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Home My WebLink About2005-08-15 Master Plan Advisory Commitee MinutesMeeting Minutes August 15, 2005 Master Plan Advisory Committee (MPAC) Meeting Date: August 15, 2005 Time: 7:30 pm Place: Town Hall Conference Room Attendees: George Katsoufis (GK), Dick Howard (RH), Virginia Adams (VA), Jack Russell (JR), Neil Sullivan (NS), Ben Tafoya (BT), Jonathan Barnes (JB), Susan DeMatteo (SD), Chris Reilly (CR). Agenda & Discussion (1) Questionnaire The majority of the meeting was focused on reviewing the updated questionnaire provided by RH by email. Several format items were reviewed and grammatical errors were addressed. On Question #12 it was agreed "various" would replace "employee" On Question #21 "family restaurants" will replace "extended" On Question #6 there was a discussion on the distinction between new development, i.e. subdivision vs. existing residential. The intent was to solicit opinion on both. RH said Question #6 gets at architecture and compatibility of surroundings, i.e. mansionization, while Question #16 gets at diversity if homes. JB noted it comes down to definition of mansionization. On Question #8 "open spaces" was replaced with "these locations." Question #10 was reworded: "Town-wide plan to address parking issues and various locations..." The rest of the questionnaire was reviewed and minor amendments were made. (2) Presentation Discussion about the Master Plan draft presentation followed. The slides prepared by John Sasso were reviewed and some consistent language was agreed on. George asked whether we should have specific action items in the presentation, or handouts. Dick said that the presentation was meant to review the overall progress and cater to the relevant audience-emphasizing the particular focus of the group, e.g. "Natural Resources" for the Conservation Commission. It was agreed that the general approach honed for the layman was to be utilized and jargon avoided. Dick suggested cutting out multiple "Action" slides, instead having one to refer to as an example. For clarity the slide entitled "Objective" was changed to "Purpose." It was agreed terms like "stakeholders" are vague jargon to be avoided in the slide, but the presenter could have more detailed terms available in the notes or handouts to elaborate on. Background • 1991 master plan needed updating • Commonwealth encouraged planning • State grant was utilized for consultant to develop community development plan • MPAC plan and developed goals, objectives and priority action plans The "Role for Town/Boards" slide was discussed; there was concern about the legal emphasis of the i, . statement. There was lengthy discussion about the use or legal standing of the Master Plan vs. its stand- MPAC 8-15-05 Meeting Minutes August 15, 2005 Master Plan Advisory Committee (MPAC) Meeting - alone authority; perhaps a distinction without a difference. CR noted the Selectmen had specifically asked about the practical applications of the Master Plan so CR had emphasized its use as legal implement. Nonetheless it was agreed the statement should be simplified and the second bullet would be dropped. The "Vision Statement" was maintained given agreement that it was the guiding rationale for the exercise and provided a good overview. The slide entitled "Plan's Structure" was deleted because it was determined it was probably not relevant. The slides will be presented with an element heading, e.g. "Character and Identity," and will show objectives. The various elements were reviewed and the language was amended to be simpler, with less bullets. This was continued through each slide in the presentation, concluding with "Tying it All Together" and "Next Steps." It was decided the former slide will include an excerpt from the Executive Summary. CR agreed to find a suitable presentation background and various appropriate graphics; BT suggested a good template called "Stream." CR discussed the proposed presentation dates he had generated based on upcoming civic and board meetings. The plan would be to present a first draft to the. Town Staff (completed earlier in the day on August 15`h). Some dates were amended and presenters assigned, namely JR for the 8.30 DSC meeting and JB for the 9.13 Historical Commission meeting. At the time of presentation the recommendation is to distribute the Questionnaire to the attendees. The final set of slides for the presentation will be revised and updated prior to distribution. 3. Action Items (1) CR to update the Questionnaire for distribution (2) CR to finalize presentation for MPAC review (3) MPAC to finalize and distribute Implementation sections for review 4. Next MPAC Meeting Monday, August 29`h, 7:30-9:30pm, Conference Room Topic: Review Presentation, Continue Implementation Chapter Effort All meetings are scheduled to begin at 7:30pm in the Town Hall Conference Room MPAC 8-15-05 Board of Library Trustees Meeting August 15, 2005 Attending: Vicki Yablonsky, chair; Bill Anthony, Karen Brown; David Hutchinson, Kaiyn' Storti: Ruth Urell, Library Director; Elizabeth Dickinson, Assistant Director. 2: 19 The meeting was called to order by Ms.Yablonsky at 7:00 p.m. Minutes of the meeting of June 20, 2005 were unanimously approved. Financial Report Ms. Urell reviewed current balances in each of the following categories: town funds, funds available via our LSTA community languages grant, and state aid. Ms. Urell explained the new format of the acquisitions report which has reduced the number of categories from nineteen to nine. Statistical Reports Lorraine Barry prepared a quarterly report on the usage of various databases which Ms. Urell distributed. She also passed out a number of pie charts and bar graphs showing circulation statistics for 2005 and over a ten-year period. Patron Rights and Responsibilities Ms. Urell explained the process which was used to develop a new patron behavior -policy. A staff committee made up of the Director, the Assistant Director, and supervisors and staff from each of the public service departments met several times to discuss the issues and create two draft documents: a new policy explaining patron rights and responsibilities, and a document outlining staff procedures for managing inappropriate behavior. After some discussion, two minor changes were made. A motion was then made by Mr. Hutchinson to approve the first reading of the new "Patron Rights and Responsibilities" policy. The motion was seconded by Ms. Storti and passed unanimously. It was suggested that the new policy be displayed at each of the public service desks. Director's Report Ms. Urell reported on the success of a number of Summer Reading activities. The final event in the Children's Summer Reading Program, Family Fiesta will be held on Tuesday evening, August 23. There will be an end of summer cook out for all town employees on Thursday, August 25. Ms. Urell has arranged for reference librarians Amy Lannon and Kathy Miksis to visit the Framingham Public Library. The purpose of their visit is to share ideas for successful displays, and also to learn from Framingham's experience in meeting the needs of a very diverse clientele. Trustee Items Ms. Storti pointed out that sound from the computers in the lab is quite loud and can be distracting to others in the area. Ms. Urell said that she would check to see whether the default for sound could be set to "off' on the public computers. Ms. Yablonsky requested that Trustees respond more promptly to request for signatures on the bill roll. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. The next meeting will be held on September 19 at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Eliza eth S. Dickinson Assistant Director