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| By Maryclaire Dugre Staff Intern WEST SPRINGFIELD The community was invited to offer ideas and opinions on the 2008 Master Plan Update on July 9 at the Municipal Office Building Auditorium. The well-attended public forum was put on by Mayor Edward Gibson, a seven-member committee of volunteers, Town Planning Director Richard Werbiskis and consultants from Beals and Thomas Inc. and Tighe and Bond Inc. The forum was a follow-up to the April meeting and an attempt at gathering more information for the drafting of the Master Plan, which has not been updated since 2000. The meeting was also meant to acquire a sense of the public's perspective on West Springfield's current status in areas such as housing, economic development, public facilities, transportation, land use and natural resources. In conjunction with an online survey on the town's Web site, the feedback garnered at the meeting will help the planning committee focus on topics of priority to residents. Gibson, quick to note that the plan in progress is not his to claim but "the community's document," said the purpose of the update was to secure West Springfield as a stable and successful place people will want to live in the future. Senior Planner Kristen Wilson and Environmental Planner Nicole Bourassa of Beals and Thomas Inc. gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining several West Springfield statistics touching on issues included in the survey. The development of Bear Hole, a pay-as-you-throw trash program and whether the town needs a new high school were mentioned, among other subjects. The meeting then continued its interactive theme by breaking into groups to encourage discussion among citizens. A group led by committee member Diane Crowell covered the topics of land use and economic development. Crowell noted that while the population of West Springfield has increased only slightly since 1963, the number of housing units has nearly doubled and thus the amount of available space has decreased dramatically. The group strongly expressed a need to preserve the character of the town's neighborhood under zoning laws and also to concentrate on improving and redeveloping existing commercial space before developing new commercial activity. Long time residents Greg and Marilyn Apostle agreed with this consensus, noting the huge increase in traffic in certain areas over the last 30 years. "The quality of life [in West Springfield] has gone down," Greg said. Most in attendance seemed to favor the idea of revamping small local businesses through creative means rather than installing new big businesses, such as Walgreen's or CVS. The development of Bear Hole was overwhelmingly opposed while suggestions were made to improve parks such as Mitteneague Park by charging entrance fees. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for late October, at which time a more comprehensive plan will be completed. |