MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 8:00 a.m.
2nd Floor Conference Room
Town Hall, 302 Main Street
Chairman, Bruce Sherwin, called the special meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.
Members Present
Robert Fish
Bruce Sherwin
Jerry Brophy
Partner Group Members Present
Sara Keaney, Old Saybrook Land Trust
Janice Holland, Old Saybrook Land Trust
Ann Gamble, Old Saybrook Land Trust
Land Use Department Staff Present
Christine Nelson, Town Planner
Sandy Prisloe, Environmental Planner
Kathleen Noyes, Recording Clerk
Mary Roche, President of the Old Saybrook Garden Club, attended today’s meeting to learn more about Sustainable Saybrook.
R. Fish reported on the fishways, stating that they are now open, and there has been positive growth. He distributed an article by Steve Gephart entitled, “Providing Fish Access to Critical Habitat” the March/April 2012 issue of Connecticut Wildlife. B. Sherwin asked R. Fish to e-mail him the article so he could put it on the Sustainable Saybrook web site.
Group members asked if a one time only viewing of the fishways could be arranged. R. Fish offered to follow up on this, and A. Gamble, offered to help advertise it.
Conclude Discussion on organizational structure
B. Sherwin reviewed the people and/or groups assigned to each pillar. S. Keaney volunteered for health, A. Gamble. for food and R. Fish for energy. B. Sherwin said he was hoping S. Esty would take charge of the economy pillar, or be able to nominate someone else from the Main Street Merchant’s Association who might be interested.
CREMPO, the CT River Estuary Metropolitan Planning Organization, will be in charge of access and mobility, the BOE and PTA for education, the OS Land Trust for environment, the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Art Center for identity and culture, CRERPA for waste management, HOPE Partnership for housing and shelter, S. Consoli from Y&FS for social equity, and possibly Walter Smith for water resources. R. Fish and B. Sherwin offered to talk with W. Smith about this.
Group members discussed how to recruit new partners. S. Keaney suggested the group clarify what they are asking potential partners and directors to do, and make sure the potential partners and directors understand what their responsibilities are.
C. Nelson emphasized the importance of clarifying the misperception that sustainability is only about the environment.
B. Sherwin suggested creating a partner outreach committee who would talk to potential partners and directors about joining Sustainable Saybrook. S. Keaney and S. Esty have been working on a pitch to present to potential partners who could then take the information back to their board and ask if the outreach committee could present to their group or organization. A. Gamble and B. Sherwin volunteered to work on this with S. Keaney.
A.Gamble offered to write an article for “The Shoreline Times” to help raise awareness that Sustainable Saybrook is actively looking for partners.
S. Keaney suggested putting something on the Sustainable Saybrook Facebook page to let the public know the group is looking for potential partners. B. Sherwin said although that is a great idea, there is not enough of a Facebook following yet.
B.Sherwin is hoping to work with Y&FS to recruit students to help increase the Facebook network.
S. Keaney suggested the group involve Goodwin School parents who are working with the “Goodwin Goes Green” program.
Chris, Fitness Director at Saybrook Point Inn, and Abby, a Saybrook Point Inn Restaurant employee, have both been contacted about working with Sustainable Saybrook. The Saybrook Point Inn’s employees are active in the SPI’s “green” initiatives, and the Saybrook Point Inn has received awards for making their inn and marina “green.” S. Prisloe said he’d like to talk with them about sustainability tips for the Sustainable Saybrook web site.
J. Holland suggested someone contact John Ogren as a potential partner. Group members all agreed this was a great idea, and many in the group offered to get in touch with him.
M. Roche, President of the Old Saybrook Garden Club, said she found out about Sustainable Saybrook after reading a recent newspaper article. She said conservation and sustainability are very important to the OSGC. They use metered water for each median, and they use LEDs. The OSCG is an active organization that meets frequently and publishes a monthly newsletter, but they would like to do more public outreach.
C. Nelson asked M. Roche if Sustainable Saybrook would be allowed to give a presentation to the OSGC, and M. Roche said yes.
M. Roche asked for clarification about Sustainable Saybrook’s mission and goals. J. Holland explained that Sustainable Saybrook is trying to develop a sense of community. The group would like to publicize what is going on in town and showcase what different organizations and agencies are doing to promote sustainability. It is not a political group, and there is no fee to join. J. Holland said Sustainable Saybrook could broaden the OSGC’s outreach by advertising the OSGC’s events on the Sustainable Saybrook web site, especially since the OSGC does not have its own web site.
B. Sherwin asked M. Roche to e-mail him the information about the OSGC’s May Market so he can promote it on Sustainable Saybrook’s calendar of events and social media outlet.
Finalize Meeting Schedule
At last month’s meeting, B. Sherwin proposed that Sustainable Saybrook have two meetings a month; one a Director’s meetings and one an Executive Board meeting.
He wants to make Sustainable Saybrook’s meetings more accessible to people who work during the day. He asked group members if they wanted to move the meetings from morning to evening. He also asked the group for input about meeting frequency. The group agreed to keep the current meeting schedule of two morning meetings a month, on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 8:00 A.M. , and to re-evaluate the meeting schedule at the first Sustainable Saybrook meeting in July.
S. Keaney asked if group members would like to promote Sustainable Saybrook at the OSGC’s May Market which is May 11th and 12th, and at the Old Saybrook Farmer’s Market.
A. Gamble has a friend who is a graphic designer, and she asked her friend to help create a Sustainable Saybrook logo. A. Gamble distributed different potential logos to group members. She suggested Sustainable Saybrook have a recycled paper bookmark with the logo at a table at the Farmer’s Market. She also suggested a QR code that people could scan with their phones at the Farmer’s Market which would bring up the Sustainable Saybrook web site. Group members were very supportive of this idea and thanked A. Gamble for her initiative.
Updates From Current Directors
S. Keaney has a tip about coffee ground for the Sustainable Saybrook tips e-mail blast. B. Sherwin will forward this on to S. Prisloe.
B. Sherwin set up an auto e-mailer for Sustainable Saybrook. Currently, the e-mails that come to Sustainable Saybrook are being sent to him, but at some point he would like the e-mails to go to the director in charge of each pillar.
Partner Event Submissions
Nothing for the calendar
Social Media Update
B. Sherwin has been posting a few items on the Sustainable Saybrook Facebook page, but there is not a big Facebook following at this point. B. Sherwin suggested that everyone invite and encourage people in town to “like” the website.
S. Keaney said the OSLT could send information about Sustainable Saybrook to their whole membership which would be well over 100 e-mail contacts.
The next special meeting of the Conservation Commission’s Outreach Committee Sustainable Saybrook, will be Tuesday, April 17, 2012, Town Hall, 302 Main Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room at 8:00 A.M.
The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 9:00 A.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathleen Noyes
Recording Clerk
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