HomeMy WebLinkAboutVolunteer Advisory Sub Comm. 11/08/2023Volunteer Advisory Sub -Committee
Meeting Minutes for November 8, 2023 t�
Present: Ms. Maureen Doherty and Mr. Brendan Roche attended the meeting at Town Hall in meeting
room 2 A/B. Guests included Mr. Joe Cerretani, Mr. Mark Corsillo a(4(Y.14 s Turnbull.
• Open the Meeting: The meeting was called to order by Mir `Ble I&Inoche a ��aEi PM.
• Consideration to Approve Meeting Minutes of Septembejq.)3,(Aj 0 A 8, 41
Motion: To approve the meeting minutes of September 13, 2023,as� iM4 Tr(
Passes 2:0(Doherty/Roche)ii�Ct'�,�IlI) TTS
• Interview Candidates for Planning Board: Mark Corsillo & James Turnbull
Mr. Roche stated that they have one vacancy for a full voting member seat and asked Mr. Corsillo to
come up front. He then stated that Mr. Joe Cerretani is the chair of the Planning Board and asked him
to give a description what the Planning Board is and what it constitutes. Mr. Cerretani mentioned that
the Planning Board is a municipal clearing house for all land use within the Town. We review permits
and site plans, we reinforce and recommend bylaw changes to the zoning laws within the Town. Mr.
Cerretani said he recommended Mr. Corsillo apply for this position as he is an associate member,
provides a good voice and has been a good member on the board.
Mr. James Turnbull arrived at 5:50 PM. Mr. Cerretani introduced himself and repeated his description
regarding what the Planning Board is and what it constitutes.
Planning Board interview:
Mr. Roche explained to the two candidates that they would be asking them the same questions during
the interviewing process and alternate between the two of them.
Candidate answers:
1. Can you tell us a little about your background (education/work/experience)?
Mr. Corsillo;
expressed that his education and background are unrelated to the Planning Board. He worked
in IT and had a sociology degree. He's been an alternate on the Planning Board for a couple of
years and he's been a Town election worker.
Mr. James Turnbull:
stated that he appreciated the Boards time and was late as he got caught up at work. He
stated his background is in civil engineering where he worked with other towns on grant
assistant programs. That is one of the reasons why he is interested in helping the Town, to
help identify what grants they could go after. He also had an interest in the zoning bylaws, the
train station development, Town development and he's a resident.
2. How have you been an active part of the Mansfield Community? If not, what motivated you
to become more active?
Mr. lames Turnbull:
mentioned that he was previously on the conservation commission 2013-2017 then took a few
years off to have a family.
Mr. Corsillo:
said he is an alternate for the Planning Board, ran for Select Board, works on elections and is
apart of the Waste Water and Recycling Committee.
3. What about this Planning Board made you interested to serve on it?
Mr. Corsillo:
said it's one of the more active and influential boards in Town and it's been an area of interest
to him personally. He expressed that he played a lot of Sin City/City Skylines video games as a
child and this feels like the real -world version of that. He offers a more laymen's persons voice
to the board by not working in the field. He felt that it's an important voice to have on the
Board.
Mr. James Turnbull:
stated that this Board is more active and the zoning changes have peeked a lot of interest in
Town. He wanted to be apart of the Board to try and help the public understand it as much as
he can. He also enjoyed his time on the Conservation Commission and would really like to get
involved again.
4. What skills or experiences make you a strong candidate for this Planning Board?
Mr. James Turnbull:
working in grant assistance programs but also having an understanding in land surveying and
the technical side of the permitting. He said that every project that comes through you need to
see it through an open lens with a non -partial opinion.
Mr. Corsillo:
said its continuity. He'd been to most of the meetings these past two years and knows a lot of
the business that is going on. He filled in as a voting member when needed. He had general
knowledge of the Towns procedures and policies and had spent time reading the zoning
regulations.
S. Depending on the Planning Board projects, you may be required to make decisions in
situations involving family/friends/neighbors. Do you forsee any situations where those
interests or beliefs could influence your decision and how would you handle it?
Mr. Corsillo:
stated that he has no business ties to the Town, worked outside of Town and does not work in
any related fields, therefore there is no risk of conflict there. Regarding personal, he does not
have family in Town and only a handful of Town friends. He is also aware of any potential
conflict of interest and would be willing to recuse himself if necessary.
Mr. James Turnbull:
stated that he regularly had to deal with it. He also shared that his focus is in state highway
and transportation professionally versus private land development. He also said that he knows
when to recuse himself when he needs to.
Mr. Corsillo added that his knowledge with state highway and transportation would be helpful
to the Town.
6. Do you have any questions for us or the Planning Board Chair?
Mr. Corsillo:
Answered no. He knows the Planning Board members already, what the Board is, how it
worked so he thought he was all set.
Mr. lames Turnbull:
Answered that he was familiar on how the Board works. He then asked "where do you see the
Towns development of the next five years".
Mr. Cerretani:
answered that when he moved here 22 years ago there was a farm at Mansfield Crossing
which he loved and he also loved Mansfield Crossing and that private land owners can do what
they want with their land. He said that the responsibility of the Town is to provide smart,
responsible growth. It's our job to steer the development in the best interest of the Town. He
stated that they have grown a lot.
Mr. Corsillo added that they have a lot of good relationships near Town and they are able to
steer them and influence them for the best interest of the Town.
Mr. Cerretani, agreed and said that we are growing a lot, especially being located in between
two major highways and in between Providence and Boston. We are a major area and we are
growing. We are a desired area if not the most desired area in Bristol County. The TOD is going
to grow, the MBTA Governors guidelines is going to grow density within all the towns. They
will need to provide 1,400 units within a half mile of the train station and we have to do that
as responsible as we can and they are trying to do this. He then reiterated smart responsible
growth. He added that there are a lot of great voices on the Board and that next year it going
to be challenging. He said they meet twice a month and there are times when they have
weekly meetings. They are usually around three hours long. He said it's important to have
public opinion and they often have an audience. He's proud of the Board and thinks they do a
great job. They have a packed agenda coming up and the next five years will be busy.
Mr. Roche was previously on the Board and said the TOD will be a big focus going forward.
Ms. Doherty
stated that there is one full time voting Planning Board position open. She then mentioned
that an alternate position could open and would they be open to either position. Both
candidates were open to either position. Mr. Cerretani reiterated to Mr. Turnbull, if the
alternate Planning Board member position opened, would he be interested in applying for it
and he was interested. Mr. Cerretani then said it would be good to have his engineering
experience.
Mr. Roche explained that after the Select Board Voted at the next Select Board meeting, that
Ms. Champagne, the Select Board Executive Secretary would reach out regarding the results.
• Other items not known 48 hours in advance of the meeting
There were no items.
Adjourn
Motion: To adjourn the November 8, 2023 Volunteer Advisory Subcommittee meeting at 6:02
Passes 2:0 (Doherty/Roche)
4!a ure
Prepared by Sharon Varricchione
11��9�a.3
Date