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BRANDON PLANNING COMMISSION JULY 21, 2008
Planning Commissioners present: Ethan Swift, Linda Stewart, Jenny Nixon, Matt Carmolli, Anne Bransfield, Lynn Saunders, Jon Andrews
Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 7:06 pm.
Minutes - Motion by Stewart/Bransfield to approve the minutes of the July 7, 2008 meeting as written. Passed.
Town Plan Discussion Recreation Ethan said the Recreation Committee is working on a recreation master plan. It would be good to have a meeting with them to coordinate what goes into the plan. There were recommendations from them.
Ethan reviewed the Recreation section draft. He said this original section had been with Cultural and Historic but they are now broken out into their own sections.
There are other recreational activities which are offered around town which could be included, even if they are not public. There are private and quasi-public opportunities. Language to include this will be added. There was discussion about adding examples.
Recreation Background (subheading) "There are numerous opportunities for recreation in the Town of Brandon provided by a mix of public and private organizations." Then add: Some current resources include: Bill Koch League Neshobe Sportsman Club RAPAC Bike Safety Day VAST Trails MLA Youth Soccer
Infrastructure (subheading) Within Brandon town limits or in close proximity are natural resources such as Lake Dunmore, Long Trail, Otter Creek, Green Mountain National Forest, Old Brandon, VAST trails, Catamount Trail.
The current paragraphs need to be reorganized so they are divided by Recreation Background and Infrastructure.
There are privately owned recreation facilities such as Neshobe Golf Club, include Pillar Pilates
Trails - non-motorized recreational trails exist.
There was discussion about whether or not the Town Plan should include names of private businesses and programs or if it should be more generic such as: Facilities for 18-hole golf, pilates, and yoga exist.
Can include: For more information, contact the Chamber of Commerce
Remove some sections, such as reference to state-owned resources and the Scanlon Bog. They are more appropriate for the Natural Resources section.
Recommendations: Add "clean up Syndicate Road so it is more attractive for recreational activity."
Send to Natural Resources: "Work to secure and maintain public access to the Otter Creek and Neshobe River within the town boundaries for recreational uses such as canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Encourage volunteers to keep these waterways clear for use and to prevent flood hazards. Take appropriate actions to preserve water quality." The Town Plan is not a place for the following type of statement and this bullet should be deleted. "Encourage an effective full time Recreation Director to provide recreational programs and opportunities for residents of all ages in town." This could be added to another section, something to the effect of: (not a recommendation bullet) "The Town of Brandon employs a full time Recreation Director to maintain a full array of recreational opportunities." Or it could be a recommendation, but rewritten by taking out "effective" but talking about a full Recreation Department or a full Recreation Program.
The Brandon Senior Citizen's Center offers programs and opportunities for seniors. This should be added somewhere.
Reword the bullet on Community Center: "Support the revitalization of the Brandon Town Hall as a community center."
State: "Use of recreational space at Neshobe School and OVUHS are available for public use on a limited basis."
Should the Recreation Committee be included somewhere? "Support the Recreation Committee in their efforts to plan for and promote recreational opportunities." Ethan will draft language.
There are a variety of town-appointed committees which could be listed somewhere in the Plan. Either as an appendix or listed in the various appropriate sections.
Historic Resources Typographical corrections were made to the Introduction.
Goal: "Recognize the town's historic settlement pattern as a significant, non-renewable resource that creates a sense of place and community well being." Change the word "Recognize" to something such as: "Maintain" or "Protect." Also add "architectural assets" after the words "historic settlement pattern."
Discussion about using the word "Encourage" or "Ensure" in the Objectives. The Plan should have the strongest language possible to be defensible to Act 250. It was decided to use the word "Ensure" instead of "Encourage." Swap first and second objective placement. Other minor wording changes were offered and made.
Historic Resources Background Include the Stephen A Douglas Birthplace in the second paragraph.
The third paragraph could be reworded to be more accurate. The boundaries of the Historic Districts could be articulated. Ethan will talk to Kevin Thornton about this.
In the second bullet, there is a process but it is not being utilized. Change it to: "Use federal guidelines to document ..."
In the third bullet, "Support the Historic Preservation Commission in an effort to train ..."
Combine the wording in the two bullets which address the Brandon Workbook into one bullet.
"Pursue grant opportunities."
Support municipal and private efforts to preserve the Brandon Town Hall and maintain the Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace as important historic resources and current cultural resources.
Process The process now is to finetune the sections after the public forums and input. Jenny said she thought the process was up to a final semantic review and not more wording changes. Dayle Ann said she wants to make sure that some of the language is stronger than it has been. Linda suggested hiring someone to do editing and reviewing all the sections as one document. It was suggested to ask Charlie Jakiela if he would be interested in doing this. Jenny suggested Dayle Ann continue to review the Objectives because she has a fresh eye and a professional background. There was talk about following through with the rest of the sections. Everyone should take Version 2 - which accepts all the changes and then track changes new.
August 16 - everyone should have their section completed and send to an as-of-yet-unnamed-person who Ethan will identify and inform everyone about.
The next meeting is Monday, Aug. 18 at the Brandon Library at 7 pm.
Adjourn - Being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:05 pm.
Respectfully submitted
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