ATTACHMENT 1

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            Third Pritchard Park Art Garden Committee

SUBJECT:      Recommendations to Change Plans for Development of the Pritchard Park Art Garden and the Siena Hotel

DATE:                        November 7, 2005

The Committee met to consider changes in the plans for the proposed expansion of the Siena Hotel that would be necessitated by the expansion of the Resource Conservation District (RCD) in the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO). The expanded RCD makes it impossible for the Siena Hotel to be located in the area originally approved by the Council. Although this has created some initial design difficulties, the Committee believes that it also gives us an opportunity to revisit the process and goals of all parties.

The Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to make the following recommendations to the Council concerning the Pritchard Park Art Garden project and the proposed expansion of the Siena Hotel based at a new location:

• The Council should continue to support the concept of selling about 1 acre of land to the Siena Hotel in order to allow the hotel to expand.
• The Council should support the Siena Hotel’s proposed new location out of the Resource Conservation District.
• The entire Pritchard Park program, including the art garden project, should be incorporated into the design process for the library expansion. The Special Use Permit for the library expansion should include the park elements, including the art garden.
• The design team for the library expansion should include a strong landscape architectural and art component.
• The art garden itself should be located in a place that would provide better accessibility from the library.
• The Town property that would remain after the 1 acre is sold to the Siena Hotel could also be used as an extension of the art garden in a number of ways including possible art nodes or an art trail.

We believe that these recommendations would improve the design process for both projects and would allow us to design and build Pritchard Park, including the art components, in a more unified manner with the planned expansion of the library.

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Voting yes were Bill Holton, Robert Broad, Jimmie Haynes, Faith Nager, and Margaret Siefert