Tips on running an efficient meeting

One of the four-points of the Main Street & Elm Street approach is organization. This area largely pertains to the internal committee functions, like board governance, fundraising and training.

To that end, I wanted to share a file sent to me by my co-worker, Danielle Josephs. Danielle is the Vice President of Mission Councils at the Chamber (specifically, Danielle works with the Executive Women's Council and Small Business Council). As anyone who has ever been to a Chamber event or taken part in one of our councils can tell you, we have LOTS of meetings. Lots of them. The same absolutely goes for Main Street and BBRP communities. Accordingly, running an efficient and effective meeting is absolutely critical to our success. A good meeting allows people to discuss ideas but is efficient and uses a volunteer's time in the best way possible.

Accordingly, below is a document titled "Tips on running an efficient meeting." Take a look and enjoy!

TIPS FOR RUNNING AN EFFICIENT MEETING

Every meeting should be enjoyable, efficiently run, and build organizations morale. Efficient meetings respect people’s time as their most valuable resource.

1. Circulate an agenda and stick to it: An agenda should have the planned steps that get the meeting from “here” to “there”. Open discussion can be healthy, but you cannot let it dominate the meeting. Groups have a tendency to wander far from the original agenda. When you hear the discussion wandering off, ring it to the group’s attention. You can say, “That’s an interesting issue, but perhaps we should get back to the original matter of discussion.” Also, avoid repeating information for those who haven’t arrived on time or haven’t read the information sent to them prior to the meeting. If important items are brought up that aren’t relevant for the current discussion, record them in a “parking lot’ top be addressed later.

2. Start the Meeting Promptly: Do not penalize those who did come on time by starting a meeting late. However, for very large meetings, plan to start within 10-15 minutes of the official start time. For smaller meetings, particularly regular organizations committee meetings, start exactly on time.

3. Stay on Target: Any item that can be resolved between a couple people offline or that does not require the knowledge, consent, or input of the majority of the group should be scotched immediately. As soon as the needed permission, notification or task assignment is completed, just move on to the next item.

4. Avoid overly-detailed decision making: Frequently It is easier for a group to discus the color of napkins that it is the real issues it is facing. Avoid getting immersed in details, suggesting instead that the committee make the decisions, resolve the issue.

5. Move to Action: Meetings should not only provide an opportunity for people to talk, but should also challenge them to take action. Meetings should plan effective actions to build the event.

6. Seek Commitments: Getting commitments for future involvement is usually a goal of most meetings. Make sure that adequate time is allocated to seeking commitment. For small meetings, write people’s names next to the task they agreed to undertake. The chairperson may want to ask each person directly how he or she wants to help. One rule of thumb, especially for meetings with less than ten people, is that everyone should leave the meeting with something to do.

7. Bring closure to discussions. Most groups will discuss items much longer than needed. The facilitator is responsible for recognizing when a group is basically in agreement and move the discussion forward.

Presidential Politics & Urban Issues

Friends,

The upcoming election has certainly generated a lot of heat lately, and as someone who is interested in both politics and urban revitalization, I've been thinking heavily about the role of the presiency in terms of politics that specifically concern our cities and boroughs. Accordingly, I found some links on each of the major Presidential candidates websites that particularly deal with cities. Both candidates have significant plans dedicated to the challenges facing energy in America: Here is Senator McCain's, and here is Senator Obama's. Furthermore, Senator Obama has a specific section on his website dedicated towards urban policy, while Senator McCain has a specific section devoted towards crime. I couldn't find similar components on Senator Obama's website on crime or Senator McCain's website on urban reviatlization. Normally, I would try to summarize the platforms of the candidates; however, given the importance of this election, I definately think its worth reading the material yourself, as opposed to reading a summary from my (biased) opinion. I also found an interesting article from the New York times on urban policy in the Presidential race (this was back during the primary in February) and how little attention the issue was getting.

I would be HAPPY to add any additional information.

The philosophy of Main Street

Well, let me first say that this blog is going really well! We are starting to reach the point where people are yelling at me for my entries!

Yes, I do actually mean that. It doesn't take a genius to tell you that debate on any issue is good and absolutely necessary in order to ensure that your position is correct and your arguments are sound. I welcome anyone disagreeing with me and making their disagreement heard.

Anyways, a recent comment is the inspiration to this entry. The comment was: "Is this the job of the Chamber of Commerce....to force people and businesses back to the cities?"

It is a fair question, actually, though I don't think its fair to entirely apply to it to the Chamber. What is the job of an urban revitalization and smart growth effort? Is it government trying to force people to live in cities? Are the Chamber and other Main Street organizations trying to tell people where they can live?

The answer is a resounding NO. NO NO NO. I cannot stress that enough. Since when does improving a city mean that we are trying to force people to live in them? Nothing could be further from the truth.

My job, and the job of others like me, is to make cities better places to live, work, shop and play. We believe that cities are outstanding places and deserving of the resources provided to them. Throughout history, urban centers have served as the very cradle of civilization. They are centers of government, business, commerce, education and culture. Regardless of their size, urban areas have a mix of uses and a density that establishes a sense of community. When planned properly, cities are also environmentally friendly, have multiple modalities of transportation and are capable of sustainable living.

And, just as cities have always thrived, so too have other types of communities. Personally, I'm a fan of cities. I love the sense of community, that everything is close together, the professionalized government services, the vibrancy and the culture. I believe that the good far outweighs the bad and I want to dedicate my life towards ensuring that my community continues to improve. I love in Allentown and cannot wait to become a homeowner and raise a family there.

That being said, the Main Street approach fully understands that urban life is not for everyone. If someone prefers to live in a suburban or rural community, okay. No one who works in urban redevelopment would ever dream of stopping someone or forcing them to live in a community that they did not wish to be a part of.

That being said, it is the goal of those countless community organizers involved in urban revitalization to ensure that our cities are the best place imaginable. We want cities to be viable living and working options for people from all walks of life, and that is our goal: to make cities better places. Not to force anyone to live there.

News Release on Treevitalize

Hi everyone,

Below is a news release I just sent out on public meetings we will be having for the Treevitalize in Alburtis and Coopersburg. The goal here is to determine where in the Borough we should apply for the Treevitalize program and attempt to get public support behind their requests.
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NEWS RELEASE
Up to $25,000 in grant funding for trees available in Alburtis and Coopersburg
840 Hamilton Street, Suite 205 – Allentown, PA 18101

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Schlossberg
September 19, 2008 484-809-1796

Residents opinions sought for determination of tree locations

Lehigh Valley, PA (September 19) – Michael Schlossberg, Borough Business Revitalization Coordinator for Alburtis and Coopersburg, has announced the opening of the Treevitalize Grant Program for these two communities. This program, administered by Lehigh and Northampton counties and funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will provide up to $25,000 in matching grant money to any community that is interested in planting trees in their municipality.

“Research has shown that trees can enhance property values, protect against flooding, improve the environment and increase the quality of life in a community. This program represents an opportunity to greatly enhance Alburtis and Coopersburg, and we want to take advantage of it anyway we can,” said Schlossberg.

In order to determine where the trees will go within each Borough, two public meetings will be held. The purpose of these meetings will be to determine the where trees should go and what types of trees should be purchased by each community. This will ensure that the location and types of trees purchased have public support.

The date, time and location of these meetings are as follows:
· Alburtis: October 2 & November 6 (7:00pm, Alburtis Borough Hall)
· Coopersburg: October 15 & November 17 (6:00pm, Coopersburg Borough Hall)

Media coverage is strongly encouraged at each meeting.

The Borough Business Revitalization Program is a regional Main Street Program. It is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Lehigh & Northampton counties, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the nine Boroughs: Alburtis, Bangor, Bath, Catasauqua, Coopersburg, Hellertown, Macungie, North Catasauqua and Wilson. The goal of the program is to revitalize the urban cores of the participating communities.

Is smart growth having a political impact?

An article on Smartgrowth.org discusses the recent electoral success of a Delaware Smart Growth candidate. In Delaware, State Treasurer Jack Markell scored a stunning (albiet narrow) upset victory over Lieutenant Governor John Carney Jr, defeating the establishment candidate by 2.4%. Carney was endorsed by Democratic Governor Ruth Minner and many other local political leaders. According to the article, Markell came forward with a strong smart growth plan. It noted that, "His course is clearly set out in ''A Plan for Enhancing Our Quality of Life in Delaware,'' based on research and guidelines by the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Urban Land Institute and key New Urbanism and mass transit champions, and posted on his campaign web site. "

One has to wonder about whether or not smart growth is starting to have an effect in political campaigns. I'd be curious to see polling data that indicated why Markell was able to defeat Carney. For now, lets just hope that our neighboring state is able to impliment a smart growth agenda.

Treevitalize

There is a program that boroughs of both Lehigh and Northampton counties are working on and I wanted to take a second to describe it. The program is called Treevitalize and it will soon be operating state wide. Basically, the aim of the program is to lead to the planting of approximately one million trees across the Commonwealth. More specifically (taken from the Treevitalize website): "Treevitalize seeks an $8 million investment in tree planting and care over a four year period. Goals include planting 20,000 shade trees; restoring 1,000 acres of forests along streams and water protection areas; and training 2,000 citizens to plant and care for trees."

Indeed, trees are incredibly important to the the health and quality of life in a community. Studies have demonstrated that trees have numerous positive effects on a community, including the reducing electric bills, increasing property values and a reduction in flooding.

Locally, both Lehigh and Northampton counties have been selected to take part of a pilot program that would expand the Treevitalize program. Local municipalities in both counties can apply for up to $25,000 in grant money (or 50% of the cost of a project) to help cover the cost of these trees. For more information in Lehigh, contact Virginia Savage. In Northampton, contact Lori Sywensky.

Lehigh Valley Hosuing Market Update

Here's some information regarding the latest statistcs on the Lehigh Valley Housing Market. This info comes to us courtesy of Marilyn deMendoza-Conte of Coldwell Banker Hearthside Realtors. Marilyn is an active member in the Hellertown Business Revitalization Program and that Coldwell Banker Branch has numerous members who are very involved in our revitalization efforts. Thank you, Marilyn!

As for the information below, it examines the activity in the housing market between August 2007 and August 2008 and pertains to the Lehigh Valley area.

• Overall home sales decreased 23.4% (679 - 520)
• Average sales price decreased 5.8% ($242,000 - $228,000)
• Median sales price decreased 5% ($210,000 - $200,000)
• Average market time increased (68 days - 49 days)

It also listed the median sale price by school district in Lehigh and Northampton Counties:

• Allentown: $133,000
• Bangor Area: $213,000
• Bethlehem Area: $209,000
• Catasauqua: $139,000
• Easton Area: $244,000
• East Penn: $211,000
• Nazareth Area: $268,000
• Northampton Area: $207,000
• Northern Lehigh: $235,000
• Northwestern Lehigh: $215,000
• Parkland: $255,000
• Pen Argyl: $199,000
• Salisbury: $192,000
• Saucon Valley: $221,000
• Southern Lehigh: $580,000
• Whitehall-Coplay: $195,000
• Wilson Area: $142,000

This is a summary provided by Marilyn: "Although sales are down in the Lehigh Valley, our average price continues to remain stable and our housing market is healthier by far than most of the major markets in the U.S."

Interesting food for thought...

Stop building new roads!

I was just handed some information on transportation by Renew Lehigh Valley. I found some really fascinating statistics on transportation in the Lehigh Valley. The information points out the relatively dire circumstances that roads are facing in Pennsylvania.

For starters, nearly 25% of Pennsylvania's bridges are structurally deficient, compared with just 12% in the U.S. This does not mean that a bridge is unsafe, but it does mean that a bridge needs to be closely watched and that repairs will be needed in the near future.

Repairs and new bridges are not inexpensive. Like everything else, materials used in road building have increased significantly. Since 2003, the cost of concrete has increased 53%, hot mix asphalt has increased 88% and fabricated structural steel has increased an astounding 156%. During this time period, gasoline increased 185% and diesel increased 215%. 18% of an average houshold budget has been spent on transportation, and in auto dominated regions (suburbia), that figure can exceed 30%. And here's an even more interesting fact: Gas prices today are actually equal to gas prices in Europe five years ago.

Future land use in Pennsylvania absolutely MUST be tied to transportation issues. We are already paying dearly (quite literally) for land use and planning decisions that have not kept the transportation network in mind. The best way to do this, as far as I can tell, is to build denser and more mixed-use - in other words, to build traditional urban areas.

Walking and driving

As I've said before and as recent entries have indicated, creating viable transportation networks is absolutely critical towards continued urban revitalization efforts. Interestingly, the most common and oldest method of transportation is often the most overlooked: walking.

Here's an interesting statistic: 40% of all driving destinations are within two miles. 18% of all destinations are within just one mile. Of course, these statistics will increase when someone actually lives within a city as opposed to a suburb. Why don't more people walk then?

Well, pedestrian safety is one factor. According to statistics from the Federal Highway Administration, 4,749 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes during 2003, while another 70,000 were injured. 622 cyclists were killed and 43,000 were injured during the same period.

Interestingly enough, however, is that the amount of fatalities from car accidents FAR exceeds those killed or injured in pedestrian related accidents. In 2002, there were 42,815 people killed in car accidents and 2.9 million injuries.

Clearly, pedestrians are important part of any transportation network. For more information, visit http://www.walkinginfo.org.

Pics for Alburtis

Hi everyone, As a fundraiser, the Alburtis Business Revitalization Program will be selling a calendar. Each month will have a picture of Alburtis. Thanks to Dave Kutzor, chair of the Alburtis Business Revitalization Program, who took most of the pictures. I think they accurately capture what a beautiful place Alburtis is. This is what we have selected as the 12 pictures (the first five are published here, the remaining seven are coming). Comments are appreciated!

Light Rail in the Valley?

Enhancing the transportation network of the Lehigh Valley is unquestionably one of the most important issues facing our community. Transportation dramatically effects the economy (did you know that traffic cost the United States an estimated 78,136,000 in 2005?) construction/movement patterns and the overall quality of life for a community (the same study noted that traffic congestion wasted an estimated 4,188,716 hours in the United States in 2005 - this is the equivilant of 174,530 days, or 478 years!!!).

What are the solutions, and how can we incorporate those solutions into the Lehigh Valley? Well, one such solution just moved forward one step. On August 29, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission gave their support to a $250,000 study that would "study what it would take to extend the existing NJ Transit commuter line into the heart of the Valley." According to the article, funding would come from the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation ($100,000) and the remainder would be split by Lehigh and Northampton counties. Ideally, any rail system in the Valley would connect with already existing networks in Harrisburg, the Poconos, Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey.

The construction of the transportation system in America has historically damaged our urban cores. Among other things, the building of our highway system opened new lands for new construction (aka suburbia), thus giving residents of cities other living options. This drained cities of valuable population and fiscal resources and is a large contributor to the state of cities today.

The question of specifically how light rail would help our urban cores remains to be seen, but it is a question that is absolutely worth answering.

Funding for Hellertown

Hi everyone,

I have more good news to report! Representative Bob Freeman has committed to a $5,000 grant to go towards Hellertown's revitalization efforts. Specifically, this grant will help fund banners on Main Street.

As the author of the Elm Street program, Representative Freeman is one of Pennsylvania's leading advocates for urban revitalization. Thank you, Representative, for your continued dedication and for fighting the good fight!

Quality of Life

A new ordinance passed in Allentown caught my eye today and got me thinking. The ordinance, sponsored by Allentown Councilman Peter Schweyer, would ban residents from having more than four yard sales a year. This is a law that is geared at improving the quality of life by stopping them from "running a cottage industry out of their front yards," according to Council President Mike D'Amore. Ideally, it will also help enhance the image of Allentown by helping to correct the perception that some have of Allentown as a great place to sell junk.

I asked Councilman Schweyer to elaborate a little on the goal of this ordinance. Here's what he said: “Think about it: if you live next door to a person running yard sales every week, you will have more traffic, more noise and less parking. This is simply a quality of life issue, and is the first of several initiatives that Council is looking at to curtail nuisances throughout the City.”

This got me thinking. One of the chief efforts of any downtown revitalization program needs to be an attempt to improve the quality of life and the perception of an urban area. Any special events that take place in a community need to ensure that they help to improve on that community's perception. This is also a big part of the reason why physical improvements are so vital to a community - they help to create a positive image of a place, which thus spurs more business and residential growth.

Here's my question: what else can we do to improve the quality of life and perception of urban areas?

Regionalization - The Future for Urban Areas?

Pennsylvania has a rather dubious distinction: it has the third most governments in the entire United States. When you factor in governments at every level (state, county, municipality & school district), Pennsylvania has 3,135 governments. That is the 2nd highest rate of governments per capita in the entire United States, behind only Illinois. Wow.

So why is this a bad thing? Don't small governments ensure that elected officials are close to their citizens and government is responsive? Of course. That is absolutely an outstanding benefit of living in Pennsylvania. By living in this Commonwealth, you are virtually guaranteed that an elected official lives somewhere nearby. This gives the average resident access to their governments at all time.

The problem, unfortunately, is that this massive level of governments creates an environment whereby tax payer money is often wasted. This occurs in many ways. Separate municipalities make separate purchases, thereby denying them the opportunity to make larger purchases together at lower prices. Staff in separate municipalities could easily be merged at a savings to tax payers. A lack of regionalization at a zoning and planning level often leads to inefficient use of land, damaging the wallets of residents, the urban areas that we many call home and the environment that we all share. A lack of regionalization also prevents government from acting in regards to areas of vital importance, including public safety and health.

Why is regionalization such a good thing for urban areas? Urban areas (cities and boroughs alike) often have very similar functions - police, fire, community & economic development, maintenance, etc. - that townships and rural areas don't have. Given their comparatively condensed nature, urban areas can have a much easier time meshing departments (like police and fire) together. State policy specifically encourages this type of regionalization through grants, like with the Regional Police Assistance Grant Program and Shared Municipal Services Program. Furthermore, urban areas are often in tougher financial positions than their rural/suburban counterparts. Accordingly, the need to save money is particularly important.

One important caveat: no one is talking about merging two municipalities together. Such a proposal is usually overly ambitious and will go against the will of the people that elected officials have to represent. What is talked about more often is a regionalization of services, like police and fire. Doing so will likely save taxpayers money, while still allowing each municipality to maintain a joint identity.

Money for Alburtis and Macungie!

Hi everyone,

Earlier this morning, I had a meeting with State Representative Doug Reichley (R-134). Representative Reichley is the State Representative for three Main Street communities: Alburtis, Macungie and Emmaus. Of course, Alburits and Macungie are both part of the BBRP.

I'm pleased to report that Representative Reichley has committed to a $10,000 grant - $5,000 for Alburtis and $5,000 for Macungie. In Alburtis, the money will fund our gateway signage, historical marker and town clock projects. In Macungie, it will fund our proposed downtown Master Plan, and with any left over funding, a parking study and a traffic study.

Thank you, Representative Reichley!