SPECIAL MEETING
MINUTES
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 2:00 P.M.
CRERPA Offices
Saybrook Junction Marketplace
455 Boston Post Road
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 2:05 PM.
II. ROLL CALL
Janis Esty, Planning Commission; Jerry Brophy, Conservation Commission; John Talbott, Zoning Commission
Also: Sandy Prisloe, Environmental Planner, OSLUD; J.H. Torrance Downs, Senior Planner; CRERPA; Jay Northrup, Senior Regional Planner, CRERPA.
III. INVENTORY
A. Orientation to Plan Elements
WHAT CONSTITUTES MITIGATION?
Jay Northrup handed out a packet of information. It included a definition of Hazard Mitigation and several examples of mitigation projects from the Massachusetts Hazard Mitigation Program. He reviewed them briefly and summarized that Hazard Mitigation is, “…actions that can help reduce or eliminate long term risks caused by natural hazards, or disasters,…” He offered that where Emergency Management tends to be focused on the short term planning and response, hazard mitigation is focused on the long-term actions that take time to implement.
REVIEW OF APPENDIX II: GOALS & IMPLEMENTATION
There was a discussion about the best way to go about the review of the Goals and Implementation. Torrance Downes had prepared a version of the goals that allowed notes to be taken on each of the items. The Committee picked up where it left off at Goal 2, Objective 1, Supporting Task 6 and ended at Goal 2, Objective 2, Supporting Task 2.
The Committee asked that the Land Use Department and CRERPA staff to identify which tasks would be most appropriately directed towards which Town staff when the Committee asked them to come to a meeting to be interviewed. In this way, the process would be expedited so it did not waste the time of the invited experts.
B. Interview Officials, Volunteers, Community
DISCUSSION WITH CHRIS COSTA, ZEO
Mr. Northrup suggested that Chris Costa explain a bit about how she as the Zoning Enforcement Officer is involved with Hazard Mitigation. Ms. Costa described her experiences permitting in special flood hazard areas and recent experiences educating the public with rebuilding after Tropical Storm Irene. She said there had been a number of people seeking information regarding repairs who she had to inform would need to elevate their homes because of damage repairs that would constitute a substantial improvement under the Town of Old Saybrook Flood Plain Management Ordinance. Ms. Costa explained that the FEMA disaster assistance procedure requires homeowners having to make application to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for loans in addition to their application to the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA). The Committee discussed grant possibilities for elevating homes and outreach to repetitive loss properties as one of the action items in the current plan that ought to be carried through to the next plan and implemented.
C. Model Natural Hazards
The Committee asked Mr. Prisloe to put together a comprehensive list of Goals/Objectives for a geographic information system (GIS) for the next meeting, and report on the status of the mapping of storm drains and outfalls.
IV. MITIGATION ANALYSIS
At its 9/28/2011 meeting, the Committee will meet with Adam Whelchel of the Nature Conservancy regarding its work with Old Saybrook as a pilot community to display its Coastal Resilience tool to better inform land use planning by taking into account the phenomenon of sea level rise.
V. PLAN DRAFTING
Mr. Northrup also offered to check with the State Agency with whom CRERPA received the grant for the Hazard Mitigation Plan, as to whether it was necessary to retain the same format as was used in the previous version.
VI. IMPLEMENTATION
There was discussion as to whether any of the tasks were reasonable to expect completion before the next update in 5 years. Mr. Northrup offered that many might not because it takes time to get people aware of a problem and motivated to implement some of the tasks. Other tasks like the public outreach are intended to be the vehicle for developing the support for the more involved tasks.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 3:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jay Northrup
Senior Regional Planner
Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency
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