Economic Development Council
Minutes
Meeting: November 28, 2005, 6:00 pm
Judge Welsh
Room
Present:
Members: Chairman Steve Melamed, Thanassi Kuliopulos, Bill Dougal, Alix Ritchie
TOWN OF PROVINCETOWN - BOARD OF SELECTMEN
REGULAR MEETING -MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2005
Chairman Cheryl Andrews opened the meeting at 6:00 PM noting the following
attendees:
Board of Selectmen members: Cheryl Andrews, Sarah Peake, Michele Couture, Richard Olson, David Nicolau
Other attendees: Town Manager Keith Bergman, Acting Assistant Town Manager Michelle Jarusiewicz
Recorder: Cheryl Andrews
The following are meeting minutes, in brief.
1. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
First Quarterly Update
EDC Members Present: Gabby Hanna, Thanassi Kuliopulos, Steve Melamed, Alix Ritchie, Bill Dougal.
This agenda item requested by the Economic Development Council so that they may give an update on their first quarter activities.
Alix Ritchie – take a look at what are the things we can do and to develop a matrix.
Bill Dougal – take stab at what is the gross domestic product; are those improvements going to lead to a more sustainable year round economy; is it going to improve year round employment. To include both intra and inter section.
Michele Couture – I think your report captures things very well and looks forward to upcoming meetings.
Richard Olson – Thought report was full of jargon!
Bill Dougal – I will give you a brief review of each of the five priority areas within this Quarterly Report.
On the CPC – our key question is how can we link Economic Development Planning to community housing planning. We have limited land, limited resources. We want to be sure that the direction we’re moving in – in terms of developing a year-round economy with all of the sections is in sync with the CPC. Develop those linkages. I sit on the CPC and I can tell you that I am not confident that those linkages are there today. If we are going to have a stronger economy here we have to have affordable housing in this community for the people who are going to be employed in these economic sectors for the future
Secondly on Tourism – Everyone has their hands in Tourism right now – in a very positive way, yet everyone knows Tourism is fundamentally changing in this community. We’re just beginning to get a handle on what those changes are. Nobody knows what to do yet about the future. We have the Chamber, the PBG, the VSB, the Cultural Arts organizations and the Center for Coastal Studies. We’ve got a lot of people talking about it – but we have to somehow come up with, what I call a strategic community plan for tourism in a whole new way where we can communicate in one form and say “how are we going to position ourselves for the future in this changing market – what has changed, where do we have to go, and how can we best put our resources together collectively on a go-forward basis. That is the fundamental issue there.
Health Care – We have some exciting opportunities here with the Care Campus. Outer Cape Health Services is a strong player here. We have HOW, we have Cape Wide Support Group, we have private physicians, the Council On Aging, VNA – we have a lot of Health Care resources here. Maybe the vision can be that we could, through getting all of these providers together, in-fact become provider of choice for health care for the lower cape and use that as an economic engine for the community. That’s the economic opportunity that should be on the table and looked at with the housing needs with that sector as well as the other sectors.
Schools – The enrollment is declining here … its declining Cape wide. This is no secret. So, what is the long-term plan with the schools. We already have the Center for Coastal Studies going there. We have Campus Provincetown. We have other educational cultural facilities that perhaps could partake of the use of those buildings in the future. I don’t know in what way, so that maybe these facilities, as we go through these changes can be more community based not strictly just K through 12.
Waterfront – is just a whole amazing opportunity that we haven’t explored. We’re just touching it now through the Adams Grant. The Pier Corporation has a part of it. It’s our most key natural resource but it is yet a very silent player in Provincetown.
If I were to summarize all of this, these are the discussions we’re having at the Economic Development Council. How can we put these issues forward? How can we be a catalyst? How can we bring people and parties together in new creative ways? Maybe, either its going to be a little tough along the way but I think a creative tension will be good for the future of this community, if we can manage it in a positive way.
David Nicolau – I look forward to you bringing in a facilitator down the road.
Sarah Peake - See a need for a cohesive and unified plan and can also see where a facilitator will be helpful in the future.
Cheryl Andrews – Think what were are all saying is that we have to communicate and work hard to bring this together.
Richard Olson – Item #2D – What is “Capitalized” Branding.?
Alix Ritchie - When we talk about ‘branding’ we’re talking about a marketing concept.
Gabby Hanna – it’s important to remember that ‘branding’ is not a slogan.
Alix Ritchie – We agree that we need to do a better job communicating as we go forward and better written communications. 3
Cheryl Andrews – Your interaction with the public … I would suggest that you take input from the public soon .. maybe a Public Hearing.
Alix Ritchie – Should it be our own Public Hearing?
Answer – Yes.
Your first bulleted item – CPC – If you’re looking at affordable housing, etc., where would be a good place to put it … keep in mind Duarte’s Parking Lot.
Communication - strongly suggest that you remove the name ‘excess water gallonage” that is in your report. Let’s use the appropriate language – growth management permits.
Bill Dougal – Affordable Housing – how much housing do we need in this community that is on an affordable and rental basis? Where is it going to be constructed .. how are we going to assure that people who work this area are going to have access to this.
David Nicolau – Still have not figure out a way to accommodate middle income .. as well as work force housing.
Alix Ritchie – affordability of housing affects so many things here in town.
Schedule next quarterly meeting for sometime in February 2006.