Town of Red Hook Comprehensive Plan - Steering Commi ee Mee ng Minutes February 24, 2026 7:30-9:00pm Red Hook Town Hall In A endance Commi ee: Laurie Husted, Hart Migdal, Sam Phelan, Ben Shute, Julia Solomon (Chair) Liaisons: Sarah Imboden (Liaison, Village of Tivoli), Melkorka Kjarval (Liaison, Village of Red Hook), Jacob Testa (Liaison, Red Hook Town Board) Guests: Eric Pierson (Pa ern for Progress) Regrets Dennis Kanuk, Jennifer Mañón, Chuck Mead, Tricia Reed, Taun Toay (Liaison, Bard College) Minutes Minutes from the January 27th mee ng were approved. Updates Pop up engagement boards are ready. Contact Julia if you would like to use them. Discussion – Comprehensive Plan Structure & Organiza on Eric recapped some themes from the commi ee’s January discussion of example plans: desire to balance ‘polish’ with u lity of the plan; desire to keep the plan approachable (not too long, use appendices for suppor ng info); keep audiences in mind (Town Board and commi ees, residents); balance present-day issues and plan longevity; include brief history and context sec ons; address implementa on. The commi ee discussed op ons for organizing content within the comprehensive plan – vision statements, goals, objec ves, strategies, etc. – and how these could relate to the types of content likely to be included in Red Hook’s plan. The commi ee discussed ques ons related to incorpora on of spa al elements, appropriate degree of specificity for strategies, and approaches for implementa on. Discussion – Phase 1 (Visioning) Community Engagement Eric reviewed the community engagement that has been completed and submi ed to date. Notes from 17 Kitchen Table Conversa ons have been submi ed, 130 survey responses have been completed, several focused engagement ac vi es have been held at the Red Hook Community Center. Commi ee members reported on several addi onal upcoming engagement ac vi es (e.g. Bard student engagement, Kitchen Table Conversa on at Tradi ons). Middle school and high school student engagement will take place in March.
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The commi ee felt that most engagement gaps iden fied at the January mee ng have been addressed and it is appropriate to move to the next phase of the process. The visioning survey will close at the end of February. Future community engagement will focus on goals and strategies. Discussion – Phase 2 (Goals & Strategies) Community Engagement The commi ee discussed planned spring engagement, including: Workshop #2 – Focus on 1) confirming that vision and goals accurately reflect what people said; 2) solici ng ideas for strategies. Likely in May, with expo-style format to make vision/goals/strategies visible to par cipants. Will do broad promo on for this event, possibly including tools such as lawn signs and/or postcards. The commi ee discussed op ons for making this event accessible to as many residents as possible. More details to follow. Apple Blossom Day (May 9) – Display will be designed to complement Workshop #2 Focus groups – To be held a er Workshop #2 to get more specific input on strategies. Eric and Julia will reach out to several town commi ees for ini al conversa ons in the mean me. Next Steps Next mee ng: March 24th, 7:30-9:00pm Topics will include: Phase 1 (Visioning) findings, Phase 2 (Goals & Strategies) community engagement plans
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