MINUTES

Blueprint for Mansfield’s Children

Leadership Work Group Meeting #3

                                               Thursday, May 28, 2009

Mansfield Town Hall, Council Chambers

5:30-7:30 PM

 

PRESENT: S. Baxter, F. Baruzzi, G. Bent, T. Berthelot, R. Fields, L. Grossman, K. Grunwald, C. Guerreri,

J. Higham, J. McLaughlin, R. Mocanu, M. Perkins, B. Tanner, L. Young

REGRETS:  M. Baker, M. Barton, K. Dorgan, M. Feathers, R. Miller, K. Paulhus, J. Stoughton, L. Young, S. Zaccharie

 

 

Item

 

Discussion

 

Outcome

 

Dinner,

Minutes 

 

 

 

 

Announcements

Meeting called to order by R. Mocanu at 5:30 p.m.

Minutes of April 23 reviewed.

 

 

 

S. Baxter announced that we will need an additional meeting.

 

 

 

Approved as written.

(T. Berthelot moved.

J. McLaughlin second)

 

 

To be held June 11, 2009 at the Buchanan Center.

Review of Draft Plan

L. Grossman presented the first draft of the plan and asked for comments.

  • T. Berthelot – pg.1 … can the needs we address be called “most urgent”?      Suggests “significant”
  • J. Mclaughlin - pg. 2 “About RBA”      Suggests complete name be used Results Based Accountability
  • B. Tanner – pg.1 … use of phrase “was awarded” Substitute received
  • F. Baruzzi – pg. 1, paragraph 3 Contents of this paragraph need to appear earlier to answer reader’s question, “why do I want to read this document”
  • J.McLaughlin – pg. 2 Use less jargon in describing RBA
  • K. Grunwald – throughout document use text boxing to highlight key phrases
  • R. Mocanu – suggests creation of a one page abstract, giving a comprehensive overview for those who may not take the time to read the whole document. Also suggests the addition of a specific “conclusion” section.                    L. Grossman says format on pg. 24 could become the conclusion section.
  • F. Baruzzi – this document can be a tool for recruiting other participants, How will this document be released/posted? L. Grossman says this is a governance issue. Once the document is released, a body must own it and shepherd its implementation.        

 

 

Suggestions will be incorporated in next draft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governance

L. Grossman presented an overview on 3 options for governance:

          Government agency entity

          501©3 - new or existing

          Informal entity with a fiduciary agent

Discussion:

·        L. Grossman says we must address 2 questions – do the partners own the blueprint? Who will shepherd its implementation?

 

·        S. Baxter suggested Mansfield Advocates for Children are the natural initial owners of the plan.

 

·        K. Grunwald would like to see town government own the plan since it is tied to the town’s 2020 plan. The Blue print is actually a piece of the 2020 vision and it could be a demonstration project for 2020 vision.

 

·        L. Grossman – the governance structure needs to reflect, support, and maintain the diversity of the LWG.

 

MAC is an informal entity with a fiduciary agent (United Way) and a connection to a government entity.

 

J. Higham, co-chair of MAC says the group is aware of their need for ownership of the plan to keep momentum going. They ask that some members of the LWG join them.

 

C. Guerreri noted that partners would need to conform to the stipulations of the grant that funds MAC. Staff funding for the plan’s implementation will need to be considered, and the fiduciary relationship with United Way will need to be clarified.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After discussion the consensus was that governance will rest with MAC. They will oversee the plan, gather partners, develop data, keep the town informed.

 

The governance option will be written into the next draft.

 

 

Review of remainder of the draft

 

·        About Mansfield:

·                    Pg. 3, last paragraph – does “extremely high’ overstate the quality of life in Mansfield?

·                    Paragraph 1 – need to note the impact of group quarters on the population numbers.

·                    Need to include reference to the Downtown partnership.

 

Health:

           Statistic 1, pg. 8 – percent of Mansfield births with non-adequate care. We need to figure out why.

           Statistic 2, pg. 8 – BMI measurements. Note that weight is not the issue, fitness is.

 

Learners:

          Define kindergarten inventory scale

          How do our k inventory numbers compare with the state?

          Pg. 12 – last chart. Use % marks

          Flesh out story behind the curve – where do the rest of the children fall on the scale? How close are they to meeting standards.

          Numbering of  learning strategies needs to be corrected.

 

 

 

Changes will be incorporated  in the next draft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financing the Plan

Will need to start with a baseline of what is already happening/funding coming in.

Will begin by looking at year-1through year-5 funding.

 

Need to gather base line information to work on financing the plan at the June 11 meeting.

Transportation issues

Melinda Perkins from WRTD gave an overview of transit district services. Fixed route service runs primarily along route 195, Dial-A- Ride can be used for specific pick-up and drop off trips by reservation 48 hrs prior to need.

Adding a library stop, as requested in community connectedness strategies, may mean the loss of one full run each day  the library stop is made.

It may be possible to provide library stop service through a matching grant program such as the one that already provides transportation from Glen Ridge and Juniper Hill to the library one day per week.

WRTD may be able to meet some needs through an already existing van run.

 

 

 

  LWG will get information to WRTD:

·        Where are the population pockets needing service?

·         Library program schedules.

Resource

K. Grunwald noted the web site www.communityindicators.net

The website is offering a stipend for stories from communities with good or challenging experiences in developing community indicators.

Kevin will write up our experience with Community Connectedness. T. Berthelot will assist with proofreading.

Next meeting

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Next meeting June 11th at Buchanan Center. 5:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

 

RSVP to S. Baxter

 


Respectfully Submitted,

 

Gloria Bent