Committee Charged With Updating Town’s ‘Roadmap’ Meeting Weekly

In recent weeks a committee charged with creating a “roadmap” for the town’s future has been meeting weekly to try and fine-tune its efforts.

The committee is charged with the 10-year-update of the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD).

While not binding, the document is designed to guide land-use boards and other officials as they make decisions. Despite its name the document contains much more than development and conservation ideas, including demographics, housing, historic resources, community facilities, utilities and more.

The updated document is a work in progress and the Temporary Plan of Conservation and Development Update Committee is meeting each Monday night this summer to try and hone each chapter.  

“We’re meeting to discuss a chapter a week in fine detail,” said Committee chairman Jonathan Thiesse.

Past topics have included residential development character and natural resources and tonight’s topic will be community character.

Thiesse said one of the committee’s goals is to provide a more specific document that the current one, available here.

To get a broad consensus the committee includes members from town boards and commissions, conservation advocates, business leaders and more.

Thiesse acknowledges it can be hard to get everyone on the same page.

“What we’re really striving to do is look for balance,” he said.

Along the way, chapters will also go to the Board of Selectmen for input. This Wednesday, for example, selectmen will look over a draft on residential development character. While the POCD will essentially be a planning document, the idea is to get input along the way, Thiesse said.

The public will also have a chance for input, he said. Members of the public are welcome to attend the Monday night meetings but there will also be at least one public hearing on the draft update when it is completed, Thiesse said. The committee will also make sure the public has time to look it over before that meeting, he added.

The document is due to be completed by September of 2013 but having a draft this fall will give the town the chance to take all the necessary steps in the process.

Tonight’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the community center.

The topic schedule is as follows: 

• June 25 — Community Character 
• July 2 — Utilities 
• July 9 — Transportation 
• July 16 — Community Facilities 
• July 23 — Business Development 
• July 30 — Business Development (if necessary) 
• Aug. 6 — Implementation 
• Aug. 13 — Districts 
• Aug. 20 — Districts (if necessary) 
• Aug. 27 — Implementation and Future Land Use