Are You Interested In Having A Say On How The Town Grows?

Interested in having a say on how the town grows? What it looks like? Where it’s going? Willing to make a “substantial time commitment” over the course of roughly 18 months? Have plenty of evenings free?

If you’ve answered yes to these questions now is the time to put in your application for one of nine seats on the Town of Stonington Up-dating Committee.

Applicants must be registered Stonington voters. The Planning and Zoning Commission’s POCD application is now available on the town’s website.

The deadline for submissions is Feb. 24.

Every decade, as defined by state law, the town reviews and updates its POCD “to assure that the land use goals described are in concert with the desires of its residents and the well-being of the town as a whole, its sections and its neighborhoods. This is a most important function, as it guides how the land may be used,” PZC Chairman Robert Marseglia’s letter to potential applicants explains.

The POCD committee, created to do what the town calls “critical work,” will ideally be “a balanced, hard-working and committed group of interested, knowledgeable people…”

The 2004 Plan—the boilerplate from which the committee will work—includes chapters and sections on community issues, resource protection, villages’ protection and enhancements, and future development and desired growth and land use.  That plan took 18 months to complete, albeit with the help of planning consulting firm, Planimetrics. But now there’s no money for a consulting firm to assist with the plan development.

According to Marseglia’s letter, the PZC not only selects the members, but also “sets parameters and guidelines for its work and process.”

The application includes a questionnaire asking applicants to provide party a, area of expertise, a list a attributes, qualifications, experience, civic and other activities, organizational membership that may be relevant to the appointment, specifics on why someone is interested in an appointment, an admission that an applicant is aware of the time commitment and an explanation of conflict-of-interest and the town law that guides committee ethics.

The target date for acceptance of an up-dated Plan of Conservation and Development is spring of 2014.  

Questions should be directed to the town at 860-535-5095.