ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
June 5, 2014
Regular Meeting
Members & Staff Present: Diane Chauncey (Secretary) Chris Condon (Chair)
Jeanne Cahoon (Alternate) Michael Frosch (Member) Jesse Lazar (Vice-Chair)
Steve MacDonald (Member) Janet McEwen (Member) Gordon Webber (Ex-officio)
Carol Ogilvie (Consultant Planner)
Members & Staff Absent:
Bob Holmes (Alternate) Elsa Voelcker (Alternate) Sarah VanderWende (Member)
Public Attendees: Joan Gorga
7:00PM Public Meeting
Chair Condon opened the meeting at 7:01PM and appointed Ms. Cahoon to sit for the absent Ms. VanderWende.
Peter Moore resignation
Mr. Moore’s email (explaining his resignation) was read by Chair Condon. His resignation was accepted and Chair Condon thanked him for the time spent as alternate on the Planning Board.
Master Plan Review
Chair Condon chose to begin with Chapter XIV (Implementation chapter of the Master Plan – which lists items to be acted upon by various agencies of the Town. All agencies had received the Implementation Chapter with their action highlighted. The Board asked for comments from the various agencies. The Chapter is included with the Town Hall minutes) and to first hear the comments of Joan Gorga, Chair of the Park & Recreation Commission.
Parks & Recreation comments
- Access to water resources (XIV – page 4) – all that P & R administers is accessible
- Increase number of recreational fields (XIV – page 10) – P & R has no intention at this time to pursue another field. Instead P & R will be working toward trying to improve Shea field. There was a short discussion concerning other fields – especially those in Bennington (some of which are underused) as a future possibility.
- Increase safety and accessibility at Antrim Memorial Gym – (XIV – page 10) – the floor is in failure, but it is not unsafe. The cost to redo is approximately $70,000. There is an agreement with Conval that complicates the situation. It should probably be a Capital Improvement Program item.
- Study and address the recreation needs of all of Antrim residents – (XIV – page 10) – The commission has been attempting to address the needs of young adults and seniors. They are trying to address the needs of all.
- Continue maintenance of the parks, buildings and sidewalks – ( XIV – page 15) - The commission is writing a grant for the tennis courts. Upgrades to the beach, Memorial park, and Shea field are ongoing. All the parks are alcohol and tobacco free.
The Board thanked Ms. Gorga for attending the meeting.
Master Plan Review - Chair Condon asked for comments:
- The current Master Plan is not readable and who is the audience
- It is too long.
- Possibly the Board should review the Implementation Chapter and determine the actions that are still relevant – rewrite that chapter.
- A process should be developed by breaking the Master Plan down step by step and create a future Plan that is more concise and relevant
- The current Master Plan is a great reference.
- Some Board members think that the Manchester Master Plan is particularly good
The discussion continued and ended with a question to Ms. Ogilvie concerning the way in which other municipalities write a Master Plan.
Ms. Ogilvie stated that Boards do not always look forward to the exercise and some municipalities hire personnel to write a new plan. She stated that the difficult part is how to turn the language of the Master Plan into meaningful, concise language that can then be utilized with the Zoning Ordinance.
Approve May 15, 2104 meeting minutes
Mr. Webber moved to accept the meeting minutes; it was seconded by Ms. Cahoon. The Board moved to approve the minutes as amended.
Plan for Summer PB Meetings and future workshops
The Board voted to cancel the July 3rd meeting.
Secretary to be nominated for Southwest Regional Planning Commission Board of Directors
The SWRPC nominating committee has asked Ms. Chauncey if she will serve on the Board. Ms. Chauncey will be attending the Annual meeting on June 17th.
Correspondence:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) – Monadnock Paper Mills – Order Issuing New License – Project No. 6597-013 – FYI
Other business:
Packets for Lauber Lot Line Annexation – for each member
Mr. Webber moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:30pm; Ms. Cahoon seconded. All agreed to adjourn the meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Diane Chauncey, Secretary for the Land Use Boards.
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