Council meeting: Tuesday Jan 19, 7 pm
Office Hours today: I will be in the Emporium today from 12-1.
3 things:
1) We had a budget meeting on Saturday, in which there was much confusion as to the actual state of the budget, but in which we did manage to increase Greenspace funding to $50,000 for this year, as opposed to the $35,000 that Eric had initially earmarked. I do not believe that $50K is sufficient. I am going to be pressing for a commitment closer to $125,000 and am working on creative methods to reach that goal. Continued community pressure will help me make that case.
2) There is a library commission, but there is no Pool, Parks, & Rec. Commission. This seems strange to me. The planning commission has bemoaned the lack of an up-to-date master plan for our parks and rec department, and constituents are writing me with legitimate concerns that the pool, in particular, seems to be too-readily sacrificed in times of financial crisis. I wonder if that would be less likely to happen if there was a Commission.
Here are my questions:
* Can anyone with longer history here explain to me why there's no Pool Parks and Rec Commission?
* I sense that we need one. Do you agree? Do you think this would be something worth my working toward this year?
* By the way, as I mentioned in our meeting on Saturday, there's also no equivalent organization to the "Friends of the Library" group for the Pool etc. This also seems strange to me. "Friends of the YS Pool and Parks" would seem to be a logical group to be formed by local residents who use and value our pool, parks, and recreation facilities. I spoke to Kathleen Boutis and I think there may be some interest out there in forming such a group.
3) About 70 of us heard from the Regenesis group yesterday. It was a very intriguing, intellectually stimulating discussion, but rather short on specifics as to how the group would interact with and work with the entire community, and what the process would be that could result in tangible results. My impression is that they are quite expensive. Ted Donnell will be making a presentation about the group and what they might offer YS at our meeting tomorrow night. I would very much appreciate your attendance and feedback.
Here's their website: http://www.regenesisgroup.com/RegenerativeDevelopment
Thanks,
Lori
1 comment:
An anonymous commenter called the Greenspace idea "warm and fuzzy," too expensive, and attacked the Council for our decision on the coal plant--arguing that we were going to tax people out of their homes.
I accept that this is a position held by some in our village, but I will not post anonymous comments.
I would counter that Green Space money is an excellent investment--having the potential to be leveraged for 400% of its value in state and federal conservation grants--and it helps us retain the value of our homes.
If the poster would like me to publish his or her thoughts, he or she should have the courage to leave his or her name. Anonymous sniping comments are not appropriate to civil life.
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