COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
CITY OF GOOSE CREEK POLICE TRAINING ROOM
JULY 21, 2009 MINUTES

 
A. Committee Members Present: Joel Arenson, Rick Buckner, Paul Connerty, Jerry Glass, Gayla McSwain, Doug Quinn, Jeffrey Smith, Jerry Tekac, Tom Volkmar, Allen Wall

Committee Members Absent: Nancy Hellstrom, Barry Washington
BCD COG Staff Present: Rob Caison
City Staff Present: Daniel Ben-Yisrael, Ryan Sigworth, and Sarah Hanson
B. Meeting Summary

„X Mr. Wall called the meeting to order.

„X Mr. Wall introduced Jeffrey Smith and welcomed him to the Committee. Mr. Smith was recently appointed as a new member of the Planning Commission.

„X Mr. Wall asked for comments from the committee concerning the meeting time of 5:30. There were no comments or suggestions for changes.

„X Rob Caison summarized the discussions of the past meetings. Revisions had been made to some of the information provided at the previous meeting, and he referred to copies provided to the members.

„X Mr. Smith made a motion to accept the minutes as submitted. Mr. Arenson seconded. All in favor.

„X Mr. Wall turned the meeting over to Mayor Heitzler to discuss the cultural history and resources of the City of Goose Creek. Mayor Heitzler recommended that the City of Goose Creek establish a cultural commission to oversee the preservation and sustainability of the cultural resources of the Goose Creek community. He discussed having accumulated and documented many of the facts and artifacts of Goose Creek's history. He stated that 24 historical markers have been erected in Goose Creek and its surrounding area. He hopes the history can be told and taught within the schools and that stories about the historical markers can be published and available for sale. He provides lectures in the Fall of each year on the culture and history of the City. A power point presentation illustrated the many artifacts, maps, and historical locations within the City. The open land area around the St. James Vestry is a location he feels should be preserved and enjoyed by the City's population. He suggested that the

history can also be honored through the use of historical street names, information can be published on City web sites, and artifacts, aerial photographs and historical maps could be displayed with a narrative explaining their significance. He hopes that the Comprehensive Plan can provide recommendations for the preservation and enhancement of the City's story and historical locations.

„X Rob Caison referred to the information provided from the 2005 Comprehensive Plan Update relating to the cultural element. He explained that the Committee will be putting together an action plan to enhance and build upon the existing material from the 2005 update as well as incorporate the historical significance of Goose Creek into the new Comprehensive plan.

„X There was discussion about pursuing grant money to provide a museum and in creating the cultural commission. Mayor Heitzler suggested bringing the information to where the people congregate in the City. Rob Caison referred also to the community input gathered at the visioning meetings that could be included in the action plan, and there was discussion about other cultural opportunities such as the music festivals and other family-oriented activities that provide the "flavor" and texture of the community. The question of how to incorporate the need for cultural and historical preservation into the general land use plan that becomes the Comprehensive Plan was raised, as that is the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan. It was suggested that because the cultural aspect of the plan is specific to Goose Creek in that it provides the personality of the community, additional discussion would be necessary to fine tune the best way to incorporate this into the Plan. It was stated that recreational activities and opportunities should be addressed as well.

„X Rob Caison suggested that these ideas will be summarized for next month's meeting so that the discussion could continue and the Committee can build upon these ideas.

C. The meeting was adjourned at or about 7:05 p.m.