Community Council to Hold Constituent Meetings

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Dec. 3 meeting, the Sewanee Community Council decided to hold constituent meetings to elicit input from residents about issues important to them. The Council also asked for clarification on special-events parking on University Avenue and passed a resolution honoring Jerry Forster for his service to the University and community.

Council representative Pam Byerly introduced the discussion on the need for constituent meetings, suggesting every third Council meeting be reserved for this purpose, provided there were no time-sensitive agenda items. On the suggestion of council representative Pat Kelly, the council plans to host a constituent meeting in February or March. Domain manager Nate Wilson and Provost John Swallow are working on clarifying the district boundaries so residents will know who their council representative is and can join in the appropriate group discussion. The council will hold a short business meeting after the constituent meetings if there are urgent subjects which need to be addressed.

On a related topic, council representatives Theresa Shackelford and David Coe took issue with the practice of the agenda committee determining which topics are discussed at Council meetings. Both Shackelford and Coe offered agenda topics that were not included. Swallow explained that issues could often be resolved with a request for information and that delivery of that information did not need to be on the agenda. Coe pointed out that while he received a satisfactory answer to his question, the information would have been beneficial to the entire community. Vice-Chancellor John McCardell said issues that needed additional airing could be brought up during announcements. Coe’s question related to parking on University Avenue for special events. [See story on page 6 for details.]

The council passed a resolution honoring Jerry Forster, who served the University and community since 2001, most recently as vice president for finance and administration, and before that as treasurer of the University and chief financial officer. The resolution, authored by Coe, stressed Forster’s service to the council explaining topics such as “the rudiments of lease and transfer fees, emergency services and waste management contracts with the precision of an expert and patience of a saint.”

Domain manager Wilson reminded the council that the deer cull will begin Dec. 19. The only change in this year’s cull will be a small additional zone in the Abbo’s Alley area, Wilson said. During hunting hours, Abbo’s Alley will be closed off by barriers.

College student Caitlin-Jean Juricic, director of the Community Engagement House, invited the community to join in “bridging the gap between town and gown. If you are interested in developing relationships with students and individuals employed by the University, please let us know. We would love to work with you.” Contact Juricic by email at <juricca0@sewanee.edu>.

The next meeting of the Community Council will be Jan. 28.