Beautification Committee Meeting

Beautification Committee Minutes​ Tuesday, June 17th, 2025​ Location In person at Johnson Municipal Building and Remote on Zoom Members (P=Present; A=Absent; R=Remote)​ Adrienne Parker P OPEN SEAT A Blake Parker P OPEN SEAT A Lauren Phille A Jo Marsan P ​ Member of Public: Kyle Nuse 6:00 – Call to Order & Adjustments ●​ Meeting called to order at 6:12 PM.​ ●​ Kyle requested to add a discussion about being a fiscal sponsor for a grant for the Johnson Jubilee. Adrienne added it under the funding section.​ 6:05 – Public Comment ●​ No public comment was made.​ 6:10 – Approval of 4/15/25 Minutes ●​ Adrienne noted the need to revise a sentence suggesting the Conservation Commission was “uncollaborative.” She will rewrite this to better reflect the conversation and have at next meeting for approval.​ ●​ Group agreed she would revise and bring minutes back for approval next time.​ 6:15 – Budget Review ●​ Adrienne reviewed current financials; balance is approximately $144.​ ●​ Some donations (e.g., $300 from the library, $200 from Amy Schultz) were not reflected in the official records.​ ●​ An unexplained $146 RK Miles charge will be investigated.​ ●​ Village budget showed discrepancies (e.g., sprayer purchase was $243, but records say $318.63).​ ●​ Some confusion over which expenses were categorized under which budget (village vs. town).​ ●​ Blake and Kyle discussed moving away from the old ⅓ budget model (mini-grants, plants, art) to accommodate larger, infrastructure-related purchases like sprayers and wreaths.​ ●​ Adrienne will follow up with Rosemary and update the spreadsheet once fiscal year ends.​ 6:30 – Committee Restructuring Update ●​ Adrienne shared results from the recent restructuring working session:​ ○​ Participants mapped committee tasks and proposed new committee structures.​ ○​ Projects were sorted using an affinity map (high/low effort/impact).​ ●​ Two restructuring proposals and a combined “Frankenstein” option were created.​ ●​ Remaining questions:​ ○​ Should Green Spaces be under the Recreation or Conservation Commission?​ ○​ Should the Food Access subcommittee become its own committee?​ ●​ Concerns:​  ○​ Bottlenecks for specific committees (e.g., Rail Trail).​ ○​ Not all members of all committees have been informed yet.​ ●​ Adrienne presented the proposals to the Selectboard for feedback and will follow up with the public after board input.​ 6:40 – Scheduling Working Sessions ●​ Discussed urgent and ongoing tasks:​ ○​ Pruning overgrown rose bushes at Cold Spring/Village Green.​ ○​ Planting donated dahlias and potential new perennials (e.g., coral bells, hostas).​ ○​ Weeding and flower bed installation at the trailhead Welcome Center.​ ○​ Considering reworking the elementary school garden (overgrowth).​ ●​ Work session dates set:​ ○​ Cold Spring cleanup: Sunday, June 22 at 1:00 PM.​ ○​ Welcome Center bed installation: Tentatively Saturday, August 3 at 1:00 PM.​ 6:55 – Future Projects and Funding ●​ Discussed project priorities for the next fiscal year:​ ○​ Tulip garden or creative bulb planters (e.g., boat garden). ○​ Community power washer for public and private use. ○​ Redesign of Village Green (Blake to lead) ○​ Trailhead train rider artwork (Jo to lead). ○​ Cold Spring mosaic (Kyle to lead).​ Main Street planters and wayfinding signage (Adrienne working on with LVRT Committee) ○​ Jeanne portrait mural for the new library (Adrienne to lead).​  ●​ Kyle noted that a sculpture grant was submitted for $8,500.​ ●​ Adrienne mentioned a new Selectboard policy: grants under $5,000 with no match no longer need pre-approval—just an email to the town administrator.​ 7:30 – Johnson Jubilee ●​ Kyle organized the 20th anniversary of the Johnson Jubilee.​ ●​ Committee approved acting as fiscal sponsor for his grant application.​ ●​ Event ideas included:​ ○​ Ice sculpture contest​ ○​ Parade route ending at the elementary school​ ○​ Expanded footprint to Legion Field with food trucks, snow activities​ ○​ Fire pits, festive lighting, decor, and interactive elements (e.g., lights, signs)​ ○​ A potential website, digital map, and business QR signage (Adrienne to explore)​ Adjournment ●​ Meeting adjourned after final Jubilee discussion.​ ●​ Next meeting is July 15th at 6pm at the Municipal Building. Working sessions are scheduled for June 22nd at 1pm at the Cold Spring and August 19th (Tentatively) at 1pm at the Ted Alexander Welcome Center to create a garden new bed.​