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Town
of Claverack Unofficial notes by audience member Virginia Martin |
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In attendance: |
Co-chairs Chuck Brassard and Chris Post; Zoning Board of Appeals chair Mike Brandon; William First; Gretchen Stearns; Planning Board member Judy Zink |
| Absent or Excused: | John Blaauw; John Lee |
| Guest: | Don Meltz of Community Planning and Environmental Resources |
| Audience: | Katy Cashen; Virginia Martin |
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Co-chair
Post called the meeting to order. Brandon moved that the minutes of the
prior meeting be accepted, Stearns seconded the motion, and the minutes
were accepted unanimously.
Meltz provided a handout entitled “Claverack: Logistics of survey” relating to the survey via which members will solicit the opinions of town residents and property owners. The handout provided details concerning three options for producing and mailing the survey, as summarized below:
Meltz noted that money could be saved on option “a” if a return envelope, and particularly a stamped return envelope, were not included. He stated that, in his experience, a stamped return envelope has not appeared to improve the rate of return; he said that the rate of return is based more on the townspeople’s commitment to the project. The possibility of advertising to enhance the rate of return was raised, and Meltz replied that his firm generally does not use advertising, and instead relies on other means of communication such as press releases, flyers, etc. Concern was voiced that the November 17th workshop at AB Shaw Firehouse was not well attended, with only 65 attendees out of a possible 4,656, but Meltz said that his firm felt that it was a good turnout. Meltz noted that the survey cost, in terms of dollars and effort expended, represents the largest portion of the committee’s work. He also noted that the survey does not represent the final sampling of community members’ opinions. He said that, at the project’s mid-stage, and after survey results have been tabulated and disseminated to the community, individuals will be invited to comment on the results and on the committee’s work to date. The possibility of committee members disseminating their email address to the community was raised, which would enable community members to easily contact them with thoughts and ideas. Members questioned whether surveys should be requested from each household (approximately 3,200) or each adult (approximately 4,600), and Meltz replied that it could be either. The committee concluded that requesting one survey from each household would be most efficient. Brandon moved that option “a” be chosen, Zink seconded the motion, and it was carried unanimously. Meltz then moved to the issue of obtaining mailing labels for sending out the survey. Members agreed that the survey’s audience includes any individual who lives or owns property within Claverack (including Philmont). Three options for developing the list were suggested:
Members agreed that using the Our Town list likely would be most efficient. Meltz will contact Futterman to inquire about the list (e.g., does it include renters and people who own vacant land?) and the list’s availability. The committee will make a decision about the list at the next (December 22nd) meeting. The committee decided to mail the survey during the third week of January, and in advance of the next workshop, so that the workshop can be promoted in the mailing’s cover letter. The date and location of the second workshop were discussed. Brandon will contact the principals at the former Ockawamick school building to inquire about holding the workshop there on a Saturday morning, preferably February 11th or 18th, 2006. Meltz handed out a preliminary report on the November 17th workshop, titled “Claverack Workshop,” which listed all the positive and negative ideas put forth by workshop participants during their brainstorming sessions. The list identified those ideas that were deemed most important by group members (i.e., that were “stickered”). Meltz then handed out a draft survey, titled “Town of Claverack Community Survey,” that his firm had developed based on committee input from recent meetings. The committee conducted an extensive and point-by-point review of the survey, considering particularly the issues that were raised in the recent workshop. Suggested as an additional consideration was the issue of broadband internet access, not currently included in the draft survey. Given that the surveys will be distributed one to a household, committee members discussed whether one per household would be sufficient, since household members may hold differing views. It was decided that households wishing to submit an additional survey would be allowed to do so. Committee members asked if Meltz would provide them with a large map of the town, which would include all the various types of relevant information, so that they could consult it during meetings. He will do so. They also discussed the possibility of meeting with, and seeking input from, other jurisdictions and areas, including the county planning department, towns adjacent to Claverack, and perhaps all the regional municipalities. It was noted that valuable information was provided at the recent Department of State training session to which all local officials county-wide, particularly those involved in planning and zoning, are expressly invited. Both Post and Stearns attended the session. The next meeting will be held Thursday, December 22nd, 2005, at the Town Hall. Nan Stolzenburg, principal of Community Planning and Environmental Resources, will attend. She will present another draft of the survey and likely will provide additional results from the December workshop. On a motion made by Brandon, seconded by Brassard, and unanimously accepted, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully
submitted,
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