The question of how to reach out to Marion locals emerged as the main topic of discussion at the Marion Planning Board’s November 2 meeting.
Planning Board Chairman Robert Lane, Vice Chairman Rico Ferrari, Clerk Norman Hills, and Planning Board members Jennifer Francis, Eileen Marum, and Michael Popitz were all present, leaving only Stephen Gonsalves absent.
After a brief review of previous meeting notes – of which two were amended to fix grammatical errors – CLE Engineering submitted an Approval Not Required request for 99 and 100 Moorings Road on behalf of Dola Hamilton Stemberg and Moorings Qualified Personal Residence Trust to transfer a 2,472 square-foot section from one lot to the adjacent lot. They also separately requested the shift of a 1,018 square foot parcel. Both requests were unanimously approved.
The main topic of the meeting was Marion’s developing Master Plan. With the help of the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD), Marion is currently in the process of updating its Master Plan.
According to the website of the Town of Marion, the Master Plan is the “long term policy document that helps the community manage growth and change, preserve its natural resources, maintain public facilities and services, protect property rights, and build upon its strong character.”
Hills noted that SRPEDD was drafting a final draft of the Master Plan document for review, following a workshop on October 24. This workshop specifically related to the town’s services, facilities, and transportation system.
While Planning Board members felt that the workshop was a success and that it received a diverse cross-section of citizens, there were still some concerns.
“We need a way to reach out to more people,” said Popitz. “We’re still missing a lot of people with valuable input.”
Ferrari proposed the idea of developing a feedback form to send into the community, hoping to give locals more opportunity to voice their opinions.
“We’ve been working diligently to get more information out,” Ferrari said.
Marum replied, “We need to give people an avenue. They can email the Planning Board with their ideas or call. If they have an opportunity and know the avenues, we’ll get better feedback and ideas. More people would like to participate … we should make it available.”
The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for November 16 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Andrea Ray
