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ISLAND PLAN:
IN THE NEWS Survey Launched on Development and Growth The Island Plan has launched a public opinion survey about how the Vineyard community should manage future development. Everyone is invited to take the Development and Growth Survey, to say what you think about the amount, location, and rate of growth. It also asks about various tools that could be used to make sure that new construction, renovation, and rebuilding better respect the natural environment, fit into neighborhoods, and deal with affordability. You can take the ten-minute survey online by going to www.islandplan.org. Alternatively, you can get a paper copy at your library or from the MVC (508-693-3453). Three Island Plan forum proceedings are available for review: Built Environment Forum - August 4, 2008 - Proceedings The Island Plan Livelihood & Commerce Proposals The Island Plan’s Livelihood and Commerce Work Group released its preliminary recommendations about the Vineyard economy. These findings derive from a series of inquiries, from meetings with many Islanders (farmers, fishermen, health care workers, school officials, entrepreneurs, employees, and others), and from the work of consultants John Ryan of Development Cycles and Michael Shuman and Doug Hoffer of Training Development Corp (summarized in Ryan’s Martha’s Vineyard Economic Profile). The Work Group notes that “the Vineyard economy is largely driven by its vacationers and seasonal residents, who bring significant economic activity to the island. We need to keep this part of the economy – hospitality, construction, and real estate - robust, vital, and responsive to changing needs. At the same time, a more diverse and stronger yearround economy would be good for the Island’s residents, seasonal and year-round alike.” Hypothetical building allowed with present zoning. Hypothetical building with revised zoning and review. The Work Group identified the two fundamental purposes of the current effort, namely to help yearround residents – individuals and families – live meaningful and productive lives in harmony with the values that make Martha’s Vineyard unique, and to help build a vibrant economy that inspires, welcomes, and enables those who grow up here to stay or return. The Work Group then outlined six economic objectives: 1. Emphasize initiatives that are environmentally benign or restorative. 2. Find ways to provide “career path” jobs for the next generation. 3. Expand the proportion of higher paying “living wage” jobs. 4. Use the community’s buying power to keep more dollars circulating within the local economy. 5. Create new “export” opportunities appropriate to the Vineyard. 6. Strengthen and gradually re-align our core economic activities. Finally, it identifies fourteen specific promising initiatives that would help achieve these objectives. The proposals and the Martha’s Vineyard Economic Profile are available on the Island Plan website (www.islandplan.org), at town libraries, and from the Martha's Vineyard Commission (508-693-3453). These proposals will be presented and discussed at the Living Local Harvest Fest to be held on September 27 at the Agricultural Hall. The Work Groups invites comments on the proposals. In the coming months, it will be looking at how those initiatives not already underway might be initiated. Island Plan Livelihood and Commerce Work Group Releases Recommendations Monday August 11, 2008 The Island Plan’s Livelihood and Commerce Work Group has released its preliminary recommendations about the Vineyard economy (attached). These findings derive from a series of inquiries, from meetings with many Islanders (farmers, fishermen, health care workers, school officials, entrepreneurs, employees, and others), and from the work of consultants John Ryan of Development Cycles and Michael Shuman and Doug Hoffer of Training Development Corp. The findings of both consultants are summarized in John Ryan’s Martha’s Vineyard Economic Profile. The Work Group notes that “the Vineyard economy is largely driven by its vacationers and seasonal residents, who bring significant economic activity to the island. We need to keep this part of the economy – hospitality, construction, and real estate - robust, vital, and responsive to changing needs. At the same time, a more diverse and stronger year-round economy would be good for the Island’s residents, seasonal and year-round alike.” The Work Group identified the two fundamental purposes of the current effort, namely to help year-round residents -- individuals and families -- live meaningful and productive lives in harmony with the values that make Martha’s Vineyard unique, and to help build a vibrant economy that inspires, welcomes, and enables those who grow up here to stay or return. The Work Group then outlined six economic objectives:
Finally, it identifies fourteen specific promising initiatives that would help achieve these objectives. The proposals and the Martha’s Vineyard Economic Profile are available on the Island Plan website (www.islandplan.org), at town libraries, and from the Martha's Vineyard Commission (508-693-3453). These proposals will be presented and discussed at the Living Local Harvest Fest to be held on September 27 at the Agricultural Hall. The Work Groups invites comments on the proposals. In the coming months, it will be looking at how those initiatives not already underway might be initiated. For further information, contact John Abrams, Chair of the Work Group (508-693-4850) or Mark London, MVC staff (508-693-3453). The Vineyard’s Distinct Built Environment When the Island Plan’s Built Environment Work Group asked people about our buildings, neighborhoods, streetscapes, and public spaces, we heard four main concerns.
With our focus on the Island’s exceptional natural environment, we sometimes forget that Martha's Vineyard’s built environment is also among the most remarkable in the country and is an important part of the Island’s character, identity, and visitor-based economy. This character is largely derived from our distinct historic town and village centers, each surrounded by traditional neighborhoods and linked by rural roads lined with stone walls and dotted by roadside farm houses. The oldest parts of Vineyard towns are models of what would now be called “smart growth”, with compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly, human-scale buildings set quite close together. However, in the 1970s, most Island towns adopted zoning bylaws – many based on off-Island standard models – which required the separation of uses and larger lot sizes and setbacks. This led to the creation of low density, car-oriented, suburban and rural subdivisions, which we now characterize as “sprawl”. Ironically, these regulations would make it impossible today to build the areas we now treasure the most. Though the development pattern changed, most new buildings, especially in older areas, used traditional forms and materials. Several factors now threaten this unique, coherent, high-quality built environment. Skyrocketing real estate costs lead some people to maximize use of their property by demolishing older buildings and erecting new ones that go to the limits of zoning regulations, and are to big or otherwise don’t fit into their surroundings. Just a few highly visible, poorly designed buildings can seriously undermine a streetscape’s, a neighborhood’s, or the Island’s character. So there is a sense that we’ll need to be more pro-active in preserving the Vineyard’s distinct character and respecting environmental concerns. The challenge is balancing people’s desire to do what they want with their properties, with the community’s desire to keep Martha's Vineyard the special place we all treasure. We can use a combination of tools. Zoning work best for quantifiable issues, and can be revised to limit clearly inappropriate proposals such as excessively large buildings. Qualitative issues are best approached with a process of individual project design review. In many cases, people want to do the right thing if issues are well understood, so education can be important. And in some cases, incentives could be useful. For the first concern – preserving historic and significant older buildings and areas – the Work Group and MVC staff mapped the 2000 buildings more than 100 years old, and the 1500 additional buildings erected up to the end of World War II. About 80% of these are concentrated in “historic areas”, which occupy only 5% of the Island’s land area. However, only one fifth of these historic areas, comprising fewer than 27% of the Island’s significant buildings, are actually designated in the Island’s six historic districts. Although the rest have cultural value for the whole community, most are without protection. To better protect significant older buildings and areas, we could enlarge historic districts and create new ones to protect all historic areas identified by the Work Group. In existing and new historic districts, we should analyze the defining characteristics of each area, publish guidelines for preservation and harmonious new construction, and revise zoning to conform to traditional patterns. We could create a sub-category for traditional neighborhoods, with streamlined review criteria and process. The second broad concern was protecting community character by ensuring that new buildings fit into their context, especially from the public way, while allowing creativity and flexibility. The greatest worry was for visually critical areas – along major roads, vistas, from ponds and the ocean – though there was also concern within neighborhoods and for limiting the visual presence of development in natural areas. The Work Group suggests identifying and designating these visually critical areas and setting up project review processes where they don’t already exist. We could also revise the Island Road DCPC to better control fencing, parking, and vegetation along designated roads, and set new buildings well back whenever possible. Municipal street tree programs could plant and maintain trees along public roads and offer advice and assistance to help owners increase vegetation in front of roadside development. There could also be mandatory design review for buildings larger than a certain size. We could also systematically review zoning setbacks and building height limits in neighborhoods and revise them as necessary so they conform to the existing pattern. The third main concern was how to encourage use of environmentally sound “green-building” techniques. In addition to energy-related issues (discussed last year by the Energy & Waste Work Group) there is a wide variety of things we could do, such as minimizing demolition of existing buildings or scrapping of building materials, using environmentally sound building practices, using green building materials (reused, reusable, non-toxic), and ensuring the highest indoor air quality. The Work Group suggests that we set energy/green-building standards for new construction. This could include requiring Energy Star certification or implementing a custom-made green-building code for the Island, and requiring LEED certification for major projects and eventually for all projects as this becomes more affordable and accessible. The fourth broad concern was opportunity areas. Some of the Island’s post-war commercial areas, landfills, and disturbed areas could see substantial change over the next generation, which could positively modify their character and give us the opportunity to concentrate mixed use, compact development, as an alternative to sprawling, car-oriented growth in more environmentally or historically sensitive areas. For each area, we should determine the basic uses and concept, prepare an urban design plan, revise zoning regulations to conform to the plan, make public improvements, and encourage private development. The final recommendation is to produce a publication for property owners and building designers that sums up much of the work discussed above, outlining what defines the Vineyard’s distinct built environment and how to protect it, a guidebook on Building the Vineyard Way. We invite feedback on these proposals as well as other suggestions. Henry Stephenson is an architect and Chair of the Built Environment Work Group. Mark London is Executive Director of the Martha's Vineyard Commission. Island Plan Update:
In addition to the new work groups, several of last year’s work groups are further advancing their efforts.
Finally, MVC staff is preparing materials for the Development and Growth Work Group, which will be working on optional scenarios and policies for discussion this summer. Natural Environment Core Group: Island Plan Into Second Year Here is a status report on the Island Plan. The public process, which kicked off last summer, is planned to continue to mid 2009.
Proceedings of Last Summer’s Forums: New Work Groups to Start Soon: You can check to see whether we’ve already recorded your topics of interest by going to the website, logging in with your password, and clicking on the Workrooms tab; your groups will be listed. If you’ve forgotten your password, or want us to check for you, please contact the MVC office. Steering Committee October Meeting minutes Island Plan – Progress Report to the Vineyard Community The Island Plan Steering Committee has released a progress report on the preparation of the Island Plan in the form of seven discussion papers. It also announced a series of six public forums to be held throughout the summer at which Vineyarders – year-round and seasonal – can hear about the ongoing planning efforts and participate in shaping its direction. The first forum, on housing, will be held on Wednesday, June 27 at 7:30 pm at the Tisbury Senior Center. The preparation of the Island Plan began last summer. The purpose is to let Islanders step back from our daily responsibilities to ask ourselves: Is the Vineyard headed in the right direction? Should we be adjusting our course?
For more information, call the Martha's Vineyard Commission at 508-693-3453. Island Plan Neighborhood Survey Mark London To Island Plan Energy/Waste Work Group Members: The Steering Committee is pressing all the work groups to produce a four-page summary highlighting their efforts. These will be distributed to the general public this summer to promote education and discussion. The core members would like to bounce a draft of this off members of the full work group by June. This, combined with wanting to provide an opportunity for work group members to converse with core members and with one another, has caused the core group to propose calling a meeting of the full work group by the end of May - tentatively May 30. Please pencil this into your calendars. To Energy/Waste Work Group Members Click here to view the minutes. To Members of the Energy/Waste Work Group: Waste/Biomass Goal: (What we want to achieve long term) Implement programs and practices that will achieve or draw us nearer to a zero waste community Water Core Group: Minutes, April 3, 2007 Posted April 9, 2007 Enclosed is the March MVC newsletter with a brief update on the Island Plan. The five active Work Groups have recently held, are now holding, or will soon hold a series of work sessions focusing on specific topics. All members of the Work Group receive notices of these meetings and are invited to participate. Other members of the Network are also welcome to attend topics of interest. A list of some upcoming meetings is in the newsletter. Please consult the on-line calendar (www.islandplan.org) for the most up-to-date list. The Work Group Cores continue to pull together draft summary documents that include overall goals, objectives, possible strategies, “what we don’t know”, and other information. They have or will be sending them out to all Work Group members inviting feedback. They have also been pulling out a few possible short-term actions that are ready to implement, and a few possible longer-term bold initiatives. Each group is preparing a brief summary of these draft ideas to discuss with the full Work Group in order to refine them, add others, and then select a small number to be focused on with the community this summer. All members of each Work Group should be receiving minutes of Core meetings. Please look them over to make sure that your Core groups are on track; don’t hesitate to jump in to let them know if you think they are going astray or if you have an additional contribution. Send an e-mail, call a member of the Core group, go to the website Discussion Boards, or turn up at a Core meeting. We expect that there will be at least one full meeting of each Work Group this spring, as we get the material together to be used for summer participation with the broader community. Finally, if you want to participate in the Discussion Boards on the Island Plan website, you’ll need your password. You only have to enter it once and you can ask your computer to remember it in the future. If you can’t find your password, just call the MVC at 508-693-3453. Posted April 9, 2007 Working Meetings April 17 - Elderly/Assisted Housing 4:30pm Everyone is invited to attend. Check the schedule on the web site Calendar. Town Boards PLEASE JOIN THE NETWORK OF LPLLANNING ADVISORS, ON THE WEBSITE OR CALL THE MVC. www.islandplan.org Posted April 9, 2007 We are currently conducting a Tuesday afternoon series with Work group members and the public to discuss each sub-topic. More info and minutes and dates of all future meetings are available at our web site www.IslandPlan.org. Everyone is welcome at our meetings to help with this vital work. The next meeting is on Elderly housing and assisted living and will be held on April 17th at 4:30 at the MVC office on New York Ave. in O.B.. Richard Toole Posted April 9, 2007 Click here to download the meeting notes. The Waste document is the first of four sections outlining the proposed goals, objectives and strategies for the Work Group. The Core members are depending upon the rest of the Work Group members to review this draft section and provide feedback -- has something been missed? is something not sufficiently explained? Click here to download a draft of the Waste/Biomass section of synthesis document. Initial identified Big Ideas and Ready-To-Go strategies -- these were forwarded to the Steering Committee to provide a sense of any major ideas that are being formed and the actions that seem to be easily and quickly implemented. Click here to download the Evolving “Ready to Go” Actions and Bold Ideas document. Your comments and ideas will be most effective if you post them on the www.islandplan.org Forums/Discussions tab. This is preferrable to e-mails because anyone can read the remarks and (only Energy/Waste Work Group members) respond to the comments of other. Give it a try! Bill Veno Posted April 9, 2007 Posted March 26, 2007 Note: The agenda has been changed from that noted in the meeting minutes. Due to the anticipated absences of a few Core members, this meeting will focus on the Waste/Biomass topic. Click here to download the minutes. Posted March 26, 2007 COMMUNITY–OWNED LOCAL ELECTRIC UTILITY Posted March 5, 2007 Island Plan News Each of the five active Work Groups – Energy/Waste, Housing, Livelihood/Commerce, Natural Environment, and Water Resources – is actively pulling together two documents for the end of the spring:
Meanwhile, the Steering Committee is looking at present trends and possible options related to development and land use. The MVC staff is working on projections of trends for building and population growth, and topics such as energy and wastewater. Working Meetings Website Discussions To members of the Island Plan Network of Planning Advisors, You are invited to send in suggestions for short and long-term strategies for the five active Work Groups, namely: Energy & Waste, Housing, Livelihood & Commerce, Natural Environment, and Water Resources. This winter and spring, each Work Group is working on two products: A summary of goals, objectives, and possible strategies along with other related materials. A focus on one or two priority Short-Term Strategies and one or two priority Bold Initiatives per topic. A Short-Term Strategy – or “low-hanging fruit” – is an action that we can be confident would have a positive impact on the Vineyard, could happen quickly, without significant funding, infrastructure or regulatory challenges. A Bold Initiative is a compelling long-term strategy that has a chance to make a real difference. It could be inspirational and somewhat audacious, not guaranteed of success though not clearly unrealistic. (A strategy is the means to achieve one or more objectives, such as a policy, incentive, regulation, project, program, and other action.) Over the next couple of weeks, we’d like to compile a list of possible Short-Term Strategies and Bold Initiatives. Then, each Work Group will narrow down the list. Please think about which strategies or initiatives you think would have the greatest beneficial impact on the Vineyard. Submit your suggestions by summarizing each idea in a few sentences (maximum of 100 words). Please e-mail or mail them to me. If you are more adventurous, you could post them on the website as follows (! its easier than it seem).
Write a summary of the suggestion in the message area. Please send your suggestions by March 6, 2007. Also, you are invited to comment on other people’s suggestions. Go to the website Discussion Board, click on the topic and the suggestion, and then click on “Post a reply to this post”. In a few days, I’ll send you a more detailed description of how to use the new Discussion Boards. Mark London 2/19/07 The Island Plan Steering Committee met January 31 concerning two issues:
Click here to download the full report. Water Core Group
The Group plans to seek input from those members of the larger Work Group to confirm these priorities and possibly add new ones to the list.
Natural Environment Work Group Natural Environment Summary The MV Commission’s Island Plan Natural Environment work group met on November 20, 2006 with MVC staff and members of the public. “Break out” groups discussed four topics: Biodiversity, Island Character, Recreation and Working Landscapes. Each worked to identify goals with an eye to the three general categories of land on MV: developed land, protected land, and land whose fate has yet to be decided. The Biodiversity group emphasized the goal of restoring native ecosystems and seeing native landscaping used in the built environment. The Island Character group defined attributes of Island character worthy of preservation including its intact resources, vistas, open spaces and in the built environment, its defining architecture, and unique defining-activities in the calendar year like the ag fair and Illumination. The Recreation group emphasized more access to open land, beaches and fishing places, and stressed the importance of trail linkages. The Working Landscapes group emphasized improving food self-sufficiency and the importance of the Island’s prime agricultural soils. Energy and Waste Work Group A large group of interested islanders along with the Energy Core group, and members of the Steering committee met Dec. 6 for the first time. After a brief introduction the group divided into four groups for a 50 minute brainstorming session. The two task considerations were Energy and Waste recommendations for a short term plan (10 years) and a long term plan (25-50 years) The four ‘break out’ groups included Energy Efficiency/Conservation, Energy Production, Solid Waste/Biomass, and Transportation as related to energy use. Each group was encouraged to deliver a brief summary of their ideas. Transportation: Energy Production: Long goal- Off shore wind turbines generating electricity for the island. Use the High School as the place to exhibit prototypes that use geothermal, hydrogen, wind, and solar energy, to inform everyone about how they work and promote their use. Energy Efficiency: Long goal- Change building codes to include an energy audit with the sale of homes. Establish energy goals for the island and follow the progress with an energy gage (thermometer) and lots of publicity in the press. Reduce energy consumption island-wide by 50%. Establish a locally owned electric coop for the island. Waste: Long goal- Promote education through out the island to change the mind set in order to create a net 0% system of energy and waste. Get a Nantucket style Recycling/ Composting Co. going on the Vineyard. Keep sludge on island by turning it into compost. Steering Committee Update Bill Veno, MVC The Energy & Solid Waste and the Water Resources work groups will have their kickoff meetings on, respectively, December 6 and December 12 (see Calendar at the website for details). Michael Shuman gave a stimulating presentation on local economies for the general public November 30, which was preceded by an engaging discussion with the Island Plan Steering Committee and the Livelihood/Commerce Work Group Core. Mr. Shuman’s ideas for recognizing and strengthening a community’s homegrown businesses have many implications and potential applications to the Vineyard. Discounted copies of Mr. Shuman’s book The Small-Mart Revolution are available from the MVC for $18, all of which will go towards the Island Plan effort. Island Plan Housing Work Group update The Island Plan Housing Core Work Group has met four times since being formed by the Steering committee in September and the full Work Group met for the first time on Nov. 20th. Our Core Group consists of Richard Toole as Chair and liaison to the Steering Committee, Marge Harris, Asst. Superintendent of Schools and former High school teacher, Candy DaRosa, advocate of an Island Housing Bank and real estate broker, Christina Brown, longtime planning board administrator and MVC member, Harvey Beth, Housing advocate, former businessman and government consultant, Philippe Jordi, former Housing Authority director and present director of the Housing Trust, Rob Kendall, Land Planner behind some of the very early Youth Lots and real estate broker, Ben Moore, architect and Habitat for Humanity volunteer, and Christine Flynn, MVC Planner. Our meetings have been very lively with passionate discussion about how dire the need is for housing for our year-round working community. We‚ve tried to inventory studies and available statistics, considered obstacles and thought about linkages to the other work group topics and how each affects the other. Education for the general public on all the issues related to Housing will be a big part of our effort. Uniform Zoning regulations Island wide, encouraging Smart Growth, infill, and mixed use with a big push to provide more rental opportunities. We have spent time trying to encourage more participation in our larger work group. We had hoped our first group meeting would have had a huge turnout, but we did have great discussions. Our topics were Locations and types of Community Housing, Forms of ownership/rentals, Planning and Zoning measures, and Market Housing. The input from these dialogs will be used by the Core Group in our search for solutions. The question of whether all housing types should be part of our work or just that so desperately needed to maintain our basic community lifelines and support services, health care workers, teachers, fire and police and trades people. Should we spend much time on so-called market housing? Are people ready for some radical changes or not? Home prices on the Vineyard are far out pacing Island incomes. Are we destined to follow our sister Island? On Nantucket the median home price is around one and a half million dollars requiring a yearly income of over $300,000. To preserve our community our success is vital. Everyone‚s help and ideas are welcome. DRAFT Present: Joe Alosso, Melinda Loberg, Dave Grunden, Bruce Rosinoff, Bret Stearns, Wendy Culbert, Deacon Perotta, Terry Appenzellar, Mark London, Bill Wilcox The Group agreed to focus in most detail over 2, 5, 10 and 20-year time frames. The Core Group felt that the 50-year time frame was difficult to bring into focus. We agreed that the water resources planning should be organized in a framework of the resources rather than viewed from the perspective of the problems and/or sources. We propose to look at the following resource breakdown: Drinking water Issues associated the resources were outlined at this point as: Nitrogen loading from wastewater, Once the issues are identified the Group felt that they should be prioritized in terms of urgency and to identify a time frame for implementing solution(s). It was also agreed that once the issues are outlined in each resource area we should look at preventive and corrective measures. We also need to look at infrastructure limits and needs keeping in mind that regulatory measures may limit the expansion of infrastructure. For example, DEP limits on annual water withdrawal will limit expansion of water service areas. The Group agreed that expansion of an infrastructure like sewer service may impact another such as water supply (sewered residences tend to use more water). We agreed that natural systems problems require regional attention and feel that this will be an important issue for the Governance Core Group to explore. The Core Group agreed to begin to identify other resource people to bring into the Work Group. The next meeting of the Core Group will be on 14 November at 12 noon at the MVC. We agreed to begin to discuss the location of potential nitrogen loading problem areas in light of the existing location of infrastructure. MVC will provide a map for this discussion. The Core Group also agreed to schedule a meeting with the larger Work Group on Friday, December 1 at 12 noon. The location is to be determined. Island Plan Update On October 5, 2006, MVC staff, together with members of the MV Commission and members of the Island Plan Steering Committee, met to kick off the first meeting of the small Core Groups for each of the first five topics of concern: Energy/Waste, Housing, Livelihood/Commerce, Natural Environment, and Water Resources. The core members were seated at large tables covered with pieces of white paper and supplied with magic markers for recording ideas. The number in each group was no more than nine people. At least one MVC staff member was assigned as a liaison between the Core Groups and the MV Commission. MVC Executive Director Mark London presented an overview of the Island Plan. Its mission is “to chart in simple but compelling ways a course to the kind of future that the Vineyard community wants and design a series of actions to help us navigate that course.” The plan will deal with four broad themes and how they interact: Economy, Community, Ecology, and the Land. It will take two years to complete the plan. The intention is to seek consensus on goals and policies, and to emphasize public commitment to bold, achievable solutions. The aim is to identify objectives and targets for the plan as a whole and within specific topic areas to be carried forward ultimately by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the towns and other entities. The Commission will adopt the final plan as an official regional plan. In the spring of 2007, the second “wave” of five topics will launch: Built Environment, Culture and History, Governance, Health and Education, and Transportation. The Steering Committee set up by the MV Commission will be responsible for the “big ideas.” Themes such as the interdisciplinary vision between such topics as community, ecology, sustainability and development will be considered. They are also responsible for identifying and analyzing alternatives, recognizing coordination of interdependencies and trade-offs between topic areas. The Committee will ultimately be responsible for finalizing the plan and recommending it for adoption to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Members on the Steering Committee are: There are Work Groups associated with each Core Group. The number of interested members for each topic range from 40 to 90 people. They will participate in the work sessions at key points in the process and receive notification of Core Group meetings which they will be invited to attend. They will receive the minutes of these meetings, have access to the topic’s on-line forum, be invited to contribute their specific expertise and be able to come in and out of the process as they wish. The Core Group has been appointed by the Steering Committee. Each group includes one Steering Committee member who will act as a liaison between the two groups, giving feedback and direction. The Core Group will be responsible for the ongoing efforts of the larger Work Group. Members of the Core Groups are: Energy/Waste: Housing: Livelihood/Commerce: Natural Environment: Water Resources: After the overview, the groups got to work discussing the logistics under the direction of Robert Leaver the facilitator. As the meeting came to a close each group was to report very briefly on their first set of goals. Tom Chase, from Natural Environment suggested the need to be in service to the needs of the other groups, and to think outside the box. Bret Stearns, from Water Resources wants to focus on actions that could happen with a timetable of 2, 5, 10, and 20 years out. The media needs to be tied into the larger plan to explain why the goals are in place. Russell Smith, from Energy/Waste talked about smart waste management as well as recycling and the need for the average consumer to buy into any future plan. Richard Toole, from Housing talked about educating the public about affordable housing and how it is connected to everything. Smart Growth has been studied by a lot of talented people and the studies need to be considered and implemented. John Abrams, from Livelihood and Commerce talked about how the economy is connected to everything. “There is no plan for the economy, it just is,” he said. The group needs to educate themselves about the economy and whatever plan they come up with needs to be “doable”. Go to the islandplan.org website to read the minutes of the meetings and the postings of future group meetings in the calendar section.
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