Public invited to help in May 5, 6 event Like many villages and towns across the United States, the Village of Churchville is looking ahead to its future. Churchville is currently going through the preliminary steps of creating a vision plan that will ensure the village retains its unique characteristics that set it apart from other communities, as well as guide it through changes that include the growth of various housing developments in the area and businesses whose owners want to either expand their existing operations or start up a company in the community. In order to plan and be prepared for these changes, Churchville is inviting and strongly encouraging all of its residents to participate in a special event called a Charrette on Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6. A Charrette might sound like a fancy word but it simply describes a grassroots process where residents of the village and town come together and share ideas that they have for the community. "The interest and support by businesses, community leaders, top government officials and residents has been overwhelming," said Village Deputy Mayor Nancy Steedman, who chaired a steering committee which is in charge of planning the Charrette. "With each steering committee meeting I walk away with another reason to be proud to live in Churchville and to work along side such dedicated residents, interested in maintaining the unique, quaint and safe community that we all call 'home,' " she said. The Charrette process "I am so proud to be bringing our community together to hear their suggestions and to have the guidance of engineers and architects to translate those visions into a working document that will continue to guide us through the future," said Steedman. Because all residents of both the village and town are invited to participate in the Charrette, the process provides the opportunity for all segments of the community to have an input into planning for the village's future. During the Charrette, individuals will meet in small groups and work with professionals in a variety of interactive exercises to come up with ideas. Each small group will focus on a specific area of the village. All of the groups will then meet together to create a community consensus. The end product will result in a vision plan for Churchville that will be incorporated into a larger comprehensive village-town plan. "Our community is one of caring individuals who stand together with a common interest in their community and I look forward to working with everyone on May 5 and 6 to shape the future of the village," said Steedman. Schedule, speakers The keynote speaker will be Thomas Hylton, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, who wrote the book, Save Our Land, Save Our Towns. Using the same title as his book, Hylton hosts an hour-long public television documentary which has been broadcast on more than 100 PBS stations nationwide. As president of Save Our Land, Save Our Towns Inc., a non-profit corporation, Hylton serves as an advocate of traditional towns that house people of all ages, races, and incomes. Other presentations will be given by Mayor Donald Ehrmentraut, Historian Ron Belczak and County Legislator Robert Colby. There will also be a demonstration of the Village of Churchville's GIS system and how it is used in planning. The second day of the Charrette will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 6, and will end at 4:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Reservations are preferred but there is no registration or participation fee. The location for both days of the Charrette is the Union Congregational United Church of Christ, 14 North Main Street, Churchville, NY 14428. April 23, 2006 |
