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Vinalhaven planning commission weighs Island Institute fellow to lead comprehensive plan update
Summary
The commission reviewed a proposal to host a two-year Island Institute fellow (Resilient Communities) to help update Vinalhaven's 2013 Comprehensive Plan, with the town asked to commit $14,600 in year one and $15,000 in year two; Gabe McPhail may write a grant or serve under contract instead.
The Vinalhaven Planning Commission on Jan. 15 reviewed a proposal to invite a two-year Island Institute fellow to assist the town and community volunteers in updating the 2013 Comprehensive Plan. The memo distributed by Town Manager Marjorie Stratton described the fellowship as focused on Resilient Communities (L3C) and recommended starting with a Community Resilience chapter that covers economic, infrastructure, social and environmental impacts of extreme weather.
The town would be asked to commit $14,600 in the first year and $15,000 in the second year to host the fellow. The memo recommended appointing one or two local advisors to support the fellow (estimated availability: 2— hours per week). The Island Institute would provide and pay for housing for the fellow. The position is planned to begin in September 2026 if funding and arrangements are finalized.
Commissioners discussed an alternate approach: Marjorie reported that Gabe McPhail has expressed interest in joining the Planning Commission and that, as part of his contractual work for the town, he might be hired to perform similar outreach, data gathering and plan-writing support. The minutes record that Gabe would write a grant application that might cover some or all of the proposed fellowship costs; the Commission did not make a funding commitment at the meeting.
The Commission agreed to seek technical assistance from the Mid-Coast Council of Governments (likely Dan DeBroad) for the update and to begin framing the resilience chapter as an early priority. The next meeting was scheduled for Feb. 11, when members hope to include CEO Justin Van Dongan for further discussion of the town's needs and the logistics of any engagement model.
