Wanted to share with you the
notes from the meeting of the taskforce chairs so you could have a sense of
their progress and places where we intersect and have common interests:
Present: Bill Neil, Bill Schubart, Chuck Ross, Dawn Francis, Carl Bohlen
Each
Chair gave a summary of task force efforts to date.
Bill
Schubart (Buy Local Campaign and Specialty Farming)
3
meetings to date: 11 initial objectives have been narrowed down to 3
3
working subcommittees established
1.
Buy Local (applicable to goods & services)
Database effort/buy local campaign/expand Farmers Mkt and work with Lantman's
Grow the annual Harvest Festival
2.
Community Gardens
For local produce/incubator farm/tie to CVU and cafeteria
3.
Carbon Farming
Intersects with Sustainability/Energy task force
Dawn Francis (Sustainability and Energy Planning)
Group
down to 15 members
6
focus groups established
1.
Sustainability definition
2.
Energy use assessment- Hinesburg (municipal/school/utilities/reduce auto usage)
3.
Light bulb exchange to compact fluorescent bulbs- part of Green Up Day on May
5/at Town
Hall & Estey's/will canvass whole town/Efficiency VT involved
4.
Public Relations- branding of Hinesburg
5.
Transportation- looking at public transit opportunities
6.
Legislative options
Joe
Donegan spoke at a meeting on carbon farming issue
Bill
Neil (Multigenerational Community Center and Teen Center)
3
meetings to date
Morgan
Pell set task force up on a google group
Members
conducted site visit to Bradford- long list of recommendations resulted
Exploring
a VCDP Planning Grant applic
Conducted
town wide survey at Town Meeting
Did
survey of HCS middle school re teen programs & have over 100 responses-
need to compile
Lost
two key members of task force
Chuck
Ross (Farm Conservation)
Meeting
almost every other week
Goal
of learning how to help landowners keep agric and forest in use
Subdivide options/alternative forms of agric
Developing
a survey for landowners- will do face to face with about 40 landowners
Farms (all types), larger land owners, other landowners with property of
utility value
Survey's purpose is to determine landowner's goals
Landowner goals are primary and Town's goals are secondary
Survey
results will hopefully lead to community forums
Also
survey land use/farm/forestry experts for what is happening elsewhere (in &
outside VT)
Intend
to make survey available on town website for other land owners to complete
Other
General Comments
A
key concept is for each Task Force to think about how its topic and work can be
framed as opportunities for the Town (both residents and government) to save
money (or increase ability to make money). Related to this would be
points where the work of one task force intersects with the work of other task
forces.
Call
members of the task force if having trouble with attendance.
All
4 task forces would love to have more members- Carl to do blurb in Hinesburg
Record to hopefully spark some interest by residents not yet involved.
Town
website has a wealth of information and is important to use. What is a
good way to increase awareness and use of the web site?
How
can the task forces keep the select board and other town committee in the loop?
How
can the task forces stay in touch with each other's work?
Some
sort of educational event tied to the Fall Festival is a goal.
Next
Steps
Carl
to submit a piece to the Hinesburg Record for May issue.
Carl
to check into details on listing Task Force meeting on the back page of the
Hinesburg Record.
Task
Force chairs to meet again in early June.
Carl
to set up time on Select Board agenda in middle June for short presentation on
task force work and possibly some recommendations to the BOS.
Meet
with Paul Costello/VCRD in the fall.