Welcome to Leicester, VT

Leicester Planning Commission Meeting Minutes (unapproved)

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025   6:05 p.m. Town Office

Present: Jay Michael, Lyndsay D'Avignon, Donna Swinington, Jeff McDonough, Diane Benware 

Meeting called to order by Chair Donna Swinington, followed by roll call.

Introductions were made.

Diane reminded participants about ACRPC Zoom Meeting regarding Act 181, the reform of Act 250, on Thursday, Feb. 20.

Brainstorming began with a suggestion to move the enhanced energy plan to an appendix.  Present members agreed.

Members discussed how to stand out in the grant application.  Proposals for focus included: addressing Leicester’s aging population, general safety/police presence, intersection safety, recreation (particularly around Lake Dunmore & Fern Lake).

Lyndsay proposed using Microsoft Forms to create a poll for Leicester residents to tell the committee what they would most like focus to be on.  She proposed brainstorming a short list of responses to choose from that the committee agrees on.

The Board discussed public outreach and how to connect with residents in order to build a stronger community interest in local needs.  Suggestions included: community potluck, community picnic, and incentives for answering questionnaires or polls (such as a raffle or prize).

The board worked together to narrow down topics of focus, primarily discussing citizen safety as a whole.  Jay brought up the lack of nearby emergency services and the difficulty of emergency access to most residences located around the lake.  He pointed out the need for discussion regarding flood resilience and fire protection as it relates to safety and to homeowner fiscal responsibility, ie: insurance costs.

The board delegated the creation of a single question poll to Lyndsay.  Present members agreed that short and simple would prompt the most responses.  Lyndsay suggested asking Town Clerk, Julie Delphia, if taking a poll during the March local election would be appropriate and the board agreed.  Lyndsay immediately reached out to Julie and was granted permission to distribute a short survey/poll during the election.

NEXT STEPS:

Diane and Katie will connect in the next two weeks.

Members will read/review the current plan and make notes, write down questions and suggestions.

Diane and Lyndsay will establish wording for a poll using Microsoft Forms to be ready for response by March 4, 2025.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, Mar 11, at 6:00 p.m. at the White Building.

Meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted:

Lyndsay D’Avignon, Planning Commission Alternate