2026-09-16 - Master Plan Steering Committee

03:52Oh,

03:54>> thank you everyone for coming. Um, good

03:56evening. Uh, my name is Chris Ron

03:58Goldrich. Um, I want to thank you all

03:59for being here tonight uh for the

04:01Shrewsbury Master Plan update uh kickoff

04:03meeting. Uh on behalf of the town, uh I

04:06want to thank members of the steering

04:07committee for volunteering your time and

04:09agreeing to take on what I think is a

04:11very important responsibility for the

04:13community. Tonight is really the

04:15beginning of a conversation that will

04:16continue for the next several months and

04:18with the diverse groups of people who

04:20make up the Shrewsbury community. Part

04:22of our goal this evening is to refine

04:24the framework for how we are going to

04:26have these conversations, how we are

04:28going to listen to the community, and

04:29ultimately how we are going to translate

04:31that input into a useful plan for

04:33Shrewsberry's future. The town's current

04:35master plan was adopted in 2016. A lot

04:38has changed uh in Shrewsbury since then.

04:41We've experienced continue continued

04:43residential and commercial development,

04:46changes in our population and

04:47demographics, evolving housing needs,

04:49increasing demands on roads, resources,

04:51and services. We've experienced changing

04:54expectations about how and where people

04:56want to live, work, shop, recreate, and

04:58participate in their community. At the

05:01same time, many of the things that

05:02people value about Shrewsbury remain the

05:04same. our neighborhoods, our schools,

05:07our open spaces and natural resources,

05:09our businesses and town center, our

05:11community institutions, and perhaps most

05:13importantly, the people who make up

05:15Shrewsbury for what it is.

05:18One of the challenges and opportunities

05:20of this master plan is figuring out how

05:22we can accommodate change while being

05:24intentional about what we want to

05:25preserve and what we want to improve. A

05:28master plan is sometimes described as a

05:30road map for a community. I think that's

05:33a useful analogy, but I'd add one

05:34important point. The community gets to

05:36decide where the road goes. The master

05:39plan should help us make better

05:40decisions about public about public

05:42matters that come before our local

05:44decision-making bodies, and it should

05:46help connect those individual decisions

05:48to a larger community vision. That's

05:50where this steering committee has a

05:52particularly important role.

05:54You've been brought together because you

05:56represent different experiences,

05:58perspectives, interests, and connections

06:00to the community. I don't expect

06:02everyone around this table to agree on

06:04every issue. Disagreement and different

06:06perspectives are valuable to this

06:08process. Our goal should be to create an

06:10environment where people can explain not

06:12only what they want, but why they want

06:14it, where we can listen to perspectives

06:16that may be different from our own and

06:18where we can look for areas of common

06:20ground when difficult choices need to be

06:22made. I also want to emphasize that the

06:24steering committee is only one part of

06:26this process. The broader community

06:28needs to be involved. One of the most

06:31important measures of success for this

06:33project will be whether we hear from

06:35people who don't normally attend

06:36planning board meetings, town meeting,

06:38public hearings, or other municipal

06:40meetings. We need to hear from residents

06:42of different ages and stages of life. We

06:44need to hear from renters and

06:46homeowners, business owners and

06:47employees, parents and seniors, longtime

06:50residents and people who are new to

06:52town.

06:53I'm particularly excited about this

06:55process because a master plan gives us

06:57the opportunity to step back from the

06:59individual projects and the individual

07:01decisions that occupy so much of our

07:03day-to-day work and ask a much bigger

07:05much bigger question. What kind of

07:08community do we want Shrewsbury to be

07:10over the next 10, 20, or even 30 years?

07:12And what do we need to do today to move

07:14in that direction? I'm looking forward

07:17to exploring that question with all of

07:18you. So, with that, I'd like to welcome

07:20everyone again. Thank you for your

07:22commitment to this process and turn it

07:24over to Barrett Planning Group to

07:26introduce the consultant team and walk

07:28us through the project kickoff.

07:31>> Screen Jill.

07:33>> Jill.

07:34>> Yep. Hello. Uh good evening everyone. Um

07:37my name is Jill Slankis and I'm

07:39delighted to be here with all of you and

07:41to join my colleagues Judy Barrett and

07:43Jen Dherty from Barrett Planning Group.

07:45Um also um comprising our consultant

07:49team is um the firm of Kimley Horn led

07:52by Lisa Juan um who you'll meet at

07:54future engagements. Um Kushall, do we

07:57have the slide deck?

08:10Here

08:15we go. Yay.

08:20Okay. Thank you, Chris. Um, I just want

08:23to say thank you [clears throat] to

08:24Chris um for that introduction. I think

08:26that was a fantastic introduction um for

08:29the master plan and the effort that

08:31everyone um is is participating to

08:34undertake. Um, so leading the effort

08:36from the town side is Chris McGold who

08:38just spoke, uh, the director of planning

08:40and economic development as well as

08:42Louise and O'Neal, the assistant

08:44director and and their staff. Um, so we

08:48can go to the next slide, please.

08:52Okay, so this is the list of the master

08:56plan steering committee. Um all of you,

08:58you represent the planning board, select

09:00board, school committee, finance

09:02committee, zoning board, historic

09:04district commission, affordable housing

09:06trust, Shrewsbury Development

09:07Corporation, Conservation Commission,

09:09and several members at large. Um at this

09:12point, um we'd like to take a few

09:14minutes, um to select a chair and a vice

09:17chair for the committee, and I'll let

09:18I'll go back to Chris for that.

09:20>> Thank you. So um I did include uh a

09:23worksheet at your table. Um that's what

09:25I use just to keep myself organized

09:27especially with a larger group. Um but

09:29there's uh three positions that will

09:31have a chair, a vice chair, and a clerk.

09:33Um so uh the way that works is uh we

09:36just need nominations. You can nominate

09:38someone else or you can nominate

09:39yourself uh a second and then the group

09:42would uh then vote uh yay or nay on

09:45those nominees once we have a slate of

09:47nominees. So um with that if we can

09:49start with

09:51>> the chair

09:56>> can Chris can you give an overview of

09:58what the role responsibility is first

09:59maybe?

10:00>> Yes. Yeah that's a great idea. So um so

10:02the the chair position um primarily is

10:04going to be uh helping to run these

10:05meetings. Um so uh primarily a lot of

10:08the the questions and comments and

10:10communication uh ideally should flow

10:13through the chair uh and they help to

10:15guide the conversation uh selecting

10:17who's uh able to uh speak. Um obviously

10:20I think we'll be somewhat conversational

10:22in this in this group but um again just

10:24keeping that order of the meeting they

10:26kind of help uh keep the process moving

10:28along. So

10:33>> what about the other two?

10:35Oh. Uh, so the vice chair uh so the vice

10:37chair um would serve if the chair is

10:40unable to attend the meeting. Um they

10:42then step into the role of the chair um

10:44and provide that uh that position. Uh

10:47and then the clerk um you know our staff

10:49will be doing a lot of the the work for

10:50the clerk. Um they would be the third uh

10:53kind of in line should the chair and

10:55vice chair not be able to attend. Um and

10:57also um they would be um the signitories

11:01on any of the documents that need to be

11:03executed.

11:05I'd like to nominate Nicole Torres uh

11:07for chair.

11:10>> I

11:20are we voting one.

11:21>> Uh so if there's any other nominations

11:27seeing none

11:28>> oh for chair are we just doing

11:29>> Yeah. There's any other nominations for

11:30chair?

11:31>> I move it.

11:34>> It's moved and seconded. Uh so we'll go

11:37to a vote. Uh all in favor?

11:39>> I

11:40>> opposed.

11:42>> Hearing none.

11:45>> Uh would you like me to kind of move

11:47along with those?

11:47>> That would be great. Thank you.

11:49[laughter]

11:50>> Uh taking nominations for vice chair.

11:54I nominate Fran, my new friend.

11:57[laughter]

11:58>> Former friends.

11:59>> Is there a second?

12:01>> I can second.

12:03>> All in favor?

12:05>> I

12:05>> I

12:06>> All post.

12:09>> Thank you.

12:10>> Might be helpful if we introduce

12:12ourselves. Some of us don't know each

12:14other

12:15>> and we're nominating people.

12:16>> Yep.

12:20Taking nominations for clerk. I'll

12:22nominate Michelle Conlin for clerk.

12:25>> I'll second that.

12:25>> Second.

12:27>> All in favor or sorry, any other

12:29nominations?

12:32>> Seeing none. All in favor?

12:35>> Opposed?

12:37>> Thank you.

12:43>> All right. We have our board.

12:47>> Thank you, Chris. And thank you everyone

12:48for nominating and um accepting those

12:51roles. Um I believe I heard someone make

12:54a a good suggestion of maybe introducing

12:56yourselves. So if maybe you want to

12:58start with the chair and then um go

13:00around and everybody can kind of give a

13:01brief introduction um and your um you

13:04know interest in serving on this

13:06committee.

13:07>> Sure. I'm happy to do that. Nicole

13:09Torres. Um I am representing the school

13:12committee on this uh on our committee

13:14and I'm very excited for this committee.

13:17Um, I saw a phrase that this is the

13:20north star for the town uh for the

13:22future planning and I I really love to

13:25be a part of that.

13:27>> I'm Michelle Conlin. I'm one of the

13:28select board representatives. Um, I was

13:31involved in putting together um the 2030

13:35uh strategic plan and I'm really excited

13:38to continue that work here.

13:42>> My name is Larry Andovvic, long-term

13:44resident of Shrewsbury. I think we moved

13:46in in 1980 because my wife thought Spags

13:49was a great story. [laughter]

13:52Um, and I'm looking forward to

13:56um, there are some things about

13:57Shrewsbury that I feel are missing and

13:58I'm hopeful that we can map this out in

14:00our upcoming road map.

14:04>> Hi, I'm Kathy Flynn. I um have lived in

14:08Shrewsbury since 1995, so not quite as

14:11long. Um, and I really love our town and

14:16want to make sure that I do my part in

14:19helping to keep it in the right track.

14:24I'm Shannon Wall. I've lived in Shbury

14:27most of my life. Uh, so I've seen it

14:30evolve and I'm very excited to be a part

14:33of the future planning as I also am

14:35raising my children here. So I've

14:37invested community.

14:40>> I'm Beth Cavan. I'm the representative

14:42for the affordable housing trust and was

14:44really excited to have this opportunity.

14:46I've worked on the strategic plan 10

14:48years ago and I'm looking forward to

14:50seeing all the ways that we've met the

14:51goals in that strategic strategic plan

14:53but also you know what we can do to keep

14:55working towards unmet goals and then

14:57goals that evolve to meet future needs.

15:00>> Hi Lee Abdullah. I'm the representative

15:02from the Shoes Development Corporation

15:05um as a resident and uh also mother of

15:09children living town and spending

15:11planning on spending a number of years

15:12here or all of them. Um obviously

15:15invested in where the growth or

15:19where the future of the town goes.

15:24>> My name is Fran Manella. I'm uh on the

15:27zoning board my first year zoning board

15:29of appeals and um been a Shbury resident

15:32for about 30 years now. and I washed

15:34ashore late in life, [laughter] but uh

15:37we've been down by Jordan Pond for about

15:4030 years. And um I I'm retired now, so I

15:44have time to get back. And the town's

15:46been really good uh to us. Raised a

15:49couple of kids here. School district

15:51fantastic. Uh so I'm here to give

15:54something back. See if I can help.

15:59>> Uh my name is Emily Petro. I am

16:03representing the Shrezberry Conservation

16:05Commission. Um I have not been on uh or

16:10had the chance to be on one of uh this

16:12type of uh board. Um I work for Mass D

16:17and I am pretty passionate about um

16:21conservation and open space. Um and I'm

16:24looking forward to uh working with you

16:26all and uh mapping out the the future of

16:29the community.

16:31Hi everyone, I'm Doug Muzzy. Uh 21 years

16:34resident, uh raised three kids in town,

16:39recently retired, uh 30 plus years for

16:42Fortune 100, uh focused on continuous

16:45improvement and strategy and uh hoping

16:48that I can uh have some input and make

16:52an impact.

16:53>> Uh hi everyone, my name is Vikram

16:55Chabra. Uh been a resident of Shrewsbury

16:58for 27 years. I have two kids in the

17:01school system and one little dog.

17:05So I've been on finance committee for um

17:07eight years now, eight eight nine years

17:09and uh I represent finance committee uh

17:12in this particular committee. I have a

17:14lot of um experience as far as the town

17:17budget is concerned and and the services

17:20we provide as well as the school uh

17:23budget. So I I was hoping to use that

17:26perspective in order to add to help this

17:28committee move forward.

17:30I'm Greg Richards, uh the second

17:32representative of the select board. Um

17:35been here since 2012 and I've had an

17:38interest in planning and development

17:40before my time on the board. Um and you

17:43know going through the whole process

17:44with the overlay moratorum. So just kind

17:47of looking forward to seeing sitting on

17:50this side of it as part of the the

17:52process because I haven't been part of

17:53it before.

17:55I'm Caroline Mayumber and I've been in

17:58Shrewsbury since 2010. Uh but I grew up

18:01in Westboro so I'm really familiar with

18:03the area. I also loved Spags. I was

18:06really sad to see it go as well. Um, but

18:08similar to Greg, I'm happy to kind of be

18:10a part of the process of the planning

18:13and formation because I do love

18:15Shrewsbury and I'd love to be able to

18:16stay here, but I think we have a lot of

18:18work to do and I'm excited to kind of

18:20put our heads together and see what we

18:22can do to kind of preserve and grow in a

18:25smart way.

18:27Hi everyone, I'm Leah Sarapin Moroni. I

18:30live in Shbury. I went to Beiel School,

18:33Spring Street School. Um, and now I'm

18:35back. I live in the house that I grew up

18:38in. So, I'm excited to be here um and to

18:42serve this town. I also have a

18:44fourmonth-old that we're raising in

18:46town, too. So, just excited to get to

18:49work. Um and I've done this work for the

18:51municipality that I work for as well.

18:53So, I really wanted to give back to the

18:55town that I live in. So, thank you.

18:59>> Hi, I'm Steve Rotois. Uh I'm the

19:03representative of the planning board. Uh

19:05like I say at most meetings, I've been

19:07on the planning board since the last

19:09century.

19:10Uh I'm just trying to bring uh the

19:13planning board's perspective. Uh we see

19:15a lot of uh things come before us, some

19:18controversial, some non-controversial.

19:21But I'd also note that I in the 30 plus

19:25years that I've lived in Shrewsbury, my

19:27wife's a lifelong resident, that uh I've

19:30lived in three precincts and I'd like to

19:33see

19:35kind of a more cohesive

19:38uh

19:39uh

19:42it [clears throat] seems that a lot of

19:43projects are either uh opposed or

19:47proposed or

19:50uh supported. ed by, you know, the a

19:53different uh neighborhood element. I'd

19:55like to see some consensus as to what we

19:58bring forward. Um I I know there's been

20:01some controversial projects in town

20:03since my tenure. We we seem to take the

20:06brunt of it. Um but uh I'm hoping to

20:10bring some perspective to that and also

20:12listen to everybody else's perspective.

20:17>> Thank you. And Kenny, would you like to

20:19introduce yourself?

20:21Yeah. Hi. Um, my name is Ken Griswald.

20:24Uh, I am I grew up uh went to schools in

20:28Shrewsbury. I'm joining you right now um

20:31from the University of Massachusetts

20:32Amherst uh where I'm a political science

20:35student. Um and I really just wanted to

20:39give back to my community and um be a

20:42voice for a younger generation that I

20:44think too often doesn't get themselves

20:46involved in local politics because they

20:48think it doesn't concern them. Um and as

20:51we all know it touch politics touches

20:53every facet of our lives and so I would

20:56like to be a voice for that younger

20:58generation.

21:00>> Thank you Ken and thank you. Is that

21:03everybody who has given a chance to

21:05share

21:07>> um I wish I was able to be there with

21:11you tonight. Um we probably should

21:13introduce ourselves as well and just

21:14give you a little bit about us. I'm

21:16currently out of state moving my oldest

21:18child into college. Um so I look forward

21:21to meeting you all in person um soon. Um

21:24so I'm a principal planner with Barrett

21:26Planning Group. Um as a team

21:28collectively um wait till Judy gives a

21:32brief overview of maybe her but dozens

21:34of plans, local comprehensive plans um

21:37have been done throughout Massachusetts

21:39as well as some other states. Um we're

21:41really excited to be working in

21:42Shrewsbury. That sounds like um so many

21:46neat things have already been said

21:47tonight. Uh so clearly I think the

21:50charge of your um mission here seems to

21:53be pretty understood or clear and u it

21:56is not lost on us. The time that all of

21:58you are are going to spend on this

22:00project and you have committed willingly

22:02you know to volunteer on this. Um so we

22:04really uh value your input and your

22:06time. Um, and it's really a joy for us

22:09to work in communities um with folks

22:11like you who do get involved like this

22:13and then can expand outreach to other

22:15folks in town. So Judy and Jen, if you

22:17briefly want to give a little bit of um

22:19your background and where you're coming

22:20from um and then we can get going on

22:22with the agenda.

22:24>> So I'm Judy Barrett and I can't tell you

22:27how thrilled I am to be back in this

22:28town. Um I have worked here off and on

22:31since the late 1990s, so I also go back

22:34to the last century. Um, and I remember

22:37you on the planning board. Um, so I was

22:40involved as a subcontractor in the last

22:42master plan, but I also did a lot of

22:44work when the former town manager was

22:45here, including the special legislation

22:48that created the board that you are now

22:50on. Um, so it's just really delightful

22:52to be back. Uh, it's a great town. I

22:55just thrilled to be here and this is the

22:56first time a school committee member has

22:59chaired a master plan committee that I

23:00have worked with. So this is a treat.

23:02>> Icebreaker here.

23:03>> I think it's great. cracking ceilings

23:05over [laughter] here. Super.

23:08>> Um, and I'm Jen Dardy. I'm the historic

23:10preservation planner with Barrett

23:11Planning Group.

23:14>> Thank you all. Um, Kush, if you could go

23:16to the next slide, please.

23:21>> Thank you. So, the agenda for the

23:23evening um is what this is what we'll

23:25cover. A short icebreaker to get to know

23:27each other a little more um and the town

23:29a bit better. An overview of what a

23:31master plan is and how this process

23:33works. the schedule, the project

23:35website, the community engagement plan,

23:37and then a short um closing activity.

23:40And to respect everyone's time, we are

23:42aiming to conclude the meeting by 8:30

23:45as the you know, I think the um

23:47information sent out to you indicated.

23:50Next slide, please.

23:53Okay, the icebreaker activity. Um some

23:56of you may have started it or gotten um

23:58acquainted with it on your way in. So,

24:01the activity is to imagine a close

24:03friend is visiting Shrewsbury for the

24:05first time and you have 24 hours to show

24:07them the town. Where would you take

24:09them? What would you want them to see,

24:11eat, or do or experience? Um, we have a

24:15form. You can take a few minutes to fill

24:16out the form. Some of you may have

24:18received it on your way in and given it

24:21some thought. And then we'll go around

24:23the room and share the places that you

24:25would take um a friend on a tour. And I

24:29think Jen um might turn it over to Jen

24:31to lead this activity in terms of um

24:33putting dots on the large map to kind of

24:36show spots in town geographically um

24:38that people would include.

24:41>> Um we have a lot of dots on the map

24:43already. So if folks are willing um

24:45hopefully we'll just collect um your

24:47sheets at the end, but we'd certainly

24:49love to hear

24:50>> um what your favorite spots are around

24:53town if you'd like to share right now.

24:55Get this

24:59Was there a sheet?

25:00>> I'll pass. I'll pass.

25:01>> Oh, it's on the table.

25:03>> Greg, can you grab another?

25:06>> There was a There's another sheet.

25:14>> Gave away my pen.

25:15>> That's my number.

25:16>> I might just

25:19>> I gave it to the signing sheet. I don't

25:20know if I have enough.

25:21>> Here, I have an extra.

25:23>> Thank you.

25:24>> Y exactly. teamwork.

25:26>> Can we get some?

25:32>> Thank you.

25:36>> Guess you need page two. [laughter]

25:40>> I am. I have gone outside the boxes

25:42already. [laughter]

26:25need the Jeopardy stuffing [laughter]

26:29noise.

26:32>> And Ken, I know you're remote as well. I

26:34don't know if there's a way that you

26:36would like to give your input also, but

26:38if you do, please chime in.

26:42Yeah. Um um we're just uh writing down

26:44the places that we're still doing the

26:45icebreaker, correct?

26:47>> Yeah.

26:47>> Okay, perfect.

28:15Looks like a couple people might have

28:17finished. Do we want to hear want to

28:19start with their top choices of

28:23>> I'm happy to share.

28:24>> Um, so for me, Dean Park, I live very

28:27close to Dean Park. I love I have a

28:29Frenchie. I love to walk him around Dean

28:31Park. Um, obviously the recreational

28:33activities there for the kids. I I just

28:35love walking through and watching all

28:37the games and everything. And it's um

28:39wonderful green space in town. Do you

28:41want me to do all of them or just like

28:42top one?

28:43>> Maybe top take top three or something.

28:45Yeah, top three. All right, here we go.

28:46Um, town center. I a great place uh to

28:50walk around. Obviously wanting for

28:52parking, but uh if you can manage to

28:53walk there, uh it's it's wonderful to

28:56meet up with friends. Um I love to take

28:58my kids to the benches right in front of

29:00the church there on a nice day. Um the

29:04White City and the Whole Food Shopping

29:06Plaza really just when you're out

29:08running around in town, it's a great

29:10place to be able to stop in, grab a bite

29:11to eat, grab some coffee. um when you're

29:14when you are in a pinch.

29:18>> Thank you.

29:19>> I'll share some different ones if um so

29:22Lake Street Park um has beautiful

29:24meadows, wetlands, there's a lot of

29:26birds and wildlife, um wild flowers,

29:30beautiful plants, um some really nice

29:32trails, and the library has a story walk

29:35there um that's really nice. It's paved,

29:37so there's like some um accessible areas

29:41for folks with mobility issues or kids

29:45in strollers or kids on bikes. Um and

29:47then there's like wooded trails. So,

29:49that's a nice spot. Um I agree with

29:52Lakeway Business District, restaurants,

29:54services, um outdoor seating. There's

29:57nice landscaping in the area. It's just

29:59like a nice place to like meet somebody

30:00for lunch. And Heert Candy Mansion, I

30:03think, is a [clears throat] hidden gem

30:04in town. Um, it's a historic building.

30:07They have, um, some really

30:09family-friendly events and obviously ice

30:11cream and candy. And the, um, secret

30:15garden that is right around the corner

30:16from there is a wonderful spot to spend

30:18an hour or two um, walking on the trails

30:21there.

30:24>> Well, [clears throat] I have White City.

30:26It's a great place to shop and eat. He

30:29He candy Candy mentioned, it's a great

30:31place to wreck your diet. [laughter]

30:34and uh my neighborhood and my neighbors.

30:36Um it's a truly great spot.

30:42>> Um I havew coffee and pastries. Um I

30:47particularly like that it's open late on

30:50the weekends and it's a place to

30:53socialize that isn't a bar. Um I put

30:57down the Burns Bridge going over Lake

30:59Quincigment. Um it's really fun to

31:02actually walk across. There's

31:04greatformational plaques on it. During

31:06the day, maybe you'll catch a crew race.

31:09At night, you can see the lights.

31:13And um Flynn's truck stop, which is I

31:18believe, [laughter]

31:19I'm not certain, but I think it's the

31:21oldest continually operating business in

31:24town.

31:25>> Oh, wow.

31:28>> Um I [clears throat] chose Carl Forest

31:31as my favorite place. uh top of the

31:33list. I just think it's a hidden oasis

31:35that you feel like I can't believe that

31:38you're in Shrewsbury when you're in the

31:39thick of this natural preservation.

31:42Uh Ward Hill, what a gift to have a cute

31:47little ski hill that everybody learns to

31:49ski or tube or just to hang out with

31:51friends. Um and uh Jordan Pond, which

31:55you know is a place where everyone's

31:57active, fishing, uh walking, ice

32:00skating, canoeing. um and all sorts of

32:03again uh just beautiful natural habitat.

32:08>> So I had some overlap. I definitely

32:10chose Lake Street Park. Um I included

32:12bird watching, excellent bird watching

32:14at Lake Street Park. Um but I also

32:16thought Whole Foods was a good place to

32:17take people because of all the

32:18memorabilia that's there. Um the

32:20pictures from the time of Spags and just

32:23being able to see some of the history of

32:25the town if you go up to the second

32:27floor. I also included the Shrewsbury

32:29Public Library um which I think blends

32:31the past and the present quite nicely

32:33and has a collection of our um historic

32:36books and documents. And then um I

32:39picked a restaurant. I picked Big Apple

32:41because I think that's just a really fun

32:42place to bring people. And I always try

32:44to send people there because it's has

32:46that city feel to it. When they open the

32:48windows, you kind of feel like you're on

32:49Newbury Street and have great lunch and

32:51breakfast as well.

32:54>> They do have an amazing lemon ricotta

32:56cake. I've heard about the cinnamon roll

32:58pancakes. I don't know from who, but

33:00[laughter]

33:01>> um I also um had the walking piles by

33:05the middle school. I live right next to

33:08it. And on it doesn't matter whether

33:11it's a weekday or a weekend. It's pretty

33:13much where you can run into half a dozen

33:15people, you know, in town just strolling

33:17or walking their dogs or their kids are

33:19playing on the fields. When there's

33:21sports activities, like, you know,

33:23formal sports activities happening, you

33:25never know who you're going to run to.

33:26So, it's a wonderful

33:28sense of connectivity over there, which

33:30I think that's something that um we

33:33could improve upon perhaps in parts of

33:34town if we can. Um I also had a little

33:38bit more of a hidden gem. The path, I

33:40don't know if this is an official name,

33:41the paved walking path that goes in back

33:43off a municipal over to the back of that

33:45other neighborhood.

33:47>> Um like along the little creek and

33:49everything. I think it's wonderful to

33:51feel like all of a sudden you're just in

33:53a sense of quiet. Um, and then I had

33:56Willies. Speaking of places that feel

33:58like you're in a little bit more of a

33:59metropolitan area, um, it's a nice blend

34:02of feeling like there's a little bit of

34:03chic in town, but also you tend to run

34:05into folks you know. So,

34:09>> um,

34:11one of the first places I guess I'd go

34:13would be to the historical society

34:15>> so that I could really show the history

34:18of the town. um theme park for the

34:22obvious reasons everybody's already

34:24mentioned, but I'm partial to Jordan

34:26Pond Park and it's walking trail. Um

34:30part of it paved right now and part of

34:32it's not a lot of it's up in the woods,

34:35a dirt path. Really nice for walking

34:38your dog. Um, don't don't say I let mine

34:43off leash, but I do. [laughter]

34:46And any dog up in it, just run up in

34:49through them woods. It's just wonderful

34:51place. So, that's my favorite spot.

34:54[snorts]

34:56>> I'm still new to town. I was born and

34:58raised in Framingham, which kind of has

35:00a similar vibe, I think, to Shrewsbury,

35:03but [clears throat] um so I'm still

35:05getting to know the area, but um I

35:08really enjoy the town center. I think

35:10it's um been like well preserved. Um, I

35:16currently live in the Edgemeir

35:17community, which I think is kind of a

35:19cute little quirky neighborhood that has

35:24a bunch of houses that kind of don't fit

35:26in with each other, but do. Um, like in

35:30Lake Quincig is right there. I can't

35:32really tell if we're an island or a

35:34peninsula, but um, Lake Quincig is just

35:38really impressive just by it sheer size.

35:42And um the third place I chose was the

35:45public library because it's a really

35:47nice um

35:50>> it's a community spa in town and it's

35:52it's just yeah it's a nice spot that I

35:57enjoy.

35:58>> Absolutely.

36:00Um

36:02the number one on my list is St. Mary's

36:04Parish. Uh it's very important to my

36:06family. Uh and my family spends a lot of

36:09time uh there. uh with friends.

36:14Uh I've also listed both the high

36:17schools, Shrewsbury and St. John's with

36:20uh lots of sporting events and musicals

36:23and uh choir concerts that has a lot of

36:26good memories. I also have the library.

36:28I'm a voracious reader. Um and uh I was

36:33I was there this afternoon.

36:36So I had a number of things, but I'll

36:38just talk mention the top three. Um, so

36:41Prospect Park is one of my my favorites

36:43basically because of um all those old

36:46structures over there. So it allows me

36:47to sort of go into an imaginy world of

36:49of what used to be here, who used to

36:51live here 100 years ago and all that

36:53sort of stuff. So I really love going to

36:55Prospect Park and wherever there's like

36:57old places like the old school as well.

37:00Um like [clears throat] Doug, I just

37:02love Shrewsbury High School. Uh, not

37:04only is it a symbol of our town's

37:05commitment to um a great education

37:08system, but the whole atmosphere of the

37:10fields over there, the kids playing and

37:12and working out and the musicals and all

37:15that. And last but not least, um it may

37:18sound a little geeky, but South Street,

37:21uh that's where the old digital

37:23corporation used to be and one of the

37:26it's one of the biggest I think it was

37:28the biggest employer in Massachusetts of

37:30its time and a lot of great technology

37:32work was done there. Um some of the hard

37:34drives that they invented over there,

37:36they were just miracles of technology.

37:38So I just love the historical aspect of

37:40that street.

37:42>> Well, I have a a couple that are

37:44different. I think the the hidden gem

37:47part of the camp Wigan

37:50close to my house. I can walk there and

37:51it's kind of odd. You don't know, you

37:53know, what you're going to find in the

37:54little uh graffiti shed back there. But

37:56it was it's interesting to visit. Um I'd

37:59say like the islands of Lake Quincigan,

38:01if you ever get out on a boat and pop

38:03over, even though I know some of them

38:04are private, but whatever, go visit

38:07them. Um, and [laughter] then the other

38:11one, uh, I put on here just because I I

38:13was invited there and I was actually

38:15very impressed is the Indian Heritage

38:16Foundation. Um, it's just you, you know,

38:20it's a different culture, something I

38:22wasn't, you know, familiar with, but,

38:24you know, I went over there and I really

38:26had a great time, so I I put it on my

38:28list. [snorts]

38:30>> I had a lot of overlap with other

38:33people, so I'll try and pick a couple

38:35that are different. I did also have um

38:37MOOTW. Their cardamom lattes are amazing

38:40and I just think it's like a really cute

38:41little fun spot and it's just it's very

38:43unique and it does make you feel sort of

38:45like you're in a city. And so that was

38:47one of mine and then also Dean and Glav

38:51and just any of the athletic fields

38:53because I think what I like most about

38:54it is it's a green space. Very big

38:56proponent of that. But also it's where

38:58families from like all over town can

39:00gather together. So, you get people from

39:02all the different neighborhoods and

39:03everyone's just there to have fun and be

39:05outside together. Um, and then the other

39:08one that I put was also the schools

39:10because just to see concerts, plays,

39:12sports, like our kids are all super

39:14talented and it's just really nice again

39:16to like bring people together. So, most

39:19of mine were overlap, but it was

39:20generally places where we all gathered

39:22together.

39:24>> [snorts]

39:25>> Um, as I'm looking at mine, I feel like

39:28there was a common theme of green spaces

39:31and also spaces that have a history to

39:34them. So, one of my top ones was

39:36Mountain View Cemetery. I live right

39:38next to the cemetery and that's my

39:39favorite place to walk. Um, it's

39:41beautiful and I said specifically at

39:43Sunset because I feel like it's an

39:45overlooked place, but when you go there

39:47at sunset and you're walking around,

39:49it's quiet, it's beautiful, you can

39:51visit your friends. So, I love it there.

39:54[laughter] Um, one that wasn't mentioned

39:56was the ground round. I said because

39:58it's a staple. I know it's in

39:59[clears throat] a different spot now

40:00than it used to be, but I would I would

40:03bring friends there. Um, and then I had

40:06also said the park. So, Dean Park,

40:09Prospect Park, and then Carlstrom Forest

40:12as well because I live right next to

40:13there and it is beautiful and a hidden

40:15gem.

40:18>> For me, I guess number one would be Ward

40:20Hill. I know that's a little bit of an

40:22overlap, but these New England ski hills

40:25are disappearing, and they really are

40:28part of the New England antiquity,

40:30>> and it'd be a sin to lose something like

40:32that.

40:34Number two on my list would be the

40:36Donahghue Rowing Center, a beautiful

40:38facility built through the generosity of

40:41a local family. And number three, I have

40:43a tie. I have SA SACE or they call Lake

40:47Park which is a good recreational area

40:50but I think it could be improved having

40:52visited other towns during the course of

40:54my kids uh you know youth athletic

40:57careers. I think we could maybe step up

41:01and put some turf fields uh field there.

41:04And the other tie is Lakeside which has

41:06good cheap drinks. So

41:11>> yes. Oh, and we have a winery.

41:14>> Oh, yeah. The

41:18>> I think that's everyone. Jill.

41:20>> Kenny.

41:21>> Okay. I think

41:22>> Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna go as well. Um

41:25uh so I said this is really personal,

41:28but I road park. Most people in the uh

41:31Iita Road neighborhood wouldn't know

41:33that there's a park in there, but it's

41:35uh there's like a swing set, a

41:36basketball court, and an open field. And

41:39um I remember going there a lot as a kid

41:42with the neighborhood friends and it was

41:43a lot of fun. Uh Old Mill Pond, but

41:46specifically in the winter when it's

41:48frozen over and when everybody's playing

41:50hockey and ice skating out there. Um and

41:53then I also have to say Lake Street

41:55Park. And I also agree that that park

41:58could use some work. Um and that I I

42:01spent a lot of time there growing up. Um

42:03but yeah, thank you.

42:05>> Thank you, Ken. And um given you know

42:09you being at school if you're um remote

42:12joining us often um and others will try

42:14and like flip-flop it you know if you

42:16can go first sometimes if you want if it

42:18if you know if you feel like that would

42:20be you keep you in the mix or if you're

42:21fine waiting till the end you know

42:23>> I just appreciate everybody including

42:25me. Um even though I'm not able to be

42:27there all the time I'm going to try my

42:29best to make what meetings I can. Um and

42:33yeah I just don't forget about me that's

42:35all.

42:35>> Yeah. Yeah, I know. Yeah, we will just

42:38as part of like, you know, group decorum

42:40and things like that, we'll work we'll

42:42work things out so everybody um you

42:44know, so everyone's voice can be heard.

42:46>> Um wonderful. Well, that was just um

42:50thank you all for sharing. Um sounds

42:52like a lot of um nice insight to the

42:55town and definitely a lot of nice spots

42:57to go. Um

43:00next slide, please. And I will say if

43:02you could turn in your sheets at the

43:03end, we would appreciate it. So we could

43:05actually see them and add them to our

43:07map.

43:09>> Yes, that would be great. And that's

43:10something that we can then, you know,

43:11share back out um with everyone and

43:14build upon um that, you know, that

43:17input. Okay. The master plan committee

43:20role, your role in the committee. This

43:22is really the heart of why you're here.

43:24Um, as it says on the slide, committee

43:26members will attend meetings, host

43:28public workshops, and and talk with

43:30residents about what they want to see in

43:31Shrewsbury's future. You're not just

43:33observers in this process. You're our

43:35ambassadors out in the community

43:37listening and bringing voices back to

43:39this table. Next slide.

43:44So, I think Chris gave a really great

43:46intro on a master plan, so bear with me

43:48if it's a little repetitive. Um, some

43:49parts of it might go a little bit more

43:51in detail now. Um but again, thanks

43:53Chris for laying the foundation for um

43:55the process we're undertaking. Um so

43:58what kind of plan are we building? Um a

44:00master plan, as you know, is a long-term

44:02plan that Massachusetts law encourages

44:04every municipality to have. Typically,

44:07they're updated every 10 to 20 years. Um

44:09it's a high level blueprint for what

44:11Shrewsbury wants to look like, roughly

44:1410, 20, 30 years from now and a guide

44:16for decisions along the way. Uh the

44:19process itself is also an opportunity

44:21for the community to come together and

44:23find common ground. Next slide.

44:30The process consists of about five broad

44:32phases. Uh first we look at where things

44:35stand today. Second we set a vis vision

44:38for the future. Third identify the key

44:40issues. Fourth set goals and policies.

44:44And fifth build an implementation plan.

44:47It isn't strictly linear. There will be

44:49research, public input, and decision

44:51making that will loop back on each other

44:53throughout this process.

44:56Next slide.

44:58Okay. What the plan covers. So, state

45:01law requires the plan to address 10

45:03elements. land use, housing, economic

45:06development, circulation, open space and

45:08recreation, natural and historic

45:10resources, community services and

45:12facilities, sustainability,

45:15um, goals and policies and

45:16implementation. Um, if this graphic

45:19looks familiar, it is because it is also

45:21on the town's master plan website. It

45:24represents the full scope of the plan

45:25and shows how each piece connects to the

45:28others. Next slide.

45:32So the first phase inventory and

45:33assessment means looking closely at

45:36where Shrewsbury stands today across

45:38those categories of land use, housing,

45:40the economy, natural resources and more.

45:43This is the foundation that the rest of

45:45the plan is built on. So we rely on the

45:48best available data and input from the

45:50community.

45:51Next slide.

45:54All right. Um, building on past work,

45:57the master plan is going to draw on

45:59information from many previous plans and

46:02studies undertaken, as well as some

46:04current efforts um, going on that could

46:06feed into it, such as the hazard

46:07mitigation plan, economic development

46:10special plan, housing production plan,

46:12open space and recreation plan, a

46:14strategic action plan, and the climate

46:17action and resiliency plan. And I

46:19believe Shrewsbury is also underway. Um,

46:21I'm sure there's more plans um that I'm

46:23not listing now, but also the municipal

46:25vulnerability preparedness uh 2.0 plan,

46:28which is um a relationship building um

46:31an extension of community engagement

46:33that um hopefully we'll be able to um

46:36find some synergy with if opportunity

46:38allows.

46:40Okay, next slide.

46:42Thank you.

46:44Setting a vision. So once we understand

46:47where the town stands today, we move to

46:49setting a vision. a statement of where

46:51Shrewsbury wants to be in the next 10 to

46:5320 years. The vision sets the overall

46:55direction. The goals for each element

46:58form the framework underneath it and the

47:00implementation plan is the road map that

47:02carries it out.

47:05Next slide.

47:09So just to get you acquainted, um this

47:11is the 2016 community vision. Um, just

47:14for reference, it describes a

47:16prosperous, attractive community with

47:18strong neighborhoods, good schools, a

47:20diverse local economy, and local

47:22government that supports quality of life

47:24and protects natural resources. Part of

47:27our work together here is determining

47:29whether this still holds true or whether

47:31Shrewsbury's vision for itself has

47:33changed.

47:35Next slide.

47:39All right. Identifying key issues from

47:42the inventory work. key issues will

47:44begin to surface. This phase focuses on

47:47identifying Shrewsbury's most pressing

47:49planning needs since not every topic

47:51carries the same level of urgency.

47:53Establishing priority here is what

47:55allows the implementation plan to be

47:57realistic and focused rather than a list

47:59too long to act on. Next slide.

48:05Once the key issues are identified, we

48:07can set clear goals and policies. Town

48:09staff and this committee will then work

48:11together to build an implementation

48:13program. Specific steps to carry those

48:16goals forward.

48:19Next step, I mean, next [clears throat]

48:21slide, please. Right. Here's an overview

48:23of the project schedule um for the

48:26months ahead. We're currently in the

48:28inventory and assessment phase. We'll be

48:31moving into visioning and key issues and

48:33opportunities in the upcoming months. Uh

48:36early next year, we'll set goals

48:38followed by the implementation plan in

48:40the spring with a final plan targeted

48:42for May um for May or June. This

48:44schedule includes two to three public

48:46workshops and we'll rely on the

48:48committee to help bring people to those

48:50and all other engagement um events that

48:52I'll touch a little bit more upon in a

48:55slide or so. Next slide.

48:59Okay. Project website. As some of you

49:02may or may not know, the town website

49:05for has a page for the master plan

49:07process which then also has a link um to

49:10a project website that um we are

49:13building out that we have started and

49:15are building out that will kind of um

49:16serve as the hub for all information for

49:20the master plan. There may be

49:21redundancies. The town master plan

49:23website may have also it too. But this

49:24will be one place that you can go to get

49:27all information um in terms of project

49:29timeline um in terms of past slide decks

49:33um for presentations can be um here as

49:36well as upcoming events. Um we'll also

49:39have some um online engagement which

49:41means for anybody who may not be able to

49:43come to an inerson event that we have um

49:46in the community. We'll try and have

49:48some component where folks can go to the

49:51project website and contribute input on

49:54um a question or two or like a mini

49:56short survey online so that we can

49:58broaden the um the outreach and

50:00engagement throughout the project. So

50:02you'll see here that there's a QR code.

50:04Uh we have flyers made that have begun

50:07to be I think distributed around town

50:09and they will basically be um directing

50:12everyone to this project website um

50:15throughout the course of the project.

50:19So please note the QR code, please note

50:22the link and we can follow up and have

50:24um Crystal Louise distribute this to the

50:26committee as well. Um, but one way to

50:29get started and get the word out is

50:30please, you know, note this, share it

50:32with your boards, your committees, and

50:34your networks so that it has a a

50:36following so that folks know where to go

50:39um to get more information and to stay

50:40involved in this process. Um, and I

50:42believe there's a way that they can um

50:45fill out an email to say, I'd like to

50:46stay involved, and they'll be getting um

50:48updates when new things are added.

50:52All right, next slide, please.

50:55Uh, community engagement plan.

50:57So the the engagement plan for this

50:59project um includes several components.

51:03Project website um which I just sort of

51:06gave an introduction to. Um short

51:07surveys, tableabling at community

51:09events, stakeholder interviews, um two

51:12to three um larger community forums and

51:15a final presentation of the plan. So no

51:17single method reaches everyone, which is

51:20why this committee is so important. You

51:22each have relationships and networks

51:24that our team doesn't have on its own.

51:26Um, and we're going to talk about that

51:28um, a little more in an activity to

51:31follow. But at this time, I'd like to

51:34take a few minutes to see if anybody has

51:36any questions.

51:40>> I have a question.

51:42Is [clears throat] it possible for us to

51:44see the or get get the 2016 plan?

51:49>> Yeah, I'll circulate that uh to the

51:51group um, probably this evening. I'll

51:53send that out so everyone has that.

51:55>> [clears throat]

51:55>> I'll send it by email.

51:57>> I I had one question. So, is the aim of

52:00this group to update the existing plan

52:02or create a new plan from scratch?

52:05>> A little bit of both. So, we we can use

52:06the the previous plan as somewhat of a

52:08basis. Um but again, I don't want to

52:10feel like we're beholdened to anything

52:13in that old plan. It can be very much

52:15new. That's what the direction of this

52:17group decides.

52:19>> I also have a question. Um I saw the

52:222016 plan referenced. It was like a

52:25vision for the next 20 years. What

52:27caused us to want to do a new one 10

52:30years later? And then what have we done

52:32to look back and like do an

52:34accountability check to see what we've

52:36done along the way so far to like meet

52:38our goals that we put in that plan?

52:41>> So I'll I'll take that. Typically um we

52:44do do that kind of process of reviewing

52:46the goals when we get to that section.

52:48um review the past goals and see where

52:50we are and see if you know what of those

52:52are still relevant, what of those have

52:53changed uh in the community. Uh in terms

52:57of why we're doing this uh earlier than

52:58the 20-year time frame, um you know, as

53:02kind of stated, they're typically from

53:0410 to 20 years um that these see as a as

53:07a framework. Um I think it's you know

53:10not news to anyone that Shrewsbury has

53:12seen a lot of changes within um just 10

53:14years um that I think our master plan

53:17probably didn't anticipate um fully and

53:19so we think that it's uh you know a good

53:22time uh we've been you know having

53:24conversations with residents seeing that

53:26there's a lot of change and a lot of

53:27input um and when we reference some of

53:29the things in the previous master plan

53:30they may not be as relevant as we'd like

53:32them to be um so and I think you know

53:36Stephen you spoke a little bit to you

53:37know planning board where we see this uh

53:40and we use this as a guiding document. A

53:41lot of decision- making and and

53:43residents come out to those meetings and

53:45are saying that the the projects that

53:46we're seeing that are being proposed are

53:48not necessarily aligned with um what the

53:50community's vision for those areas are.

53:52So, we need to take a more comprehensive

53:53look.

53:56>> Um I've got a tactical question. U is

54:00this document going to be made available

54:02to us? Is that going to be in the the

54:06folder that was

54:08communicated.

54:09>> Yeah, I'll share the slides and the

54:10previous plan uh by email and they'll

54:13we'll include them on the project page

54:15as well.

54:15>> And is there an expectation that

54:17materials will be made available in

54:19advance of meetings?

54:21>> Yeah. Yeah. This is the first one, but

54:23we'll uh as we have materials, we'll

54:24start, you know, we'll use that meeting

54:26folder. Um, so you'll see a new meeting

54:28will pop up and we'll drop materials in

54:30there and I'll email when we have, you

54:33know, the bulk of materials ready for

54:34people to review as well, so you're not

54:37having to monitor too too closely.

54:44>> Okay.

54:46>> Okay.

54:48>> Um,

54:49great. Thank you everyone. Um so the

54:52next slide um is going to lead us to an

54:56activity of the I just named community

54:59connections. So this will allow us to

55:01kind of visually see um who's in the

55:04room and then where some of your

55:06connections are to to have an

55:07opportunity to give that a little

55:08thought. Um meaning um Kushelle I don't

55:12know if you're able to share that

55:13document and I can be typing here

55:16remotely to fill it in. Um, if you're

55:19able to share the network document,

55:45>> Oh, thank you so much. Um, so what this

55:49is is just a very basic um spreadsheet

55:52worksheet that has the committee members

55:54names and the um the organization or

55:57entity you're representing or if at

55:59large. Um and then going out to the

56:01right in the boxes, we were just going

56:04to fill in um sort of off the top of

56:07your head any networks organizations to

56:09allow us to kind of see um the

56:12involvement and um also then afterwards

56:15maybe identify any gaps that of

56:18organizations or um demographics or

56:21people in town that are maybe not

56:23naturally um a connection so that we can

56:26be sure to include that in our

56:28engagement efforts. um to identify ways

56:30to um make sure communication, words,

56:34invitations, all that kind of stuff um

56:36is um intentionally bringing different

56:39perspectives and voices into this

56:41process.

56:43So, um Ken, maybe we'll start with you

56:46instead of being last if you want to um

56:49share uh different um groups in town.

56:53And again, you you can think of things

56:55after today too of this one spot, but I

56:57know somebody um you know mentioned uh

57:00St. Mary's, there's of folks who have

57:03children in town. Um you know, all the

57:05different things. So, anything like

57:06that. It's like an organization um or a

57:09group that's sort of part of your

57:10natural network. It could be a book club

57:12also, things like that. You can just

57:14start listing them out and see see where

57:16we go.

57:17>> Can I just jump in Jill for a sec?

57:19>> Yes, of course, Judy. Yes. Yes. Part of

57:20why we try to do this is to get a

57:22picture of how integrated the committee

57:24is in the community. So if we kind of

57:27know what your sort of main affiliations

57:29are, whether it's your church or

57:30something else, we can then sort of look

57:32at so how fanned out is this group

57:35relative to all the different things

57:36that go on in the community. It affects

57:39the engagement plan when we need to be

57:41thinking about who's missing. So that's

57:43why we're asking you these questions.

57:45just try to get a snapshot of who are

57:48you guys and who are you connected to

57:53>> I'm done jail [laughter]

57:55>> y no thank you I I you said that

57:58beautifully thank you and if anybody

58:00wants to um jump in you can just say who

58:02you are and then we can take it from

58:03there

58:06>> yeah sure the gentleman at UMass go

58:09first y

58:12>> Ken do you want to go First,

58:17>> I don't know if you guys can hear me

58:19right now. I'm dealing with the

58:20difficulties with my laptop, so give me

58:22a minute. Sorry about that.

58:24>> Okay,

58:32>> we have three Rotary Club members here.

58:34We've got that. [laughter]

58:36>> We have three Rotary Club members here.

58:38>> Oh, this is good.

58:39>> Yeah. So, myself, Shannon, Nicole,

58:43So, since Jill's up there trying to type

58:45this in, when you say something, can you

58:46just say who you are again?

58:47>> Oh, sure. I'm Beth.

58:49>> So, Beth is Rotary.

58:53>> Okay. Shannon.

58:54>> Shannon's Rotary.

58:58>> Nicole.

58:59>> And

58:59>> Jen, is that you typing in?

59:01>> Yes.

59:02>> Thank you so much.

59:04>> Nicole is Rotary as well.

59:06>> You're on this. I thought Jill was doing

59:07this.

59:08>> Small.

59:08>> Have at it, kiddo.

59:09>> Well, I can see you guys. [laughter] I

59:11don't know if you can see everyone. So,

59:13>> um I'm Michelle. I'm involved in scout

59:16groups in town.

59:23>> Um

59:24I have a son who goes to St. John's and

59:27just were involved at the school quite a

59:29bit. So obviously that's multiple towns.

59:33So

59:34>> cover that.

59:36>> So I'm Vicram. Uh I do have some inroads

59:39into ISW, the Indian Society of

59:42Worcester. Um they have an office here

59:44in Shrewsbury. I can leverage that.

59:54I'm Caroline and I'm a member of the

59:57Shrewsbury Schools Music Association and

59:59then I also have some connections within

1:00:01Little League, Shrewsbury um basketball

1:00:04association, Shrewsbury youth soccer,

1:00:10>> kids sports.

1:00:11>> Kids sports and music.

1:00:13>> Good.

1:00:13>> Yep.

1:00:16>> Kids Special Olympics Massachusetts.

1:00:20I my son has been involved for 20 years.

1:00:24So I have I can get into them and the

1:00:28Shrewsbury group and see what's going on

1:00:30there.

1:00:30>> Super.

1:00:31>> I don't know if if religion and churches

1:00:34figure in.

1:00:36>> Um

1:00:39St. Mary's and St. An's I I know people

1:00:41everywhere and I'm with the Knights of

1:00:43Columbus. So I can engage that too if

1:00:46that makes sense to the group.

1:00:51I'm Nicole. My daughter does valet at a

1:00:54little school in town in Girl Scouts.

1:00:56Um, and by virtue of what I do for work,

1:00:58I know a lot of real estate agents that

1:01:00do business in town.

1:01:06>> Um, Kathy Flynn. I'm a member of the um,

1:01:11Friends of the Shrewsbury Public

1:01:12Library.

1:01:14Um, I have a child at the Shrewsbury

1:01:19High School.

1:01:21Um,

1:01:24member of the Democratic Town Committee.

1:01:32>> Great.

1:01:32>> Thank you.

1:01:34>> A lot of us are also town meeting

1:01:36members. Okay.

1:01:37>> I don't have a distribution list, but I

1:01:39have kind of like a a group chat with my

1:01:41neighbors in my precinct. So, precinct

1:01:44nine. [snorts]

1:01:45>> Okay.

1:01:48>> A lot of us are also parents of kids in

1:01:51various

1:01:51>> pick a sporting

1:01:52>> elementary, middle, and high school. And

1:01:54yeah, I think we cover a lot of sports

1:01:57in this room, too.

1:01:59>> Yes. Um, this is Shannon.

1:02:00>> Yeah. I graduated I'm sorry. I don't

1:02:03mean to cut anybody off. I graduated

1:02:04from Shrewsbury High School uh two years

1:02:06ago. Um, I played various sports at the

1:02:10high school. Um,

1:02:15yeah, that's that's all we have to do

1:02:16right now.

1:02:19>> Um, this is Shannon Wall. I uh was

1:02:22formerly the president of the Spring

1:02:23Street School PTO, but have inroads into

1:02:27um all of the elementary school PTO's

1:02:30because of that relationship.

1:02:32>> Uh, and I also have a child at Sherwood

1:02:35Middle School, so um connections there.

1:02:40um as well as some of the sports like uh

1:02:43field hockey, softball, karate. So from

1:02:47communities

1:02:48athletics perspective,

1:02:51it's Nicole again. I should have also

1:02:52added that we haven't appointed the

1:02:54student yet, but we have identified the

1:02:56student rep. Um so at our next Yes, at

1:02:58our next I believe he may be in the

1:03:00room. Um at our next meeting on the

1:03:0223rd, he will be appointed.

1:03:04>> Excellent.

1:03:05>> So the high school will be represented.

1:03:07>> Excellent.

1:03:09This is Leah. I know St. Mary's and St.

1:03:11Ans was already mentioned, but I also

1:03:14have connections there as well.

1:03:18>> Steve, my kids played youth sports

1:03:22uh through uh high school. My son went

1:03:25to St. John's.

1:03:26>> My daughter went to St. Marks, but they

1:03:28they all participated in the Shbury

1:03:30Youth Leagues, AYF, field hockey, Shbury

1:03:34Youth Lacrosse. My wife held elective

1:03:37office. I feel like I've walked every I

1:03:39knocked on every door in this town over

1:03:42the past 30 years. So I I know people uh

1:03:47not necessarily part of any organized

1:03:49group.

1:03:52>> Is this just for specific to Shreberry

1:03:56groups?

1:03:57>> Yeah, because we're thinking about

1:03:59community engagement is part of what

1:04:00this is about.

1:04:01>> Yep. I have connections with folks that

1:04:04are on uh the tipping point group that

1:04:07um it's a group of residents that focus

1:04:10on um sustainability issues community.

1:04:13So

1:04:14>> great.

1:04:17>> It's it's Doug and I said St. Mary's

1:04:20community earlier. Um and I had lacrosse

1:04:25kids and running kids and

1:04:29>> uh musical kids.

1:04:31even though they're older and you know

1:04:34but it's it's still a connection.

1:04:38>> Yeah. I was wondering about like arts

1:04:40and culture sort of connections art

1:04:42association or something like that.

1:04:44Anybody here?

1:04:45>> Do we have an art association in Shbury?

1:04:48>> Oh, some at the schools.

1:04:51>> There must be some

1:04:53>> not in the room but I mean we have one

1:04:55in town.

1:04:57>> Somebody know

1:04:58>> there's an artistic person somewhere.

1:05:02Maybe one of us with the connections to

1:05:04the schools could engage with one of

1:05:06like the art teachers at the high school

1:05:08or the middle school

1:05:10[clears throat]

1:05:12>> other than real estate. I haven't heard

1:05:14a whole lot of business networks or

1:05:17connections

1:05:19>> and and when when I was working I was

1:05:21working in Connecticut so my my work

1:05:24network is not here.

1:05:26>> No, there's connections with town center

1:05:28association. Um I don't know. I mean our

1:05:33planning department engages with Lakeway

1:05:36Business District and um the town

1:05:39center,

1:05:41right? Those are the two

1:05:43>> but I didn't know you probably had them

1:05:44on your focus group.

1:05:47>> Yeah.

1:05:48>> Great list, right? So [clears throat] um

1:05:52>> yeah. Um I mean through the town center

1:05:54association there's you know a certain

1:05:56number of business owners that are

1:05:57>> chamber of commerce chamber of commerce

1:06:02>> good connections with metro west 495

1:06:04partnership

1:06:05>> which is [clears throat]

1:06:06kind of like a quasi chamber of

1:06:07commerce. Yeah.

1:06:08>> Yeah.

1:06:09>> My my wife is very active in the chamber

1:06:11numbers, so I can

1:06:13>> that's helpful to know.

1:06:14>> Well, yeah, like the Worcester regional

1:06:15like we can

1:06:17>> Yeah. both Worcester and

1:06:20whatever the route.

1:06:21>> Yeah.

1:06:22>> Okay.

1:06:24>> What about um the senior center and

1:06:27meals on wheels?

1:06:29Just trying to think like age

1:06:31demographics.

1:06:37I think a good committee to ask because

1:06:40I know because we went through this

1:06:41exercise. I was a part of the 300th

1:06:44anniversary celebration committee prior.

1:06:46We did this exact exercise and have a

1:06:48there is a master spreadsheet somewhere

1:06:51that I think we could get from them. So

1:06:52when we're looking at outreach

1:06:54>> that's really helpful to know.

1:06:55>> It's huge. And we actually have a master

1:06:57list of the businesses in town which

1:07:00would be helpful too.

1:07:02There are also a lot of social media

1:07:04groups that have come up and and they're

1:07:06very engaged in town issues. So, uh

1:07:09that's something we could also leverage.

1:07:16>> I wonder a lot of you in your locations

1:07:18around town mentioned um conservation

1:07:21areas um which I'm assuming are mostly

1:07:24town owned. Um but I wonder if there are

1:07:25any outdoor groups that haven't been

1:07:29mentioned. We have a trails committee

1:07:31that's an official town committee. Um I

1:07:34know a lot of the folks on that and

1:07:37>> the gu there's a Shrewbury Garden Club

1:07:39as well. It's a good one.

1:07:43>> And there's um Friends of Prospect Park

1:07:45as well, which is one of our outdoor one

1:07:48of our parks. Um and they do a lot of

1:07:50work over there. I

1:07:51>> I do know several people that are on

1:07:53that group, too.

1:08:00Is there any connection with like the um

1:08:03commission or committee on disabilities

1:08:05or any I mean that could be something

1:08:07that we're just intentional about if

1:08:09there's not a natural connection in the

1:08:10group.

1:08:26So, we we do have a commission on

1:08:28disabilities in town. Um, we could

1:08:31definitely they would be somebody that

1:08:33we would re reach out to. There's a few

1:08:35other of our committees would be useful

1:08:38having, you know, getting input from

1:08:40them.

1:08:41>> Is there a standard practice of just

1:08:44when you do a master plan in town,

1:08:45everybody on every town appointed

1:08:47committee gets contacted in some way?

1:08:50>> Depends on the town. I mean, it's a good

1:08:52practice.

1:08:53And if you got them, you might as well.

1:08:55>> And then like town departments like

1:08:57employees like the police department,

1:08:59the fire department, like all that that

1:09:00all all the teachers like

1:09:03>> just curious.

1:09:06>> I think the the question we wrestle with

1:09:08in this activity is if we say to all of

1:09:10you, you are the ambassadors for this

1:09:12project and we need you to help with

1:09:13outreach, who are you going to connect

1:09:15with? That's sort of

1:09:17>> that's kind of what this is about. But

1:09:19but if we can create that big and even

1:09:21steal from list, we can either

1:09:24>> put our initials there or we can

1:09:26identify gaps and we can figure out how

1:09:28to

1:09:29>> Great idea.

1:09:29>> So

1:09:31>> yeah, there's a lot of organizations

1:09:33that I know of people or have inroads

1:09:35to, but I'm not actively involved with.

1:09:38So it's

1:09:39>> got it. I didn't list them, but you

1:09:41know,

1:09:41>> that's fine.

1:09:42>> Yeah. Nope. Understood.

1:09:45But two or three degrees of separation,

1:09:47we could probably get to everybody.

1:09:50>> That's a good thing.

1:09:51>> Yeah. You give me a QR code, I will take

1:09:53those flyers everywhere with me.

1:09:55[laughter]

1:09:58>> Terrific. This is this is great. I

1:09:59really appreciate everybody um

1:10:01>> yeah,

1:10:01>> you know, thinking through this and uh

1:10:03giving just you know what comes to mind,

1:10:05what you know of. This is this is really

1:10:06helpful. Thank you, Jen and Kushall for

1:10:09um handling the technology there. Um on

1:10:12that end, appreciate it. Um, I think we

1:10:14can go now to the last slide

1:10:19or I think it's the last or second last

1:10:21slide.

1:10:27Um,

1:10:32right. Okay. The closing activity. Um,

1:10:36so what as part of the engagement plan,

1:10:39um, we are planning on doing a question

1:10:42of the month. Um and the first one um

1:10:46and some of you maybe hit a on some of

1:10:49your introductions you know maybe your

1:10:50um you know mind or your words that you

1:10:52shared with us then is somewhat related

1:10:54um but anyway you have time to think

1:10:56about this now you do not need to do it

1:10:58now um this question of the month is

1:11:00posted on the website that we shared

1:11:02with the QR code um goes to and Chris

1:11:05will include in his follow-up email um

1:11:08to you um the question of the month this

1:11:10month is in five words or less what

1:11:12would you like the master plan to

1:11:13address. Um, and if we can um get input

1:11:17from this committee and from the public

1:11:20um in the upcoming weeks on this, that

1:11:22will be a a very good thing to help um

1:11:25ensure that um we're hearing people and

1:11:28working toward addressing those things

1:11:31in the master plan. Um

1:11:34so the last slide um I think says set

1:11:38the next meeting date. Um, we I don't

1:11:41know if we are actually able to set the

1:11:43next meeting date tonight. Chris, I

1:11:45might turn this over to you, but um I

1:11:47just want to thank everybody for being

1:11:48here um and the time for committing to

1:11:51this process. Uh we would like to set a

1:11:53meeting schedule so everybody can mark

1:11:55it on their calendars for the months

1:11:56ahead. Um we have talked to town staff

1:12:00um the consultant team and based on

1:12:02already scheduled um board and committee

1:12:05meetings um it was suggested that maybe

1:12:08a Wednesday um could work. We'd meet

1:12:11roughly monthly and so um the first

1:12:14Wednesday of each month is a

1:12:16possibility. Um but we can work with the

1:12:18town planning staff to iron that out. Um

1:12:21and I'll kind of defer to Chris as to be

1:12:24how to best iron that out with

1:12:25everybody. um so that we can get you the

1:12:27details of the next meeting and build

1:12:29out a a calendar, you know, for the

1:12:31months ahead that you can um plan on. Um

1:12:34we realize that not everybody um may be

1:12:36able to attend every meeting. Um you

1:12:38know, that's normal, but sometimes if

1:12:40it's in people's calendars, um it helps

1:12:42for the planning and you know, avoiding

1:12:45conflicts um when possible.

1:12:47>> Um

1:12:49>> so I'll I'll take a I'll take a first

1:12:51crack at that just in case. Does the

1:12:53first Wednesday of the month work for no

1:12:56committee

1:12:57>> school?

1:12:58>> Okay.

1:12:59>> Sorry.

1:13:00>> We have planning.

1:13:00>> You need your chair sometime.

1:13:02>> Thursday.

1:13:03>> I don't want to be here.

1:13:05>> We didn't decide when yet. They're

1:13:06working.

1:13:07>> Does the last Wednesday of the month

1:13:09>> start at the wall?

1:13:11>> Then we run into holidays though, don't

1:13:12we? Or no,

1:13:13>> probably.

1:13:14>> Yeah. Thanksgiving and Christmas.

1:13:17>> How about the third one?

1:13:18[cough and clears throat]

1:13:19>> Second. I could do the second like

1:13:22October 14th.

1:13:26>> There's no spoken

1:13:31>> and I think certainly there may be times

1:13:33where you have a conflict but it's just

1:13:35we're just looking for something that is

1:13:36not a yes it always also meets that

1:13:40date. So just generally if you can meet

1:13:43on

1:13:44>> I think Wednesday the second Wednesday

1:13:47>> that's what we're looking for right now

1:13:49at least

1:13:51>> second Wednesday of November is Veterans

1:13:53Day.

1:13:55>> Yeah. But just on a general

1:13:57>> we can we can move for holidays.

1:14:01>> Are we looking at monthly meetings?

1:14:06>> Got to put you to work

1:14:08>> and they're in person.

1:14:12We can do remote if needed, but

1:14:15>> prefer it first.

1:14:17>> Could we also get a list of actions or

1:14:19anything we have to do so we're ready

1:14:20for the next meeting?

1:14:22>> Sure.

1:14:22>> While we're

1:14:26>> I guess so second Wednesday

1:14:29>> for right now

1:14:36>> maybe. I don't know. [clears throat]

1:14:39>> Okay. Well, the first action and we can

1:14:41send a followup. I appreciate whoever

1:14:43requested um marching orders and list of

1:14:46actions. We know your lives are full

1:14:48outside of this committee and we also

1:14:50want to respect that, but we also

1:14:52appreciate your engagement and interest

1:14:53in this process. So, definitely go to

1:14:55the website and answer that question of

1:14:58what you would like the master plan um

1:15:00to address um and then we can roll out

1:15:03some more assignments. But that that's

1:15:05the first action.

1:15:10Okay, Kushaw, you could take down the

1:15:12slides if you'd like.

1:15:16And again, thank you all so much for

1:15:20u meeting in person and allowing some of

1:15:22us to join remotely. We really

1:15:23appreciate it. Chris, I'll let you

1:15:26adjourn or I'll let the chair, I guess,

1:15:28adjurnn.

1:15:28>> Are we ready to adjurnn?

1:15:30>> I believe so.

1:15:30>> Okay. Can I have a motion to adjurnn?

1:15:32>> So moved.

1:15:33>> Second.

1:15:33>> Second.

1:15:34>> All in favor?

1:15:36>> We're adjourned. Thank you

1:15:37>> again. If you could just