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Otis Revitalization Committee elects officers, plans Master Plan update and community survey
Summary
The newly formed Town of Otis Revitalization Committee elected Stacey Silkey‑Schultz as chair and Glenn Steinberg as vice chair, agreed to collaborate with the Planning Board on an updated Master Plan, and tasked members with conducting SWOT analyses and investigating community and business surveys.
The Town of Otis Revitalization Committee held its first meeting on Monday, Jan. 27 at Otis Town Hall, where members elected Stacey Silkey‑Schultz chair and Glenn Steinberg vice chair and set an early work plan focused on updating Otis’s Master Plan and gathering community input.
The committee reviewed its charge and noted an instruction from the Selectboard allowing the panel to consider projects beyond downtown if grant opportunities arise. Committee members summarized prior work and local connections useful for applying for funding and named regional partners such as the Berkshire Regional Planning Board and One Berkshire as potential collaborators.
The 2016 Otis Master Plan was presented to the group and members discussed revising it; Stacey Silkey‑Schultz recommended collaborating with the elected Planning Board on a coordinated update. Because the committee has no independent budget, members emphasized that they can research costs and make recommendations to the Selectboard rather than commit town funds.
Susan Ebitz was assigned to investigate the cost of using SurveyMonkey for two separate surveys — one aimed at local businesses and one for the broader community — to collect input for planning. Members also agreed to complete individual SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analyses and submit them to Susan Ebitz by Feb. 17 so she can collate the results for the next meeting.
The committee set a regular meeting schedule of the fourth Monday of each month at 10:00 AM at Town Hall and noted that meetings may run until noon if necessary. Because no member has a pro Zoom account, Susan Ebitz will check with the Planning Board about using their account to provide a remote link.
The committee expects to report back to the Selectboard in approximately three months.
