07.12.23 CEC Minutesw
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OWNDEPRSPED
A Place Where Everyone Matters
1. Call to Order / Roll Call.
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
Committee Members Present:
Christine Strobush, Chair
Brent Kirby, Vice Chair
Stacy Cate
John Hamilton
Chris Wardlaw
Gretchen Darby
Britt Beene
Kristin Meier
Trovette Tottress
Kari Willis
Committee Members Absent:
Grant Mendeljian
Councilmembers Present
Marcus Ray
Councilmembers Absent:
Amy Bartley
Jeff Hodges
MINUTES
Community Engagement Committee
Prosper Town Hall, Executive Conference Room
250 W. First Street, Prosper, Texas
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Staff Members Present:
Robyn Battle, Executive Director
Devon Jett, Community Engagement Coordinator
2. Consider and act upon the minutes of the June 7, 2023, Community Engagement
Committee (CEC) meeting.
John Hamilton made a motion and Chris Wardlaw seconded the motion to approve the
June 7, 2023, CEC minutes. The motion was approved unanimously.
3. Presentation of Prosper PACT (GH)
Gavin Hernandez, a rising Freshman at Prosper High School introduced Prosper PACT,
an initiative of his own creation aimed at promoting community involvement through
enhancing the Town's aesthetics. This Prosper PACT pledge represents a commitment
to enhancing the beauty of Prosper and fostering a collective mindset of being a
considerate neighbor while keeping the Town clean. Gavin is seeking collaboration with
the Town to kickstart the program and asked for the CEC's recommendation on ideas to
launch and promote the program. The Committee is hoping to assist in setting an official
launch date and offering a platform for promoting the pledge at various events or
programs such as the upcoming Fall New Resident Mixer or through a possible Mayor's
Youth Advisory Council. The Youth Advisory Council Subcommittee will discuss ways to
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align the pledge with the youth council. Gavin agreed to attend the August 2 CEC
meeting where he will receive feedback on the program.
4. Discuss Fall New Resident Mixer (KS)
Kaylynn Stone, Special Events Coordinator for Parks & Recreation was on hand to
discuss ideas for the upcoming Fall New Resident Mixer. The Committee had the
following requests:
• Special backdrop photo opportunity, possibly with Town Logo
• Test an earlier start time, 4:00 pm-7:00 pm, to capture a broader audience
• Incorporate PISD resources -band, mascot, spirit wear, culinary team
• Encourage kids who attend to wear their own school's spirit wear
• Add Finance Department & IT to Prosper Passport
• Provide a booth or dedicated space for Prosper PACT
• Return to the U-formation tent set-up that was used at the first mixer
Gretchen Darby and Stacy Cate will follow up with Kaylynn regarding PISD's contact
information.
5. Comments from the Public.
Ron Frimmer attended the meeting and provided feedback on the Broadband Survey
meeting & Prosper Pride in the Sky. He stated that the Brodband Survey meeting was
hosted well but there are several citizens with serious internet concerns. Regarding
Prosper Pride in the Sky, he stated that the park was beautiful and there was an
opportunity to have more booths and businesses present as there was ample space for
it.
6. Brainstorming Ideas for Life In Prosper (CS)
a. National Night Out
This topic was not discussed.
b. Celebrate Prosper/BBQ & Blues
Celebrate Prosper BBQ & Blues is now rebranded as just Celebrate Prosper with no
specific theme. This allows Parks & Rec the opportunity to hold this event with more
options for food and music. Given the BBQ theme will no longer be a part of
Celebrate Propser, the Committee continued to brainstorm ideas on a BBQ cook -off
event and various ways this could be executed in smaller formats. Ideas included
having the Town invest in a BBQ pit downtown and get volunteers to cook and have
it available for residents to purchase, incorporating a pit built into one of the
community parks that could be used to host events like a neighborhood BBQ cook -
off, holding a BBQ competition amongst different Town departments such as Police
and Fire. Events like these help tap into talents and allow eventgoers to be a part of
the process.
c. Emergency Preparedness
Ideas generated from the CEC's discussion on emergency preparedness were taken
back to the Communications department and emergency management staff who
have built on this recommendation and will begin a video series for safety tips. The
videos will serve as evergreen content and the information provided will coincide with
the time of year. The content presented will be appropriate for all audiences. The
CEC recommended also doing more educational videos that are posted once a week
that is focused on being purely informational with things such as promoting the
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myProsper mobile app, how to shut off your water, signing up for water notifications,
or encouraging residents to use the GIS interactive map found on the website.
7. Feedback on Special Events (CS)
a. Prosper Pride in the Sky
Prosper Pride was a well -attended event, executed through a partnership with
Cedarbrook Media. No Committee members were in attendance at the event but did
hear positive feedback on the event, specifically regarding the exit strategy after the
fireworks ended. The suggestion was made to try and track attendance for next year.
8. Review Work Plan/Activity Schedule (CS)
The Committee reviewed the work plan for the remainder of the summer and the
upcoming fall season. Kari Willis gave an update on Freedom Fest 2023 which is being
held on the south lawn of Town Hall on Sat. September 2"d. Coffey Anderson will be the
headliner with 2-3 opening acts. The general admission will be free with VIP tickets
priced at $200. Kari will provide images to promote the concert on social media.
Robyn Battle will follow up with a timeline for the Committee's review of the
comprehensive plan scheduled for discussion.
9. Subcommittee Updates:
a. Downtown Advisory Subcommittee (CW)
Kari Willis was in attendance for the Downtown Business Alliance meeting on June 20tn
and presented the downtown initiatives on behalf of the CEC. The Downtown Business
Alliance expressed high praise for the plan, commending its inclusion of a brand
catalog, initial landscape and lighting arrangements, speakers and music to enhance
the atmosphere, signage, and wayfinding systems, and various picture -worthy spots.
They considered these elements an excellent start to establishing the desired
appearance and vibe of downtown and they liked the idea of witnessing this initial
progress to cultivate enthusiasm for the downtown area. One concern was that the
trees located in the back of the parking lot may be dangerous. The next steps involve
taking ideas back to the Planning, Engineering, and Parks departments to get real cost
estimates. The Subcommittee will continue as a focus group as long as Town Council
sees value in it.
b. Mayor's Youth Council Subcommittee (CS)
The Mayor's Youth Council Subcommittee will meet in July to discuss phase one of
the application process as well as the selection criteria for the program. The
Subcommittee will share these ideas at the August 2 CEC meeting. The Committee
agreed that if the Prosper PACT is adopted per Gavin's recommendation, this would
be an ideal fit for the Youth Advisory Council to help implement.
c. Prosper Passport Subcommittee (BK)
The Prosper Passport will need to be updated to include IT & Finance for the Fall New
Resident Mixer. Town Staff will work to gather the information and update the
Passport.
d. Survey Subcommittee (CW)
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A suggestion was made to add to the survey a question asking how residents are
getting their information on the events or how they prefer to get information. The survey
will also need to be updated for the Fall New Resident Mixer.
10. Discuss and receive any updates regarding:
a. Community Map (BK)
The Committee will continue to brainstorm ideas on the best way to use the
Community Map and how it could be incorporated into CEC initiatives in the future.
d. Social Media Graphics (KW)
Kari Willis discussed getting more participation from the group for posting the CEC
social media graphics. This discussion led to ideas on how to share information with
those who do not use social media, especially for Town events. Ideas included a
quarterly mailer, a quarterly Prosper Town magazine, or possibly a yearly print
publication that is tied into the State of the Town.
11. Discuss and consider CEC "Top 3" & Save the Date (CS)
1. Coffee & Chrome -July 22
2. Moonlight Movie -August 11
3. Freedom Fest-September 2
Save the Date -New Resident Mixer -September 28
12. Request for future agenda items.
Discussion of Prosper PACT and providing feedback on the program with Gavin
Hernandez.
13. Adjourn.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Britt Beene
made a motion and Kari Willis seconded the motion. The motion was approved
unanimously.
These minutes were approved on Aug. 2, 2023
APPROVED
Christine Strobush, Chair
TTESTE
evon Je , Com unity Engagement Coordinator
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