COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Ken Estey, Lynn Forrest, Jane Douglas, Kate Gehring

OTHERS PRESENT: Walt Dadik (Newfane Development Review Board), Jeanette Perry

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:04 pm by Ken Estey.

ADDITIONS/AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA
None.

MINUTES
Jane made a motion that the March 28 Organizational Meeting minutes be approved. Kate seconded
Jane’s motion. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. Lynn made a motion that the March 28
Regular Meeting minutes be approved as amended. Jane seconded Lynn’s motion. Motion passed by
unanimous voice vote.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
None.

OLD BUSINESS

ARPA Recommendations: Selectboard meeting report-back:
Jane reported on her April 18 presentation to the Selectboard on connecting homes to broadband as a possible use for Newfane’s ARPA funding. Homes that exceed 400’ from the nearest telephone pole will incur a higher cost to the town. We also discussed how the Selectboard will develop an application document to standardize requests from local businesses for the use of ARPA money.

Leland & Gray Student Engagement, Local Government:
Kate reported that State Representative Emily Long visited Leland & Gray. Kate also suggested that the Planning Commission offer times to Rory O’Donnell to meet with his class. May 11 & 12 as well as May 26 & 27 are possible candidates.

Broadband update, Deerfield Valley Communications Union District:
Jane reported that DVFiber’s monthly meeting occurred on April 20. Delays in supplies and shipping are slowing down some of the broadband rollout efforts. DVFiber seeks to hire a new CEO. The annual meeting in May will elect or re-elect officers and executives.

Development Review Board (DRB) update:
Walt reported that the DRB Organizational meeting occurred on April 23. David Cotton was re-elected to be chair and Piet was re-elected to be vice chair and Erica Walch was elected as secretary. Erica, Lynn, and Piet have been tasked with upgrading the permit application that goes to the DRB. The DRB does not think the permit application process is a transparent and clear as it could be. The DRB would like to hold periodic joint meetings with the Planning Commission in the future.

2022 Goals for Planning Commission:
Ken discussed additional bylaw revision work around floodplain and river corridors for Newfane given his recent conversation with Windham Regional Commission’s (WRC) Alyssa Sabato. Ken should look into municipal grants through the WRC that can pay for community events vis-à-vis bylaw revision work.

Zoning Bylaw Revisions: Tiny House & Implementation Schedule:
We reviewed Lynn’s latest version of the tiny house bylaw revision. No major revisions were proposed and we agreed to hold a vote on May 9 to approve a final version of the bylaw that would then be put into the formal approval process.

NEW BUSINESS
None.

CORRESPONDENCE
None.

ADJOURN
Lynn made a motion to adjourn. Jane seconded Lynn’s motion. The motion carried unanimously by
voice vote and the meeting adjourned at 7:26 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Ken Estey