All members of the board receive Kindle tablets, on which they’ll receive digital copies of meeting agendas, minutes and other important board documents from now on. The new tablets will replace the paper agenda packets board members used to receive. City planner Tracie Hughes and assistant planner Neva Connolly spent much of Tuesday’s meeting showing the board members how to use the new gadgets, which some of them vocally disliked. The Kindle introduction came after the board reviewed an application for a conditional use permit that was submitted by a board member, as well as a few other business items.
The Kindles are hand-me-downs from the City Council, which recently received new iPads. Although they are smaller and will save some effort in printing out documents for each meeting, several board members said they preferred paper packets because they allowed them to look at maps in more detail.
“I understand the philosophy of going to this stuff,” Tim Kline said. “I’m going to give you a hard time about it because I’m old, and I don’t like this stuff. That’s me.”
Board member Tom Butler agreed. But it didn’t take long for Connolly and Hughes to explain how to download meeting packets and get online with the tablets, and city clerk Linda Smith said she would still have paper copies of meeting packets and maps available for those who need them. Some board members jokingly asked if they would be able to message each other or play games on their new devices.
“Can we order pizza on these things?” Chairman Danny Giannone asked.
The Kindles are meant to be used for board purposes only.
Another major topic of discussion at the meeting was an application for a conditional use permit to turn a building that has long been used for business purposes into a single-family residence. The application carried some personal weight for the board, since it was submitted by one of their newest members, Rebecca Levy, along with her husband, Derek. The Levys hope to turn a historic house on 319 W. Montezuma Ave. into a home. Although it was originally built as a home in the 1970s, the building has housed several businesses over the years, most recently a day spa. But Hughes said it still meets all the area’s standards for a residence.
Levy recused herself from voting on the permit because of a conflict of interest, as did Giannone. The remaining board members unanimously voted to recommend approval of the application. Levy said she was relieved, but wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet.
“There’s still another hurdle,” she said.
The application still needs to go before the City Council for final approval.