Minutes SeVEDS Board
October 20 – 2-4 pm
Brattleboro Municipal Center
Present: Jeff Lewis, Stephan Morse, Lisa Sullivan, Jenna Pugiliese, Julia Sorenson, Gregg Noble, Colby Dix, Susan McMahon, Bob Stevens
Absent: Barb Sondag, Tim Cullenen, Bill Colvin. Patrick Moreland, Drew Richards
Greg made a motion to approve the bylaws as recommended by the executive committee. Stephan seconded VOTE: Unanimous
Discussion on the VE report – report needs to be turned into a pr product once it is completed. Need to follow up with VE on part 6 and 7
Jeff led a discussion with the board about what they had learned and what their takeaways were from the VE process. Bullet points below.
- Colby-Waxing and waning of ‘community’; task is reinforcing social infrastructure; strengthening the existing networks;
- Susan-Building from the outside in; finding the people who have energy-i.e. Transition Putney, Friends of Algiers, Readsboro,
- Bob-Earning a living; building a successful business environment; ‘What is it that makes a community more or less prosperous?’
- Susan-small
- Jenna-Lack of change in small towns; unimaginative leadership; we have to provide a benefit to businesses.
- Gregg-are we enabling businesses?;
- Bob-did we lose the idea of connecting summer and winter employment opportunities;
- Lisa-building summer opportunities for kids and families, using winder employees.
- Bob-aren’t we making existing businesses more successful
- Susan-Community development
- Jenna-So Vermont is a great place to live if you don’t have to work here
- Colby-Map community groups
- Bob-Global business opportunity; building networks among existing entities
- Gregg-broadband connectivity
- Lisa-
- Julia-existing businesses; large versus employers; identify vulnerable companies; identify closed businesses
- Colby-how do we make this an attractive place to do business; mockups of diner locations
- Bob-Global business opportunity; building networks among existing entities
- Gregg-broadband connectivity
- Lisa-
- Julia-existing businesses; large versus employers; identify vulnerable companies; identify closed businesses
- Colby-how do we make this an attractive place to do business; mockups of diner locations
- Julia/Gregg-open new business areas;
- Stephan-strengthen businesses; identify a focus area/cluster and build strategies to attract/create; companies that are consistent with our community values
- Bob-businesses that can help recruit new businesses; create a business creation system
- Lisa-linkages with second home owners; key resource
- Lisa-connect with 2nd home owners because of the need now and the openings on Main Street
- Colby-build pro-formas for needed businesses;
- Stephan-expand that strategy to larger employers and more capital intensive businesses (traded businesses)
- Bob-focus attention and effort on companies that pay wages the will raise the average wage
- Susan-what clusters fit our values and environment
- Julia-environmental problems will destroy economic development; crime or an unsafe environment will hurt economic development; she notes that this is a threat locally; lower socio-economic level impacts; impacts of state policy; don’t we need to have knowledge about crime and safety in our communities
- Lisa-how do we measure quality of life; segmented QoL;
- Jenna-we have to create a complete culture for the demographic we need to attract; how do you do that in a rural environment
- Lisa-Young Professionals Group; Can this be regional?;
- Stephan-tell this story of QoL to the arts organizations;
- Jenna-Transportation is a key; how do you get from here to there (nights and weekends); Okemo bus example;
- Colby-Dover changed the way it handled traffic offenses; Wilmington is tougher and influences the whole Valley attitude
- Bob-ambassadors to visitors and business people;
- Gregg-how do we change the perception of things? NH economic development—reporting cocaine busts in the paper; how do we influence; advertises that we have a problem; talk with Sheriff and police and the newspapers
- Lisa-QoL broadband to the residence; everyone has to have access
- Stephan-ambitious plan; issue will be with us; this is still an issue