Minutes from the Business Development Committee Meeting
October 27th, 2006

In attendance were:

• Ken Zamarchi (Chairman)

• Betsy O'Donoghue (BOS Liason)

• Mary Hogan (Member)

• Douglas Minghella (Member)

It was the general consensus among the BDC that in order for all the committees to become more effective, there needs to be better communication between the various town committees. With this in mind, the following suggestions were made:

• BDC minutes are to be posted online at EliotNews.Com and cross mailed to the other committees, with the hope that they will provide the same.
• A meeting will be requested with the tax assessor to obtain a better understanding about the tax structure in Eliot and exploring the possibility of tax incentives for new commerce.

• To ensure that the future business needs of our town are addressed properly in the new Comprehensive Town Plan, a member from our board shall become a member of the Comprehensive Planning Committee as well.

Discussions were conducted pertaining to pre-existing businesses and the potential negative impacts they may be having on the town environment and/or attracting new business to the area. The following was discussed and will be followed up on in upcoming meetings:

• Logging of home businesses throughout Eliot.

• Conversing with the Eliot Code Enforcement Officer regarding the several questionable business lots along Route 236, which currently contain dumped and/or abandoned hazardous materials.

Related discussions yielded several ideas to enhance the look of Route 236. All of the members in attendance agreed that this would have a positive impact on pre-existing businesses, how the town/roadway in viewed by travelers and in potentially attracting new businesses to the area. Among the suggestions offered, were drafting a letter to existing businesses (regarding visual appearance of their properties) and contacting both the Garden Club and Rotary Club for assistance in this project.

The budget amount for next fiscal year was discussed. The committee will be looking into other sources of funding as well, including the Tax Incentive Fund and other state and regional funding.

The next two meetings were scheduled as follows:

• Wednesday November 29th at 7 PM

• December 20th at 7 PM