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HomeMy Public PortalAboutBay Parcel Planning -- 2023-06-06 Minutes\� !/ ARE Wg�i�i. �: �o y�; oER F,� ,,r zi Town of Brewster 9°PA 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-189801 40- ;. _— Phone: (508) 896-3701 Fax: (508) 896-8089 is too MINUTES OF THE BAY PROPERTY PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING DATE: June 6, 2023 TIME: 4:00 PM PLACE: Hybrid Participation – Zoom/2198 Main Street, Brewster, MA PARTICIPANTS: Town Manager Peter Lombardi, Chair Amanda Bebrin, Selectperson Mary Chaffee, Selectperson David Whitney, Karl Fryzel, Katie Jacobus, Caroline McCarley, Thomas Wingard, Patricia Hughes, Peter Johnson, John Phillips, Clare O'Connor -Rice (remote); Liaisons/Representatives: Jan Crocker, Sharon Tennstedt, Bill Meehan, Kathleen Walker, Gary Christen, Roger O'Day; Town Staff: Mike Gradone (Recreation Department Director), Elton Cutler (COA Director), Griffin Ryder (DPW Director) Call to Order, Declaration of a Quorum, Meeting Participation Statement and Recording Statement: Amanda Bebrin called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm and read the meeting participation and recording statements. Ms. Bebrin announced all members of the committee who were present, a quorum was declared. There were no public announcements or comments. Public Announcements and Comments None r Initial Fallow -up on First Community, Forum Ms. Bebrin invited high level reaction from committee members to the recently held first community forum. Selectperson Mary Chaffee noted she was struck by the number of people who took part, as well as by the extent to which participants wanted to discuss their views –the feeling in the room was one of positivity. Katie Jacobus agree&with Selectperson Chaffee, and was encouraged by how much residents wanted to be involved in the process. Patricia Hughes said she had never met many of the people who came to the forum. Ms. Hughes added that better directions to the boards could be provided next time around in order to help residents navigate their way around the forum. Mike Gradone said that it was good to see young people asking questions about how the final product would benefit seniors, and vice versa. Jan Crocker stated that she worked on the welcome desk at the forum, and observed that residents were grateful to Town staff, volunteers and consultants for hosting the forum. Caroline McCarley said that a common question from residents pertained to the use of bicycles on the property. Ms. Jacobus noted that she had also heard thiis question, and said that the prevalence of this question meant that guidelines would need to be refined to'`be clearer on this issue. Karl Fryzel said that he has since heard positive feedback from attendees. Selectperson Chaffee said residents were very impressed with the graphics created by Reed } Hilderbrand. John Phillips commented that residents paid attention to comments written on other stickers, and were choosing tc'' use the blue dots to "upvote" comments that they agreed with. Mr.. Fryzel asked Peter Lombardi if he had heard from the Reed Hilderbrand consultants on how they felt the forum had gone. Mr. ,Lombardi responded that they felt as though the session was constructive and they BPPC 6.6.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 1 of 5 r: Doc ID: 3fd6bd3b755aa563cb15aa03ae3dbbf3e1087739 t have since begun to work through the feedback — they were very impressed with the. level of engagement that residents had with the process. Update on Resident Survey & Second Forum Date Mr. Lombardi noted that the Town released a relatively short survey five days after the first forum seeking to solicit. resident feedback in addition to the feedback received at the forum. The forum was live through June 4 (roughly a week and a half), and a number of local. organizations helped to put the word out. The Town received over 1,300 responses in that time. There was some overlap between those who filled out the survey and those who attended the forum. Reed Hilderbrand is analyzing the results of the survey. The next meeting on June 20 will include a summary memo of consistent themes seen both at the community forum and through the survey. The second forum is planned for Saturday, August 5. There will .be less material at this`forum than the first one. There will likely be three short sessions, of an hour each. The plan is to have it in the dining hall again. The first session will be mid to late morning, and there will be a break in between each session. There will be some initial discussion with the committee at the next meeting about how this forumwill be setup. Ms. Hughes noted that she found it confusing that some of the questions on the survey asked whether residents thought the Town should continue to work with Mass Audubon and Brewster Conservation Trust, given that the Town is dependent on contributions from these two organizations. Mr.,Lombardi responded that the survey questions mirrored the questions that were asked at the forums. The original financial plan was premised on contributions from partnerships with Audubon and Brewster Conservation Trust, but the Town is now in a financial position to be able to finance through non -excluded debt the remaining acquisition costs if residents were to decide they no longer want the Town to continue to work with the aforementioned organizations. Mr. Fryzel said he had heard that it was possible to submit more than one survey — is this correct, and if so, what is the consequence of this? Mr. Lombardi responded that the Town does not typically require log -in information and email addresses from survey respondents, as this would be a barrier to people responding to the survey. 55-60% of residents submitted their email addresses, and Reed Hilderbrand is able to analyze the data in order to remove. duplicate. surveys. Ms. Bebrin explained that the point of the survey was to capture the key themes of resident responses. Selectperson Chaffee agreed that the controls put in. place should make the committee feel confident that they are looking at valid data. Sharon Tennstedt noted that some residents have said the survey will not be "statistically valid" — but there is no subgroup analysis, it is an observational survey— and therefore these comments are misplaced. Ms. Hughes concurred with other committee members' comments. IVIS. Bebrin concluded by encouraging residents to participate at future forums—this is only the beginning of the process. Summer 2023 Brewster Community Pool Update —June 25 Ribbon Cuttinig Ceremony Mr. Lombardi announced that 470 passes have been sold for this summer. Just under 200 of those passes are forfamily memberships. About 160 of those passes are for seniors and senior+ 1.. The. remaining 110 are for BPPC 6.6.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 2 of 5 Doc ID: 3fd6bd3b755aa563cb15aa03ae3dbbf3e1087739 Town of Brewster 0 %YELOkR �ry �� r� 2198 Main Street 3 A r v Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 le Fax: (508.) 896-8089 have since begun to work through the feedback — they were very impressed with the. level of engagement that residents had with the process. Update on Resident Survey & Second Forum Date Mr. Lombardi noted that the Town released a relatively short survey five days after the first forum seeking to solicit. resident feedback in addition to the feedback received at the forum. The forum was live through June 4 (roughly a week and a half), and a number of local. organizations helped to put the word out. The Town received over 1,300 responses in that time. There was some overlap between those who filled out the survey and those who attended the forum. Reed Hilderbrand is analyzing the results of the survey. The next meeting on June 20 will include a summary memo of consistent themes seen both at the community forum and through the survey. The second forum is planned for Saturday, August 5. There will .be less material at this`forum than the first one. There will likely be three short sessions, of an hour each. The plan is to have it in the dining hall again. The first session will be mid to late morning, and there will be a break in between each session. There will be some initial discussion with the committee at the next meeting about how this forumwill be setup. Ms. Hughes noted that she found it confusing that some of the questions on the survey asked whether residents thought the Town should continue to work with Mass Audubon and Brewster Conservation Trust, given that the Town is dependent on contributions from these two organizations. Mr.,Lombardi responded that the survey questions mirrored the questions that were asked at the forums. The original financial plan was premised on contributions from partnerships with Audubon and Brewster Conservation Trust, but the Town is now in a financial position to be able to finance through non -excluded debt the remaining acquisition costs if residents were to decide they no longer want the Town to continue to work with the aforementioned organizations. Mr. Fryzel said he had heard that it was possible to submit more than one survey — is this correct, and if so, what is the consequence of this? Mr. Lombardi responded that the Town does not typically require log -in information and email addresses from survey respondents, as this would be a barrier to people responding to the survey. 55-60% of residents submitted their email addresses, and Reed Hilderbrand is able to analyze the data in order to remove. duplicate. surveys. Ms. Bebrin explained that the point of the survey was to capture the key themes of resident responses. Selectperson Chaffee agreed that the controls put in. place should make the committee feel confident that they are looking at valid data. Sharon Tennstedt noted that some residents have said the survey will not be "statistically valid" — but there is no subgroup analysis, it is an observational survey— and therefore these comments are misplaced. Ms. Hughes concurred with other committee members' comments. IVIS. Bebrin concluded by encouraging residents to participate at future forums—this is only the beginning of the process. Summer 2023 Brewster Community Pool Update —June 25 Ribbon Cuttinig Ceremony Mr. Lombardi announced that 470 passes have been sold for this summer. Just under 200 of those passes are forfamily memberships. About 160 of those passes are for seniors and senior+ 1.. The. remaining 110 are for BPPC 6.6.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 2 of 5 Doc ID: 3fd6bd3b755aa563cb15aa03ae3dbbf3e1087739 111P ' TF;�%, Town of Brewster & 2198 Main Street 3 p n Brewster, MA 02631-1898 r _ vNi Phone: (508) 896-3701 ////���ll/ Fax: (508) 896-8089 regular individual passes. The Town will be offering four "drop-in" days for residents who would like to enjoy the pool without having to purchase a season pass. The drop-in days will be held on: Tuesday July 11, Saturday July 15, Friday July 28, Sunday August 6. The drop-in cost is $5 per person, cash only, and will be collected by the pool .attendant upon entry. Availability is first come, first serve; the maximum capacity of the pool area is 100 people. Residents with a Brewster Community Pool pass who would like to bring a guest (non-resident) with them to the pool this summerwill have an opportunity to purchase guest passes. Guest pool passes will be on sale in-person only from gam until 4pm on the following days at the Arts Center at the Bay Property: Friday June 16, Saturday June 17,1, Friday June 30. These passes are $25 each and will allow up to 5 guest visits. Resident pool pass holders will be allowed to purchase up to 2 guest passes (10 guests in total). Residents must accompany, and are responsible for, their guests. Mr. Lombardi commented that the Town is expecting the operating expenses of the pool to be roughly $130,000, which includes staff and supplies. The extent to which the fee structure covers these expenses will be analyzed at the end of the season to review the plan for next year. $70,000 has been brought in revenue so far this year. Thomas Wingard noted that some residents have suggested swim lessons should be free. Mr. Wingard said that he believes the current fee structure is exclusionary, and the committee needs to look at changing these fees for next season. Mr. Lombardi responded that he appreciates these comments, but the main challenge with reducing these fees is the 100 -swimmer capacity in the facility. The Covid fund Was converted to a Good Neighbor Relief Fund, and these funds could be used for financial assistance for some families to afford a pool pass and swim lessons. Mr. Wingard responded that he appreciated this, but thought it was important to try and make the pool available to all residents. Mike Gradone said that staffing is a concern, there is currently only one water safety instructor. It is not possible to get certified anywhere on Cape. The plan next year is to secure an instructor to train people to get certified, using the pool as the training destination. Clare O'Connor -Rice said that she sits on the Good Neighbor Fund, and a question came up at the most recent meeting from a parent about use of the funds to help cover the cost of., lessons. The. funds are not to be used to pay the Town back for any of its services — so, it is unclear whether these funds can be used. Mr. Lombardi responded that this was correct, however, the Town could cover the cost of other expenses borne by low-income residents in order to allow them more fiscal capability to purchase pool passes and swim lessons. Mr. Wingard responded that the provision of swim lessons was a life -safety concern. Mr. Lombardi closed by noting that the cost of swim lessons was far lowerthan in comparable towns. Mr. Lombardi reminded committee members that the pool will open to residents on Monday June 26, 2023. The public is invited to attend a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday June 25 at fpm. The pool will be open to everyone after the ribbon cutting until 6pm. Parking for this event will be available on BPPC 6.6.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 3 of 5 Doc ID: 3fd6bd3b755aa563cbl5aa03ae3dbbf3e1087739 the front lawn area at 3057 Main Street. Pool passes for residents are not required onthis day. Mr. Fryzel congratulated Town staff on getting to this stage of the opening process. s Review Uncomine Aonroved Interim Uses and Potential Vote on Pronosed New Interim Uses The Movement Arts Event took place on the property on Saturday May 13. Jan Crocker reported that the event was very well attended. The feedback from attendees was very positive, and the event went smoothly. Clare. O'Connor -Rice added that a follow-up event was meant to occur at Drummer Boy Park, but was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, and the Council is requesting that the rescheduled event take place on the Sea Camps property. Ms. Bebrin introduced the idea of hosting a job -fair style open house at the end of September on the property for volunteering opportunities with the Town. Boards and committees could have tables at the site, advertising committee vacancies, and answering questions about the responsibilities of these roles. September 30 is the tentative date for this event. Mr. Fryzel asked whether this would clash with the proposed Movement.i rts Event. Ms. O'Connor -Rice responded that it would not clash. Ms. Jacobus said she thought this sounded like an important and interesting event. Selectperson David Whitney stated that he also felt it was an excellent idea – there are currently 20 openings for vacancies on 12 -,different committees. Selectperson Chaffee commented that she felt it was an excellent idea, and asked if food could be served at this event – Ms. Bebrin responded that she thought this was possible. Mr'. Fryzel expressed that it was important to also frame this as a celebration of the work done by the committees, and possibly include fun games at the event. Peter Johnson added his support for the idea of the event. Ms. OTonnor-Rice said she would love to see committees collaborating more closely together, and this was a good opportunity for this to start to happen. Mr. Johnson moved to approve the Town Open House and volunteer appreciation event on the bay property, tentatively dated September 30, 2023. Ms. Jacobus second. A roll call vote was taken.;-Selectperson Chaffee – yes, Selectperson Whitney – yes, Pat. Hughes – yes, Karl Fryzel – yes, Caroline McCarley– absent from room, Katie Jacobus – yes, Clare O'Connor -Rice – yes, Thomas Wingard – yes,. Amanda Bebrin – yes, Peter Johnson –yes, John Phillips–yes. Ms. Jacobus re -introduced the concept of the "Da Hedge" event discussed in previous:meetings. Residents would line up inside the perimeter of the hedge of the Sea Camps property to cheer on participants in the PanMass Challenge on August 6. Clare O'Connor -Rice reminded members that the Cultural Council would be planting wooden flowers around the Arts Center, and coordinating with Ed Barber so it did not interfere with the mowing. Vote on Meeting Minutes': May 9, 2023 Ms. Hughes moved to approve meeting minutes from May 9, 2023. Mr. Fryzel second'A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee–yes, Selectperson Whitney–abstain, Pat Hughes – yes,Karl Fryzel – yes, Caroline McCarley – yes, Katie Jacobus – yes, Clare O'Connor -Rice – yes, Thomas Wingard – yes, Amanda Bebrin – yes, Peter Johnson – yes, John Phillips – yes. BPPC 6.6.2023 www.brewster-rna.gov Page 4 of 5 Doc ID: 3fd6bd3b755aa563cbl5aa03ae3dbbf3e1087739 Town of Brewster _ 2198 Main Street t y y.. Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 r`— ;� moo:: � Fax: (508) 896-8089 r///�/1/r.Ea RP9 pied .a�\\���' the front lawn area at 3057 Main Street. Pool passes for residents are not required onthis day. Mr. Fryzel congratulated Town staff on getting to this stage of the opening process. s Review Uncomine Aonroved Interim Uses and Potential Vote on Pronosed New Interim Uses The Movement Arts Event took place on the property on Saturday May 13. Jan Crocker reported that the event was very well attended. The feedback from attendees was very positive, and the event went smoothly. Clare. O'Connor -Rice added that a follow-up event was meant to occur at Drummer Boy Park, but was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, and the Council is requesting that the rescheduled event take place on the Sea Camps property. Ms. Bebrin introduced the idea of hosting a job -fair style open house at the end of September on the property for volunteering opportunities with the Town. Boards and committees could have tables at the site, advertising committee vacancies, and answering questions about the responsibilities of these roles. September 30 is the tentative date for this event. Mr. Fryzel asked whether this would clash with the proposed Movement.i rts Event. Ms. O'Connor -Rice responded that it would not clash. Ms. Jacobus said she thought this sounded like an important and interesting event. Selectperson David Whitney stated that he also felt it was an excellent idea – there are currently 20 openings for vacancies on 12 -,different committees. Selectperson Chaffee commented that she felt it was an excellent idea, and asked if food could be served at this event – Ms. Bebrin responded that she thought this was possible. Mr'. Fryzel expressed that it was important to also frame this as a celebration of the work done by the committees, and possibly include fun games at the event. Peter Johnson added his support for the idea of the event. Ms. OTonnor-Rice said she would love to see committees collaborating more closely together, and this was a good opportunity for this to start to happen. Mr. Johnson moved to approve the Town Open House and volunteer appreciation event on the bay property, tentatively dated September 30, 2023. Ms. Jacobus second. A roll call vote was taken.;-Selectperson Chaffee – yes, Selectperson Whitney – yes, Pat. Hughes – yes, Karl Fryzel – yes, Caroline McCarley– absent from room, Katie Jacobus – yes, Clare O'Connor -Rice – yes, Thomas Wingard – yes,. Amanda Bebrin – yes, Peter Johnson –yes, John Phillips–yes. Ms. Jacobus re -introduced the concept of the "Da Hedge" event discussed in previous:meetings. Residents would line up inside the perimeter of the hedge of the Sea Camps property to cheer on participants in the PanMass Challenge on August 6. Clare O'Connor -Rice reminded members that the Cultural Council would be planting wooden flowers around the Arts Center, and coordinating with Ed Barber so it did not interfere with the mowing. Vote on Meeting Minutes': May 9, 2023 Ms. Hughes moved to approve meeting minutes from May 9, 2023. Mr. Fryzel second'A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee–yes, Selectperson Whitney–abstain, Pat Hughes – yes,Karl Fryzel – yes, Caroline McCarley – yes, Katie Jacobus – yes, Clare O'Connor -Rice – yes, Thomas Wingard – yes, Amanda Bebrin – yes, Peter Johnson – yes, John Phillips – yes. BPPC 6.6.2023 www.brewster-rna.gov Page 4 of 5 Doc ID: 3fd6bd3b755aa563cbl5aa03ae3dbbf3e1087739 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 Fax: (508) 896-8089 Discuss Future Meeting Agenda Items Ms. Bebrin noted that Reed Hilderbrand will be presenting at the next meeting on June 20, the majority of which will be spent on forum and survey data. Next Meetings June 20, July 11, and July 25, 2023 Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair: Mr. Lombardi noted that the septic plans approved by the Board of Health for new structures at the end of Bonnie Doone Cartway were included in the meeting packet. Questions arose at the forum about this work, and Mr. Lombardi wanted to make sure committee members were aware that this work will be happening — this is important to take into account when considering interim uses in this part of the property. The work will take about a year�io complete. Ms. Bebrin said that she was recently invited to speak at the Brewster Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting. She was also asked to draft an article for their newsletter, which is included in the packet for reference —this is a tighter version of the remarks she delivered at the meeting. Selectperson Chaffee said that she would be speaking to the Brewster Men's Club this week as a representative of the _Select Board, and this was a great opportunity to talk about the work that both committees have beek doing. Ms. Bebrin added the Brewster Association of Part -Time Residents' annual meeting is on August 26 at the Brewster Ladies Library, and she will attend and speak. e Adjournment Mr. Johnson moved to adjourn at 5:22 pm. Mr. Fryzel second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee—yes, Selectperson Whitney — yes, Pat Hughes —yes, Karl Fryzel — yes, Caroline McCarley—yes, Katie Jacobus — yes, Thomas Wingard — yes, Amanda Bebrin — yes, Peter Johnson —yes, John Phillips— yes, Clare O'Connor -Rice —yes. Respectfully submitted by Conor Kenny, Project Manager Approved: 06 / 21 / 2023 Signed: Accompanying Documents in Packet: Agenda, Website Announcement Re. Community Pool Update, Email Re: Open Movement Arts Fair, BPPC 5.9.23 Minutes, Chamber of Commerce BPPC Article, 178 Bonnie Doone Cartway Septic Plan BPPC 6.6.2023 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 5 of 5 Doc ID: 3fd6bd3b755aa563cbl5aa03ae3dbbf3e1087739