken, part 2 coming soon
  • * Amazon box gardens
• * He and I have discussed the possibility of sharing the Vision Plan through a series of five videos.
  • * #1 - About the Plan, Service Areas, and Implementation, pages 2-4
  • * #2 - About Molalla, History and Future, Findings, 2030 Vision and Values, pages 5-8
  • * #3 - Vision Focus Areas and Focus Area 1, pages 9-10
  • * #4 - Focus Area 2 (this may be split into two videos)
  • * #5 - Focus Areas 3-5 and Thank You, pages 14-17
• * We have also discussed City Department heads sharing something and a fun, entertaining way to share City budgeting.
• * So, put on your thinking cap and let us know how you would like to get involved in the video project.

The Molalla Warming Center season ended just in the nick of time. Since City parks and eateries closed, the homeless population didn't have any facilities available to them so we placed two portapotties with hand washing facilities in front of the WC building.

The two largest community outreach programs, Meals on Wheels and the Foothills Resource Center, are still operating. Both have experienced an overwhelming influx of new clients, with MOW almost doubling. Both are using staff only. For various and good reasons, they are not allowing volunteer staff to participate, so Molalla HOPE, Inc., the nonprofit that runs the WC, has supported M.O.W. financially.

Robert Thompson is holding weekly virtual meetings via zoom for community businesses. Robert is on the Chamber Board and a local business man. He's one of "Ken's proteges" and is promoting and supporting Molalla in a big way.

Whew! I'm getting up there in the Gerald Fisher category with this report. (Love ya, Gerald.) Like I said at the beginning, please share. Don't know about you, but I feel so out of touch.

Be Safe. Be Well.

Leota Childress

City Council President

City of Molalla

503.829.6855