Hood Council Note: Food Expo

The kickoff ceremony for the Food Expo has begun! I gave a speech and introduced some key players. Thankfully, the Food Expo is pretty standard in Apple Valley, we've been participating for so long that things run like clockwork. I've been trying to encourage other hoods to participate in the Food Expo as well, who knows, maybe we'll have the honor of hosting the Expo again someday...we'll see.

Hood Council Note: Proposal for School: Phase One

Purpose
There is a need for the hood council to build a local school instead of bussing off the children and teens to other public schools where parents and the council can not monitor thier curriculm and education closely. This effort would take a considerable investment, but it would provide more jobs for residents and give us more control over the curriculm and education our children recieve.


State of the Hood's Education System
Currently the hood counts 9 teens and 10 children that are bussed off to nearby schools. It would take about two simdays to establish the Apple Valley school so that it can open on simMonday (if construction starts this simSaturday). By this time the pupil count would be 16 pupils. If we look at the number of students currently enrolled in private school: 5 teens and 2 children, that would ease the load of pupils for the school. Then that would leave 12 students to start the school.


Phase One
It will be best to slowly intergrate the students into the school and start with high school students and then add elementary students in Phase Two. With the increased requirements for university, the high school students are in danger of not being prepared for thier future. That would give the school 4 students to start with, also would only require 1 teacher. With this in mind:


Potential Jobs
1 Secondary School Teacher
-suggest teacher moves into an apartment on school grounds. If not possible, then at least the caretaker must move into the school.

1 Principal
-suggest that the Community Director holds this position to oversee the curriculm, will not increase duties of the CD too much, also will not cost the hood extra money to pay the principal.

1 Part-Time Cafeteria Worker or Delivered Pre-cooked Meals
-suggest delivered meals to save on cost. Can try to work a contract with Tati's

1 Part-Time Caretaker
-suggest either teacher does this afterschool or hire a worker to come in during afterschool hours to clean. Local maid service will be disruptive to classroom environment.

Classes/Grade Levels
Classes will be held simMonday-simFriday, 9am-3pm.
Will submit a more detailed curriculm proposal if the school proposal is approved.
Teens: Level 3, simyears 14-18 (pupil count 4)
Teens: Level 4, simyears 18-22 (pupil count 0)

Curriculm
Nationally Approved Curriculm/Subjects: use basic gradebooks
Extracurriculars: chess club, debate team, sports team, theater, yearbook, etc
Skill Building Classes: art, physical education, home ec, music class, shop class, etc


Investment
School Building
-believe this will be about $50,000 for the initial construction. Then another $30,000 for furnishing the school with neccessary equiptment.

Salary for Teacher
-can be a flat salary (suggest $1000/simweek) subsidized by the fact the teacher lives on campus and has room and board

Maintanience of School Building
-cleaning, repair work, landscaping, school supplies


Total Initial Investment=$90,000


We can qualify for the New School Education Grant ($35,000) and the Small School Iniative Grant ($40,000) which would require the hood to provide $15,000 towards the cost of the school, which is well within the budget.

Hood Council Note:My Plans for the Term

My plans for the term as Community Director:


Secure family values, uphold rights for children and elders

• Encourage families to create wills by hosting a free class at The Centre, free donuts will bring a bigger crowd
• Research health insurance policies for residents
• Establish a play group system for children to meet thier neighbors

Ensure a family friendly and healthy community for current & future generations.

• Encourage residents to compost instead of trash
• Install more lights and benches at the parks
• Obtain address signs for homes

Ensure adequate culture, local food produce, restaurants and bars, & social meeting places.

• Host a child friendly event: Children's Festival with free lemonade and sweets and local entertainment and games and prizes. Location: Celebration Park or Modern Sculpture Park, cost for residents: free
• Host a teen-friendly event. (What's cool now?): Musik Festival with concerts from local bands (contact Selita Grey) and maybe some international acts (contact Sergio Gitano of Harper's Cove, post notice on Career & Fame Board). Location: The Foundry
• Add a trend section in the local paper. Will review resturaunts, bars, etc. Also help residents stay abreast of the local trends.
• Allow local farmer's to reside on larger lots, thus produce more food.
• Build a public pool and gym for residents to enjoy in the summer time

Ensure a quality education system for residents

• Build a local school for the children of Apple Valley.
• Host graduation ceremonies for graduates of the school and the university
• Encourage more extracurricular activities for teens and children-start with debate team, chess club, and simscouting program

Hood Council Note: Future Plans

With the new term, here are my plans as the President

Construct a Bank
Add bank office at The Centre. Possible on bottom floor of the ballroom and decrease ballroom size to upper floor only. Bank would have ATM capabilities, office space for Financial Director to assist with loans and savings accounts. Financial Director will oversee this renovation and implementation.

Re-Establish fines/community service for conflicts

• Construction on jail due to be complete on simMonday. Will have three cells, recreation room and cafeteria, outdoor exercise space and jailor's apartment with two bedrooms.
• Jailor will be Jarvis Forrester-Miller, due to possession of aging wavier and position on the force. No salary will be given except a small stipend when inmates are housed.
• Fine list needs updating as well as a process for punishing residents and townies.
• Renovation of The Centre to include a courthouse for conflicts and office space to process data. Can reduce size of library so that it resides in the upstairs office space, renovate lower space to have the courtroom for trials and administrative offices.
• Judge will be Hood Council President or the sim that holds that position downtown. If jurors are needed, a random selection of adults from the hood will be chosen to serve for the trial.

Increase tourism

• Order additional custom objects: maps, poster prints, trinkets, etc. Also get map created of the hood to hang in the Welcome Center instead of the TV.
• Keep online Office of Tourism updated with flights and events.
• Hold raffle for a free trip to Apple Valley. Including airfare, accomadations, food, and spending money. ($5000)
• Create a Apple Valley Flag

Change timetable

• Follow Baleen Island's way of keeping time: instead of simdays, use Season # Simday #

Further relationship with affliates

• Email/chat with spokessims from affliate hoods more often
• Travel to affliate hoods

Hood Council Note: I'm the Financial Director

Since I have an anti-aging wavier, I now have the lifetime (or as soon as my wavier expires or I chose not to) position of Financial Director.

This term I plan to:

Local businesses and associated laws
Establish a program for New Small Business Owners:
Give new business owners $1000-$3000 credit towards purchase of a community lot.
Help business owners network with other small business owners in other hoods, perhaps the resurgance of the Small Business Conference.

Implement taxes and welfare support
Establish a program for Mortgage Loans:
Borrower must provide at least 10% down payment
Loans must be paid off within 21 simdays (three simweeks)
Payments will be twice a week (simTuesday and simThursday)

Increase rental fees:
Increase rental fees on the Starr Grey Townhomes (two-2 unit townhomes on McIntosh) due to promixity to main strip.

Change tax structure
Instead of $750/simweek per residental lot, increase it to $750/simweek per family. Removes loophole where families in multi-family housing paid less in taxes than other residents.

Manage the local real estates and architectural planning of the hood
Decrease number of multi-family units from 10 to 4:
Condemn and bulldoze the Fuji Flats (three two unit multi-family units)
One lot is ready for demolition, give other families 3 simdays (until simMonday) and $1000 for inconvience to find new housing (total $4,000)
Would decrease rental income for the hood, however would promote home ownership
Still maintain the Starr Grey Townhomes (two-2 unit townhomes on McIntosh) and AVBH (4 rooms available for rent)

Build mixed income housing area:
Build three small lot homes on Fuji Court. At least two homes must be at least two bedroom and one bath, less than $15,000, other must be bewteen $15,000 and $30,000. At least two homes one story, one home two story.

Renovate Pavilion
Renovate skating rink so more sims can enter rink to skate.

Build Celebration Park II
Small grill area, playground, bathroom on 2x3 lot

Revamp Celebration Park I
Demolish grill and playground area to create more open space. Add chess set, focus more on the lake and fishing activities

Expand Modern Sculpture Park
Demolish small 1x3 lot and build on larger 2x3 lot
Buy Euphoria from Tatiana Garris, use additional land space for the new park
Will increase value of new homes on Fuji Court


Renovate The Core
The Core is too bulky and hinders views of main street (McIntosh)
Demolish 2nd level.
Create 5-9x8 office spaces for the following retailors: The Green Paw Pet Shop; Gears & Beyond; Snips; Wearable Art; I-Scream Icecream & Pizza
Retailors are paying for renovation-no funding needed from hood council, only approval on final design.