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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-07-05 CPSC Final MinutesComprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4 July 5, 2023 Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Zoom Hybrid Meeting Meeting Minutes July 5, 2023 Approved: September 13, 2023 Committee Members Present: Chair Ann DiPetta, Roxanne Marino, Elizabeth Weatherby, Mo Klein, Alison Weaver, Diane Cohen, Katelin Olson, Rose Hanson Committee Members Absent: Rebecca Schneider, Tai Basilius Town Staff Present: Niels Tygesen, Mollie Duell Proceedings Chair DiPetta called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm at Town Hall. Approval of Agenda The committee discussed the priority and order of items on the agenda; no addition or removal of agenda items was made. Motion: Weatherby made a motion to approve the amended agenda; Cohen seconded. Vote: Klein, aye; Marino, aye; Weatherby, aye; Olson, aye; Weaver, aye; Cohen, aye; Chair DiPetta, aye. Motion Carried. Approval of Past Minutes Motion: Weatherby made a motion to approve the June 14th meeting minutes; Marino seconded. Vote: Klein, aye; Marino, aye; Weatherby, aye; Olson, aye; Weaver, aye; Cohen, aye; Chair DiPetta, aye. Motion Carried. Privilege of the Floor No members of the public addressed the Committee. Old Business Items Work Plan: Continued Committee Membership Outreach The Committee briefly discussed outreach efforts to fill the last vacant slot on the Committee. Tygesen mentioned discussing outreach efforts with the Town Clerk’s office. A member representing the Lakeshore and/or conservation district is desired by the Town Board. Comprehensive Plan Elements Goals, and Policies Comparisons Committee members acknowledged that continuing to bring forward new ideas and concerns about developing Comprehensive Plan Elements, Goals, and Policies would be an ongoing topic. Discussion ensued regarding methods to efficiently communicate emerging concepts between Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 July 5, 2023 meetings. Members discussed alternatives to email communications. New Business Items Consultant Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Draft Tygesen provided a brief review of the process thus far. Wright and Tygesen received feedback from the DEC on June 14th. The grant coordinator noted some changes have taken place; Tygesen stated these changes seem significant, and Wright and Tygesen are seeking clarification on how to proceed. Wright is assembling a new draft RFQ. For tonight’s meeting, Committee members are asked to provide feedback on adjustments that could be made to improve the draft. Cohen asked how far away a consultant could be located. Tygesen stated that the consultant should be local, ideally within New York State. A candidate from outside New York State is not impossible, but someone with knowledge about local issues, who could easily travel to meet in person, would have a clear advantage. Hanson asked about the plan’s timeline and why an increment of 20 years is chosen for an update, noting how significantly things have changed since 2009, when the previous Comprehensive Plan was written. Tygesen explained that 20 years is a common comprehensive plan timeframe municipalities plan out to in order to effectively prepare fiscally for expected action items and growth. However, every year the plan should be reviewed and receive minor updates as needed and that major periodic updates, like this one, should occur every ten years. Marino noted she would send more ideas to the Committee, but they were not readily available to discuss at the time of the meeting. Weatherby briefly spoke about the terminology of RFQ, RFI, and RFP. Committee members agreed continuing with RFQ makes sense. DiPetta opened discussion about improvements that could be made to the draft, beginning with the Introduction. DiPetta noted outdoor recreational activity such as biking, swimming, and boating are missing, acknowledging that this is a large part of the community’s identity. Committee members agreed that the introduction could be further embellished. In the following section about the “Project Background”, Marino noted there needs to be further elaboration about integrating sustainability. DiPetta asked who will make final changes to the draft. Tygesen asked members to send adjustment suggestions to the Town Planning staff. Discussion ensued on how to communicate outside of meetings. Marino spoke about “Project Overview & Purpose”, and noted that similarly to the “Project Background”, targeted purposes need to again be clarified. DiPetta noted keeping the title and terminology consistent throughout the document is important. Discussion ensued on possible adjustments to expand the description of the project. The Committee discussed the scope of responsibilities the consultant will have. Hanson asked if text about emergency management plans should be included. Marino spoke about Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 July 5, 2023 flood remapping, climate vulnerability, and relation to the county plan. Klein mentioned classes about emergency management are periodically available in Enfield. Marino suggested reorganizing Implementation items and possibly utilizing tables. Weatherby spoke about communicating with the Consultant, as well as responsibilities regarding managing money and processing invoices. Under “Scope of Work and Deliverables”, Weaver noted interactive visual tools were unanimously liked by Committee members when reviewing other comprehensive plans, and these will help engage the public. DiPetta noted it would be important to have a consultant that is familiar with using such tools. Klein and Marino noted they have each spoken to members of the Agricultural community who have expressed interest in attending future meetings. Weatherby asked when the consultant will need to be present beyond public meetings. Required attendance is unclear. Marino mentioned consideration of the budget is important, and the consultant can be scheduled to attend when they are most needed. Olson noted that the county has maps, datasets, and other resources that can be used to save money. DiPetta noted the importance in avoiding language that sounds exclusive. Marino noted the DEC is interested in a climate vulnerability assessment. Tygesen spoke about the project timeline and schedule. Hopefully the RFQ will be released later in July dependent on DEC. Once DEC gives their approval it can move forward to the Town Board for their approval. Klein mentioned tourism and the rise in short term rentals are a growing problem. Weatherby noted someone familiar with local issues would be an asset, since short-term rentals have been an issue in Ithaca for a long time. Olson noted it would be good to see information about who else will work with the consultant in proposals to understand their capacity and further qualifications. Discussion ensued on how the consultant’s time will be used. The Committee agreed that conveying how much time will be spent doing which tasks, such as limiting excessive emails, is important to efficiently utilize the budget. Weatherby noted it would be good for the consultant to be able to develop educational and promotional materials. Discussion ensued on exact language to be used to illustrate the requirements of the position. Hanson asked about how to manage public concerns about topics that are not currently being addressed. Discussion ensued on possible methods of addressing any issues that may occur. Hanson asked how evaluations would be measured and if a point system would be used. Olson replied each proposal will be calculated with a point system and compared. DiPetta asked Committee members how they feel about seeing cost proposals while reviewing candidates, noting it was important to not let this influence decisions prematurely. Marino suggested viewing this information separately. Hanson asked if cost will be included in the candidate’s score. Olson responded cost competitiveness is scored. However, the Town is allowed