BOARD OF SELECTMAN
MAY 13, 2019
Page 1 of 2
APPROVED
Attendance: First
Selectwoman Derrylyn Gorski, Selectman Clark Hurlburt, Selectman Donald Shea
Visitors: John
Paul Garcia, Jennie Turner, Eric Frieden, Attorney Kevin McSherry
First Selectwoman Gorski called the meeting of the Board
of Selectmen to order at 7:30 p.m. The
meeting was held in the Selectmen’s Conference Room of the Bethany Town
Hall.
APPROVAL OF
MINUTES
First Selectwoman Gorski called for a motion of approval
for the minutes of April 30, 2019. The
motion of approval was moved by Selectman Hurlburt. Selectman Shea seconded the motion. The vote was called. There were two votes to approve the minutes
that of Selectman Hurlburt and First Selectwoman Gorski. Selectman Shea
abstained because of his absence from that meeting.
PROPOSED
DRAINAGE FOR 202 POLE HILL ROAD
The proposed drainage for 202 Pole Hill Road was tabled
for lack of information from the Town Engineer.
ESTABLISH
SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE FOR POET LAUREATE PROGRAM ARTS & CULTURAL DISTRICT
FOR TOWN OF
BETHANY
Jenny Turner attended this Selectmen’s meeting with the
following information:
To
the Board of Selectmen of Bethany, CT May 10, 2019
The
Clark Memorial Library, with a grant-writing consultant provided by the town of
Bethany, learned
that
one of Bethany residents' chief problems is loneliness. As a member of the
Bethany Library Association,
Sustainable
Bethany, and the Amity Regional School board, I see how many talented and
dedicated
people are working to deepen our sense of connection to one another in our
small town.
Yet
many people remain unaware of our resources, and we miss chances to make more
of what we
have.
To help address these problems, and to codify collaborative efforts already
underway, I request
that
the Bethany Board of Selectmen:
1.
Establish a Poet Laureate for the town of Bethany.
- The Poet Laureate Program requires no funding from the
Town.
-
Teachers at AMSB and ARHS have volunteered to judge the competition.
-
Poets could give readings at arts sites in town, supporting Bethany writers and
building
community
feeling.
- The
Bethany Library has invested in a book-publishing program for residents - if we
had
enough
entries, we could print a collection for each year the competition ran.
- I
would like to have several age divisions to encourage participation and
cross-generational
connection.
2.
Establish a Arts and Culture District for Bethany.
- The Arts and Culture District requires no funding from the
Town.
-
This district at founding would include the Clark
Memorial Library, Bethany Community
School, Amity Middle School - Bethany, and the Bethany
Historical Society.
- We
want to promote the arts with exhibits at the various sites, readings from Poet
Laureates,
and
promoting town cultural events and resources.
- We
would like to develop a central town event calendar so people learned of town
events
and
also can avoid conflicts in planning new ones. We are researching ways we might
be able
to do
this in a free but easy to use and moderated way. We would like to know if the
Town is
exploring
a similar service.
- The
District would be what residents want to make of it. If people are interested
and the Poet
program
is successful, we could expand into other types of arts competitions,
recognitions,
and
community events.
A
Poet Laureate Program and a Bethany Arts and Culture District will help town
cultural institutions
collaborate,
support our talented residents, and provide cross-generational events to
increase our
sense
of community connection. Arts districts can increase community pride; possibly
increase economic
activity
with people buying art and coming to Bethany for shows; beautify and animate
the
town;
attract residents; complement nearby businesses; enhance property values;
attract community-
minded
residents; and contribute to a creative, innovative environment.
Respectfully
submitted,
Jenny
Turner, Sustainable Bethany
After receiving this information and discussing it a motion was moved
by Selectman Shea and Selectman Hurlburt to establish this program for Bethany
since there would be benefits at no cost to the Town. The vote taken was unanimous.
ANY OTHER
MATTER PROPER TO COME BEFORE THE MEETING
Dan Murphy of Country Lane has requested that speed bumps
be installed on Country Lane due to excessive speed by people traveling on
it. Country Lane is a short road in the
Bethany Farms development. The Selectmen
discussed the matter but determined more investigation would have to take place
for them to recommend this action.
ADJOURNMENT
Adjournment was called at 7:40 p.m. after a motion was
moved by Selectman Hurlburt and seconded by Selectman Shea. The vote taken was unanimous.
Respectfully
submitted,
June
G. Riley
Secretary,
Board of Selectmen
