Loading...
CASE Committee Meeting Minutes 2-17-22 DRAFT DLDCASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022 HYBRID FORMAT CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 17 FEBRUARY 2022 PAGE 1 | 3 1. ROLL CALL Present- Committee Members: Committee Chair Lisa Mattis and Committee Member Kathy Ryan, Committee Members Pedro Campos, Ruth Stanley, Thomas Walsh and Justin Chesney joined virtually. Town Council: Mayor Pro Tem Amy Phillips and Town Council Member Lindsay Hardy Culture, Arts and Special Events Manager Danita Dempsey, General Government Manager Ineke de Jong and General Government Intern Emily Myler The meeting was called to order at 12:35 p.m. 2. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. 3. MINUTES Committee member Chesney motioned to approve the minutes from January 27, 2022. Committee Member Ryan seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 4. STAFF UPDATE 2022 Special Events Calendar CASE Manager Dempsey went over changes on the 2022 Events Calendar. She said she doesn’t necessarily need specific input from the Committee but wanted to make them aware of the planned events. Changes included removal of the Art Expo at Possibilities Plaza, and the addition of another Avon Arts Celebration weekend. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Removing the Art Expo allows the Town to focus on building up other events B. The Art Expo never felt well attended Historical Markers CASE Manager Dempsey said this project is getting very close to installation The Committee commented/inquired: A. The waterwheel marker should be updated to look like the new markers, it is looking old and doesn’t match the new installations B. The Harry A. Nottingham Park marker will be installed along with the updates to the old Town Hall site on the south side of the Park. The Committee should confirm exactly where in that space it should go. C. The markers should be designed to have meaning in the long term CASE Manager Dempsey said she’s not sure if there will be updates and changes to the markers over time or this program will stay the same after this installation. CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022 HYBRID FORMAT CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 17 FEBRUARY 2022 PAGE 2 | 3 Art Around Avon CASE Manager Dempsey thanked CASE members who are sitting on the jury panel for Art Around Avon selection. With 26 new installations, there will be many decisions and the panel will be busy. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Who is the Planner II person who will join the panel? B. What are the dates for installation and removal? C. Are the installations helpful for artists? D. Can art stay more than a year if there aren’t enough submissions? E. Art should capture the emotions that people experience entering Avon, and other visual aspects of the town should be cohesive with this identity, including the winter lights and pole banners F. There may not be a strategic plan for things like lights, and the Committee should consult with different departments G. Avon’s winter lights have changed to be less sophisticated H. The “Pledge of Allegiance” statue spoke to the values of the Town and pieces like that should be prioritized to the highly visible spots General Government Manager de Jong said the new Planner II position has just been filled by the Town and that staff person will start in time to sit on the panel. CASE Manager Dempsey said the panel will also have a representative from Hoffman Properties, as many of the installations will be on their property. Similar towns which do programs like Art Around Avon find they have few pieces sold while on display, but it also helps expose the artist to new markets even if their pieces don’t sell. She would consider keeping pieces if there aren’t enough submissions but believes there will be plenty this year to fill all the spots. She thinks there should be balance 5. CURRENT ACTIVITY & PLANNING CASE Committee Members CASE Manager Dempsey asked the Committee to discuss and vote on composition and seats on the Committee. A. Committee Chair Mattis said she feels that more than nine members would become too unwieldy, but that members should evolve with Avon’s needs and culture and not seek to stay the same. B. Mayor Pro Tem Phillips said nine seems to be a good cap, but there doesn’t need to be a minimum because it is not a policy making group. Member Stanley said she likes the idea of having more diverse perspectives but agrees that too many people would extend meeting times. C. Member Campos thought that it might be helpful to have extra people in case members aren’t able to make it to meetings and allows more diversity to be represented, right now, the Committee works well though and has a decent variety of perspectives. D. Member Walsh felt that diversity is vital, but the Committee as it is works well. E. Member Chesney said seven members is a good number, but the group can do more to bring in non-member community outreach to diversify voices without expanding the number of Committee seats. Council member Hardy said a larger group can bring more diversity but can also complicate the processes. However, more public involvement brings together the community and spreads the work of the Committee farther. CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022 HYBRID FORMAT CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 17 FEBRUARY 2022 PAGE 3 | 3 A. Member Ryan asked the group to define diversity and asked how “diversity” is reached: does the Committee set up quotas of identity or take whoever applies? People with different identities aren’t applying for the Committee on their own. B. Mayor Pro Tem Phillips said there is enough interest in membership that the group can diversify by allowing more people in. There are facets of diversity that the Committee doesn’t have. Chair Mattis made a motion to maintain the current number of members for the Committee, and really focus on composition specifically in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion and to create goals and work on strategies to impact those goals. The motion passed unanimously. The Committee commented/inquired: A. How many applicants have come in? B. Even if not all the applicants are selected for seats, the Committee should work to keep those applicants engaged C. During the last application period, those who weren’t selected also had great ideas and should be invited to stay involved by inviting them to meetings as members of the public D. More people create more diversity CASE Strategic Planning CASE Manager Dempsey opened a conversation about the Town’s identity, including what the Committee suggests for winter events. She directed the Committee to Exhibit E, containing the Draft Strategic Plan in the packet, and then to the 10- Year Plan in Exhibit F. Packet materials can be found at Avon.org. The Committee commented/inquired: A. The tenses of the verbs on the vision should all match B. What’s the idea behind the word “healthy”? C. “development” is finite, including a word like “foster” implies a continued effort over time D. The Strategic Plan seems ready to roll out after much Committee discussion. Chair Mattis said the document will be used in a Committee-Council work session in April. The Committee will ask Council to adopt the plan, which will direct the CASE Department in their work for the next ten years. Committee Member Campos left the meeting at 1:34 p.m. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 1:47 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Emily Myler General Government Intern