MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 8:00 a.m.
2nd Floor Conference Room
Town Hall, 302 Main Street
Chairman, Robert Fish, called the special meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.
Members Present
Robert Fish
Jerry Brophy
Bruce Sherwin
Partner Group Members Present
Sara Keaney, Old Saybrook Land Trust
Janice Holland, Old Saybrook Land Trust
Land Use Department Staff Present
Christine Nelson, Town Planner
Sandy Prisloe, Environmental Planner
Kathleen Noyes, Recording Clerk
Marilyn Halbing, Conservation Chairman of the Old Saybrook Garden Club, was in attendance.
B. Sherwin said he created a Facebook fan page for Sustainable Saybrook. He’s hoping to recruit some interested high school students who can administer the page and update it on a regular basis. He also posted a link to Sustainable Saybrook on the wall of the Old Saybrook Fan Page. The hope is that once people know about and use the fan page, people will post things on it about various events, ideas, discussion, etc. This may be more accessible to the public than the web site itself because many people are already on Facebook. Also, people will get updates from their Facebook news feed.
S. Prisloe said this might be a good way to encourage interest among younger people who are active Facebook users.
B. Sherwin said he set up a “leave feedback” area on the web site. One person did leave feedback regarding the lights at the Saybrook High School and his concerns about the lights being left on all night, every night.
The group discussed what should be done about the feedback and questions arose such as: Should this group act on the feedback, comment on it, or just act as a conduit for forwarding that information to the appropriate group or person? Should the person leaving feedback be invited to a CCOCSS meeting? Should there be an automated response that thanks the person for their feedback, and tells them their comments and concerns will be forwarded on to the appropriate person? Who will monitor the feedback and do all of the forwarding?
C. Nelson said that in screening web site feedback, judgment should be avoided although acknowledgement of the public’s concerns is important.
B. Sherwin said he is looking for submissions for the Constant Contact e-mail blast.
S. Prisloe said the first blast should be an announcement letting people know that the Sustainable Saybrook web site is up and running. People should be encouraged to forward this information on to friends and different groups in town to get them to sign up. This group needs to identify what types of sustainability tips they’d like to mail out. For example, in April, perhaps the e-mail tip should be about the significance of Earth Day, and in May, the theme could be gardening. S. Prisloe also suggested archiving the sustainable tips on the page so people can see view them.
S. Prisloe said as the Environmental Planner, he would partner with Sustainable Saybrook to send out the Constant Contact Sustainable Saybrook tip e-mail blast. He said he would bring a sustainability tip draft to the next meeting on March 20, 2012.
J. Holland suggested asking Kathy Connolly to provide a tip about organic lawns, which would be a great way to create a local tie in.
B. Sherwin asked M. Halbing, if the Old Saybrook Garden Club would like to provide a sustainable gardening tip. She said she’d have to check with the OS Garden Club, but she’s sure the group would like to participate.
M. Halbing asked what this group’s purpose is. R. Fish talked about how this group is trying to engage the public to encourage sustainability and to establish sustainability goals for the town.
C. Nelson asked M. Halbing if she thought the OSGC would be interested in having someone from Sustainable Saybrook make a presentation to them. M Halbing said yes, she thought this would be of interest.
The group agreed that partners need to be recruited, and each of the priorities needs to be assigned to a partner or partners. The group then decided to brainstorm potential partners for each priority, and they agreed on the following:
Access and Mobility – The Estuary Transit District and the Bikeways Committee led by Kathy Connolly.
Economy – The Main Street Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce
Environment –Conservation Commission, Town Environmental Planner, Old Saybrook Land Trust
Education - a representative from the Old Saybrook public school system, a representative from the Middlesex College Adult Education Program
Energy – Conservation Commission, Building Inspector, the Energy Committee (once it is established)
Food and Food Security – the Old Saybrook Farmers’ Market President, someone from Maynard’s or Scott’s Farm Market, CLEAR, Wal-Mart, Stop & Shop
Identity and Culture – Historic District Commission, Old Saybrook Historical Society, The Kate, Y&FS, Chief of Police
Social Equity - Y&FS, Parks & Recreation
Health – CRAHD, health oriented businesses such as Foodworks, local gyms and fitness clubs, Stay & Play, someone from the local satellites of Middlesex Hospital or Lawrence & Memorial Hospital
Waste Management – Public Works, Old Saybrook Transfer Station, someone who could speak about commercial compost such as Alan Hull, CRERPA regarding household hazard waste
Housing & Shelter – Planning Commission, HOPE Partnership, Y&FS, local realtors, Building Inspector, Home Builders Association
Water – the CT Water Company, Harbor Commission, Gateway Commission, Parks & Recreation, Office of Long Island Sound, Soil and Water Conservation district in Middletown
C. Nelson suggested a web site calendar where regular local celebrations like Family Day, Earth Day, and the Old Saybrook Garden Club’s May Market can be publicized.
M. Halbing is going to e-mail B. Sherwin about the Old Saybrook Garden Club’s May Market so he can put it on the Sustainable Saybrook web site.
R. Fish suggested the group have a list of partners to recruit for the next meeting as an agenda action item. To that, the group suggested the following be added: Google analytics data, a draft for the next e-mail blast, and an events calendar.
C. Nelson suggested setting up regularity in the meeting schedules so the meetings will have a regular pattern of agenda items.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Noyes
| 
