Golf Manor committee sets dates for Juneteenth and July events, advances bike-safety and food-distribution steps

Golf Manor Village’s Community Engagement Committee on an evening meeting in early 2025 discussed spring WeThrive programming, plans to repair and redistribute community bikes, steps needed for food-distribution certification and tentative dates for Juneteenth and the village’s July celebration.

The discussion centered on resident-facing programs run or promoted by the village’s WeThrive initiative and on clarifying which village body — WeThrive, Community Engagement or the Recreation Commission — should lead event planning and outreach. The committee agreed to begin marketing preparations and to use a shared calendar and email list to notify residents.

WeThrive programming and schedule details were the first substantive updates. Gwen (role/title not specified) said, “We’re starting off the year with a class of bingo size on January 24,” and described a healthy cooking class running April 24 through June 12 and a planned Tai Chi series with dates to be determined. Meeting remarks identified the cooking classes as two days per week and indicated other regular classes would meet twice weekly from 10 a.m. (days and times were discussed but not specified for each class).

Committee members discussed a plan to refurbish bikes that have been stored for an extended period and to limit initial distribution to Golf Manor residents. Miss Pat (role/title not specified) agreed to lead outreach and to contact Fraser Cunningham, who heads the Movo bike-servicing group, to see if he can assist with checks and repairs. The police department agreed to measure helmet sizes and help with helmet fittings when a distribution date is set.

On food distribution, members said the group needs at least one person to complete a food-safety certification (referred to as "Safe Serve" in the meeting) so volunteers can distribute prepared items or operate small food-share boxes. Committee remarks also identified liability and ownership questions tied to neighborhood food-boxes and said a new village representative will review materials and prior files from the previous contact (Shaila/Shayla) to determine whether distribution can proceed and who would assume liability.

The committee tentatively scheduled two major events: a Juneteenth celebration on Friday the 13th (the Friday before the federal holiday) from about 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the village’s July celebration on Sunday, July 6 (instead of July 4) to allow a larger parade, pending confirmation from department heads and event leads. Members said they will check staffing availability for a Sunday event and coordinate with recreation and public-safety staff; David Fisher (role/title not specified) was identified as a long-time event lead who may need a substitute if he cannot commit to the proposed date.

Members discussed marketing and outreach. The group agreed to create a concise, postcard-style calendar that lists the four main events discussed (Juneteenth, July celebration, Labor Day and the fall festival/C78) and to use the village’s existing email list (about 350 addresses) for Mailchimp blasts. Committee members asked that staff and volunteers formalize event forms and permitting procedures (for example, fee differences for residents vs. nonresidents) through the Recreation Commission so events follow consistent rules.

Committee members also reported a new community calendar on the village website. Several speakers noted a mobile-app display issue that truncates event pop-ups; a staff member (Ron or other staff, role/title not specified) said he would contact the vendor to request a fix.

Operational items and next steps included: assigning Miss Pat to contact Fraser Cunningham about bike servicing; police to assist with helmet sizing at distribution; the new village rep and Karen (role/title not specified) to review prior files from Shaila/Shayla about food-box liability; and producing a postcard calendar and Mailchimp scheduling for resident outreach.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved routine meeting actions including election of a chair pro tem, excusing an absent member, adopting the agenda, approving minutes from the previous meeting and adjourning. Vote tallies were recorded as voice votes (ayes) in the meeting record without detailed roll-call tallies.

The committee set its next Community Engagement meeting for Monday, February 10, 2025, at 6 p.m.