Top 5 things you need to know about the Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting

Washoe County partners with the Wolf Pack for adoption awareness campaign.

Reno, Nevada. Oct. 13, 2015.

1. Grant approved to support an adoption awareness campaign with the Nevada Wolf Pack. The Board of County Commissioners accepted a $99,500 grant from the State of Nevada Division of Child and Family Services to support and promote an adoption awareness campaignin collaboration with Wolf Pack Sports Properties. Washoe County Children’s Services will work with Wolf Pack donors for fundraising activities and awareness campaigns. Foster and adoptive families will also be invited to attend games and be recognized throughout the year. 

The adoption campaign includes recruitment and retention events at basketball, volleyball and baseball games. Washoe County Children’s Services is also teaming up with the University of Nevada football team in promoting the Have a Heart football game at Mackay Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14. University of Nevada football coach Brian Polian will be wearing white for National Adoption Awareness Month which is in November. At the football game, an adoptive family will have the opportunity to speak with Coach Polian and be recognized on the field at halftime. In addition to the game, an appreciation tailgate for foster and adoptive families will be held at Mackay.

“I love this idea and believe it is going to really boost adoptions in the future for many children who need a safe and forever home,” said Washoe County Commissioner Kitty Jung (Dist.3).

Washoe County Children’s Division Director for Social Services, Alice LeDesma, said adoptions have increased from 109 in 2013 to 150 in 2014 and much of that is due to the success of this partnership.

“This is a partnership that’s dynamic and positive, bringing awareness to the needs of the families we serve,” LeDesma said.

Watch one of the public service announcements from the Have a Heart campaign featuring coach Brian Polian. Video does not work on older versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer. To view, try updating your browser to its most recent version.

2. Washoe County Library System helping Washoe County’s workforce.  The Washoe County Library System is working on reinventing itself to stay relevant with current times and improve services for citizens.  During his presentation to the Commission, Director Arnie Maurins said a few examples include remodeling existing libraries, focusing on greater investments in technology and looking for new sources of funding for future projects. Maurins said a new Senior Center library computer lab will open this December along with the launching of a new website in January.

“Changes are coming in the future, but the Washoe County Library System has made several improvements to better serve citizens in the short-term as well,” Maurins said. “Hours were increased at six libraries in January and several meeting rooms were upgraded with new technology and furnishings.”

Washoe County library branches feature eBooks and language learning classes online and Nevada Career Information System (NCIS) offers career education and labor market information. The public can learn about different career fields, create a resume and take skill and career assessments.

Maurins said moving forward, the Washoe County Library System plans on launching projects for building improvements and investing in technology.

See a video filmed by Washoe County Television at the Northwest Reno and South Valleys libraries which highlights several creative programs.

The Board of County Commissioners will be meeting with the Washoe County Library Board in a joint session on Oct. 20, 2015, at 2 p.m.

3. The Community Foundation of Western Nevada provides a free, online guide of services for youth. The Initiatives Director of the Community Foundation of Western Nevada, Nick Tscheekar, discussed how the agency created and now manages Reno Youth Network (RYN). Tscheekar said the Reno Youth network has launched the Reno Youth Network (RYN) Initiative. The community-wide You’N-I initiative  helps homeless, runaway, unattached and aging-out-of-foster care youth ages 12 to 24. RYN is focused on connecting the communities to engage and nurture unattached youth so they can be productive with resources to direct the course of their lives.

“We did research and found 210 different service providers help youth in our area, but the problem is those kids are having trouble finding the services that are out there,” Tscheekar said. “In order to help bridge that gap we have cataloged all 210 services into an online resource guide at www.renoyouthnetwork.com.”

To date, the Reno Youth Initiative has connected up to 90 youth and has 300 participants.

“What a phenomenal project,” said Washoe County Commissioner Bob Lucey (Dist. 5). “This is such an invaluable need here within the community. The ability for our youth to have information like this readily available is great and will help so many of our youth.”

4. Commission District Special Fund Grant for a Chest Compression System for firefighters. The Board approved a District 4 Special Fund Grant from Commissioner Vaughn Hartung (Dist. 4) to Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District to buy a Chest Compression System for station 17. The Chest Compression System will help sudden cardiac arrest victims and improve operations for medical responders. 

The Chest Compression System can exceed the workload of a firefighter providing at least 100 consistent compressions and recoils per minute for an extended period of time, helping firefighters save the lives of many heart attack victims in District 4.

“We are working to see how successful this unit is in the region. Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District looks forward to securing a grant to provide this piece of equipment to all TMFPD stations,” Hartung said. “Based on discussions I have had with emergency responders, I am confident this unit will be highly successful in saving lives.”

For more information about the Chest Compression System, head to www.physio-control.com.

Commission District Special Funds were approved in February 2015 to allow County Commissioners to use those funds outside the budget to support the needs of Washoe County residents.

5. Ordinance amending County Code Chapter 55 regarding animals. The Board held the first reading of an ordinance changing Washoe County Code Chapter 55 relating to reporting violations of animal statutes, restraining animals, licensing dogs, rabies vaccinations “at large” domestic animals, impounded animals and quarantine and repealed various definitions. The public hearing for second reading and possible adoption of the ordinance is scheduled for Nov. 10, 2015, at 3 p.m.