MINUTES

Thursday, November 6, 2003; 2:30 PM

AUDREY P. BECK BUILDING, CONFERENCE ROOM A

PLEASE CALL 429-3315 ASAP IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND

PRESENT: K. Grunwald (staff), B. Lehmann (chair), J.Heald, Alan Hawkins (guest), E. Passmore, M. Hauslaib, J. Peters

I. MINUTES:

The minutes of the October 2, 2003 meeting were accepted as written.

II. COMMUNICATIONS/REPORTS:

A. Review of Department activity and other items in packet and discussion with SSD Director, Kevin Grunwald:

· The packet included minutes from several months of Advisory Committee meetings, as these had not been available previously.

· K. Grunwald reported that an announcement was made yesterday that the State Dept. of Social Services will be reopening the Willimantic office in January of 2004. He had been in touch with Denise Merrill, who was one of a group of state legislators who was involved in advocating for this move.

· All committee members were reminded about the Community Conversation on 11/20.

B. Program updates

· Graustein Foundation Discovery Grant: we are guaranteed $10,000 a year through 2007, with the possibility of additional funds up to $40,000 a year. The application is due on January 15.

· LWVCT Community Conversations: event will take place on November 20.

· School Readiness Grant: currently attempting to contract with the Centers at last year’s rates.

· Adult Services: steady client activity.

· Senior Services: event honoring veterans was held on November 10.

· Youth Services: the office will stay in its current location.

C. Other: none

III. OLD BUSINESS:

A. Agency Funding request process and timetable: K. Grunwald distributed copies of the new application and a suggested evaluation process to review funding criteria. It was decided that applications would be mailed to agencies and the review process will be finalized prior to January.

B. Fee waiver ordinance revision: copies of the revised ordinance were made available. Families have started to enroll in the Community Center under this waiver.

C. Mansfield Community Fund: discussion tabled.

D. Other: none.

IV. NEW BUSINESS:

A. Alan Hawkins (a member of the Board of Directors and the Membership Committee) made a presentation on the status of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership. The project has been going on for 4 years, and 2 years ago the partnership was formed between the town and the University of CT. A consultant has been hired to put together the municipal development plan, and a developer has signed an interim letter of intent. The goal is to enhance the esthetics of the development parcel and tie in the design to the university’s new performing arts center. Development will be mixed use, including retail space, restaurants, offices, and “lifestyle” housing. The design is also intended to be pedestrian-friendly. Within the next 3-6 months there should be a finalized plan for development. Alan encouraged members of the Advisory Committee to provide input to the Partnership on the plan. This can be done as a committee, and it was discussed that this group may have specific collective input relating to issues that relate to the mission of Social Services, including a focus on overall quality of life.

B. Advisory Committee membership: tabled.

C. Other: Annual Report to the Town Manager: K. Grunwald distributed a draft of the committee’s annual report to the Town Manager and requested input on this.

V. PLANS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS

VI. ADJOURNMENT: meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Kevin Grunwald

Director of Social Services