Attended: Richard Smith, David Wood, Guy Mitchell, Albert LaRue, Gary Vanderhorst, Dawn Szurek, Len Wessel, Bill Heilman, Ginny DeCapria, Peggy Gains, Sally Ellms, Jim Leupold, Adrea Herrin, Jenna Smith, Deborah Herrin, Dot Mitchell, Steven Caine.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a short prayer that recognized the importance of what we are about to start and how it may affect people’s lives. It reflected on the importance of keeping an open mind, being a good team member and listener and considering others views, circumstances and feelings.

Documents passed out were: A list of Committee Members, a list of all those that volunteered, the Committee Mission Statement and Operating Principles, and the proposal from Community Planning and Environmental Associates (Nan Stolzenburg).

There was brief discussion on the Mission Statement and Operating Principles and the Proposal for the planning consultant. The proposal was passed out so that members that had not already seen it could understand the process the consultant would use and her relationship with the committee. It was noted that the "consultant would help steer the process, but it was the committee’s responsibility to make substance and content of the planning specifically reflect Charlton." There was discussion on how the consultant was selected. It was explained in detail. The members of the selection committee were thanked for the time and effort they put into getting a consultant that was clearly the best fit for Charlton, and also the least expensive -- $15,000 less than the closest competitor.

It was reported that after several months of asking for someone to volunteer as a secretary, and no positive responses, Chris Nelson (the ZBA Secretary) was asked to do it. She has agreed. Chris has an excellent reputation.

Meeting Scheduling: The first try in what will be an iterative process was to see if we could meet on the first Wed of the month in the Town Hall. However, there are several conflicts that evening. It appeared most wanted meetings to start at seven. We recognize we may not find a date that meets every ones’ schedule but we are going to do our best we can to get dates, times and locations that will give us the best representation possible. We had a suggestion of alternating days (e.g., every-other month meet on the first Wednesday and on opposing months meet on the first Tuesday in a Fire House or Harmony Hall.) This morning (Monday, Dec 8) we found out the Town Hall is available the First Monday of each month. If we can get the appropriate participation by members, it would probably be best to meet the same day of the month in the same location, with the Town Hall being most desirable. That way our townspeople would always know and anticipate where meetings will be.

REQUEST: Please send an e-mail letting us know what evenings are absolutely out for you. We may have to come back to you and ask if there is a possible work-around where you can switch-off between primaries and alternates. What we do not want to do is have a situation where there is no representation or inadequate representation in your area. We will then do our best to come up with a recommended schedule that best meets the requirements of our mission and operating principles and further discuss it with all of you. Thanks.

There was a brief discussion on the roles of primaries and alternates. We tried to make it clear that both primaries and alternates are encouraged to come to every meeting. And, that even when alternates are not sitting in for the primary, alternates will be free to express their views. It will be the strength of peoples’ logic that will influence the course of this process, not what their title might be. We see primaries and alternates in each category staying in very close touch, continually discussing issues specifically relevant to their area as well as the overall town and always trying, in fact, to build common positions through thoughtful discussion. We would not expect, for instance, the primary large landowner to be expressing views different than the alternate large landowner or visa versa. We would think in most cases one could speak for the other. If there were differences, we would think they would be made clear to the entire committee, and the reasons why, so the entire committee could gain the best perspectives possible on the issue.

No one had a problem with posting committee members name on the web site. Actually, we felt it best that the community gets to know who is on the committee so that townspeople know who to talk to about this effort.

One of the members noted that he has a DOT point of contact that was willing to talk with us about a possible road extension through our area.

Election of Co-Chairs: The Town Board originally appointed Steven Caine and Deborah Herrin as co-chairs. They have been working on this project for quite some time and have agreed if the committee now so desires to continue to be Co-Chairs throughout the process. However, it is very important that our committee be run in a democratic fashion, so if any committee member wants to run for chairman or co-chair or nominate another committee member for the position, please inform us before the next meeting and we will hold an election at that time. If no one is nominated by then, Deborah and Steve will continue in the co-chair capacity with the blessing of the Steering Committee.

Andrea and Deborah Herrin and Catherine Caine were thanked for providing refreshments.

Introductions, background, concerns and expectations: We went around the room and everyone provided brief descriptions of their background, their concerns, their hopes and their expectations for the planning process.

We view this as a very positive meeting. Thank you to those who were able and willing to come Saturday. Some of our valued members were not able to attend for very understandable reasons. We look forward to their joining this group. It is clear, we are fortunate in getting the caliber of people we have on the committee; people who are willing to invest their time and effort for their fellow townspeople, and their families. We now have a responsibility to make sure this process is run in a professional, efficient manner where your talents and skills are leveraged to the "max" and your valuable time is taken up in the most productive way possible.

Steven Caine and Deborah Herrin