TOWN/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE

COMMITTEE MEETING

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building

Council Chambers

Minutes

Present:          P. Barry, T. Callahan, B. Clouette, AJ Pappanikou, E. Paterson,

G. Zimmer

Staff:               J. Bell-Elkins, M. Berliner, SGT Cox, M. Hart, G. Padick, C. van Zelm

1. Opportunity for Public to Address the Committee

Ms. Lenore Grunko of Hanks Hill Road in Mansfield reported on a home in her neighborhood that appears to be associated with a university fraternity.  She has a number of concerns regarding large parties and noise in general, and is wondering what the committee and the town can do to address the situation.  Mayor Paterson and Mr. Clouette explained that the town and the university are working to address the impact of student rentals on neighborhoods, and that the committee would refer this address to the off-campus housing team comprised of town and university personnel.  The team will pay a visit to the tenants at this residence to discuss the neighborhood’s concerns.

2. September 13, 2005 Meeting Minutes

Town staff need to review the September 2005 minutes for accuracy, and will present them at the next meeting.

3. Update re: Mansfield Downtown Partnership

Cynthia van Zelm reported that this evening the town council will conduct a public hearing on the proposed municipal development plan for Storrs Center.  Also, the partnership’s festival on the green event went very well.

Mayor Paterson added that the partnership has been sensitive to the concerns raised by the current tenants of Storrs Center, and is working to refine the relocation plan.

Mr. Callahan stated that with respect to the municipal development plan, community consensus is important, as well as transparency.  The process has been very open to date.

4. Community-Campus Partnership

Dr. Julie Bell-Elkins reported on the progress of the Mansfield Community-Campus Partnership.  The partnership did meet during this past summer, and is working to develop a strategic plan.  The group has also formed off-campus outreach teams comprised of town and university personnel to visit students living off-campus and to discuss neighborhood issues and concerns.

Mr. Callahan asked about the timeframe for the plan.  Dr. Bell-Elkins explained that there is no timeframe yet, as the students on the committee are adding to the focus of the group at this point.

Dr. Pappanikou asked if the partnership had recruited any landlords to serve as members?  Dr. Bell-Elkins replied that the partnership does not currently have any landlords, but would work to involve them in the future.

5. Community Quality of Life Issues/Spring Weekend

Mr. Hart presented the following report, which had previously been submitted to the town council:

• In conjunction with the state police, the Mansfield police department has worked hard since the beginning of the fall semester to patrol the neighborhoods adjacent to the university.  Arrests for more violent offenses are down, which is positive.  However, observed levels of substance abuse remain high, which continues as a concern.
• The Mansfield Community-Campus partnership continues to meet every few weeks.  The group is now in the process of preparing an action plan to focus its efforts, and will shortly begin work to prepare a legislative program for the upcoming session of the Connecticut General assembly.
• In furtherance of the recommendations presented by the town council committee on community quality of life, a group of state police, and town and university staff has formed off-campus outreach teams.  The teams have visited the neighborhoods adjacent to campus, and have met with the students living in those neighborhoods to discuss various quality of life issues, including large parties, underage drinking, litter, noise and the importance of being a good neighbor.  The teams have been pleasantly surprised by the knowledge the off-campus students have regarding the town’s ordinances and zoning regulations.  The teams expect to conduct additional visits to the neighborhoods this fall, as well as next spring.
• Staff is continuing its work on the draft housing code, and plans to submit a proposal to the town council late this fall.
• The mayor and other council members have provided us with information regarding best practices and approaches used by other university communities.
• Town staff is meeting with university staff to develop a proposal regarding a center for off-campus services.
• The assistant town manager recently participated in a panel discussion regarding town and university relations at the annual conference of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).  A number of universities nationwide, particularly large public universities, are dealing with similar quality of life issues.  ICMA has formed a consortium for staff working in universities communities, and the consortium should prove useful for sharing information and promoting best practices.  The city of Clemson, South Carolina and Clemson University plan to host a conference regarding town/university relations in November 2006.

SGT Cox also reported that the police are making progress this year, as the level of violence appears down.  The police have been accused of dispersing large parties without a reasonable justification.  That allegation is false, as the police do not disperse the crowds until various trigger mechanisms have occurred.  Students should be complimented on their cooperation.

6. Other Business

None.

The committee meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Matthew W. Hart

Assistant Town Manager