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Item #1: Approval of Minutes of August 20, 2007 Meeting. A motion to approve the Minutes was made by Jill Kessenich, seconded by John Wilmet and passed by a 7-0 voice vote. Item #2: Public Comment. No public comments were made. Item #3: Review Progress and Next Steps on Planning Process. Mark Roffers, of Vandewalle & Associates, said that after the public meeting and the fact the Committee received a lot of information from that meeting, it became apparent that more time would be needed to absorb the information. This was discussed with John Wilmet, and a revised schedule has been prepared for completing the project. The project would be completed in June, 2008 instead of March. The revised schedule was then discussed. At tonight's meeting, the results of the open house meeting will be discussed. After this meeting, a meeting with City staff will be set up to do more site visits. We would come back at the November meeting with a growth strategy, along with more details on the information sheets from the public meeting. In December, there would be a combined meeting of this Committee, Planning Commission and City Council to present an update and review the documents to date. The plan would be prepared over the winter, with the approval process in spring. There will be one or two additional meetings for this Committee, but the overall budget for the project will not be increased. John Wilmet thought this was a good idea, and suggested that the second intergovernmental meeting and sixth Committee meeting be combined as one meting. He also commented the original idea was to complete this project before the spring Election so there would not be a possible change in the Council. Mark Zastrow is up for re-election and hopefully the Council would keep him on as the Council representative to complete the project. The Committee indicated this revision should give a better end product for the project, and agreed with the revised schedule. Item #4: Review Outcomes of Futures Open House and Intergovernmental Meeting; Consider Changes to Vision Statement and Planning Area Opportunity Maps; Discuss Direction and Details for Comprehensive Plan. Mark Roffers indicated this is going to be a debriefing of the previous two meetings, but Committee comments are welcome. The public open house provided a lot of information to absorb over a short period of time. The turn out was okay, but less than what was at the initial meeting. All of the information has been posted on the website, but no additional comments have been received. The comments that were received at the meeting reflected sustainable growth/green design; a bikeable/walkable community; and the economic health of the community. Most of the comments were favorable toward redevelopment of several key areas; K-Mart, Lorman's, and Madison Avenue corridor. There were also discussions and suggestions on schools, and where future schools should be located. Another comment was for a south side grocery store. There were very few comments on the need to change or modify the vision statement. Mark Zastrow said that in reading through the comments, there weren't any surprises, it is comments that we have been planning for or expecting for six or seven years. There are one or two areas that Mark Zastrow would like to see get more attention, but there were no surprises. James Fitzpatrick said the School District is looking at boundary relocation, especially on the south side of the City. The south side is where the growth is right now. We have open enrollment, which helps us balance the number of students in each elementary school. The District is anxious to see where the next school should be located. Jill Kessenich asked what the plan is for the school property on Grove Street across from Jones Park. James Fitzpatrick said the District is holding onto it now. It could be used for a future Boys & Girls Club building if the need arises. John Wilmet said some of the comments need to be discounted, no one likes where Lorman's is, but they are able to be there. The City grew around them, and they have no plans on leaving. Many people have talked about a grocery store downtown, and a chain has been recruited but it didn't materialize. Mark Roffers then discussed the Vision Statement. It has been reviewed since the last meeting and was presented at the October 1st meeting. Sandy Mayer said there was still a picture of a private business, Opportunities, Inc., that needs to be changed to something generic. Also, the comments that she received at the October 1st meeting was that the Statement wasn't specific enough for Fort Atkinson. The Committee agreed that to make the Statement very specific about Fort Atkinson would be impossible. Mark Roffers said that he would look for a replacement photo for the Statement. Mark Roffers said that he wanted to review each one of the opportunity maps, to ask a few questions and get input on where the redevelopment areas are, the trail connections, etc. The following is a synopsis of questions and comments on each opportunity map: Northwest Quadrant:
No comments or questions were raised on the other three opportunity maps. Mark Roffers reminded the Committee to get him any comments or ideas they might come up within the future. Item #5: Next Meeting Date Mark Roffers said the next scheduled meeting date will be Monday, November 19, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. at the same location. Item #6: Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Jim Fitzpatrick, seconded by Sandy Mayer, and passed by a 7-0 voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted,
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