Date:    March 6, 2008

Place:          Salvation Army Meeting Room     
Project:        City of Bradford Master Plan
Client:          City of Bradford
Time:            8:45 am – 10:00 am
MCF No.:      44506002

Attendees:

Ministerium Members
Roberta Sarraf, Zoning/Planning Consultant
Ken Lee, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.
Amy Maceyko, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.

Purpose:    To discuss the master plan process and get input from the members of the Ministerium.

Items Discussed:

1. Mr. Preston began by introducing the planning team members and explaining his involvement in the process as a member of the plan’s steering committee.  He invited the planning team members here so the members of the ministerium could be informed about the process and the group could brainstorm ways that local religious groups can be a part of the solution.

2. The planning team began by discussing the goals and the purpose of the master plan.  Studies in the past have focused on specific challenges instead of being a comprehensive plan for the whole Tuna Valley.  The goal of this process is to develop a series of actionable strategies that all three municipalities can endorse and to engage residents in the process so they will work together to improve the community after the planning process is over.  The planning team is meeting with as many groups as possible to understand the myriad of issues that affect all three municipalities and determine the best group of strategies for improving the quality of life in Bradford.  One of the major foci of all three municipalities is downtown Bradford and how to make it a more vibrant and inviting place for the benefit of the whole region, but there are multi-faceted issues to be addressed on a variety of topics.  And there are committees focused specifically on economic development and zoning, as those are key topics that will influence the success of the plan.

3. Education and employment are critical to Bradford’s future.  Incentives to encourage local kids to stay in Bradford and go to UPB would be very helpful.  Vo-tech and career education available locally would also be extremely helpful for kids not on track to attend a 4-year college.  These programs are also great because they include instruction on work ethics and productivity, which is a problem with the younger workforce in the area.

4. Other issues related to local kids are encouraging volunteerism in both church youth groups and student groups, providing activities and recreation opportunities for a variety of ages, and creating safe, open and positive gathering places for Bradford youth.

5. Open Arms Community Church has been trying to acquire space at the Bradford Mall site and similar to the OECD they have found the owners to be difficult to work with.  The owners of the Kmart building want to sell it, not rent space.  That part of the building is in bad shape, but the rest is in okay shape from what they have seen.  This group would be interested in making space for computer training and continuing education.  They also want to create recreation and gathering space.
    a.    They acknowledge that some are concerned about faith based development because of the lost tax income.  But
            they feel that the quality of life improvement for the area should be a higher priority as it can draw more residents to
            the tax base.

6. Mr. Lee commented that Bradford has a good infrastructure of churches, and in his experience the towns with this kind of good community base are the ones that survive long term despite ups and downs in the economy and population.  That core provides a community spirit that is critical.

7. The group discussed ways that the ministerium and Bradford congregations can help to improve the region and support the master plan.
    a. Outreach – another community has a faith based organization that helps low-income or fixed income residents comply
        with code requirements and property maintenance issues.
    b. Outreach - There is a menonite group in the area that does a lot for the elderly and the youth here.  They run the
        grocery stretched & feed store.  They also cut grass and do painting for others.  These programs should be
        encouraged and maybe they can be expanded with cooperation from other faith based groups.
    c. Outreach - One member of the ministerium is interested in starting English as a Second Language classes.
    d. Attitude – the planning team has noted a consistently negative attitude in Bradford about the less fortunate and public
        assisted segment of the population.  Improving that attitude and the tolerance of residents would be a great
        improvement.
    e. Attitude – Ministerium members need to be aware of the attitude they are presenting to their parishoners.  A positive
        attitude can make a big difference.  There is no need to ‘fake it’, but don’t bemoan problems either.  Helping to spread
        the good news when good things happen and sharing the plans and goals of the master plan will have a positive
        influence as well.
    f. Lead by example – Working together and in harmony as an example to parishoners.
    

With no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned. The foregoing constitutes the major items accepted by the attendees.  If there are any additions or corrections to these minutes, please notify the Architect.


Respectfully submitted,

MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc. 

Amy P. Maceyko, AIA, LEED AP