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24 February 2005 Steering Committee Present: John Fedor, David Cunningham, Cynthia Renninger, Tina MacMillan, Whit Humphreys, Heather Potter, Cecilia McGuire, Jean Butman No Agenda - Meeting scheduled to work on Display Boards before Town Meeting. Previewed preliminary work on display boards and content. Favored photos were identified for each of the boards, and draft text was reviewed. John will pull the information together and make up the 4 panels for display on Town Meeting Day. Discussion of budget. The Steering Committee discussed the $500 budget that Brian announced at the last meeting. The Steering Committee went over the list of products and engagement techniques to identify if it was possible to accomplish on $500. It is not. The Steering Committee estimated the absolute minimum necessary to accomplish to project, including the cost of products and engagement techniques. $98 Mailing of advertisement of 4 PLACE Program events (already paid) This totals $2255 not including the cost of mapping. A letter will be drafted and circulated for review by Steering Committee members. Emphasize that our time and resources have been and are being volunteered. Emphasize that $500 is inadequate. Itemize costs incurred to date. (see above) State that the $2300 are the needs in order to achieve the goals of the project and ask how VLT plans to fund it. Discussion of mapping. Brian says that VLT has mapping information and will provide mapping services without charge. Steering Committee will identify maps that we want and ask for them in the above-mentioned letter to VLT. Ask if VLT can provide. Specify that the Steering Committee gets to ask for what we want on the maps. Steering Committee decides on combinations of layers that are produced for the map. VLT is not to do analysis and/or make decisions regarding the map. Discussion of the final product - a community vision for Benson’s future. Steering Committee wonders what VLT will do with this information? Will they feel bound to follow this vision as they proceed with their work in the future? What are VLT’s intentions? The Steering Committee decided to address this issue later, after the 4th PLACE program event on April 21st by sending a letter to Gil Livingston asking him these questions and inviting him to come to a Steering Committee meeting to address this issue. Large Public Meeting discussed. Should this be nixed? The grant says “Rather than relying on standard public participation methods (e.g., large public meetings) that have met with limited success in many Vermont towns, this project will emphasize alternative public outreach efforts to engage as broad a cross-section of the community as possible in this process and in related local decision making.” Make decision at the next meeting. Conservation Fair discussed. The purpose is to share knowledge and learn residents views about Benson’s future. Consider having a “Thought Extraction Booth” to engage people about the future. Consider a booth that shows town-wide mailed questionnaire and solicit reactions and feedback. Consider a booth that shows old and contemporary photos and ask the public to identify their favorites. March 3 event discussed. What role will Brian and Phil play? Ask them for a script of what they plan to say. Steering Committee is concerned with how the project will be presented to the public. Should there be a time limit for various parts of the March 3 event? Should there be refreshments? Agenda for next meeting March 3 at 3 PM:
Respectfully submitted, John Fedor
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