Westport News

September 24, 2009 Regular Meeting Minutes

Members present: Elaine Ostroff, Michael Ouimet, Stanley Cornwall, Dick Squire, Selena Howard   Members absent: none

Call to Order: A quorum being present, Chairperson Elaine Ostroff called the meeting to order at 10:30am in the Town Hall meeting room.

Minutes: The Chair read the minutes of the 8-20-09 meeting. On a motion by Stanley Cornwall, seconded by Elaine Ostroff, members unanimously approved the minutes as presented.  

Agenda: The Chair read today’s agenda items: 1) complete the Commission’s election of officers, 2) continue the discussion of Commission priorities, 3) reconsider the meeting calendar, and 4) discuss public promotion of the Commission and its activities. No changes were requested.

Commission organization: The Chair read the Bylaws description of the duties of Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. It was moved by Dick Squire and seconded by Mike Ouimet to appoint Stanley Cornwall as Vice Chair. The vote was unanimous. It was moved by Stanley Cornwall and seconded by Selena Howard to appoint Mike Ouimet as Secretary. The vote was unanimous. It was moved by Stanley Cornwall and seconded by Dick Squire to appoint Mike Ouimet as Treasurer. The vote was unanimous.

Discussion: There was a brief discussion regarding the Commission’s ability to raise funds and accept tax-deductible donations. The Chair stated that the Commission could raise and expend funds and that the Town Accountant would maintain accounts for that purpose. The Chair suggested forwarding tax-deductible donations to her attention to ensure proper processing. There was also discussion concerning the Town’s tax-exempt status. The Chair pointed out that when members make reimbursable purchases they should use the Town's TE#, as the Town will not reimburse sales taxes on Town purchases.

Meeting Calendar: The Chair reviewed the meetings dates as voted at the last meeting. There were no requests for changes.

Press Releases: The Chair thanked Stanley Cornwall for compiling a list of deadline and publication dates for area newspapers to facilitate submission of press releases and notices. The Chair stated that she would develop a format for press releases.  

Priorities: The Chair asked members to identify actions that could be taken to further the Commission’s goals as listed in the brochure. Suggestions included:
·         Encourage public awareness: prepare regular press releases, develop a clear identity by having a logo such as the “Westport Without Barriers” theme suggested by Stanley Cornwall, hold an event(s) such as the strawberry shortcake fundraiser mentioned by Stanley Cornwall, circulate flyers with the calendar of meeting dates, update the brochure, include a Community Input segment as a regular agenda item at each meeting, and use the internet effectively to gather information and input.
·         Identify Concerns of Westport residents with disabilities: Put out member contact information, get a blog going, set up an email account, utilize the department mailbox system to communicate with other town boards and committees
·         Work in cooperation with Town department and agencies to bring about maximum participation of people with disabilities: possibly meet with the Beach Committee, maintain contact with Library, Highway Department, and Council on Aging. Selena Howard agreed to be the contact for the COA. It was agreed to do more thinking about this goal and continue the discussion at a subsequent meeting.

Other Matters:
Pursuant to Elaine’s suggestion to include a Public Comment segment at each meeting beginning with our next meeting, it was moved by Stanley Cornwall and seconded by Selena Howard to move our meeting time up to 10am. The motion passed 5-0-0.
There was a brief discussion concerning the Commission’s role pursuant to the placement of parking placards. The Chair suggested that the placard placement is within the Commission’s purview and she will include this on an upcoming agenda.

Member comments and input:
Stanley Cornwall mentioned that there is a missing rail on the Annex ramp. Stanley also stated that volunteer recruitment should be a priority and that a “Friends of..” might be a way to organize that. He also discussed the Project Center grass roots organization that he had been involved with and that continues to grow.
Elaine wondered whether the people who were on the Planning Group should be included in email notices. It was agreed to hold off until minutes are approved.

Adjournment: Having no further business, it was moved by Selena Howard and seconded by Stanley Cornwall to adjourn the meeting at 12:00noon. The vote was unanimous.