To comply with Governor Baker’s stay at home orders issued to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts businesses have turned to remote work as a viable means to do their part and stay open. Over the last few weeks, MVPC has taken steps to establish a remote work framework that allows us to continue helping communities do what they do better.

A successful remote work transition requires a video conferencing service that connects us to our communities. The value of face to face interaction in project progress cannot be understated. For many of us, these video chats with coworkers and clients have become our only interactions outside our homes, which makes them just as imperative for workplace morale.

For municipal work to continue, MVPC and our communities also need to conduct meetings that comply with the suspension of the Open Meeting Law, but still allow for public participation. MVPC uses virtual conferencing tools to conduct meetings, trainings, and workshops with our communities to achieve this.

For example, MVPC held our first virtual Commission meeting on April 21. To simplify the meeting process, we had one main presenter that arbitered the meeting materials and we conducted a roll call before each vote. By recording the meeting, we can draft comprehensive meeting minutes for public access on our website and review for an improved meeting experience moving forward.

The planning process for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program requires community participation to identify strengths, vulnerabilities, and priority actions that address climate change. MVPC is using virtual conferencing software and public surveys to complete MVP workshops and meetings in North Andover and Rowley. Instead of a full day, we are breaking the workshops into segments that include a full group briefing, breakout meetings for small groups to discuss, and a regroup to share results. These shorter and smaller meetings paired with outreach will allow for greater participation.

Lastly, MVPC has hosted successful trainings for communities to continue to use our mobile and desktop applications for data management and collection. This process previously would have occurred by inviting people into our conference room for a hands-on demonstration of the technology. By sharing materials ahead of time and sharing screens to walk through our applications, we are continuing to empower communities and troubleshoot technology virtually.

We are all doing our best to adjust to this new normal and it is important to find creative solutions that keep us connected. These are some examples of how we have adapted to meet the challenges posed by remote working and MVPC will strive to continue supporting our communities in this time of need.