Friday, August 22, 2008

Draft Goals and Objectives On-Line Now

We've completed a first draft of the Town's Goals and Objectives for the Smart Growth Plan, and they can be viewed here. The Goals and Objectives for the Town’s plan form its backbone. I really must stress that this stage of the planning process is perhaps the most important. In simplest terms, the goals and objectives that we agree on will serve as my “checklist” as we develop the plan maps, text, and recommendations. They will guide the rest of the process from here on out, so it is very important that we’re touching on the right points and in a manner that is consistent with the Town’s vision. The effectiveness and usability of the Plan in the future is greatly influenced by how appropriate and comprehensive the goals are, so my hope is that we’ve accomplished this and I count on you all to confirm or correct that.

The Plan Commission will meet on September 10 @ 4:15, Town Hall and a discussion on the Goals and Objectives will be a part of their agenda (be advised, they will likely have additional official business so please come prepared and stay on point). Or, if you have comments or suggestions and can't make the meeting, you can always submit comments in writing to:
Beloit Town Hall
c/o Smart Growth Plan
2871 Afton Road
Beloit, WI 53511

or via e-mail (rgarcia@rhbatterman.com or rmuseus.town.beloit@tds.net).

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Parks Focus Group Completed; Goals & Objectives Being Developed

A very solid turnout last night at Town Hall for the Parks and Open Space focus group - thanks to all for coming and sharing your insight and comments. This was the last of our "input" sessions per se; we'll now start developing the Plan itself. The first step in this process is formalizing the primary goals and objectives of the Plan. This actually is a pretty involved and extremely important step - consider that there are 10 elements to our Plan and each has specific goals and objectives and you'll see that there will likely be dozens! We're targeting the September 10 Plan Commission Meeting for a public review and discussion of the draft goals & objectives, so PLEASE mark your calendars and help us out with this review and discussion. Our intention in developing the draft is to accurately represent the Town's values, vision, and priorities. With that said, it is critical that the community (citizens as well as elected/appointed officials) review the draft and comment/recommend changes where necessary. Keep your eye on this page for the draft goals and objectives as they develop, and remember: Wednesday, September 10 @ 4:15pm, Town Hall!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Smart Growth Website Back Up

After some kind of gaffe, the Town's Smart Growth Website is back up and running. You can review materials from the previous meetings, review the draft document, and also have a "sneak peek" at the materials for this Wednesday's (August 13) meeting - a Parks and Open Space Focus Group/Workshop which will be held at 7 pm at Beloit Town Hall, 2871 Afton Road. Hope to see many of you there!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Smart Growth Website Down

For some reason, the website we set up to host all of the Smart Growth information has been disabled. I've contacted the administrators and hope to receive some info soon. In the meantime, anyone who needs any of the materials from any past meetings or the upcoming Parks Element workshop (Wed. 8/13 @ 7pm - Town Hall), just send an e-mail. Sorry for the technical difficulties!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Housing Focus Group Completed; Parks next

We held a pretty well-attended Housing focus group this Wednesday - a big thanks to everyone for their dedication and passion for their community. I'm hopeful we'll continue to see yours and more new faces as we continue on! For those who missed the meeting, or for those who were there and would like to review or look a little further in to some of the items we only had a chance to touch upon (sorry about that), you can find materials from the meeting here.

Our next meeting will be on Wed., August 13 @ 7pm, again over at Town Hall. This meeting will be held to bring some ideas to the table for park, recreation, and open space improvements in the Town and to look at where it might be appropriate to plan for new park and open space land in the future. Please spread the word!