PLANNING BOARD
Work Session Tuesday July 22, 2008,
7:00pm Town Hall Basement
Minutes
Present: Jeff Miller, Dave DeCoste, Ben Daviss, Fred Dill, Sheldon Sawyer, Shane
O’Keefe, Mel Schupack
Recording: Pamela Aslinger, Secretary
These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at
the August 12, 2008 meeting for corrections.
Meeting opened
at 7:05pm
Purpose of the meeting was to review
final drafts of the goals and objectives and vision statement summary resulting
from 7/8/08 planning board meeting. And
to discuss the pending dues owed to SW Regional Planning Commission for 2008
and the adoption of the Conservation Commission’s revised conservation plan
into the Master Plan.
Mr.
Daviss reported that Tim Murphy from SWRPC had responded via letter regarding
the possibility the Town would not pay the balance of the 2008 dues
($1000.00). Mr. Murphy wrote that it was
an unprecedented situation that will need further discussion and guidance from
his Executive Committee who may meet in August or September. He stated he understood the concerns of the
selectboard as it relates to difficult economic times but their action has
created an inequity with the 34 other dues-paying members. He is uncomfortable reducing the level of
service to match the partial dues - being a slippery slope. He prefers to have the Town find a way to pay
the remaining dues and at least make the guarantee they will be paid by January
2009 if there is a current year shortfall.
Ch.
Miller queried Selectman Sawyer as to why the BOS did not confer with the
planning board and other land use boards before the decision was made during
the budget process? Mr. Sawyer said the
decision was made unanimously by the selectboard at a hearing on the budget in
unison with several other departmental cuts to reflect the need to hold down
spending. He agreed they should have informed the boards prior to the cut. He disagreed that SWRPC would not provide
some services to the town for 2008 with the balance of the dues to be paid at a
later time. He asked why SWRPC
originally offered to do so, but now is uncertain? Mr. Daviss explained that he notified SWRPC
because at the last planning board meeting Mr. Sawyer could not guarantee
payment of the shortfall so it changed the scope of possible services SWRPC
might provide.
Discussion
continued resulting in Mr. Schupack, Mr. Daviss, Pam Aslinger, Ch. Miller and
Selectman Sawyer agreeing to meet at the August 7th selectboard meeting to ask if
the BOS will pay the balance of the dues immediately, thus allowing the master
plan update to progress. Ch. Mansouri
and Marsha Galloway will also be asked to attend.
- Ch.
Miller commented on two issues of concern regarding the adoption of the
town-wide Conservation plan into the Master Plan. He specifically disagreed with the
requirement of a 100 ft. setback from water bodies and wetlands although noting
until the town passed such a requirement by warrant article it is only a suggestion.
He and others felt it was too
restrictive. Secondly he objected to a “farm
overly district”, again being too restrictive and limiting future use of
farmland despite the economic feasibility of farming that may result in a
farmer needing to sell land for other uses than farming.
Discussion resulted in
making a suggestion to the conservation commission to amend the document in
those two areas. Mr. Daviss will contact
the commisstion via letter before their next meeting asking
the commission to consider lessening the 100 ft.
setback to 75 ft. and removing the recommended farm overlay district and
replacing it with the existing wording in the Master Plan ie;
“The identification of prime farmland soils in town is a good first
step in understanding how these lands might be preserved for the agricultural
value. An overlay zoning district might
set these lands aside for only farming activities.” The existing wording leaves a specific “district”
being open for discussion. Mr. Daviss
asked if the two changes were made would the planning board be ready to hold a
public hearing on its adoption at the September meeting? Answer was yes.
- Mr.
Daviss supplied revised handouts of the goals and objectives and vision
statement summary (on file). He re-wrote
the summary based on the comments from SWRPC, the prior planning board meeting
and town-wide survey. Most present
agreed with the re-write and placement of it to be inserted directly after the
bulleted principles.
“It is the vision of the people of
- Ch.
Miller reminded those to attend the Selectboard meeting on 8/7/08 at 7:30pm and
that further action on the master plan update is suspended pending the outcome
of the meeting.
Meeting closed 8:15pm
Cc: file, PB,
MP, Town Offices, ZBA
Posted:
7/28/08 Town Hall, Lobby, Burdick’s Market, www.thewalpolean.com