The Marion Planning Board continued discussion August 18 on the proposed town Master Plan. The stated goal of the Master Plan is to provide a framework for how Marion can become a sustainable community in the future by creating a plan of action that addresses the interdependence of economic, environmental, and social issues, allowing the town to grow and prosper without diminishing the natural and cultural resources on which the town depends.
“The point of having the Master Plan is to create a process where the town’s boards, subcommittees, and taxpayers can work together to determine the feasibility of future projects for the town,” board member Jerry “Rico” Ferrari explained. “It’s important to have a documented process showing the town’s goals and outlining how we will accomplish them.”
Ferrari continued, “It also makes it easier for the town to apply for grants and funding from the state. They want to know how the money is being used, so it helps to have a detailed plan to show them and makes it more likely that our requests for funding will be granted.”
Ferrari and board member Norman Mills, along with Marion resident Marilyn Whalley, a retired town planner, have taken the lead on constructing the plan. Ferrari and Mills are acting as a Planning Board subcommittee in charge of the development of the Master Plan.
Ferrari started the discussion by noting that the website for the Master Plan must be revamped as a first step. The website will act as a repository of information for the town’s government, as well as the public, regarding the goals and processes of the plan.
A key component in the development of the Master Plan is the inclusion of other town boards, committees, and citizens.
“The Master Plan committee should include one member of [every board] or selectmen appointed committee that governs any aspect of town government. We should also include a citizen at large,” Whalley suggested in a document presented to the Planning Board. “The objective … is to allow all aspects of Marion’s citizenry an equal opportunity to weigh in on the goals and action items that will be established.”
The representatives from each town board and committee that are involved with the Master Plan’s creation will be called the Master Plan Advisory Committee.
To that end, Ferrari said that the website will be essential when it comes to community outreach and encouraging involvement. The board also discussed soliciting written comments and even surveys to gauge the public’s sentiment on the various items in the Master Plan. Citizen feedback is critical because it will help the Master Plan committee make decisions about the objectives and action items in every segment of the plan.
The feedback gained from the citizens and town officials in the planning process will help the committee streamline the Master Plan and keep the cost of designing it down. The average cost for the creation of the Master Plan is estimated to range from $50,000 – $150,000 based on the costs other towns have incurred in the creation of their own Master Plans. Whalley pointed out that the bigger the plan, the more expensive and time-consuming it will be to create and implement.
It will be imperative for the board to have all of the funding committed for the project before they contact a professional planning agency to help develop the plan. This will allow the board to control the timeline and keep the committee intact and focused on execution. The Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD), in conjunction with the Master Plan committee, will help create the timeline and general planning for the Master Plan to ensure that its creation stays on time and within the budget.
The last item discussed was the hiring of a part-time planner, whose sole job would be to gather the relevant data for the planning agency and keep the Master Plan committee on task.
“The tasks involved in a Master Plan are much too time-consuming for a volunteer board. A part-time planner will be needed in addition to SRPEDD,” Whalley said.
The next steps in this process will be for the Planning Board to complete a financial plan for the Master Plan and solicit the funding from the Finance Committee. After that, the board will notify the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator of their intention to develop a Master Plan and express their interest in having community members participate as an advisory committee to Master Plan committee. Letters of invitation to the town departments, committees, and boards will be sent to solicit a representative from each to act as a member of the at-large Master Plan Advisory Committee.
Lastly, the Planning Board Master Plan subcommittee will appoint two members of the board to work under them, reviewing all of the relevant bylaws before any work gets done on the Master Plan. They will also work with the part-time planner, should one be hired.
The next Planning Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 2 at 5:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Camden Gaspar
