3.b) September 17, 2015 Special Meeting MinutesSeptember 17, 2015
The Scandia Planning Commission held a Special Meeting on the above date. The purpose of
the meeting was to view “The Dollars and Sense of Preserving Community Character”. The
following were in attendance: Chair Christine Maefsky, Commissioners Walt Anderson and Dan
Squyres. Commissioner Travis Loeffler arrived later. Absent: Commissioner Jan Hogle. Staff
present: Deputy Clerk Brenda Eklund. Council/EDA member Bob Hegland and community
guest Carol Schwinghammer were also in attendance. Chair Maefsky called the meeting to order
at 4:17 p.m.
Chair Maefsky introduced the video “The Dollars and Sense of Preserving Community
Character” and explained that it was viewed during the Comprehensive Plan update a few years
ago and it has relevant information to issues the Planning Commission is now discussing, such as
the revisions to the sign ordinance.
Following the viewing, Chair Maefsky led the group in a discussion of the positive points and
concerns that each came away with.
Commissioner Loeffler stated that “it’s never too late to start” struck him as a positive message
and that the first question when considering development should be what’s right, and not based
on economic reasons. His concern is how to balance community needs, ideas and interests with
growth.
Commissioner Squyres noted that communities need a sense of place; growth is inevitable and
planning for it does not fall into “one size fits all”. He stated that a starting point should be an
inventory of cultural and architectural resources which define a community. Chair Maefsky
advised him to refer to the current Comprehensive Plan as a source for this information.
Commissioner Anderson liked the idea that power lines can be buried. He stated that farms are
good but these properties are not bringing in tax base money; communities need places for
people to live and jobs to support them.
Chair Maefsky said a key point is to establish the unique character of a community and to
capitalize on the economic value of this. Keeping this vision in front of everyone (a sense of
place and purpose) can be difficult when other concerns come in and can get lost in the myriad of
issues that a community is dealing with.
Council/EDA member Hegland agreed that a community should retain its sense of place through
its development and could benefit from a local theme such as Scandia is a Scandinavian
community. Hegland noted that Scandia is really in need of assisted living facilities. He stated
that the Council should also view this informational video.
Carol Schwinghammer explained that she came away with the message that everything is
connected through a sense of place with community development. The message “what are we
building today that we want to preserve” was important. She recommended that Scandia’s vision
statement should be promoted through a poster or placard.
September 17, 2015
Scandia Planning Commission
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The group agreed that the video was valuable to watch and a viewing should be scheduled every
few years.
Anderson, seconded by Squyres, moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 4-0.
The meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Eklund
Deputy Clerk