you are you are live okay I'm going read this this is to formally advise that as matched La Chapter 30 sections 18 to 25 an act relative to extending certain covid-19 measures adopted during the state of emergency and as amended as extended by chapter 2 of the acts of 2023 the yth community and economic development committee will hold the public hearing excuse me public meeting on Tuesday April 9th at 20 April 9th 2024 at 5:00 p.m at the Town Hall offices 1146 throughout 28 South Yarmouth the public is welcome to attend either in person or via the alternative Public Access provided to the on the notice of meeting available on the town of Yarmouth website all right so we're going to do a roll call start off with Mr Gibbs good evening or good afternoon how are you all good good afternoon Joe how are you hang in there good Danielle nuk Joseph Man Steve O'Neal we're all here uh Joel thanks for coming uh first meeting up is Karen the town meeting prep for the April 23d 2024 meeting with the board of selectman yeah so um in your packet I put together a number of materials related to town meeting which is scheduled for 6:00 on uh April 30th um and that's at the uh Intermediate School on Station Avenue um so article 27 the the warrant's been drafted um and includes uh the article that the committee recommended um it's article number 27 so I just printed out the the one page uh for you from the warrant itself the warrant will be um posted online shortly um just looking at the article it's it's very standard it uh gives the committee recommended breakdown of the tourism Revenue preservation fund uh by category totaling the amounts um that are equal to the estimates we got uh working with the finance department based on uh last year's hotel motel and meals tax um the next set of materials are the blue uh PowerPoint slides that will be shown at town meeting um these are really just the article text and then the explanation as printed in the warrant so it's just kind of uh reiterating what's been said um on the there's also some slides um with a couple of photographs that help to illustrate some of how the funding has been used um and it itemizes um by Bullet a number of the different projects that have been funded that's the material that will be shared with town meeting the next set of materials are just things that I put together for you all to have um as backup should there be questions um on any of the funds so um the first page is the um fund calculation and some history sometimes people ask how much money you know do you generally get how much money has gone cumulatively just trying to anticipate the uh the regular questions that come out um the next two pages um I went back through the minutes and the discussion around um the funding allocations um and just provided some language to help you all remember what you discussed um and why you opted to fund things at different levels so um I don't know if you want to go through those Steve if you just want to read them it's up to you guys yeah just quickly um okay that's first one is 15 first one is 15 and that's for administrative costs to cover staff and salaries um and we make the note that uh funding generally covers 50% of the economic development coordinator position and since we've had a vacancy in the position position uh you're not kind of budgeting the full amount you're carrying forward um a fair amount of money that is more than adequate to offset the costs of that position um $150,000 for um special events and I just make note there that historically you'd always funded it the committee has always funded it around $100,000 and FY 24 which is this current fisc year um you would bump it up to 140 and um you see fit to bump it up even further for uh next year um and I made note here just you know how are you reviewing these things um you just you review them by the committee and that you've been looking at the um the program itself I don't know if you want to talk more about that um next one $228,000 uh for marketing um this one sometimes draws attention so I give you the breakdown of what the current contract is with the chamber and what those buckets include and how much funding is set aside for each bucket um those being online marketing traditional marketing uh visitor Services events those categories it's important to note those are all direct costs so the chamber is um conducting you you know they're they're doing their job that's the flat fee that's the last category but anything they're buying they're buying event stuff they're buying marketing those are all direct costs that are incurred by the chamber and then reimbursed by the town uh 109,8 yes before you go forward uh sand sculpture tril where's that it is not mentioned Joe we can add that in I mean so the four five yeah that's in the budget for sure but it's you're right it's not in the um all included under marketing I think that's where you yeah took most of the money from this year the total the total of these five items I'll throw in the total it's 191 655 okay so but I'll I'll make that more clear yes but I'll add a blur about the sculpture is that paid for out of the next the next contract we we don't have the next contract so we can include that in the next contract I think that at your next meeting you should talk about the next contract this is kind of what did you do last summer retrospective look at the 220 right okay understood because they have okay this is just how do how have you been using this this money and how do you plan to use it so you did bump it up but then this detail it's uh the current chamber contract is comprised of XYZ um good and we bumped it up because it was a 10-month contract right and so we needed to increase it to you bumped it up for that reason but you bumped it up also because the costs were going up fa um and then you added couple of new um chamber took on some new roles things like the banners um they have the event uh consultant that they've hired that was a $20,000 Standalone item that's part of this contract and then um I think a couple of new new events kind of newer return events They're bringing back the taste of Yarmouth and then there's they're looking at an art and wine festival I think yeah serves just one other question the difference between the 228 and the 191 655 what is that the 228 for marketing so the numbers that are um so we've called out the 15,000 the 150 the 228 is what you're budgeting for FY 25 all I said was that the current chamber cont I so then the 228 is used for marketing and we generally contract with the Chamber of Commerce okay the current chamber contract is 19165 okay okay so good okay um the 109 785 is for public improvements and uh I just give you the blur that's the legislation mandates that a minimum of 20% of the total appropriation be used for that your fy20 allocation is just that the 20% um and that you'll utilize these for special projects and we'll continue to work with Town departments um and I gave some uh mention to old things and this is I did have the sand culure there because it's been all over the place yeah I'm just noticing off drops off in fiscal 24 doesn't look like it it got looks like it got rolled in at some point and now it might need to roll back out I don't know was the 228 is I mean just probably insufficient yeah the sand sculpture trail that you um you budgeted for this year um you added $40,000 and the 40 came from three different categories you cleaned out the allocated y you took some I'd have to pull up the spreadsheet um all right so some came from the economic development projects and then you cleaned out the balance in the unallocated marketing so it's always remained a separate item it's always been a a standalone but we could certainly try to fold it into the contract um given that it's a signature event I I think that it would be smart to um need to Ren where it gets pulled from going forward too right because now we don't have unallocated or any other leftovers to pull and we've only added 10 grand to special events if we're going to call it a special event or going to call it marketing we need to but I don't think the chamber's going to be doing it if we don't fund it no but you so I think that you have some flexibility because it's a bit squishy okay right and You' you've in the past funded it from physical improvements you have funded it from marketing and just recently you funded it from Economic Development projects okay so yeah right yeah squishy I like it we have that squishy that's that's a technical but the chamber cont just side note the chamber contract is coming up for renewal because it'll we need a new contract in place um it's not necessarily a new RFP but we can opt to extend it but we will need to talk about level of funding and what I was planning on doing is asking the chamber for a um you know what what is their anticipated program for fiscal 25 and I'd like to um kind of get that done probably in May early May MH you know we could do that for the um the meeting on the 14th okay and I'll just give uh the chamber a heads up if that work for you yeah kind TI into item number two so then the so the only other thing I noticed noted here um was kind of your most recent process that you used for the um public Improvement funds and that you worked with Town staff and you looked for things that were consistent with other planning efforts um so and just called out the upgrades to the Sandy Pond invasive species and additional funding for the Riverwalk and Boardwalk Park and Sandy pwn got bathrooms got they got um painted out of that too right that's right yep it was it wasn't upgrades really to the for this to be more clear it should be the bathroom at Sandy pond because you're funding the tourism funds weren't used for the equipment that was Community preservation sorry I guess the only thing I would add to that because we were big bugaboos on that is the the reason we recommended funding for those projects was because they were tied to something else tied to a plan pre-existing plan yeah well I said that's I said identified projects consistent with ongoing planning efforts and with other leverage funds is that adequate y yeah okay if you and and I'm happy if you want to make any edits we can do that for town meeting I just wanted to put this together to get it done I like it's squishy yeah all right and then last but not least is the 46140 for economic development projects um so and then the next I gave you a rundown of special events by calendar year and I really the last if I go back to 2010 the the font is so small because there's a lot of events that um and I think it would be fun to look at um some of the old events that happened were really pretty good and if people wanted to bring them back there there was a um one of my favorites was Woodies on the green and they had those Cap Cod Woody cars um up in yarmouthport it was a cool event it was I think it was Lee Lee Marshon did it I think the realtor wasn't it largely a Boy Scout those I'm not remembering that those Racers no that's the that's the uh something we talking we didn't do Boy Scouts I canons Woodies are the um the old cars yeah with the wood paneling got cards um but anyways so but I I tallied for all of the different events the requests the awards the number of awards and what the average would be so yep and then you have an updated budget um in the packet as well so because sometimes those questions uh can come up at so um just a curious question here anything on clto he anything so I met I had a very nice meeting with Sam um can you remind me his last name Bard Bernard Bernard Bernard Bernard um who is uh working with the Smith family um and he kind of gave me every indication that things are moving forward they had lined up um some professional uh contracts to uh help facilitate the event um I encouraged him strongly to kind of get some site plans into the town so that we can start looking at it not yet met with I'm very optimistic okay not that I'm aware of okay um I can tell you too that um the pirate festival is moving forward again yeah after a little break he was looking at um a private location on Route 28 as well but um he's got all his paperwork in did have the meeting with Town staff yeah he's pretty thorough wor him just that these new guys are it's new to them the whole thing is new to the town so it's important they get going sooner than later okay all right so I think some of that material if you want I can um morph it into a memo with attachments for the board of Selectmen for your meeting on the 23rd yeah you like sure and the other thing would be the memo that we if you could add as a separate item for us to have the memo that we did as a committee to the board selectman for our recommendations because that that included a lot of yeah that include a lot of his history historical information too yeah okay um so I'll attach that just to be clear you want me to attach that to this other memo for town meeting parents is not about the workpl this is about the Artic correct yeah right now it's all pound meeting all the time um 14th of May you said no more yelling we're invited the 14th of May no you're invited the bo of on 233 so um today is 9 they meet in two weeks on the 23rd and then town meeting is the 30th so mark your calendars for the the board of Select meetings at 6 o'clock the board of Select meeting is at 6:00 and once we get an agenda I'll uh I'll forward that out but generally I won't get the agenda till probably the Thursday prior yeah yeah we promis to be on our best behavior the one they worry about that's right all right good that's good job Karen thank you any more questions Joe you have any questions no questions all sounds good all right thanks Joe okay can we go on to item two I'll try to be brief on this um so we we talked about the vacant storefront program last meeting and um at that point we're considering the U potential for submitting an application to the state's economic development office um which is due May 15 subsequent to that Karen and I have had some discussion um I've also had some discussion with the Chamber of Commerce um I've also talked with the state more detail and I think for a lot of different reasons that we're going to focus more on um having a pilot program soon as we can get it off the ground using as I would say um this for discussion purposes um using the Chamber of Commerce I've been in touch with the only this is no no um nothing aimed at any of the staff people here at the town but quite frankly I think Europe deer eyeballs and all kinds of different work and if this is going to work I think we got to give it to someone that's focused entirely just on economic development and so I've had some preliminary discussions they are interested chamber is interested in doing this work um I wanted to you know talk a little bit more about it tonight I don't see us needing to reinvent the wheel here um the town of bonable has initiated a program a facade Improvement program they do utilize State resources to do their program but they've set up a program uh and they use a business improvement district to um implement the program the program is all set up it has the applications it has the dollar amounts um it has requirements um there would be oversight obviously with the with the town here if we were go this route um I would suggest that we follow the information that's available to us um and kind of um pull pull things from the program that's already existing up in Bond as an example um we talked about a one or two pilot project program we talked about five to 10 or $20,000 uh the town of bonable um has funding Awards ranging from $1,000 up to 88 ,000 they are subject to a a contribution a match by the applicant which I would strongly encourage and I would think at least 20% maybe even up to 50% match um and that the improvements would include uh signage um exterior painting and or siding Landscaping uh decorative features like shutters or awnings window windows or doors or brick or stone so hardscapes sscape type of work um the improvements would be you know have to get the okay from the property owner and that we come up with a um a timeline when we can Implement because I understand there's a lot of work that we need to do between now and when we want to implement this thing but I think the will is there as far as this committee goes we've talked about this now go Almighty I think for at least two years if not longer um I think we have have the people in place who want to do it we have the money available in our public Improvement uh part of money for the tourism Revenue funds to do it we just need to put the final pieces of this in place but I would suggest if we could move a vote tonight just to say we would like to do a program we' like the chamber to do the program and at some point we need to we need to bring it to the board of selectman's attention is what we want to do I think the the one question I'd have because I I didn't know you were kind of um going to look to the chamber to to do this is um whether and how uh the service would need to be procured right so because you may we may have to put out a thing for nonprofits or something to administer this this kind of a program the other thing that we'll have to talk about the chamber was interested in it the difference one difference between Barnstable and us is um I went through their application materials and I I talked at L with at length with Kyle who um used to work here and now works over in Barnesville and was very involved in this this program um they pay the contractors directly y um for the work um we generally operate on a reimbursement basis that's you know yeah um so it's kind of um some Logistics that need to be resolve not only are they going to have to match but they're going to have to front our piece yeah if we decide to go that way that's that's not written in the law that we have to go that way right no we have to follow the law to procure the services right no I'm talking about the the business operator yeah so let's say they they have they want $4,000 from us right they're going to have to match with $4,000 of their own Karen's saying is that they're going to have to pay their contractor $8,000 before they get reimbursed from the town for or if the chamber is operating it the chamber needs to font the money and then seek the reimbursement and provide the documentation that that we require but so what Ro do you sorry what role do you envision them playing are they going to be just clearing house for the applications or they're going to be actually out going out and identifying perspective I think they're they they have some ideas on properties that could be potential candidates for the program so I think they could identify projects and take it from Soup To Nuts yeah subject to the approval I think the the barn program they they do advertise and they have a application process and then there's a selection committee and selection criteria that they apply before they um select people so that it's fair and open to and there's going to have to be a procedure here I mean there's nuts and bolts that we have to fill out to get the proog program under the way but I think the fact of the matter is it's it's if we want to get something started we got to get this thing under the way and as I said we've been talking about it for two two plus years so they've expressed the willingness and understand that um there would be some roles for the town to play here just like we do with the tourism res tourism Revenue preservation fund so um yeah so there's more more to come on it but I would like to at least get the started on this thing so we could set up some discussions with the Chamber of Commerce in the town to get this thing off so think this is a fall program I would I would hope so yeah just looking at the bids timeline they open hey applications in February award in April presumably to get the sing up done before the season starts I don't think not suggesting we try to do this in the middle of summertime no no no no no the other thing to consider if we're talking about this being something that regularly happens in the fall as because I'm assuming we're going to end up reading some of these applications or something um is that's when we also have all of the tourism applications and interviews and things right the I mean I think that the barnable time frames are interesting because they and I put in the 2024 so they they've got a deadline for work they yeah and they they give so whenever this positioned I think it's vised back in March is is my gu it's a short window and then they had their due date Kyle said that the 2024 Awards had been announced but I couldn't find them online um but they say priority is given to projects that can be completed before June so it's it's kind of fitting in that window but that's part of their um selection criteria I think again we're talking about a pilot project here so one of two projects at tops so we get I out the bugs and The Kinks and everything so and then maybe think about ring it into the chamber's new contract it's possible we just have to that's where we have to look back at the original well yeah it's for economic development I well we'd have to look at it anyway maybe we wouldn't have to do it this time around but I'm talking about future was what has to happen if we're going to do a pilot is the chamber is going to have to be paid out of some other bucket 2024 to do the work right because I don't know that this program was part of their contract that's you were just saying it's not part of their current prog bad Improvement program specifically no but for economic develop as a I don't think that's the the RFP as bid was for marketing and visitor Services that's it okay so you just said we need to do another contract another extension of their contract within that scope of the original so what you're saying right now then this is all new to me so I'm glad we're having this conversation what you're saying right now then they can't do this beside Improvement program I'd have to look back at the let's just take it for what you just said you you pretty much we're pretty sure that we can't do this pro project with the existing contract that the chamber has so well if you're you're looking at me like I'm reading this wrong so tell me if I'm well no and you're telling me what I just said so I think that what I just said was that we have to look back at the original RFP the RFP covers three years of services right where we um we have a renewable contract every 3 years so we're looking at their new contract bid under that RFP just for marketing and visitor Services right so facade Improvement is not marketing or visitor Services I would guess so my next question we agree on that my next question is they'd have to we'd have to do an RFP yeah for vacant storefront program that's what I said well you weren't clear on it I just wanted to make sure I was clear on it okay so um so we we probably can't get this thing started but I would like to take a vote tonight because I don't want to wait any more time um as I said we've been talking about two and a half three years on this thing um I would like to take a vote that we move forward with a facade Improvement program let me leave it open either with the the town of Yarmouth or the Chamber of Commerce or a combination of both can I have a motion something I don't understand what we are voting on what is moving yeah moving forward and to establish a facade Improvement program we don't have a facade Improvement program right now so do we need to vote on it in order to continue talking about it and talking about like the application and where timeline timeline and things do like do we need yeah yes I mean um want to accept a modification of the um there's no motion but so what you just said I want it clear to everyone here in the town that this committee wants to move forward with the facade Improvement program subject to all the nuts and bolts being discussed and put in place before it's implemented so that includes working on language that if we do another RFP what the timelines are going to be what the awards are going to be what the match amounts going to be putting the all the pieces of the puzzle together because not in my opinion and tell me if I'm wrong not doing that it doesn't seem there's any incentive from anyone that we want to move this program as a committee move this program forward as I said broken record we've been at it for a couple years now and it's it's you know we're not going to submit an application to the state which is would have driven the process uh to submit something by the 15th but I still want to be able have this committee Drive the subject of facade Improvement program so that it does get implemented can I ask a few questions yes can we talk about all these nuts and bolts terms of timeline and stuff first to Define what it is more clearly right are we talking about an award in 2024 I would like to have an award in 2024 all right we talking about do you want to have a prolonged application period so that it could be open for the summer and see what we get back over a period of months so that it wouldn't be like rush rush rush because we know we're going to be doing to your point yeah and the fall we're going to be doing special events but if we've had a a season to sort of Interest people in applying we opened it up in June and closed it in August and then awarded it before we get into that yeah I I mean there's definitely the time to be able to do it in September I think before you get into it but and and do we have the funds in 24 for what we've alloc like okay that's what I was just trying to look through and see shade on it yep so and then after the Shaded column is your current balance and then you have the 25 appropriation and then the last column on the right is the the sum of the two it's your 24, the new and we could award based on I'm sort of stipulating to the fact that I know that the money's in there yeah so we get award based on similars to the bid projects that could be completed in fiscal 2024 we but I mean if you're I think the end of fiscal 24 June you know June 30 oh it's July 1 is the beginning of fiscal 25 okay so and I think I think you might want to when people do the work when do you get the biggest bang for your bck with the work I mean the barnable Main Street it look Dynamite for if you do planner boxes in November it's the way time they're get permanent I think all the hyenas things are permanent improvements they're not flow sorry so can we run these two concurrently in the fall for them to do the work in the spring before the seasons open I'd also say you want to talk to people when they're at least busy businesses want to hold off until after October that's yeah like I know you want to do this keep running their businesses not filling out applications and coming to meetings yeah no I'm trying to get to yes for sure I'm just trying to figure out there's a lot of permutations so after we do tourism we do facade so that they can build it in the spring in the spring ready for the new season plants will live paint won't chip okay that's timeline you think the chamber would do it for 9,990 9 I don't know I mean we I don't know we haven't had any discussions about that yet yeah it was just preliminary discussions they are interested but again they may not even be able to do the work without us going out us being the town going out with an RFP or services for a beside Improvement program when you spoke to Kyle did he offer the application yeah we have it we have it and he he he kindly sent it to me in word today okay it's really easy I mean they and I love their application it's nice and simple it's it's lovely okay lovely with a certain amount of money in this to we committing a certain amount to this yeah we're looking at we had discussions about this a while ago and we're looking at anywhere between 10 and $20,000 just a pilot program 10 and 10 to $20,000 it' be fun to think about if if Mary had ideas from people yeah it'd be nice to know kind of ballpark what those costs were going to because I guess cost because it'd be nice if you could if you want to demonstrate success um maybe make sure whatever you're going to fund is impactful so that it's 10 to 20 is not a lot either so I mean the amount of time that's half 40 $40,000 yeah 20 to $40,000 I mean I don't know that that we should be reciting entire building I know that's our per viiew um when I was thinking about it I was kind of trying to focus you know how we had a map before that yep was very very targeted too targeted in my opinion but I understand the reasoning behind it was to try to identify some really blighted areas and sort of incentivize around that but absent of that we have a large Corridor that's directionally divided East and West that's two areas and then White's path is another commercial area or we can look at what's the what's the one over by someone called gate Gateway oh Higgin coll and midtech drive yeah yeah because you can you could pick a I mean if it's a pilot pilot program again you can pick a spot and that way if your your spot isn't this way and it's more like this and you do a couple of impactful projects it's going to be really easy to see right benefit because I was almost thinking the opposite that it would doing one project in each one of those areas would get all the other businesses jealous and want to be part of the program was that what I was thinking but you're thinking focus on one of those segments and do a lot in that one segment I think it's probably accomplishes the same thing two sides of the coin to you guys you know what I'm talking about yeah and I think the easiest thing is we just open it up to all of the the different sections right and if we get applicants from each section then we can do it that way and if we are like um well we could have one here or three here I think we could just kind of wait and see who applies and then do either of those would be beneficial so do you think based upon so barible gives a th000 to 8,000 one to 20 to 20 this is the 24 application I think the 23 Awards have been online so use those maybe so they they they have a 20% project match so the $20,000 project they have the business owner has to provide four ,000 I was thinking one to one myself but I don't know what anyone else was thinking I was just thinking about it because that's seems the easiest in my mind but if we took the proposed $20,000 that this committee would put towards it you could potentially at five grand a piece you know Net 10 grand Improvement that'll make a difference I think I don't know how how anybody feels about it I don't know what you can do with 10 grand but you can buy a lot of potted plants that's for sure you could probably get a new sign yeah with 10 gr so a new sign would fall under yes sign is part of the categories that they' liated here of course you're G to have to approve all of them um do we want Landscaping like do in terms of the Landscaping SL planter boxes are they talking about like there's a very big difference between a new planter box or like a bush things that like actually come back each year versus patunas which look very pretty in those planter boxes but would not help us right like we need to make that decis I think terent is yeah the way to go that delineated anything else to maintain you just say annuals or shrubs or something more specific to right yeah like as long as it's perennial or a permanent feature thing then it's okay but if it's an annual plant I don't know if it was in the I don't want pay for their someone to come cut their grass every week no no no no that's not what this is about all right so B I like the fact they have to spend it within the year to award it that makes a lot of sense to me with the calendar year there well that's the thing should we do it within the calendar year if we're not going to award it till sometime in the fall and they're not going to do it until sometime in the spring you know the the fiscal year ends July 1 the calendar year gives them a little bit more road in front of them but we can always use money from a prior year carry forward to the succeeding year you don't have to worry about no I'm I'm not worried about our money I'm worried about their action I was just thinking about it too kind of I don't know when do when do most new tenants take tency do you know various yeah down here mid Cape it's not you know Marshal tenants it's not it's not seasonal like it is in provin town or place no I was just wondering if if there's turnover right is that late fall the best time to be thinking about it or is it better to wait until everybody's in place yeah we're trying really hard to force this to be this year um where if they're going to do the improvements in the spring this timeline might make more sense where we have this year to figure out all of our details and everything we can start marketing it out to everyone but actually putting out the application even if we did it in January right like and then gave them January and February to do it and it's still a March thing I'm not I feel like we're trying to force it to be this year and then we're still pushing everything into next year anyways for when they're going to do it let me offer this up I think I'm the person that's causing all the problems on the table here so um when I said I wanted to vote on the facade Improvement program it was really let me explain what I meant by that was really to start the process of getting us to apicide Improvement program so I I just wanted to get that on the table because like I said we've been talking about this and we haven't moved it forward so if tonight's discussion allows us to move forward from this point to a a subsequent Point down the road that we will have a faide Improvement program subject to answering all these questions I'm a happy camper it's all and and I take it one step further allow us this committee to start talking with the Chamber of Commerce to help us put those pieces of the puzzle together so I think we're all with you Steve yeah all right we I mean I don't I was almost thinking about suggesting that's bad idea because again I'm trying to force it yeah we we don't want to force anything tonight all I just wanted to to commit to it all I want is to force has to commit to and I've got that message here I don't think I need to vote for it we understand you understand add it to our scope of work or that's fine I mean if somebody wanted a sign today it's gonna take them six months anyway to go out and a sign comp if it's a nice I mean you know yeah all those things are gonna take so um all right we get to and um and I'll work with Karen and I'll work with the Chamber of karmy and get some meetings started you guys want to be involved let me know but um I will report back at subsequent meetings to progress on this all right perfect good all right thank you that said we're up next is um Broadband Mr Manning uh broadband's due by Friday um it's going very well uh all of the calculations have been done all the town buildings have been mapped all the um problems that it identified will be solved via this funding um support letters have been requested and received from the Board of Health Police Department the fire department the IT department and I'm expecting on last one from uh DPW so it's all been budgeted it's all been mapped it's the application's ready to go a meeting with um it tomorrow to finalize that and figure out what gaps are left in that application but it will be submitted before Friday awesome or $250,000 can you just give us a little update on the application what it includes funding and all that um so Paul Cha's the IT director his project for this particular Grant is to replace the inet so the inet um currently connects six town buildings but his proposal is to not only connect the remainder of town buildings but also to replace the existing connections with new updated fiber from what I understand there is Legacy fiber that we inherited from Comcast that's supporting that connectivity it's insufficient it's dated um more importantly Comcast has has indicated as part of their contract that they will not repair or replace these remaining two strands of fiber that is running our Public Safety Network so it's I don't want to be an alarmist but it's pretty it's critical imperative alarming it's alarming that we you know get this work done so the perfect veh for this grant I think that the the state is in the business of supporting all these Municipal upgrades it will provide future proofing for the town buildings for well none of us will outlive this this fiber uh and its use usefulness to the town so it's a really it's a good thing and everyone's going to be able to celebrate it um the department heads understand the value um actually no the the um the library also is in support I have a letter from them as well so um once it's done there will be a lot of options is a commercial options there'll be some commercial options for sure because even at its maximum um I think that there'll be some room within there's room for growth even I'm outside of my sandbox when it fiber but yeah even with all the town departments hanging off of it correct so there is an economic development piece to this at some point 100% yeah and they're really excited about it downstairs I can tell you that for sure all's been you know that's a concern of is on a daily basis is that this thing current configuration holds so excellent that's great work good work than ask a question no in your minute from last meeting [Music] here you talked about the same um program and uh you said that Mr chy is applying for Mass Municipal fiber grant program fiber Grant to upgrade those cables blah blah blah Grant requires a 5% match and that uh Mr try is applying for 240,000 so based on that information I updated your budget with 12,000 is that all you need you just said 20 you said 250 I want to make sure you got the right number 250 it's 250 so 5% is five five I'm right but I don't think I need it no no because because as part of the match can be in kind so the work that it has done on this project more than adds up to five want make sure you're cool and you need a letter for the app that says with the committee vote even though you'll need the selectman to kind of bless it eventually but I don't know that I need that per se but that would ask Paul do you want me ask Paul I'm going in there tomorrow but he's sort of Ling on I sent him an email so I think I don't think it would okay all right um maybe that that references the that we would be fine so the match can be in kind good question so the match can be in kind yeah perfect excellent he work thank you Joel updates on Regional and Statewide Economic Development initiatives you don't think we have anything much oh one so's see not really countywide but I did go to the rack um the Wastewater resource advisory committee yeah um just an update on Wastewater so they they're at 100% design on the waste on the Water Resource re facility which is the plant um the bonly meetings with d are moving along uh they've started contracts two and three I think you probably have seen them digging that was after the groundbreaking um they are contract four um they have approval from De to start the bidding being finalized for bidding and then the design for contra TR five and six is ongoing the reason that five and six are sort of broken out is because they they involve some of the intersections they're a little more tricky to configure um as far as the groundwater discharge permit that as I said those bi-weekly meetings are moving in a direction towards permitting the plan I can't characterize them because no one will really go on record saying how far along they are it's it's in process there still looking for alent recharge sites they're still evaluating different sites that's still a big Bugaboo H yeah for sure um the mounding is an issue and D's um working with them but it's going to remain an issue for this phase and for every phase to come you know it's it's a unique proposition where we pull our drinking water from where we're going to be putting onu recharge it's a delicate little balance I know that there're there're a little more they're certainly more receptive there it's unprecedented for D to be in these meetings in the first place on a bi-weekly basis it's unprecedent for them to let contracts go without permits in hand and so there EP realizes the significance of all this so you know cooler heads will prevail I think but they're even looking at some State sites like I think they're looking at the Clover or The Interchange at White's path um area in between the off-ramps they're looking at some yeah so they looking at just charge over at um Golf Course Golf Course golf course but they're also looking at like a um I don't know who I think it's state owned land that's that runs along the rail trail near flax so they're looking everywhere and they're reevaluating re-evaluating a new set of sites or a previously un unevaluated set of sites because now they're they're looking at um effluent in in different different different characteristic sites than they normally look at so it's going to happen yeah it is happening right for sure that's all I got all right thanks Joe um any Committee Member items Daniel Jo the planning board so there's a project karon you probably know better the property next to um jinos used to be the buffet and Johnny e there's there's a roads application I don't know if it was roads or I think it's VC maybe a mixed use project coming before planning for couple weeks and design review I think too design review yeah how's it look haven't seen it I haven't say anything about it I don't know even know if there is anything out yet they design reviews next week yes I miss John you're the funny guy Joe Gibbs anything on your agenda uh nothing on my end thank you all right uh staff updates going to make your Bo look I me we will see actually I have one last thing there's a big blue conference um April 30th and May 1st at the airport being run by um the commission as well as couple of our environmental groups if anyone interested in going it's a two-day event got a lot of speakers um talking about the blue economy that's happening yet okay um minutes you have the minutes from March 12 2024 you have a motion to approve I approve approve the minutes what's the date March 12 all those in favor Jo thanks Joel all right nothing else we have a motion to adjourn second all those in favor hi thank you all right great thank you good meeting how you been I'm man