Odessa, Catharine seek comprehensive plan input

ODESSA/CATHARINE—The village of Odessa and the town of Catharine are creating a joint comprehensive plan and are looking for public input.
The plan will provide guidance for decisions made by town and village officials and other local leaders on the future development of our community. The efforts of the 15-member volunteer committee, consisting of the planning boards of the two municipalities and community members appointed by the municipal boards, will depend on broad public involvement to draft a comprehensive blueprint for future development that accurately reflects the needs and interests of the community.
Over the next several weeks, the committee encourages all residents 18 years and older, as well as owners of businesses operating within the two municipalities to complete an online survey.
Paper versions will be available at both municipal buildings, the Dutton S. Peterson Library and other locations within the community. The survey is also available online here. Individual responses are strictly confidential and will be accepted until March 15. The survey will be followed by public meetings and discussions to clarify residents’ interests, ensuring appropriate use and development of economic, social, cultural and natural resources.
The mission of the committee is to develop a comprehensive plan to provide a foundation for sound municipal policy decisions which will maintain and enhance our quality of life over the next 10 years. The plan will address issues of population trends, agriculture, economic development, housing, property maintenance, open space, historical and cultural resource preservation, transportation, water resource management, natural resource preservation and use, recreational land use, tax structure and other land use issues raised by community input.
Survey questions will gather information in these areas and will help identify existing resources, future needs and overall town and village goals.
The 15 member committee consists of the Catharine Planning Board (Tim Hicks, Larry Carlton, Steve Bannister, David Sidle II and Jim Tobey), the Odessa Planning Board (Steve Dewalt, Cindy Emerson, Jason Edsall and Lou Cicconi) and members at large from Catharine (Jamee Mack, Michael Burns, and Barb Morley), and Odessa (Mike Tomassi) as well as Business Representative Jeff Parmenter and Agricultural Representative John Wickham.