LCA Board meeting with Smith College Design Team

9/3/2021

Present:

Gaby Immerman [GI], Smith College

Reid Bertone Johnson [RBJ], Smith College

Heidi Stevens [HS]

Jason Johnson [JJ]

Pennington Geis [PG]

Karyn Nelson [KN]

GI provided background on the group from Smith, and the skills and interests that students bring to the table, such as GIS mapping in which parcel maps, flood maps, and trail maps could be overlaid. Landscape design and design of physical structures like benches and kiosks are another skill set. And community engagement is something students are very interested in—co-creating events that bring the community together and get input from Leeds stakeholders.

Students will have between 3 and 12 hours a week to devote to these projects, depending on the student.

The finished product or products will be ready at the middle of December, because this is a semester-long project.

HS: Asked if that means the students could be working on multiple projects at once Yes is the answer]

RBJ: We can get a list of potential projects going now and then LCA can add to it in the next week or two. Students will also look at the list and try to match potential projects to their own interests.

HS: Is it engineering too or more focused on design?

RBJ: More on the planning/ design side.

The group discussed a variety of possible projects, listed below:

–Mapping trails in Beaver Brook Conservation Area behind the cemetary

–redesigning and beautifying the portals at the Hotel Bridge

–Design/ map the new 3 acre parcel off the bike path

–redesign the entrances to Roberts Hill trails

–Cooks Dam/ Country Club/ city conflict

–Improving the trail along side Mille River into Look Park from Arch street, which is heavily eroded

–Corner of Leonard St and Rt 9 going to be squared off 

–Entryway to the Village of Leeds

–off ramp from Bike Path into Look Park to come onto Florence St.

–design for the green across from Leeds Village, which is just unused lawn right now, could be reimagined for better community use

–Flood victim memorial improvements

–meadow dam

JJ, HS & PG Stressed the importance of maintenance planning being included in the designs, or designing things for low maintenance, because things that get created have no budget for maintenance and then it falls to community members to do all upkeep

RBJ suggested that a maintenance plan could also be a good product, could be retrofit to existing spaces

JJ Stressed the importance of ecological integrity, taking into account wildlife displacement and erosion

HS & PG Mentioned that although most of these will simply be design projects that LCA could take to the city and ask for funding, the project about the portal to the Hotel Bridge could actually be funded by the LCA with Hotel Bridge money already raised.

GI spoke about student interest in wayfinding projects, asking how people get around or how they might get around, what ways do we want bikers and walkers to move through the village?

GI mentioned two next steps: LCA must designate one or two point people from Leeds and LCA needs to decide if students can come to LCA meeting on the 14th . Eventually students should do walk-arounds at the various areas being considered for these projects. [LCA decided yes to students, a 15 minute appearance at the next meeting; still need to pick point people].