HomeMy WebLinkAbout1968-04-01 1. f
1
iI
f JOINT MEETING
of the
4111 LANSING PLANNING COUNCIL
and the
LANSING PLANNING BOARD
Town Hall
April 1 , 1968
Following the adjournment of the joint section of the meeting , Planning
Board members Showacre , Miller , and Barron remained to confer further with Mr . Drogin .
Council member Mrs . Louise Dart also remained , to listen to the discussion .
Mr . Drogin then discussed the Board ' s application for 701 funds . The
stated that there will be three opportunities for funding and that if Lansing ' s
application is not funded in one of the three periods it will be returned with a
notice of "no funding . " Up until several days ago he had thought that Lansing had
a very good opportunity of being funded , but now that the program may be contracted
there is a possibility that the money will not be forthcoming , although Lansing has
the highest score . His feeling is that if any town receives funding it should be
Lansing . He brought up the three following points for consideration by the Board :
1 . If the Town , through volunteers , is doing the work and studies for
which they asked funds , the funds cannot be given to them .
2 . Mr . Niederkorn is going to prepare the plan ; hence the information
• being collected by the Town must be what Mr . Niederkorn wants , and Mr . Niederkorn
must approve and supervise what is being done .
3 . In order that Lansing will not be shortchanged after its Council
members and Board have worked so hard , the money previously requested for basic studies
must be used for other studies , which must be described in`: terms of special programs .
The second phase can be rewritten to include these . Suggestions might be a study of
a business center , or an intensive study of North Triphammer Road and its future .
Mr . Showacre stated that the problem is that the Board cannot say just now
what it is that is needed . After it has a better picture of the Town , then it can
say what other information is needed .
Mr . Drogin remarked that if the Town had gone ahead with the basic studies
and said nothing about them in the application , the application could have been re -
vised later , when Mr . Niederkorn found the studies satisfactory , and the money then•
used for other purposes . However , based upon administrative procedure , the only
thing that can be done now is 1 ) pad the other section so that the money works out
equally , or 2 ) get a substitute item or items , which can be anything the Town wants ,
and perhaps when the study is approved one item can be substituted for another , and
the 701 contract be revised . The same amount of money must be adhered to , and the
problem resolved as quickly as possible , so that Mr . Drogin can get the application
into process again and push it . A bulk item could be substituted for the studies
that are being done by the Town volunteers .
• Mr . Drogin commented further that every professional planner must pad his
request for some items which will cost more than other less costly ones . In this
way everybody keeps within range . Amounts shown are relatively ordinary , and then
a more intensive job can be done on certain projects .
Minutes , Lansing Planning Board section of the Joint Meeting , Lansing Planning
Council and Lansing Planning Board , Town Hall , April 1 , 1968 , page 2
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Mr . Showacre felt that it is better to reveal in the application the work
that has been done and is being done by the townspeople , but Mr . Drogin insisted
that the best way to expedite the matter is either to eliminate these items and re -
duce the amount of the contract , or else delete these items and show other studies
which might be needed , in their stead .
He further stated that one of the things needed is a signed statement from
Mr . Niederkorn that he will supervise the studies being made by the townspeople . Mr .
Niederkorn should submit a revised application bearing the proper signatures . Any
additional items requested should be sincere ; if it were found later that one of
these is not necessary , then a revision can be requested later .
Mr . Drogin stated his feeling that the plan should be better balanced be -
tween basic studies and zoning , subdivision control , capital improvements , etc . Mr .
Showacre asked that the Board be given a complete list of what can be done . Mr .
Drogin recommended a number of substitutes , among them studies of North Triphammer
Road , the Airport , and the shoreline . He stated that he is waiting on Mr . Niederkorn
and this Board for a revised scope of services , with the cost analysis . This will
need only the signatures of Messrs . Showacre and Niederkorn , so long as the amount
of money involved is not altered .
Mr . Showacre asked what Mr . Drogin would consider as the best thing for the
Planning Council to do . Mr . Drogin replied that the Council should go ahead and do
the whole comprehensive general plan . The revised scope of services should reflect
only the basic studies . Then the Board will be in a much better position when Mr .
Niederkorn sits down to work , as it will present him with the problem and demand
the solution . By means of these studies the Board will know what the problems are ;
hence the studies should be continued .
Mr . Drogin asked that a letter be sent to him indicating that the Planning
Board has reviewed the application and agreed on a revision , and also a letter from
Mr . Niederkorn indicating that he will review the basic studies . The contract will
be submitted shortly after this has been done , and there will be a note on the con -
tract giving it top priority and setting forth all the work that has been done .
At this point the recording secretary was excused , as the discussion was
to be of a general character . ( 10 : 15 p . m . )
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