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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMaster Plan Council 10/22/1987TOWN OF MANSFIELD MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL MINUTES OF' MEETING Date of Meeting: October 22, 1987 Members Present: Kelli Baker Allen Willis Stephen Calvin Paul Folkman Richard Gordon The meeting was called to order at 7:35PM. 1.4 IEC - 11,987 Carlene Dezotell Carlotta James Lawrence Harrington William Madan The meeting began in a roundtable format as Kelli Baker introduced the three new members of the Council: Carlene Dezotell Director of the Mansfield Housing Authority Carlotta James Selectmen Appointee Richard Gordon Planning Board Appointee Ms. Baker noted that the official membership of the Council is 12; as Carlene Dezotell is a non—voting member. The quorum for the Council is 7. A motion was made by Mr. Madan to approve the minutes of the September 10, 1987, meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Willis and passed by a unanimous vote. Correspondence A memo from Mr. Michel LaCasse to Kelli Baker dated October 22 informing Ms. Baker that he cannot attend the October 22 meeting. Mr. LaCasse also asked the Master Plan Advisory Council to try to solve the discrepancy regarding the number of surveys from IEP. A letter from Steven Chapman dated October 20 informing the Board of Selectmen of his resignation from the Master Plan Advisory Council. A memo from Kelli Baker dated October 16 to all members of the Master Plan Advisory Council informing them of an update meeting to be held on October 22. A letter from Lawrence J. Harrington, Chairman, Board of Selectmen, to Ms. Carlotta James, informing her of her appointment to the Master Plan Advisory Council. ra TOWN OF MANSFIELD MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL MINUTES OF MEETING - OCTOBER 22, 1987 Correspondence (con't. A letter from Stephen H. Quinn, Chairman, Planning Board, dated October 15, to Mr. Richard Gordon advising him of his appoint- ment to the Master Plan Advisory Council. A letter from Tricia J. Hume, President, Council on Aging, to Board of Selectmen dated October 14, informing them that no one on the Council on Aging Board at this time feels they can devote the time and attention to the Master Plan Advisory Council that is needed because of other commitments. A Progress Report from SRPEDD. A memo to Council on Aging, Finance Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Housing Authority from the Board of Selectmen dated September 28 requesting representatives be selected from each Board by October 15, to serve on the Master Plan Advisory Council. A memo to the Mansfield Housing Authority from the Board of Selectmen dated September 28 advising them of the request from the Master Plan Advisory Council to have the Director of the .Housing Authority serve on the Council. A speed memo from Mr. Michel LaCasse to Bob Gatineau of Connery Associates enclosing a Parcel Map. A speed memo from Mr. Michel LaCasse to SRPEDD discussing the Mansfield Community Profile. A letter to Mr. Michel LaCasse from IEP dated September 16, 1987, enclosing an invoice in the amount of $10,000.00. A memo from the Board of Selectmen to all Boards and Committees dated September 15, 1987, enclosing opinion from legal counsel concerning posting of meetings. A letter from John W.Young, CARD Coordinator to Mr. Michel LaCasse dated September 15, 1987, regarding Commercial Area Revitalization District Plan Renewal Approval. A memo to Joan Cutillo, Acting Town Manager, from Michel LaCasse dated September 15, 1987, regarding the IEP Contract. A letter to Lawrence Harrington, Board of Selectmen, and Mr. Stephen Quinn, Planning Board, from Kelli Baker dated September 11, 1987, regarding reappointments to the Master Plan Advisory Council. 3 TOWN OF MANSFIELD MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL MINUTES OF MEETING — OCTOBER 22, 1987 Comments on Correspondence A discussion then followed in a roundtable manner regarding the "Trends Extended" draft being reviewed before the next meeting of the Council. A motion was made by Mr. Richard Gordon to delay the next meeting of the Council for one week. The motion was seconded by Mr. Harrington and passed unanimously. An amendment to the motion was made by Mr. Harrington to include asking Mr. LaCasse to circulate the draft as soon as he receives it to all applicable department heads to recertify the information up to 1986. This amended motion was seconded by Mr. Calvin and passed by a unanimous vote. Roundtable Discussion An informal roundtable discussion was then held in hopes of answering any questions the three new members might have concerning the Master Plan Advisory Council. 1. Ms. Carlene Dezotell questioned the accuracy of data in her files from IEP. 2. Ms. Carlotta James asked what the time frame was for the completion of the Council's input to the Master Plan. The reply indicated a time frame of roughly May 1988. Kelli Baker then gave a brief synopsis of the Master Plan Advisory Council from when the idea for the Council was crystalized in March of 1986, as a joint venture between the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen,until the present time. Mr. Richard Gordon then requested a copy of the minutes from the September 10, 1987, meeting and.a copy of the Affordable Housing Study. It was then noted that copies of all Master Plan Advisory Council correspondence are kept in Mr. LaCasse's office in the event that any Council member needs information. Mr. Harrington discussed some ground rules that the Council members had previously operated with: E " 4 TOWN OF MANSFIELD MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL MINUTES OF MEETING - OCTOBER 22, 1987 Roundtable Discussion (con't.) 1. All public relations interviews with the press have always been conducted by the Chairperson in the past. The agreement has always been to have the Chair represent the Council. 2. In the past the entire Committee has always stood behind a decision made when a formal vote has been taken. 3. The title of the Council is Master Plan Advisory Council - an Advisory Council to the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board. Before a draft or an opinion is finalized, the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board have the opportunity to share their input with the Council. A comment was then made by Mr. Gordon regarding reserving his right to speak out for what he personally feels is right; although, he would not take it upon himself to speak in behalf of the Council. Discussion regarding Surveys from IEP Kelli Baker polled all Council members present as to whether they still had any surveys in their possession. All members present stated they did not have any surveys in their possession. Council members that were not present are to be polled by Ms. Baker during the next few days. Some concerns expressed regarding the survey were: The questions on the survey being very misleading and inconsistent. Mr. Gordon noted that the Committee worked very hard on the survey and should realize that the survey is a valid tool for what the people of Mansfield want. The survey should have been more professionally handled from the beginning. If a survey is going to direct the Committee, the Committee should have an expert come in and do it right. Once questions are sent out and people's answers received, whether the questions are poor or not, there is a need to follow up on the answers. E TOWN OF MANSFIELD MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL MINUTES OF MEETING — OCTOBER 22, 1987 Discussion regarding Surveys from IEP (con't.) The issue of IEP Surveys and the current consultants should be kept as two separate issues. Have someone put together a questionnaire to give the people of Mansfield the opportunity to really express what it is they want. The Council should not be locked in to survey results. It is the responsibility of the Council to give a guided advisory opinion to the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board. The blank survey was very poorly written. A motion was then made by Ms.Carlotta James that the Committee considers taking the survey to a university that has a strong Planning Program to evaluate the blank form. This motion was seconded by Mr. Harrington. An amendment to the motion was made by Mr. Gordon to have the survey analized to see whether the amount of responses is sufficient for the Town of Mansfield and whether the tabulated results from Mr. LaCasse would be valid. This amendment to the motion was seconded by Mr. Harrington. An additional amendment was made by Mr. Harrington that all this be done through Mr. LaCasse's office. The motion and amended motions passed unanimously. A motion was then made by Mr.Folkman that no interpretation will be made other than outlining the methodology used and the non— scientific status of the survey.- This motion was seconded by Mr. Willis and passed by an eight to one vote. Business A comment was made by Mr. Gordon concerning the Master Plan Advisory Council not accepting the appointment in the past of Mr. Richard Sebetes. New Business No new business was discussed. A motion was made by Mr. Gordon to adjourn the meeting at 9:1OPM. The motion was seconded by Mr. Harrington and passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Carol Ferris, Secretary cc: M.LaCasse, Planning Director Planning Board/Board of Selectmen Joan Cutillo, Acting Town Manager