Posting from Bristol:
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday November 25th
Greetings Thinking Outside the Box: Five-Town Community Congress & Charrette Commoners Steering Group & Other Friends of MT Abe Union High and Middle School (MAUH/MS)
Wednesday, November 15th, the MAUH/MS Board held a Special Meeting.
NEAT and the Addison Independent covered the proceedings which were attended by 12 (+/-) interested commoners and 10 (+/-) members of the Mt Abe Union High and MIddle School Boards. I presented the one page "Thinking Outside the Box - Sowing the Seeds" document giving copies to the Board and attendees.
As a strong supporter of MAUH/MS, I thanked ANESU Superintendent Reen and staff, the MAUH/MS Board and staff, and the Renovation Committee for their hard work and the importance of getting to "YES!" on the Bond. I urged holding the next Bond vote at the upcoming Town Meetings on March 6, 2018 in order to get as many voters out as possible with a goal of 60%. I also mentioned the importance of paring the Bond budget down considerably in order to get 60% of the voters to vote YES at Town Meeting Day. That is the 60-60 Challenge!
Others spoke briefly in the opening 5-minute period that extended to 15 lively minutes! Doug Corkins urged active listening and a deliberate process with plenty of time for public involvement. Kim Callahan urged the Board to clarify the Vision. A revised draft of a motion to call back the Renovation Committee to prepare and present a revised Bond by December 1, 2017 was discussed and voted down. (YIPPEE!) That motion was then amended to extend the date to December 15, 2017 and approved. (MAYBE OUR FIRST TINY BUT POSITIVE IMPACT?)
Check NEAT, the Addison Independent, and the minutes at the ANESU website for details of the vote and whole discussion. It was a lively one!
Several key points:
The Board wants to move quickly in hopes of voting before Town Meeting in order to get the project going quickly. (This will reduce community involvement so we need to step up!)
Patrick Reen said the design firm needs eleven months to prepare the final designs after the bond is approved.
Renovation Committee has been given notice that they will be invited back and several have indicated they are willing. There may be openings and these will be posted. PLEASE NOTE: "Per policy: above all as a member of the Board/committee you have a duty to the organization, not personal interests. Committee members who are appointed by the Board are bound "to support the legitimacy, authority and final decisions, irrespective of their personal position on an issue". What this means is that decisions made by this Committee are decided by the majority - and those decisions are then supported by the Committee as a whole. If you feel that this policy just doesn't work for you, please let me know and you'll be excused from the Committee.
Citizens of the Five-Town Community (i.e. Commoners!) have an important role to play in these critical decisions. We can learn a whole lot, get to know each other better, and have fun in the process of Getting to a resounding YES!.
The first meeting of our "Thinking Outside the Box: Five-Town Community Congress & Charette Commoners Steering Group" (TOTB:CSG) is set for Saturday, November 25, 2017 from 8:30 to 9:15am at Howden Hall in Bristol. The date for the "Thinking Outside the Box: Five-Town Community Congress & Charette is set for January 6, 2018. Details will emerge soon. Please save the date. Start a journal keeping notes on your thoughts for getting to a resounding YES! Plan to participate. It is going to be super fun, a lot different, and important that you do so!
We will need folks to step up if we are to get to a resounding YES!: website, photographer, scribes, flatbread oven builders, etc. etc. Too busy? Avoid eye contact!
Until then, "Remember to think outside the box, become a great listener, practice passing the feather, and be the change for the better!"
David Brynn, Five-Town Commoner
Dec 28, 2024, 10 AM to 12 PM
Tuesday Night Yoga at All SoulsDec 31, 2024, 5:30 to 6:30 PM
New Year's Eve with Joe's Big Band at Town Hall TheaterDec 31, 2024, 8:30 PM to 12 AM, Jan 1, 2025