Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 3/2/2022
SOUTHWICK – The Master Plan Advisory Committee will hear from its two Southwick Regional School student members about their findings after they researched societal trends in preparation for the Master Plan community survey.
Sophomores Maria Michael and Lucas Caron, the non-voting student representatives on the Master Plan Advisory Committee, were tasked with researching different types of societal trends in the context of how they may impact Southwick. At a recent meeting, Southwick resident Cori Rolland suggested to the committee that the survey that goes out to the community as part of the Master Plan process be designed after the research from Caron and Michael.
Though neither student will be able to cast a vote during the Master Plan process, they were added to the committee to give representation to the younger generation that will live in Southwick as adults when the next Master Plan process rolls around, ideally 20 years after the current one is complete.
For both of them, this is their first time getting involved in the community and town government. Though the Master Plan process had already been started before the Carvana controversy last summer, that incident brought a new sense of urgency, and civic engagement, to the process.
Michael said she didn’t keep up with the saga as it was happening, but that she saw the “No Carvana” signs all over Southwick. Caron was a little more tuned in at the time, though he joked that it helped that his grandparents had actually made many of those same signs. When a request came out for students to give their direct input in Southwick’s future, both decided to jump at the chance.
“I have always been interested in getting involved, and felt the opportunity to do something,” said Caron, “I saw the impact one can have on their town.”
The two were tasked by the committee with researching different categories of societal trends. Michael focused on social, economic, and diversity trends, while Caron researched housing and land use, technology, and the environment.
One trend identified by many members of the advisory committee was that more people will continue working from home, even as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. This prompts immediate infrastructure needs such as better internet service and a focus on residential water service. Michael took it a step further: Working from home may have an impact on one’s mental health, as people won’t have as much in-person human contact each day. Isolated workers may need access to better mental healthcare.
Caron said that having access to technology in schools may be important for developing a community, because it gives kids a familiarity with technology that they may use in their professional careers.
Their full research will be presented at the Master Plan Advisory Committee meeting March 3. After that, a survey will be developed by the committee that takes their research into account, and it will be put forth to the community to give their input. Despite their non-voting status, both students were excited to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their community.
“I want to see actual change occur. We do the survey, but I want to take the results and make some changes,” said Caron.
Michael said she thinks she and Caron will be able to come at the Master Plan from a different perspective.
“Some of the younger people have more of a fresh view compared to some of the adults. We can bring some ideas they wouldn’t have thought of,” said Michael.