TOWN OF GRANBY
AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION MEETING
MINUTES
June 9, 2010
PRESENT: Michelle Niedermeyer, Chairman; Kate Bogli, Stanley Hayes, Stephen Hayes, Lani Neumann, Ann Wilhelm
GUESTS: Bob Brockett, Matt Garrett, Melien Lavoie, Connie Legeyt, Erin Pirro, Jonathan Pirro
Ms. Niedermeyer confirmed a quorum and began the meeting at 8:00 p.m.
APPROVE MINUTES
ON A MOTION BY Kate Bogli, seconded by Lani Neumann, the Commission voted (5-0-1) to approve the minutes of May 12, 2010 as written. Ms. Wilhelm abstained from voting as she was not present at the last meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
- Melien Lavoie gave a presentation on relylocal.com which is an internet advertising site for small businesses in Simsbury and Granby. Relylocal is a franchise and this is the first live site in Connecticut. The goal is to bring consumers back to small businesses and she is offering a discounted rate to farmers. A link to the site will be added to the Agriculture Commission website to let farmers know it’s available and they can determine if it’s something they’re interested in.
- Facebook: Ms. Neumann stopped in to see the Town Manager to discuss the possibility of a Facebook page for the Commission. He was not available and she left a message for him to contact her.
USE OF TOWN LAND FOR AGRICULTURE:
At last month’s meeting, the Commission reviewed the Regulations for Agricultural Land Use and Ms. Neumann made the recommended changes. The updated document was reviewed and some minor changes were suggested. ON A MOTION by Stephen Hayes, the Commission voted (6-0-0) to accept the document with changes as noted. Ms. Neumann will update the document and Ms. Niedermeyer will send it to the Town Manager.
DRUMMER COLUMN:
Ms. Bogli stated she received an e-mail form Shirley Murtha from The Drummer who is looking for more useful information from the farmers. She explained that it’s an editorial space and not just a forum to advertise. The deadline for the July/August issue is Friday, June 11th.
COORDINATION WITH HOLCOMB FARM:
- Spring Festival: The Spring Festival was held June 5th and was not as well attended as Holcomb Farm would have liked.
- Film Festival: The Agricultural Commission co-sponsored the film festival last year and needs to decide if it would like to do so again. Although the Commission would like to support the event, due to concerns regarding organization and the lack of time, members felt they could not commit to co-sponsoring the festival at this time.
TOWN SANDWICH BOARD:
Ms. Neumann reported the sandwich board is done and it just needs to be painted. The top of the board will state, “Support Granby Agriculture” and the bottom will have the web address for the Commission. The board will be on the green and each farmer will sign up to use it for a week. Ms. Niedermeyer will maintain the list and the board will be available on a first come-first serve basis.
UPDATE ON WEBSITE:
None
UPDATE ON GRANBY SAMPLER:
So far, 13 individuals have signed up for the Granby Sampler and 50 people have said they’re interested in participating. It is anticipated that it will sell out. Bob Brockett stated the Grange is available for a distribution site if needed.
UPDATE ON FARM MAP:
The map is done and it is at the printer. There will be 5,000 copies printed. There are 23 farms on the map and each one will get 100 copies. The cost for printing is less than $25.00 per farm. Some other suggestions for distribution were: Granby Newcomers, Farmington Valley libraries, Whole Foods, Simsbury Chamber of Commerce, area B&B’s, etc. Ms. Wilhelm will also contact the Valley Book.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
None
ADJOURNMENT:
ON A MOTION BY Laini Neumann, seconded by Stanley Hayes, the Commission voted (6-0-0) to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Kane
Recording Secretary
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