County Parks Master Plan Open Houses Set For March
February 17, 2023 at 12:48 a.m.
County Parks Master Plan Open Houses Set For March
By David [email protected]
Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) Senior Community Development Planner Donny Ritsema told the board he wanted to kind of finalize what the public engagement activities will look like. They will be held in March, with the board to meet April 13 to approve the final master plan. The plan has to be received by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources by April 15.
“The purpose for our public engagement is just to provide another meaningful opportunity to give residents, visitors a chance to review the draft plan; be engaged in the process; participants will have the opportunity to review and submit their input on the draft park plan, know the major outcomes and what strategies were proposed; and then just to be able to interact with you all, the board members, as well as the steering committee,” Ritsema said.
The public comment period is being kept open through the month of March. Ritsema said any events they have will be promoted through social media, flyers at public locations and press releases through local media.
He also said there will be a couple ways that residents and visitors will be able to access the draft plan and submit their comments. It eventually will be on the board’s webpage under kcgov.com, and there will be printed copies at city halls, town halls and public libraries. Along with the printed copies, there will be a comment form and drop box. There will be an online version of the comment form with a link to the draft plan, which will automatically get submitted back to MACOG.
The board and Ritsema then discussed how many public events to have and where. The open houses, it was decided, will be at the North Webster Community Center or Library; the Warsaw Community Public Library; and the Bell Memorial Public Library in Mentone. The dates and times will depend on space availability, but board Vice President Troy Turley and President Rob Bishop will work with Ritsema on those and then that information will be disseminated out to the public.
“I think the plan is shaping up very nicely. So I commend you and MACOG and everyone else here for the work that’s been done on it,” board member Mike Cusick told Ritsema.
Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) Senior Community Development Planner Donny Ritsema told the board he wanted to kind of finalize what the public engagement activities will look like. They will be held in March, with the board to meet April 13 to approve the final master plan. The plan has to be received by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources by April 15.
“The purpose for our public engagement is just to provide another meaningful opportunity to give residents, visitors a chance to review the draft plan; be engaged in the process; participants will have the opportunity to review and submit their input on the draft park plan, know the major outcomes and what strategies were proposed; and then just to be able to interact with you all, the board members, as well as the steering committee,” Ritsema said.
The public comment period is being kept open through the month of March. Ritsema said any events they have will be promoted through social media, flyers at public locations and press releases through local media.
He also said there will be a couple ways that residents and visitors will be able to access the draft plan and submit their comments. It eventually will be on the board’s webpage under kcgov.com, and there will be printed copies at city halls, town halls and public libraries. Along with the printed copies, there will be a comment form and drop box. There will be an online version of the comment form with a link to the draft plan, which will automatically get submitted back to MACOG.
The board and Ritsema then discussed how many public events to have and where. The open houses, it was decided, will be at the North Webster Community Center or Library; the Warsaw Community Public Library; and the Bell Memorial Public Library in Mentone. The dates and times will depend on space availability, but board Vice President Troy Turley and President Rob Bishop will work with Ritsema on those and then that information will be disseminated out to the public.
“I think the plan is shaping up very nicely. So I commend you and MACOG and everyone else here for the work that’s been done on it,” board member Mike Cusick told Ritsema.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092