The first of three forums on the development of a new Master Plan for Milton, held at the Tucker school last Saturday morning, attracted ~75 residents from all across town.
Residents listen to introduction of Master Plan process
The session was conducted by Brown, Walker Planners, the firm retained by the Planning Board to complete the first phase of the Master Plan which is a comprehensive visioning exercise. This exercise, according to the Milton Master Plan web site, seeks “the community’s input to create a shared vision for the future of Milton. What makes Milton great? What can be improved? How can the Town of Milton ensure a future that reflects the desires of its residents?”
The session began with an introduction from Sue Brown of Brown Walker. Attendees were assigned a group number upon arriving. After the introduction the groups, seven in all, went to different parts of the school to participate in discussions led by a facilitator. The facilitators were members of the Milton Master Plan Committee.
The group sessions consisted of a series of open ended questions intended to collect thoughts on what residents liked about Milton, wanted to preserve, or would like to see added. Emily Innes, Planning Board member and chair of the Master Plan committee said, “This first forum identified many areas of agreement about what we value about living in Milton. The Master Plan Committee is looking forward to the second forum, which will include discussion of areas of concern in more detail.”
Breakout groups met in the Tucker Library and throughout the school
Asked for his thoughts on the session Alex Whiteside, Chairman of the Planning Board said, “It was an impressive turn-out and a good start and productive effort. My group quite liked the Town as it is although there were many solid ideas and suggestions about how various matters could be made better. I look forward to reviewing the consultant’s write-up of the input from the seven groups. There will be much to think about.”
At the end of the sessions everyone reconvened and listened to the comments generated by each of the groups. The presentation and a report of the session will be posted on the Master Plan web site.
The second session will take place on February 26th at 6:30PM at Cunningham Hall. This session will not be a repeat but will build on the results of the first said Innes. She noted that, “The number of people who attended the Saturday morning forum demonstrated that Milton residents care about this town and its future, and they want their voices to be heard. The MPC encourages everyone to attend the second forum and go to the webpage at miltonmaterplan.org for updates about the process.”
Students present their thoughts on the town
Ms. Innes thanked local merchants for their support. They included Bent’s for supplying the coffee and The Plate and Radio Coffeehouse for supplying baked goods. She also extended a big thank you to Tucker School for hosting the session.
Planning Board members Ed Duffy, Mike Kelly, and Bernie Lynch did not attend the forum.