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

1. We welcomed new Mary Luttrell and Gary Beyrouti as new member of the Board.
   - Mary Luttrell and Gary Beyrouti were unanimously elected via email vote after the last Board meeting.

2. Unanimous approval of Minutes of 11/30/11 meeting.

3. Continuation of Discussion regarding our hopes for and vision of Forestville using Robert O’Connor’s “Wish List” as exhibited in last Board minutes:
   
   A. Discussion of: “What are some of the things I love about our town and what would I like to see change?”
   - Gary: Town is “beige;” needs better presentation and signage; need businesses like Nightingale’s Bakery; keep Town the same size but more successful businesses; no big box stores.
   - Ken: likes texture of Town, unpretentious, friendly; no big box stores; home grown community; liked gym and Curves; Bypass will help make downtown more pedestrian friendly; wants a downtown park; looks forward to the roundabout and bypass; wants to support local business.
   - Robert: Town is small, friendly, quaint; it has a variety of businesses—so much without being a “destination;” disliked Thiessen Project but wants a town center with a bandstand; wants more beauty; dress Town up but not make more modern; more trees; more attractive street lights; repair sidewalks; need sidewalks to get to El Molino and Speers; wants bike path to River; wants something for theater (art theater, stage, or amphitheater); Town Meetings and Town Social need to be organized better; wants a Farmers’ Market and trade fair; wants a place for teens after school (e.g. skateboard park).
   - Max: County plan has not set up Town to be a primary commercial area (like Guerneville is); not a sophisticated town--part of its genius is being funky, old, & a little unattractive; needs to be more pedestrian friendly—sidewalks on Mirabel Road and bypass will help; wants businesses to be more successful but not have Town become a destination; hard to have best of both worlds.
   - Mary: Likes the country feel, quiet,  low light pollution, relatively friendly, self-sufficient; wants more successful business—mix of professional services and retail; wants main street to be more aesthetic—not a little Healdsburg but more attractive; more like Occidental; wants a more dynamic and effective Chamber of Commerce, more good restaurants (they are the heart of commercial enterprise); more trees + attractive street lights on main street; wants a town square
   - Lucy-wants a late night café and more community places to gather (e.g. bookstore); wants more bike trail connections + more murals and art.
   - Richard-likes the Town the way it is, though business buildings could be more attractive with better signs; wants local businesses to be more successful;  would prefer the Thiessen/Crinella property to remain an open field with town park for community gatherings.
   
   B. Discussion of how we imagine Forestville 10 years from now.
   -  Forestville as a jewel in Sonoma County, quaint, small, thriving—the hub of West County; more obvious community gardens; Town Square; River protected better (not wineries and grape monocrops all the way to the coast—more food crops); feeling among  the people who live in 95436 that the Town is ours; a more engaged and cohesive community where there is dialogue among what are now pieces, factions, elements and special interests--i.e. more collaboration among the major institutions in Town, such as the schools, community groups, etc. The FPA has a strong and unifying presence.

4. Discussion/Update by Lucy and Max on possible acquisition of former Downtown Thiessen Town Project.
   - Max met with Siegrid Swedenborg, the County Planner who worked with Orin Thiessen on his project plans; the Thiessen property is now up for sale and comes with the County approved Thiessen plans for its development; such entitlements and permits can be good for up to 9 years; however, whoever wants to develop the property inevitably will want to make some changes to the Thiessen Plan—which will then require a new round of permit applications. The density shift previously requested by Orin Thiessen and Ramona Crinella (making the Thiessen property more dense and the Crinella property less dense), while approved by the County, has not occurred since Ramona has not filed her map; reportedly she does not now plan to do so.
   - A meeting has been set up with our County Supervisor, Efren Carrillo, the new County director of Parks and Recreation, Max, and Lucy to discuss resources that could possibly be leveraged to make a Town Square more possible.
   - Lucy will attend a workshop next week by the Sonoma County Open Space District as possible source for acquiring property for a Town Square.

5. Discussion of a master class put on by Future Search on the technology and tools for bringing together communities and large groups. Approved (with one abstention — Mary Luttrell) to pay $700 for Board member, Mary Luttrell, to attend this class and report back to the Board and hopefully report on and /or use these new skills in future Town Meetings.

6. Next Town Meeting hopefully at end of March.
   - Topics to be decided at our next Board Meeting.
   - Sense that we need to deal with communications issues before that Meeting — i.e. a general mailing, “meet and greet” party for new residents, more advertising.

7. Treasurer, Elizabeth Naegle, requested authorization to consult a bookkeeper in setting up the FPA books in a more rigorous and transparent form. The two local quarries now are contributing over $25,000/year to the FPA, money which the FPA has designated for the Forestville Community Fund. We need to have our accounting books clear for auditing and tax purposes.  Unanimous agreement authorizing FPA Treasurer, Elizabeth Naegle, to spend up to $200 to consult a bookkeeper regarding setting up the FPA books and tax reports.

8. Agenda items for our next meeting.
   - Meld and pull together our individual visions for Forestville into shared priorities; agree and commit to a plan.
   - Action on better communication by FPA with the community.
   - Develop agenda for next Town Meeting.

9. Richard reported that because of his work with the FPA for the last several years, the Forestville Chamber of Commerce has elected him Volunteer of the Year. Fundamentally he feels that it is an acknowledgement of the importance and trust which the FPA has developed in our community.

Respectfully submitted by Richard Naegle, Secretary.

Next Board Meeting
Sunday, February 5, 1-3PM
At the home of the Naegles. Everyone is invited to stay after the meeting to watch the Super Bowl!