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HomeMy Public PortalAboutVision Planning Committee -- 2021-09-20 Minutes TOWN OF BREWSTER VISION PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - Tuesday, September 20, 2021, at 4PM Virtual Meeting Hal Minis, Chair, convened the Brewster Vision Planning Committee via remote participation with members : Sharon Tennstedt, Andi Gesner, Amanda Bebrin, Fran Schofield and Patricia Hess . Paul Wallace was absent . A quorum was determined . Also present : Sharon Rooney (Tighe & Bond ) , Vesna Maneva (Tighe & Bond ) , Kari Hoffmann , Honey Pivirotto and Ellen Murphy . The Chair read the Recording or Taping Notification : This meeting will be conducted by remote participation pursuant to Governor Baker' s March 2020 orders suspending certain Open Meeting Law provisions and imposing limits on public gatherings . No in - person meeting attendance will be permitted . If the Town is unable to live broadcast this meeting, a record of the proceedings will be provided on the Town website as soon as possible , The Town has established specific email addresses for each board and committee so the public can submit comments either before or during the meeting . To submit public comment or questions to the Vision Planning Committee, please email : brewplan@brewster- ma . gov , • Review and Approval of September 71h meeting minutes : Hal asked the Committee if there were any changes to the September 7th meeting minutes, there being none, Amanda made a motion to approve the minutes, Sharon second the motion , a roll call vote was taken , and the September 7th meeting minutes were approved unanimously . • LCP Template : Hal turned the meeting over to Sharon Rooney . Sharon confirmed with the Committee that they had received a copy of the LCP template prior to the meeting . Sharon shared her screen and stepped through the LCP template informing the Committee that the Cape Cod Commission prepared the LCP template for towns to organize the required content for certification but if needed the format can be modified . She highlighted areas where the Committee had done work and where there were still areas to be completed . She provided examples of data that could be incorporated into the LCP and discussed Commission involvement . Sharon discussed the action plan , including actions the Town will use going forward to implement the plan . Patricia asked where sustainable energy should be inserted in the template . Sharon Rooney indicated it would fit under both goals and existing . conditions . Hal reminded the Committee that a new goal was created for Climate Change and Net Zero by the Commission . He suggested the Committee consider adding a goal for Climate Change . A Governance goal will also be included . Hal highlighted the term Growth Policy, which implies the town is going to grow more and that is not necessarily the case in Brewster . The Committee discussed alternative terms to use . Amanda stated that the Committee needs to be sensitive to the terms used . Hal asked Sharon Rooney if she could revise the roadmap to follow the template, Sharon agreed and will have a one - page roadmap at the next meeting . Andi suggested the Committee also think about the Sea Camps and affordable housing . Sharon Rooney informed the Committee that Tighe & Bond is available to assist in writing the LCP . • Discuss Vision Plan Vision Statement and Goals : Hal suggested the Committee think about the gaps and lessons learned that might require an update or change to the statement and goals . Sharon Rooney indicated that she did not see any gaps between the current Vision Plan vision statement and goals and the LCP . Sharon Rooney shared a draft version comparing the Vision Plan and the LCP with the Committee , She stepped through the document showing how each goal aligned . She provided areas where additional goals or tweaking of the goals may need to be addressed . Ocean , Wetlands and Wildlife were highlighted areas where goals need to be added . She indicated that Climate Change, Transportation and Energy goals should also be included and suggested ways to incorporate the goals into the LCP . Sharon Rooney will send a copy of the document to Ellen for distribution . Andi asked what the process was to change goals . Hal suggested the goals remain as stated and if goals need to be change it will require Page 1 of 2 public review . Sharon Rooney suggested that a public hearing through the LCP would be a way to make the public aware of any changes and through the public workshops . • Process/ update timeline for completing LCP Sharon Rooney informed the Committee that the scope of work and the contract ran through the end of 2021 . The goal is to try and complete the majority of the plan and get through some of the workshops by the end of the calendar year, then in the winter, work through the plan to have it ready for the Town meeting in the spring . The certification process for the Cape Cod Commission is after the Town meeting . Hal indicated that if this is the case, the workshops should be completed by the end of December . Patricia informed the Committee that some of the part time residents are not available in the winter months, and this created a problem scheduling workshops previously . Amanda suggested if the workshops are held by Zoom meetings it would give both part- time and full -time residents the opportunity to attend . • Discuss Public engagement Process . Hal suggested the Committee discuss the public engagement process . Vesna provided some ideas and shared her experiences with other groups . She indicated that since Covid all meetings have been provided by Zoom . She discussed the process with Stakeholder meetings, and meetings that were opened to all of the public, similar to a town meeting . Sharon Rooney suggested the Survey 1 - 2 -3 tool is still available if the Committee is interested . Hal asked if Sharon had staff who are familiar with survey monkey which was used in the past . Sharon will look into it . Hal gave the Committee some background on the previous process for public engagement outlining the different workshops that were held and the actions that came out of the workshops . He spoke about the survey process and identifying gaps, particularly reaching the younger population . Patricia expressed a concern with the time it takes to coordinate the workshops and surveys against the timeline that was discussed . Vesna suggested a combination of ways to engage the public . She indicated the benefits of Zoom workshop is the ability to reach out to more people . The Committee discussed how they engaged the public in the past and ways which might be used in this next phase . Andi suggested that a small group of Committee members brainstorm ideas and bring back to the group . Hal , Andi and Amanda will meet . Andi will coordinate a meeting and return to the Committee at the next meeting with ideas . Sharon Rooney informed the Committee that tentatively dates at the end of October were discussed for workshops . Amanda also suggested the 1St of the year is a good time to start the process, she stated that people are energize at the beginning of the year . Hal also suggested the Committee reach out to the people who facilitated in the past to help with the workshops . • Communications Update : Fran suggested the chart reviewed at the last meeting could be translated more comprehensively to illustrate the relationships . Sharon Rooney will reach out to her staff for assistance . • Update on Committee Member Vacancies : Kari informed the Committee the process is still in a pause . • Review Action Items from September 7 1 Meeting : Patricia stated the Committee covered everything on the list . She reminded the Committee of the Town meeting . Ellen informed the Committee that copies of the Vision Plan and the Annual Report will be available at the Town Meeting . • Next Meeting : Monday, October 4" • Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair : None A motion was made by Sharon to adjourn the meeting, Amanda second the motion , a roll call vote was taken , and the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 5 : 21 pm . I j i I Page 2 of 2 i i