The Long Range Planning Committee wants to get the message across clearly that they want to hear a wide of opinions on the future of downtown.
The committee continued discussing the format this week for the Nov. 22 public hearing at town hall and open house with Perkins Eastman Associates and its subcontractors. The members reviewed establishing the time limit for residents to speak given the audience they anticipate and opening up the upstairs board room for visitors.
The committee and its consultants are hosting the first of two large-scale public hearings in anticipation of a plan for several facilities, including Town Hall, New Canaan Library and the New Canaan Fire Department.
Committee member Penny Rashin said the committee should make clear that the hearing is a starting point and open forum to hear ideas that will not be narrowly focused. "We want to start very broadly and get the concerns, desires and problems out there," Rashin said. "We want people to know that we're at the beginning of the process."
Rashin said will be important to acknowledge previous downtown studies. Several critics of a proposed master plan have said hiring consultants to create a new plan is duplicating previous efforts. "We want people to know that this is a good working document and it doesn't just sit on the shelf," Rashin said.
The committee plans to purchase advertising in several local media outlets to inform the public of the hearing and the preceding open house, set to start at 5:30 p.m. The group has already sent emails to residents and will also send postcards as a reminder.
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