Members Present
Max Broome, Ken Smith, Elizabeth Naegle, Robert O’Connor, Richard Naegle, Lucy Barnett-Hardcastle

Guests
Mary Luttrell and Gary Beyrouti

1. Minutes of 10/16/11 meeting unanimously approved.

2. Welcoming and introduction of guests, Mary Luttrell and Gary Beyrouti.

3. Questionnaire re: future of Forestville
   - At our last Board Meeting Robert offered to generate a questionnaire to help us explore our vision of Forestville as we plan goals for 2012:

   • What do I think of first when I think of Forestville? What images come to mind?
   • Do I know how many people live in Forestville?
   • What are some of the things I love about our town and I would not like to see change?
   • What would I like to see change for the better?
   • What do I want more of or in addition to?
   • If I were changing the ‘look’ of the town, what would I do? Would I do anything?
   • Do I want new businesses in Forestville? If so what would I want/not want to see come here?
   • Do I think having more community services in town would be important? If so, what services would I like to see represented in town?

   Now, thinking way outside the box………….. Let your wildest imagination come to play, let a dream come up, and on the back of this paper write a paragraph or so on a vision you have for Forestville in the future. Look ahead to 10 years and then to 20. Let this be a hopeful vision of the greater good prevailing.
   
   We began working with the first two questions, leaving the rest until our next meeting.
   
   What do I think of first when I think of Forestville? What images come to mind?
   - Russian River, trees, starry skies (low light pollution), small town, Mom & Pop stores, community, privacy, social events (tree lighting, Youth Park barbeque), sense of security (safety), small, human scale, friendly town, committed people, home-grown, civic pride, a sense of place, shops (e.g. hardware, bank, pharmacy Quicksilver, post office), intimacy with shop owners, quite, calm, peaceful, diversity, “characters,” socioeconomic diversity, a hamlet, a pit stop, a working town, not a destination, The Gazette (was the Forestville Gazette)…
   
   Do I know how many people live in Forestville?
   - About 6700 in the 95436 zip code (30 square miles); depends on how define the area (e.g. school district different); one website lists 2700 households: 31% with income less than $30,000/yr, 43% at $30-75,000/yr, 20% at $75-150,000/yr, 6% at $150,000+/yr; hard to tell how many actually live in the downtown area.
   
   - The discussion of the above two questions generated several ideas, such as: need a Welcome Wagon outreach to new residents from FPA; community bulletin board (like the one downtown by the Bank) needed at Speers Market; do hard mailing to all 95436 residents informing them of FPA website and news; more articles in Gazette to get people to sign up for FPA email alerts; monthly posting of local news on FPA website;

4. Roundabout committee update by Ken Smith.
   - Ken staffed a booth at the Town Social and Business Expo; over 20 people reviewed the proposed designs and voted on their preference; Committee close to final proposal based on all community input; recommends that final recommendation be presented at next Town Meeting and forwarded to the County planners; the Board agreed.

5. Forestville Community Fund (FCF)
   - Canyon Rock has sent in its first contribution to the FPA for $16,000; this will be an annual contribution for the next twenty years (based on the legal agreement signed between Canyon Rock Quarry and Forestville Citizens for Sensible Growth); Canyon Rock and FCSG have both agreed to have the Forestville Community Fund administer these funds; a representative from each party has been invited to participate in the Advisory Committee for the FCF; Gwen Trappe will be the representative from Canyon Rock; we appreciate this major contribution to the health and future of Forestville;
   - Combined with the annual contribution from the Bodean Company (Blue Rock Quarry), the FCF will have over $25,000/yr to distribute; suggestion that a Town Meeting include round table discussion of all parties about the Town’s priorities for the use of those funds; discussion that the FPA Board needs to more actively solicit grant applications.

6. Town Square
   - Summit Bank now owns the acreage downtown of what was the Thiessen development; it has just placed the area on the market for $2,000,000; Forestville has always wanted a Town Square (as explicitly affirmed by Town Meetings going back to 2002); discussion of possibility that Summit Bank might donate the proposed Town Square area to the Town; Lucy and Max to approach the Bank — Gary to act as consultant;

7. Bin
   - Possible Town Meeting topic: the mortgage crisis and options available to local folks who are in trouble with their mortgages.

Respectfully submitted by Richard Naegle, Secretary.

Next Board Meeting
Decided to have it in late March or early April; topics to include Roundabout design and use of Community Fund.
At the home of - N/A