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Minutes of Growth and Renewal* Grant Steering Comittee — Organizing Meeting

Date: December 20, 2023

Attendees: Dean Rogers, Frank Fox, Irvin Perry, Phil Mauger, John Harris, Donna Yeatts, Richard Camp – Vice Chairman, Joe Rogers – Chairman. Mayor Davis attended as an observer. (See Transparency below)

  1. General – After welcoming remarks and introductions, Mr. Rogers provided a brief update on the grant process to date. Funds in the amount of $xx,xxx* have been received and deposited by Treasurer Mauger.
  2. Organizing
    1. The committee adopted a quorum. Quorum for any vote involving use of grant funds will be 50% of the permanent committee members.
    2. List of current permanent committee members was distributed. Members were asked to provide any corrections to Joe Rogers.
    3. Chairman Rogers discussed the use of email to reduce the need for meetings. Meetings will be scheduled on an as-needed basis rather than on a fixed schedule due to how the work will be phased. It was agreed that when scheduling meetings, a couple of time/date options will be presented to determine the time suiting the most members. The general preference is for early evening meetings, near 4:30 PM if possible.
    4. Membership – After discussion, it was agreed to invite several additional people to help round out the balance and diversity of the permanent membership, including bringing on board someone from outside the town limits. The following individuals will be contacted as indicated: Dan Lambert by Alisa Davis, Delila White by Dick Camp, and Debra Haymes by Donna Yeatts.
  3. Memo defining Steering Committee Functions – A draft of steering committee general responsibilities was discussed. An item was added to publicize the final report. A final draft will be routed for comment. Though not discussed in the session, a suggested revision is included to make the Treasurer a voting member of the committee. Any comments on the revised draft are requested to be emailed to Joe Rogers by December 28.
  4. Contractor Advertisement/ Selection – The draft RFP was discussed. The following process was developed for issuing the RFP; Provide any final comments to Dick Camp by 29 December, Draft will be staffed with committee if any changes are incorporated. Mail RFP to all six firms listed on the Consultant Contact List. Mail RFP by January 10, 2024. Request responses by January 23, 2024.
  5. A process for keeping the public well informed on the effort as it proceeds was discussed.
    1. An initial press release will be issued with a target date of the first of January 2024. The draft was discussed, and it was recommended committee member names be added. This will be done, and a revised document routed for comment once Mayor Davis informs the Town Council of Mr. Perry’s involvement on the committee.
    2. Web Site and Logo – Phil Mauger talked about the necessity for branding the effort and its importance in clearly providing public information and involvement. He described a web site to provide information and transparency. He suggested the brand name, “Reimagine Chatham” and presented a draft logo. After some discussion, the committee settled on “Imagine Chatham”. The committee supported the concept, but Dick Camp asked for an estimate of costs before proceeding. Phil will develop a cost proposal to establish and administer the site. Phil’s firm will operate any site but will not develop content. Among other content, the intent is to provide access to basic documents related to committee functions and the grant solicitation and procurement process, as well as progress reports as the work develops. Items suggested for inclusion will be sent to Joe Rogers as the single point of contact (POC) for staffing with the group before being added to the site.
    3. Transparency – To help ensure committee actions are transparent, the group decided that meetings will be open to any member of the organizations represented on the steering committee. (Later in the process, there will likely be public meetings.) In some instances, the meetings will be closed and limited to only permanent members. Such instances might include discussion of financial matters and evaluation of consultant qualifications during the selection process.
  6. Coordination with County Study – concurrent with this effort, Pittsylvania will be conducting a county-wide planning study. A limitation on capability has prevented using the same firm to conduct our Chatham area plan. However, the committee agreed that there needs to be awareness of the county effort and that some type of liaison is needed. A process for this will be discussed in a subsequent meeting.

Joe Rogers – Chairman

NOTE: Following the meeting and after further review into the recommended logo and brand name, it was decided to proceed with the original proposed logo using “Reimagine Chatham” as the brand name.

* Minor changes have been made to the original minutes for this public draft where indicated by “*“ to comply with grantor requirements for anonymity of the foundation name and award amount.