Work Group Meeting Notes #1e

Sept. 28th Thurs.1:30 – 3:00 p.m.            Grace Gouveia Bldg - 26 Alden St

Regional Cooperation

 

Present: Bill Doherty, Susan Kadar, Charleen Greenhalgh, Polly Hemstock, Jacqueline Rozza, Paula Hudson, Keith Bergman

 

Priorities

  1. Establish a body to meet regularly to develop a regional approach to workforce housing

 

v     Suggest name of Outer Cape Affordable Housing Roundtable

v     Be sure to include Eastham and CCNSS

v     Pattern the organization after the renewable fuels partnership; an informal organization with official representation from each town

v     Need to invite key contact from Wellfleet, Eastham (Cheryl Gale) and CCNSS

v     Perhaps ask Sarah Peake to form a sub-group of the Barnstable Co. Council of Select Boards

 

  1. Develop specific approaches to raise the funding and development options needed to promote regional housing goals

 

v     Most of discussion was based on possibility of having the housing implementation function on a regional basis, perhaps through the Lower Cape CDC; general agreement that the four communities may be willing to support a shared payment basis for utilizing this service jointly. None of the towns can support the quality of service needed on an individual basis.

v     Bill Doherty will look into CCC capacity to provide support for this effort.

v     Organize general housing support in four communities from AHCs, Housing Authorities, CPAs, faith based organizations, and non-profits.

 

  1. Establish clear guidelines to balance local need and regional need

 

v     The mission of the roundtable should be limited to setting up the implementation process and then communicating approaches and information between towns. The function of whatever implementing body forms is to implement each town’s individual action plan. The regional group is not about telling other towns what they should be doing.

 

Other Potential Actions

 

  1. Explore the use of the former Air Force base in Truro as a potential resource for seasonal or year-round housing

 

v     The discussion suggested that this option may be off the table at the moment. The CCNSS is pursuing its own plans for Highland Village.

 

v     Their mission is not housing. The critical issue is how to ask the question in such a way as to let each group further its separate mission (i.e. DPW garage).

 

v     The NPS has on occasion been willing to trade if it adds value to their holdings.

 

v     See interview of Sen. Kennedy that touches this topic @ http://www.provincetownbanner.com/article/news_article/_/43077/News/10/5/2006.

 

From the Implementation Work Group

 

Attached are the notes from the Implementation Work Group that met after the Regional Approach meeting last week. That group spent more time looking at the specific tasks of this entity. Though their time was limited, they were moving toward a concept where some of the necessary tasks would be performed regionally, while others would stay within the bailiwick of the individual towns. Their primary concern was to avoid having the towns end up competing with each other for the available services of this entity in ways that would not support cooperation and would not give the entity a fair chance at success. It might be of real benefit for these two work groups to come together at this point and begin working out the details of a recommendation regarding the implementation of the Plan. The Implementation Work Group is next meeting on Fri. October 20th @10:30 a.m. – noon, Community Center, 44 Bradford St.