HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes.NXGN.20191030.RegularOctober 30, 2019
Aspen Next Generation Advisory Commission
Meeting Agenda 5:30 p.m.
Sister Cities, Aspen City Hall
I. Call to Order
II. Updates
- Next Gen dinners
• Moving it to January
• Alex needs invite list recommendations from everyone
• Topic: transportation history/background
• Keep it simple: crockpot and bread
• Find beer and wine sponsors
- Outreach event
• Duncan is in but the date is still unknown
• Look for dates in January
• Create a survey to do all engagement in tandem at this
event
• 5 simple questions
III. November communications
• Work in specific questions about traffic and the Castle Creek
bridge and target commuters and locals.
• Kudos to Council on housing
• Voter turnout newsletter
o Kudos to Council also in newsletter
• Continue with newsletter.
IV. Board issues and officers
• Skippy in attendance to speak to officer and board roles
• Kimbo and Christine working to develop leadership roles and
pass off some leadership within Next Gen
o Officer elections in the January meeting
▪ New issue areas or topics will not be defined until
next leadership is in place.
o Kimbo is happy to continue leading the childcare work.
o Kimbo and Christine would like to maintain their
memberships, just transition to non-leadership roles.
• Nominations ready by the next meeting and choose to vote
then or in January.
• The term is one year with potential for extension.
V. New business
• Issue area moving forward to be approved by new leadership:
o Traffic and specifically Castle Creek Bridge: Entrance to
Aspen
▪ Aspen bridge data website:
www.entrancesolution.com
▪ Restart the conversation
▪ Emergency response plan and resilience
▪ Experience for workforce and visitors
▪ Lane shifting living lab
▪ Pushing forward technology to have real-time views
of traffic at the airport and Buttermilk
• Bring in Galena Plaza staff members to give input on the
project at the beginning of the December meeting
VI. Adjournment
VII. Notes
Calendar Amendments
• December 11, 2019 is the next meeting and last for 2019
Skippy’s Input and Feedback from his experience on Next Gen
• Background:
o Next Gen provided local government experience
o Proactive example of representation for the younger
demographic of Aspen
o Critical needs/issues now and into the future for a healthy
young population:
▪ Housing
• Progress made that can be attributed to Next
Gen
• Different culture/dynamic around housing in
Council now
▪ Voting
▪ Childcare
• One of the opportunities of Next Gen is the ability to roll your
sleeves up and do the work in a more active way than on
Council sometimes
o It can become whatever this board wants it to be: what is
your passion point or issue you are willing to go to bat
on?
• Challenges on Next Gen
o Issues with City management and Council in the past
dependent on personalities and in response to Next Gen
calling out real inconsistencies or problems in the City.
This will happen and come back around.
o Learned how to be more effective and not back down, ask
for more of a voice, or staff support.
• Best ways to communicate at Council
o Experiment different tactics
o Build direct relationships with council members and
communicate with them directly
o Culture of fear exists in City Hall and within staff. Do not
be afraid because most of the time there is support
somewhere, just sometimes people are afraid to speak
out until someone else does.
▪ Public needs to accept failure when it happens
▪ Internal culture needs to shift
o Next Gen has the opportunity to be a voice of reason in
support of things that failed/give kudos if they were done
in the intention of what this board believes in and
supports.
▪ Example: Shift – many things went wrong, though
the intention was there
o Current childcare topic area is going well and integrating
into existing/new work at the City. This is a good model to
iterate on and apply forward.
• Council relationships with Commissions like Next Gen
o Submitting public comment is still valuable in person.
o Send emails for public comment at another time than the
day of the council meeting.
o Send thank you’s and appreciation if Council does
something you’ve asked for and show up in person to
show gratitude.
o Differing opinions on Council about the value and roles of
commissions. More direction on where Council falls as a
group will be forthcoming in the next calendar year.
▪ No follow up on last update to Council.
• Identifying issues to work on
o How much access does Next Gen have to information,
data, etc? For example, senior housing situation.
o All information should be available and accessible from
staff. All staff has been responsive and helpful. Talk to
staff first.
o Talk to a council member regarding bouncing ideas
around.
• Be aware of 2 open council spots in 15 months.