Eighth Annual Meeting
Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Center for Hellenic Studies Paideia
DRAFT Minutes
1) Call to Order and Welcome
President Philip Lodewick called the meeting to order at 6:19 pm.
2) Public Comment
Ruth McLaughlin asked for clarification of the proposed Town match to federal money for a portion of streetscape improvements on Storrs Road. Public Works Director Lon Hultgren said the $293,200 match will be voted on at the Town Meeting on Monday, June 8. This matches $1.17 million in federal dollars for streetscape improvements on the west side of Storrs Road from Bolton Road to the Liberty Bank plaza. He said the project was complimentary but not part of the Storrs Center downtown project.
3) Approval of Minutes from Annual Meeting – June 3, 2008
Betsy Treiber made a motion to approve the June 3, 2008 minutes. Bruce Clouette seconded the motion. N.M. Lerman made a correction to the minutes to change his middle initial from “H.” to “M.” The motion was approved unanimously with the correction.
4) Remarks from Bill Reid, Director of External Affairs, The Last Green Valley
Bill Reid, Director of External Affairs at The Last Green Valley, gave an overview of the mission of The Last Green Valley, and showed several slides of the region including Mansfield.
5) Annual Review of the Program and Year Ahead
Mr. Lodewick gave an overview of the accomplishments of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership in the last year and the plans for the future. He announced that master developer LeylandAlliance had signed a letter of intent with Moe’s Southwest Grill to be part of the first phase of the project.
Mr. Lodewick recognized outgoing Board members Dianne Doyle, Janet Jones, Phil Spak and Betsy Treiber for their excellent years of service and presented Ms. Treiber and George Jones as Janet Jones was out of town with a rendering of the Storrs Center project. Ms. Doyle and Mr. Spak were unable to attend the meeting.
~over~
6) Approval of Changes to the Bylaws
Nominating Committee member Steve Bacon introduced proposed changes to the Bylaws, as approved by the Board of Directors on March 3, 2009. He referred to the proposed changes that were included in the mailing to members.
Mr. Bacon said the changes for the membership to consider include: increasing the number of Board members to 19 to include a University of Connecticut student who would serve one year at a time; changing the University ex-officio position from Provost to President; allowing the University President and the Mayor of Mansfield to appoint a designee to serve in their ex-officio positions; allowing appointees of the Town of Mansfield, the University of Connecticut and the Mansfield Business and Professional Association to continue to serve at the pleasure of their appointing entity thus, not being subject to term limits.
Betsy Paterson made a motion to accept the Bylaws changes as presented. Bruce Clouette seconded the motion. N.M. Lerman asked if the appointing entity could change the person they had previously appointed. Mr. Bacon replied in the affirmative. The motion was approved unanimously.
7) Election of Directors to the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc., Board of Directors
Mr. Lodewick reported that the Board was nominating Harry Birkenruth and Dennis Heffley to three-year terms on the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. Board of Directors. Mr. Lodewick asked if there were any nominations from the Floor. Hearing none, Tom Callahan made a motion to elect Harry Birkenruth and Dennis Heffley to three-year terms on the Board of Directors until June 30, 2012. Bruce Clouette seconded the motion. The motion was approved with one abstention by N.M. Lerman. Mr. Lodewick also noted that Bill Simpson has been appointed by the Mansfield Business and Professional Association to serve as one of their three representatives.
8) Volunteers of the Year
Finance and Administration Chair Tom Callahan recognized Kim Bova, Barry Schreier and Tom Birkenholz as volunteers of the year. He commended them for their work on the Festival on the Green and support for Storrs Center. Ms. Bova, Mr. Schreier, and Mr. Birkenholz were each given a plaque of appreciation.
9) Other
Ms. Paterson announced that the Festival on the Green will be held as part of a Celebrate Mansfield weekend. There will be a wine tasting at the Altnaveigh Inn and Restaurant on Friday, September 11, a picnic on Saturday, September 12 with music, and the Festival on Sunday, September 13 from 12 pm to 5 pm. There will be food, music, art, the Celebrate Mansfield parade, among other events, at the Festival. Ms. Paterson asked for sponsorships for the Festival and/or donations.
10) Adjourn
Hearing no other business, a motion was made by Ms. Treiber and seconded by Mr. Clouette to adjourn. The motion was approved and the Annual Meeting adjourned at 7:23 pm.