Minutes Siter City Relationships Advisory Commission 11 14 12Sister City Relationships Advisory Commission
DATE: Wednesday, November 14, 2012
TIME: 4:00 PM
PLACE: City Hall — Conference Room A, 50 W. 13th Street, Dubuque
Minutes
Present: Sheila Castenada, Joyce Connors, Larrissa Filimonenko, Jeffrey Jochum, Dick Landis,
Phyllis Lee, Pat McNamara, Betty Phillips, Louise Turn,
Absent: Michael Coty, Kevin Lynch, Annalee Ward
1. Approval of Minutes for September 9, 2012, Meeting
Motion by Lee to approve the September 9, 2012 meeting minutes. Seconded by Castenada.
Motion carried 9 -0.
2. Dornbirn, Austria — Dubuque Delegation Visit — October 22 -25, 2012.
Landis and Firnstahl described the events of the delegation's visit and shared materials from
the trip. Dornbirn's promotional video was played for the Commission. Firnstahl stated that an
article about the visit will appear in the December issue of Julien's Journal, and he will check
on the possibility of article in the next issue of City News. Landis stated that Dornbirn is
planning another visit to Dubuque in 2013 and that the Commission should explore the topics
of student exchanges, government relations and citizen input, sustainability, and historic
preservation.
3. Monthly Newsletters & Correspondence (on- going)
a. Pyatigorsk: Jochum reported on the correspondence received from Jeff Walters of Iowa
Sister States about the upcoming visit to Des Moines from Dimitriy Vasyutkin of
Pyatigorsk, November 30- December 8. Mr. Walters is willing to help arrange a meeting
with members of the Sister City Commission noting that December 2 is the best time for
the meeting in Des Moines. It was suggested that Mr. Walters come and speak to the
Commission about Sister States and the Pyatigorsk relationship.
b. Handan: Anniversary Committee member Landis reported on the 30th anniversary year
of the Sister States relationship that Iowa has had with the Chinese province of Hebei,
which is where the Sister City of Handan is located. A handout was provided explaining
the year -long activities tentatively planned by the Anniversary Committee, and
discussion was given to how Dubuque might incorporate its Sister City relationship into
the activities scheduled for the Des Moines and Muscatine areas. Landis and Firnstahl
will work on completing and submitting the participation form. Landis will attend a
meeting of the Anniversary Commission on December 3 in Des Moines. He also
reported on a possible 2013 visit to Dubuque by Handan's Mayor and a reciprocal
invitation to Mayor Buol.
4. Library Archive and Display — Update:
Commissioners Phillips, Thurn, Jochum and Landis will meet after the Thanksgiving holiday to
begin plans on a Sister City display at the Library that will include much of the information and
official proclamation from Dornbirn.
5. Items from Commission
The Commission suggested recording a City Journal episode documenting the delegation's
visit to Dornbirn. Firnstahl will communicate the Public Information Officer Randy Gehl.
6. Items from Staff
a. Web page development: Firnstahl reported that the Sister City web page is nearly ready
to publish to the City's web site. A slide show of pictures from Dornbirn is being added.
It should be ready next week, and commissioners are asked to view it and provide
feedback and any historical information they may have on Pyatigorsk and Handan.
b. Membership and Vacancies: Firnstahl provided an update on the current membership
and term expirations. Commissioner Coty submitted an e-mail addressing concerns
over is inability to attend meetings. Firnstahl will contact him about the option or
reapplying when his term ends in February 2013.
7. Next Meeting:
Wednesday, January 9, 2013, 4:00 p.m., City Hall Conference Room A.
8. Adjournment: 5:03 p.m.
Motion by Thurn. Seconded by Lee. Motion carried 9 -0.
Richard Landis, Chairperson
Prepared by Kevin S. Firnstahl, CMC, City Clerk