PLANNING BOARD/MASTER PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE

MEETING

Monday, November 5, 2001

Belmont Corner Meeting House, Belmont, New Hampshire

The chairman opened the meeting at 6:05 p.m.

Peter Harris and others recognized the key efforts of Master Plan volunteers to develop materials and information for the first community meeting and the key contribution of all the Land Use staff.

L. Frawley showed the committee the follow up press report for the November 2^nd meeting. She stated that tonight’s meeting is to get input and feedback on the first Master Plan community meeting. She explained about the pre-meeting mailings and advertising. She also stated that there will be 3 follow up reports in the paper, one every month until January. The Lakes Region Public Access TV will also be airing the November 2^nd meeting. An abbreviated version may be available for community presentations. The Belmont Better Times offered to do a 4-8 page article the subcommittees agreed that 4 pages would be sufficient. Several committee members offered their assistance and input for the article.

The committee discussed the fact that they were hoping for a bigger turn out but the people that did come had some good input. The ones who came are the ones that are interested and involved in the community. The people who participated asked good questions that will require follow-up research. It was a positive gathering, which produced new ideas and gathered input. The chairman asked for an updated report on the Master Plan expenses to date.

The committee discussed the format of the meeting. They felt that a lot of the public was not aware of what a trade show was and the subcommittees should have given a short overview of their committee. They also felt that the public doesn’t understand the concept of a Master Plan. They need to be educated on the advantages of the Master Plan and how it shapes the community. The notebooks were not used but the questionnaires were. Valuable information was gathered through the questionnaires. Follow up questionnaires were discussed and the type of questions that would need to be asked. The questions would need to be specific and not too general. The questionnaires could be distributed through the Belmont Better Times and the school system sometime in the spring. There was no clear consensus on the questionnaires. The maps and the charts helped the public understand what the committees are trying to accomplish. They should be used again at the next meeting and at the Town meeting. 

The committee discussed the next steps that need to be taken. They discussed the time line and how some committees have progressed further along than others. The Staff and SEA are available for any assistance that the committees need gathering data or drafting their chapters. The committees need to feel comfortable with writing the chapters and remember that the Master Plan is not an implementation document but a planning document. The committees also discussed the need for some committees to get together and share data. This will be done on case-to-case basis and not as a general meeting.

The committee discussed what they would like to see in the article for the Belmont Better Times. They would like to see the 1992 Goals Review questionnaire in it. Also the Housing & Demographic information should be included. They would like to outline the advantages of the Master Plan.

The next Steering Committee meeting will be held in January.

ADJOURNMENT:

The Steering Committee adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,