TOWN/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Audrey Beck Municipal Building

Council Chambers

4:30 pm

Minutes

Present:       M. Beal, R. Blicher, T. Callahan, M. Hart, Jared Ashmore for S. Keating (student representative), A.J. Pappanikou, E. Paterson, S. Rhodes, Bruce Clouette

Staff:               J. Jackman, G. Padick, J. Hintz

1) Opportunity for Public to Address the Committee

Brian Buckman asked that the committee have balanced representation, and that as the committee is restructured that membership from the Town, University and Students be equally represented.

2) April 14, 2009 Meeting Minutes

The minutes of April 14, 2009 were passed unanimously.

3) Mansfield 2020: A Unified Vision (Strategic Plan)

M. Hart provided an overview of the Strategic Plan, the process used to develop the plan and the next steps.  The committee reviewed the Strategic Plan vision points and action items for housing and university-town action items. 

a) Housing – By consensus, the committee recommended that the vision point be reworded to clearly demonstrate that housing is a community issue and that as an action step the committee should share and coordinate information amongst the stakeholders.

b) Town-university relations – by consensus the committee is willing to lead on improving relationships between the university communities.

M. Hart will prepare a draft for the committees review.

4) Other Business/Announcements

a) Committee Membership

S. Rhodes provided the committee with a draft “Supplemental Memorandum of Understanding Between the Town of Mansfield, Connecticut and the University of Connecticut.”  The draft proposes to expand the membership of the committee and includes a revised committee charge to include Spring Weekend responsibilities.

It was moved and seconded to add the President of the Undergraduate Student Government or his/her designee and Chair of the Student Government External Affairs Committee or his/her designee as committee members.

Motion passed unanimously.

It was moved and seconded to add the Town Manager, reduce the three citizens to two and to add one member from the Mansfield Community Campus Partnership as committee members.

After discussion, a motion to amend the main motion was made and seconded to keep the citizen membership at three members.

Motion to amend passed unanimously.

Main motion passed unanimously.

Moved and seconded to recommend to the University of Connecticut and the Town of Mansfield adopt the Supplemental Memorandum of Understanding Between the Town of Mansfield, Connecticut and the University of Connecticut as amended.

Motion passed unanimously.

b) E. Paterson forwarded a communication in regard to the amount of trash in the Hunting Lodge Road area that she received from a citizen.

c) S. Rhodes and J. Jackman will provide the committee with a draft Spring Weekend Report..

The meeting adjourned at 6:35 PM.

Next Meeting:  June 9, 2009  

Respectfully Submitted,

John Jackman, Emergency Management Director, Town of Mansfield