 Okay. Now I'm calling the meeting to order it for a one sing a quorum. We are meeting virtually pursuant to chapter 20 of the acts of 2021. I'm going to ask each of you to register your presence vocally so we know that you can hear and be heard. Austin. I'm present. Great. Alex. Here. And Alex Lafave, I'm present as well. So Austin has something at five, which means we'll lose our quorum. So I'm going to try and keep us on a timeline and we have Craig, the Carlo from Collier's our OPM here as well. And since Andrew is going to be taking meeting minutes, I'm just going to record that we have six members of the public in our audience so she can record that for the meeting minutes. So the second thing on our agenda is approval of the minutes of April 5 2022. Is there a motion. Move to approve. And a second. So seconded. Thanks. Any comments or changes to the meeting minutes. I saw one thing on the first page when it referred to the historic tax credits, it said that it was going to be guiding the exterior and I believe that should be it should be guiding the interior so just that one small amendment. So everybody I'll take a vote to approve the minutes with that small amendment. Austin. Approve. Great. Alex. Yes. Okay, and Alex Lafave also approved. The third item on our agenda is the May 1 event. So I want to start off by thanking all of the volunteers that we had the library staff and the community. We had about 75 people who were in attendance of the event. We collected roughly 216 unique comments and over 400 comments so meaning that 216 unique but you had people who were boosting comments of other people so there were about 400 comments in total that there was a draft of the comments in the packet that was me typing it up so be kind if you see typos I will fix them. That was just a quick first pass. The comments were also put into a visual format that sort of looks like the multicolored stickies and they were put up the next day in the library, so that we could continue to receive comments from people or boost comments from other people. And one of the advantages of living next to the library is I've just been going every day and taking a picture so that I can add as we get additional comments. So I guess I just wanted to check in with folks about, you know, thoughts comments feedback on the event. Generally speaking, I thought it was really great. You know, I think the, my, my big contribution to the vision was that I want to see blank paper turn into paper with comments and that very much happened. I wanted to just give a special shout out to the team section and also the big ideas, I think both of those had some really vibrant conversations. It was really lovely to see such a wide snapshot of folks. And I look forward to figuring out how do we continue to diversify not only who we are getting comments from but how we are going out to get those or get that input as well. Okay, thanks Alex. And I thought it was a great event. There was, I think, good, good conversation. There was a lot of energy when I was there. The comments are really interesting to read. And I think really most of all want to say bravo to Alex of Fave who really spearheaded this, this first outreach event so thank you Alex for all of that, all of that work. And just not to point out that Anika did a ton of work as well and a lot of the brain starving around so she's not here but shout out to Anika for all her incredible ideas and work that she did. We don't have public comments at the end but I do see people in our participants who either attended or volunteered at the event and I would love to invite folks in. If they are interested to raise their hands. I say this being in control and not entirely knowing what I'm doing but I will give it a whirl. If you'd want to share any feedback thoughts comments about the event or just any any feedback at all just go ahead and raise your hand and I will endeavor to figure out how to bring you into the meeting. So either everybody's being really kind because they know I don't know how to bring them in. I will figure it out if you if you do raise your hand. Okay. Um, so the next thing with a may one event is capturing the public comment so that we can then feed it on to the design subcommittee and the larger Jones library building committee and so Craig was really great about putting together some ideas about how we could do that. And I did create a spreadsheet based on his feedback which I can share and then I will just encourage folks, if we want to ask questions, or let Craig explain his thinking. And then we can talk a little bit about, you know, do we like this format we want to change anything. Yes. Yeah, so sorry I locked my computer down at one point so that nothing can share so I'm going to like Craig, talk about his ideas while I unlock my computer and and I'm able to share my screen. Certainly Alex. So the idea is that we've got information coming in, both from the May 1 event as well as this rolling process of collecting. And so my recommendation and you did a fantastic job turning my recommendations into an actual document so nice, nice work Alex. My recommendation is that each comment be assigned a number given, you know, record the date, it was made. There are multiple comments that are very, very similar recording how many, you know the frequency which that comment was made, and then, or if it was boosted recording how many times it was boosted, and then, keeping it at all as a living document that can be shared with a different with the design subcommittee and library building committee. So we used as kind of a tracking device so that as the comments flow through those decision making bodies. It can be recorded that it was discussed at such and such a meeting, and this is, this was the outcome so that it brings that whole process full circle, and also, as I said, you know, being a living document as more stuff comes in that will also make its way through the process. So that's the big idea. Thank you. Do you guys have any questions. Austin. Thank you, Alex. Craig, it would be helpful for you just to remind us in other projects in which you've worked on how such a compilation of public comments has informed deliberations. So the numbers associated with each of these comments, none of them are great. It seems to be more of them focused on the teen area than most of the others. So could you just talk a little bit about your experience in terms of how these comments are informed the informed the process. Certainly. In my previous experience on other product other public projects including public schools. This process has been a little less formal, or more of a one time opportunity or two time opportunities, such as it'd be a large public meeting. And during that to be a short presentation and then sort of questions and answers, and, and then the design team and the, and the, the building committees and subcommittees, we just kind of take the general zeitgeist, or the general feel, and consider that when they design process. So, but what I've heard in my involvement in this project is that there, there seems to be a desire to hear more discreetly from the public, exactly what they're interested in exactly what they value. And so this, this process here is a little more formalized. And so I think the way that it's, it's informing the design process will also be a little, you know, warrants it being a little more formal. Is there a question awesome. Sort of. It's the, when you say warrants it being a little more formal so let me give you some examples so there are 10 comments on Alex spreadsheet about the positioning of the brunette gallery. There are many comments about the furnishing of the teen room. They, you know they want being back chairs they want. I'm just trying to get a sense that might be helpful and it certainly might be helpful to the design committee about. How do I regard, how should I regard those comments I mean there are some of them that are what I would call new ideas to me didn't think about that. And they're useful in that way. New ideas new perspectives didn't think about that. But there are others of them that maybe are not new ideas, but the numbers are small. So when you say more formal at the end they should be dealt with a more formal way I want to just get a little meat on those bones, what does that mean how do we do me to pull up the spreadsheet Craig and then you can, I can, is that trouble or not. Yes, I think that would be helpful. I'll move as you tell me you want me to move. Fantastic. So the view you've got right now is perfect. So Austin to elaborate on my response before, or my comments before. So in the past on other projects, we haven't the, the community has not gone through this detailed list. Rather it was that if a couple people, different individuals who happen to attend a public meeting, made a comment or series of comments that were similar, that would register in everyone's mind the design team and the building committee here where the collection of information is more, you know, tailored to the to the remote or asynchronous. Fairway, or reasonable way that I can see to collect it all so so wait everything the same. Have all that as raw information, then that raw information be processed in some way and I don't know exactly the best way to process that what I'm kind of thinking would be either someone from the design subcommittee or the design subcommittee itself would quickly go through all of these and start drawing out common themes. So once those common themes are identified, then they can really be discussed in depth. And then a, you know, a response could be generated. And then I was sort of envisioning maybe, you know, since that's the case maybe a response to each one of these would would. And Alex if you'll just scroll down to just give people a feel for the volume of comments. So there are a lot of comments as Alex was saying, 216 something unique ones. But you can see they fit into these categories. In general, you know, interior exterior historic considerations sustainable considerations programs at the library. So, maybe the design team can take those, you know, one category of time talk about what they see. And then develop a plan based on based on that, along with all the other considerations that go into a project such as, you know, the feasibility of various ideas, budgetary considerations. Things like that. Alex you have your hand up. Thanks. Yeah, that's all really useful I think. You know what I'm hearing and correct me if I'm wrong Austin but I think this goes back to something you brought up in one of our earliest meetings of like what is the purview or the charge of this subcommittee. And it sounds like, I mean at this point, we have the raw data. I, I hear the pathway forwards for us to present that raw data in a format that demonstrates the frequency with which an idea comes up. But it sounds like there is clarification work to be done by the larger library committee on account move forwards beanbag chairs particularly. And so we have to figure out is that is what is that process and does it start with us does that start in the design committee. And so I might want to just push that back to the larger group next Tuesday to get some clarity. Thanks. I see that somebody in the audience has their hand up. Folks are amenable I'm going to go ahead and bring them into the meeting to. Okay, Chris did I do it. Hey, I did it. Chris you're on you just need to unmute yourself. Hi Chris riddle. I was not at the event and wish I had been. My basic question is the danger of an event like this, the political danger of their event like this people a large number of people make earnest suggestions. And some of them you can accommodate some of them you can't. I'm sure you must have thought about this issue. How was it presented. And to what extent do we have to worry about. Oh, I went that meeting and I gave my suggestions and made it nothing ever happened. It just went off into the ether. So I presume you have a strategy to deal with that dynamic. I'd like to, I'd like to know what it is. Thank you. Thanks. Do you want to respond to that or do you want me to respond to that Craig to respond. I was gonna say I'm more than happy to take a quick shot in that. I'm going to speak for myself personally. The, you know, I think when we were first discussing this event. I know that personally I was definitely pushing for this to be as broad. An audience as possible and we'll continue to do that. Right. And I think that there's been a lot of shared sentiment on making sure that as many people can participate as possible. That being said, there also has been a lot of work by colleagues and I really appreciate the work that's been done there, but also by the larger library committee to continue to try and understand where and when public input is most effective and on what is it is most effective. And so I know for example at the event. There was one person who was a little disheartened that honestly the referendum vote had not gone the way that they had wanted. And so I was able to actually pull up the timeline and thank you for providing that and show them like here's when decisions are being made here's where public input is happening here's where we are today. And they went off and added comments to a couple of boards, as far as I know. And so I hear that and I think to answer, you know what the strategy would be around that is partially like. I'm speaking for myself personally is not to see each other is dangerous in this moment, but to see each other as collaborators who can bring together a better possibility. If we are honest about where we're at and what are the parameters that we face, given the nature of the grants the process, etc. Yeah, and I would just add to that being the one who typed up all the comments that I actually nothing really gave me pause I mean I really appreciate it there was a lot of. There were a lot of comments that really echoed what what the library saw back in 2016 when the public was initially, you know engaged in sort of that large commentary. But there were some really neat ideas that aren't revolutionary per se and I think, you know could very much be part of the building design and I think I also see this as a collaborative in terms of. So I'm, I don't think we've ever represented that the public is going to say X and we're going to do X I think it's been that, you know, we want to. It's a check in it's a check in with the public on where we are today in 2022 2022 post pandemic about community needs around the library and so I personally found the comments to be really great and really exciting and really affirming of a lot of the things that are already happening many of them, many of the things that are on the dream board I'm like oh that's going to happen already so I, I thought it was great. And I think there were some suggestions in there. You know there were some suggestions around universal design and the architects may already be thinking about these things you know somebody was talking about you know, adapting things for people who are color blind or I just, you know I just think the more people at the table the more the more we're thinking about you have more voices adding to the conversation and so I think it was, I think it was great. Austin. I think the question is not was the event great or are we going to be collaborative. I'm interested the question is, how are we going to work when we might have the perception that some people might have the perception that they've made a comment what happens to it. It is a complicated process. I think, for that reason as well. I regard the comments the suggestions as recommendations. They're recommendations to the building committee and the building committee is going to make recommendations to the town manager and the trustees are that some of the comments are really interesting to me in the sense of I had not thought about them. They pointed things out that just completely escaped me. So, if that's the view of the committee, then the committee will have a chance to kind of look at things with some fresh eyes. In the next day. What is done in the design of the library will be a set of recommendations made through the building committee to the town manager and the, and the trustees and members of the public are going to be invaluable in helping us think in new ways. And Alex as you said reinforcing some already existing dispositions. These in the comments. For example, the position of the Burnett gallery. That's a significant design issue. And it has implications for lots of things that's different from beanbag chairs or a comment about whether the front entrance should be accessible I believe there was one comment to that. So, I think we have a process. I don't know Chris we can't, you know, know what people are going to think we've been very clear about I think we've been clear about what the process is, and we'll try to remain clear about what the process is. But I think seeing these comments, opening new ideas. And seeing these comments reinforcing some things and seeing these comments call our attention to things. That's, that's why I think they're valuable, and I think they'll be valuable to the building committee. Okay. So, do we, as a committee want to send this spreadsheet up to the full building committee or to the design subcommittee or was this just a fun exercise for me to type up would like water. I mean I personally like the way that Craig organized it because for me right anything that was in program space was something that impacts how the schematic is drawn and so to me, the design subcommittee can quickly filter through you know the 200 comments and be like okay these things are immediate. And then, you know, again, it's not that the design subcommittee is, you know, changing the plans per se but again they're taking in community feedback and where it makes sense and where things can be adjusted and you know I mean this is a giant jigsaw puzzle of how it all fits together we can't just move a room because one room impacts all the other rooms but I still. I mean, I don't know I think it does make the, the, I think it's valuable so I liked that ability to be able to sort things and quickly get to, you know, being bag chairs on a priority right now it's great information to collect but you know we can look at that later. So I think my only concern sustainability comments about you know crossland and timber. That's a now decision right that's important to. So I liked the ability to sort them by priority, in terms of when, when that public comment is pertinent to the process. So, I think my only concern. I'm sorry. I think my only concern I that makes all the logical sense to me. And I also have a concern that that sort of prioritization. I think that's where we just got a cost estimate where we're 20% over cost runs, runs the risk of us getting to the bean bags and being in a tight position right and I don't, I don't mean to keep making this about bean bags but I really like bean bags. And so I just want to also be. I want to be intentional that like, if we are making decisions now about lumber, how do we also keep in mind that they will have ramifications on just the number of choices we will have when we get to the inside of the building. Does that make sense. Do you have any thoughts on that. I wish I had sort of a really good response that say like, no, no, we can have it all, but Xander is exactly right. The decisions that we're making that the building committee is making up front now will certainly have an impact on what are available in the future. Both cost wise as well as say, you know, spatial relationships. One thing that I've been talking about with some of the various committees I think the design subcommittee is the one that we spoke about at most, at most length is. All the, the very preliminary budget that we've got now for the other I'm sorry the preliminary construction cost estimate we have now is based on a lot of assumptions. And it's my recommendation not to start removing things from the project until we get more clarity more definition and a new cost estimate at the end of the schematic design phase which is in a couple months. So so recap, I wish you weren't right Xander but you are decisions that are made now will have implications down the road, but nonetheless they still need to be made. Well and Craig just to piggyback off that I mean one thing that further complicates that is so much of the most powerful or most actionable public commentary comes in the schematic design period. So, if we're talking about not eliminating stuff until after the schematic design period is over, then it becomes very hard for us to respond and say, no actually x, y and z were extremely important. I mean, not us but the community to respond and say actually x, y and z are important to us. So the schematic designs are there and that's the only way the jigsaw puzzle comes together and is 100% of the picture with 80% of the cost. Thanks Alex. I want to try to answer the question that you asked earlier, I think there's no design subcommittee meeting between now and next Tuesday. I'm having a building committee meeting. I believe that what should happen next is the results of the May 1 event should be shared with the building committee. The building committee should be invited to have a discussion of first discussion. G that was interesting G that was surprising to me G I hadn't thought about that. And the building committee can, if you will refer it to the design committee informed by the discussion of the building committee. I don't know that we should be spending lots of energy now, trying to talk about what's going to happen with the cost or the, that's a very important question. I think what we should be spending energy on now is thinking about outreach. So what are our next steps with outreach and make sure that we have our, our plan it's, it's still, it's, it's still in place. That's what I would see as the as our work at least for the moment. I'll send the results to the, to the whole committee. Let's have a conversation. The whole committee may say, look, design committee, you need to chew on those things. And you Alex then informing the committee. Look, here's our next public outreach event. Here's what we're going to do. So that's what I would myself think should be the process going forward from this committee, the design committee and what we should be doing as a outreach subcommittee. So, to my original question, what I'm hearing is that this spreadsheet work with that being the vehicle with which I send it to the Jones library building committee that was really my question. I'm going to utilize the spreadsheet that Craig suggested if everybody's on board with that, and then I will do just as Austin said, hearing no objection I'm going to do that so Craig you have to leave yes, which is great because we're actually that's a good segue into our item number four, which is planning our next events. Thank you everybody. Thank you. Thanks for, thanks for joining us Craig appreciate it. So, we have this schematic design. The designers are beginning schematic beginning the finalization of schematic designs on May 9, and that's going through July 1. So we have eight weeks, more essentially, there'll be community outreach after that but this sort of initial press is eight weeks. And then after that we move into you know color selections interior materials and different things. We had talked before about the town is working with the newly formed crests community responder equity safety group on community engagement specifically in the apartment complexes. So there are two currently scheduled one for May 22, which is a Sunday in two weeks at Olympia Oaks and they'll also be including people who live in butternut. And then one on June 11, which is a Saturday two weeks following that first one and that's going to be in village park. So we are invited to that event to have a table to take the show on the road. So one we need to figure out what taking the show on the road looks like. And then also just wanted to chat about, you know, are those two events out in the community enough, or are we hoping to have more than that I mean they give us really tight time frame so, and if more where might they be. So, I don't know if folks have thoughts or comments about that. No, no comments. Yes, awesome. That sounds terrific. I wonder whether I don't know enough to make the suggestion. So these are just thoughts ideas. Is there an event that could be held at the survival center that would be useful to us. Is there a desire to have an event for the senior community in town, whether it's at the bangs or at the Applewood. Is there some way to work so that we could use the, the markets on Saturday. So those are just some thoughts about other things that we might want to do. Alex, any thoughts. A awesome comments, I think, really have me thinking of like, or the combination of both roles comments really have me thinking about how, how do we make this possible to be on the road so that the survival center actually do that. Right, like, how do we empower other groups to have a conversation about their drones with their own constituents or communities in a way that they can bring back similar results, right, but are able to have that conversation right. And so I think there is one need for us to figure out how do we go on the road to an event like the 22nd because yes, that sounds great. I think there's also another thing of like, are there organizations that would be interested in having a conversation about the drones and working with us to put that on or to to run it themselves right. Great. Thanks. Yeah, so I, right, so. Okay, good. Do. Yeah, so I guess the big thing is going to be just coming up with a format of that so I guess I can work with folks at the library or possibly pull together some of the people who volunteered at the event and sort of brainstorm some ideas. Because the next one would be in two weeks. So, figuring out and it might just be as simple as, you know, taking what's up in the library right now which shows other people's you know they're sort of smaller boards of the different tables and people's comments already and, you know, making that more portable perhaps so. Okay, I can follow up on that. I would also say amazing number of volunteers that we had. I would be very interested to go back to them and sort of debrief like how did you feel the first one. What, how would you feel the next, like how would you make the next event happen. Because I think there was so much shared ownership in the Jones on the first that continuing to share that ownership will will continue that's Yeah, absolutely agree. Okay. Um, so, in terms of advertising for the next events I mean, all of the things that we're talking about sort of have sort of built in advertising whether it's survival center senior center farmers market so I think that'll be different than what we've done but sort of naturally lends itself to who we're trying to reach so unless someone wants to add to that. Another item, which is interesting that I'm going to propose is that in working with the community participation officers of the town. The town has a team at UMass that they're working with. And they work with in meeting participation tools. So the idea is that, you know, if we had a tool right now everybody who's in our audience would have the ability to sort of, you know, weigh in terms of what they're thinking. And what I was thinking about was in the design subcommittee meetings. Would it make sense potentially to use these participation tools so that as the design committee is discussing things, the people in the meeting can weigh in and again, setting up expectations is important right people are weighing in and you know if you've got 10 people in the meeting that's really not the entire town. It doesn't necessarily mean they're going to make a decision based on what those 10 people are saying but it's just a potential way given this tighter timeframe to have the community be engaged in the conversations around design. I don't know exactly how it works I know that it's been used by the town I know the town's trying to push it as a participation model. If there's interest. I can meet with a group find out more and then have them present at our May 10 meeting to sort of talk about what's possible. If folks think that's a good idea. You're muted Austin. I don't, I don't fully understand it, but I'm happy to hear more about it. The other thing Alex is we might want to do a couple of events are of this kind, namely virtual events, not everybody has access to the computers and that's certainly true. But why not take advantage of this kind of technology announced a couple of meetings on online at times that are better than this one for for folks and add that to the mix of ways of gathering of public comments. Great. Good. And then one last thing I just wanted to make note. On Saturday, May 7. Jen Moisten, who's a community participation officer just wanted to let us know that Julius Ford Harriet Tubman healthy living community in partnership with the Human Rights Commission has a healthy living community festival from 12 o'clock to five o'clock at Miller River. The suggestion was not that we table there because this is a very. This is an event meant for a very certain thing but that it might be a great place to come as community members and engage with other community members just as neighbors talking to neighbors about the library so I'm just putting that out there for anybody who's on the meeting it sounds like a really fabulous event music food games are poetry. It sounds, sounds fabulous so anybody who doesn't know about the event it is an event and that was a suggestion made to us. I'm going to open it back up for public comment. If anybody has anything they want to share out in the public. Yeah, it's okay for me to start one thing and before we just move on. Please. Sorry. I one thing that I think would be really helpful is when we go to the big group meeting. When we were talking as a committee is for us to alter think about what it. It is going to be like the last big time in the last big event before we finalize the schematic designs. And partially what I'm thinking is that as we do all of these neighborhood and partner events and whatnot. How do we also advertise that like, well and in the future there's going to be this thing before we finalize that and we want to bring people together so that these, these smaller site events, then are also funneling energy back towards a bigger event trying to get people talking to each other as well. Yeah, and I think the sort of tricky bit is, you know, because of COVID because of the lawsuit that was filed against the town, you know, because of, you know, the town council ultimately deciding to put this to a vote. And I think that is that we are two years later than we would have been which is driving costs right so those those variables are driving up the cost of the project. And so this eight week period that we're in right now, we are simultaneously gathering community feedback while they're drafting the schematic designs. So the end date of July one is when they're hoping to have schematic design finalized. So I'm not sure. So for me that's why I'm in this sort of push to do as much as I can, as much as we can in the eight weeks and just constantly be funneling information that's informing that process. Does that make sense. I mean, so essentially if we told everyone show up July 4 for a gallery walk through the comments, we would already be three days late. Yes. So I'm so I so we're keeping the comments posted at the library and we can certainly keep them posted online and updated real time we can also use the engage Amherst website. It's coming in over these eight weeks. So I'm yeah I mean that's that's that's what I'm really trying to sort of get us creatively thinking about is we're sort of, we're working side by side right. Yeah, because of because the initial comments were gathered back, you know, when this process started and so this is a check in like we're just keeping it moving along so. Anything, Austin do anything else that you want to. Yeah, good. Okay. Do we want to have our next meeting on May 17 which would put us back on the opposite Tuesdays of the Jones library building committee meetings do we think we need to be sooner is that opposite opposite Tuesdays. Yeah, yeah. So that would put us to that our next meeting would be May 17. Okay. Good. Okay. Any, anything I've missed or that you want to comment on or add to. Oh, sorry, I cut you off for public participation. That's okay. I'm just going to check back in with the participants and see if anybody would like to add any suggestions comments feedbacks about the event, anything at all. Public outreach group so anything anybody wants to contribute would be welcome. No hands. Great. Okay, there are no topics not anticipated by the chair. So with that, I'm going to call the meeting to adjournment at 446. Thank you members of the public who participated appreciate you being here. Thank you. Thank you, Austin, and I'll see you on May 10.