PLANNING COMMISSION Meetings are held at the Town Office on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month at 7 PM

Minutes - Newfane Planning Commission, May 10, 2005, 7:00 pm Present: T. Bedell, D. Clarkson, J. Spencer, J. Borta, K. Robinson Absent: J. Feifel, G. Garbe Guest: Jeff Nugent, senior GIS planner, Windham Regional Commission. 1. Chairman Jim Spencer called meeting to order at 7:11 pm. 2. Minutes of April 26, 2005 meeting read and approved. (4:0) 3. Calendar revised. See below. 4. Jeff Nugent talks about the pros and cons of mapping software, with a visual demonstration of ArcExplorer, slides showing various examples from Guilford and Putney. Jeff advocated using GIS for parcel maps, but noted there are also analyses that WRC does in its office that can be very helpful. (“You shouldn’t be doing GIS, you should be using it.”) The GIS should be viewed as a tool, Jeff said. With one person on the PC understanding it, that should suffice. For everyone else, it should be transparent to use. Jeff suggested the WRC role is in helping us getting our data up to snuff, and maintaining it. “We’re willing to help Newfane manage its data.” 5. After Jeff departed with the PC’s thanks, the members discussed ways to proceed with new hardware and software. J. Spencer handed out a spec sheet for a computer system to be purchased with current PC funds—the system pricing out at $1,598. J. Borta noted a few possible omissions and changes needed—a backup system, some kind of warranty, perhaps a 20-inch screen instead of a 17-inch. After further discussion it was the sense of the meeting that J. Spencer--pending a second bid and investigating the other suggestions—move forward on a purchase not to exceed $2,000. 6. D. Clarkson reviewed for members the reasons for some schedule changes—that the PC was unlikely to meet the imminent deadline we had previously set for ourselves, and that a rules change instituted last year by the state allows us to apply for grants regardless. (That opening is in July, D. Clarkson noted.) Consequently, the need for an immediate Town Plan revision is less necessary, and the PC can turn its attention to the changes in the bylaws that must be completed by the fall. As Sue Filion has made herself available on June 2 to discuss those changes, the regularly scheduled May 24 meeting will be rescheduled to then, as per Calendar below. 7. The meeting was adjourned at 8:56 p.m. Calendar: --Regularly scheduled May 24 meeting rescheduled to Thursday, June 2, 2005, 7 pm at Town Office, to meet with Sue Filion of WRC. (Sue will give us two hours, which should be enough time to go over the details necessary to revise the bylaws.) --June 14, 2005, 7:00 p.m. – Regular meeting Tom Bedell, Secretary *** Agenda for next meeting, June 2, 2005, 7 pm 1. Guest Sue Filion of WRC will review details concerning necessary bylaws changes. 2. To consider any business that may come before the Planning Commission

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