TOWN/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Council Chambers
4:00 pm
Minutes
Present: P. Barry, M. Beal, B. Clouette, J.
Elkins, B. Feldman, M. Hart, J. Hintz, Chief Hudd, R. Miller, S. Rhodes
Staff: M. Capriola, G. Padick, C. van Zelm
1.
None.
2. March 11, 2008 Meeting Minutes
The minutes
of March 11, 2008 were passed unanimously.
3. UCONN Compost Facility
Mr. Miller
provided an update on the project. The budget
estimate has been revised; additional funding will need to be secured in order to
proceed. The group discussed next steps
for moving forward such as a presentation to Town Council (after funding has
been secured) and sending letters to abutters.
It was noted that this project is not subject to Town planning and
zoning regulations, but that communication about the project is critical once a
site has been selected.
4.
Ms. van Zelm updated the Committee on the MDP. MDP was not awarded funding through its
recent STEAP grant application for interior road infrastructure. MDP continues working on securing state
funding for the parking garages. Two
events are upcoming: Earth Day celebration on April 26th from 11am
to 2pm at the Community Center and the 5th Annual Festival on the
Green celebration on September 14th.
5.
Mansfield 2020: A Unified Vision
Mr. Hart
and Ms. Capriola provided an update on Mansfield 2020, the Town’s strategic
planning process. They noted a change in
the timeline with a target completion date of June 30th for the
plan. More time is needed to flush out
the search conference action plans because some are incomplete. Mr. Feldman
inquired about trends that have emerged from the process. Mr. Clouette indicated that consensus emerged
on the Town working together with the university and moving forward. Overall there was a sense of quality of life
(issues) such as the environment and schools. Sustainability and regionalism
also emerged as trends. No items have
had a price tag placed on them yet, and Mr. Hart indicated that some tensions
may arise when deciding on allocating resources to implement the action
plans.
6.
Community Campus Relations/Spring Weekend
Ms. Elkins discussed Community Campus Partnership (MCCP) activities and
plans for Spring Weekend. MCCP meetings
have been averaging 25 people. Members
are currently working on a number of projects.
Mike Ninteau’s recent presentation on the Housing Code was well
done. Two grants are currently in
process; one held a recent event that had over 200 parents in attendance. The other grant is researching marketing and
media impact on Spring Weekend. The “Be
a Wiser Bud” campaign is currently underway.
Oozeball is celebrating its 25th anniversary and Sports
Illustrated will be on site for the event.
Tom Zigethy is leaving UCONN for a position at Duke; the university is
currently searching for a replacement.
Mr. Hintz informed the Committee that he and others will be conducting
visits to apartments along
7.
Other
Business
Mr. Feldman
informed the group of events being held during President Hogan’s upcoming
inauguration weekend. Events will
include, for example, fireworks, a reception, a festival and a student dance so
there may be some noise and/or traffic.
Mr. Hart stated that the Town will be sending out a press release to
notify the public on these events.
Mr.
Clouette inquired about a paint spill in the stormwater system. Mr. Miller noted that training is normally
held annually on this issue and that staff is meeting with athletics/ice rink
staff to remedy the situation from occurring in the future.
Mr. Hintz
announced a new initiative for his office.
He will be hiring students to represent his office in off-campus
areas. The initiative hopes to improve
communications with students living off-campus, serve as a resource to students
and build community. The initiative will
fund eight positions starting in the fall.
Mr. Miller
announced UCONN’s Earth Day celebration which will be held on April 22ndat
The meeting
adjourned at 5:15pm.
Respectfully
submitted,
Maria E.
Capriola
Assistant
to Town Manager