Jan 5th Public Meeting

The City Council mandate included the following: "The Task Force shall conduct at least one public hearing prior to issuance of the final report".
Most of the 15 citizen members of the Task Force had no little or no professional experience with the structural, financial and functional topics inherent in the re-use of a building or site on the scale of Mill #5. After considering and debating possible uses, we commissioned a series of professional studies to guide our deliberations.
We decided to have two public meetings, one before we received professional reports, and the second after.
The first meeting, on January 5th, had three elements:

• A tour of the facility lead by Steve Myers of Platz Associates. Much of the information from the tour is available in a fact sheet.

• Public Meeting participants received a handout about the building that included some information abstructural facts and information about historical operating losses.
  
• A presentation by co-chairs Mike Carey and Jonathan Labonte. The size of that presentation prevents it from being posted online, but it is available by emailing batesmill5@gmail.com
• Small group conversations about possible uses for the building and land. Notes from those conversations can be found at: notes.

The Sun-Journal published a story the next day.
Architect Gabrielle Russell sent the Task Force a letter after the meeting with a forceful argument for the building's preservation. She included a document detailing the costs and financial benefits of Green Building.

Mike Carey
Lewiston