As we move into the New Year, I would like to share a portion of the process required to come up with the Comprehensive Plan for The Town of Marlinton.
To be successful, it must continue as a communitywide endeavor.
Please take note: It is not The Town Council’s plan. It is the community’s plan. The out-lying community and the county were considered during the entire creation of the plan. The process included many people, organizations and groups. While there is no one person or group that is responsible for the development of the comprehensive plan, there are some groups and individuals that took the lead in the development of it. I thought completion of the plan would take six months and it has been four years. The good news – several goals have been achieved while work on the plan was in progress.
The Marlinton Planning Commission was tasked, by state code, with preparing a local government comprehensive plan. The planning commission is made up of local volunteer citizens appointed by the governing body to serve in a largely advisory role.
The Marlinton Planning Commission met numerous times over the past couple of years to gather information, obtain input and analyze data, while developing the comprehensive plan for the town.
The planning commission held an open house, solicited stakeholder surveys, invited local leaders to meetings, and made sure to discuss the comprehensive plan during open meetings where everyone was invited to attend.
Town council is also an important part of the comprehensive plan process. The council decides whether to adopt the comprehensive plan and is the main body responsible for ensuring that the comprehensive plan is implemented as it was adopted in August 2019.
Town staff has been vital in helping develop the comprehensive plan. They have provided information, made sure the building was open for meetings, and will help town council to implement various parts of the comprehensive plan.
As we close out another year, it is good to reflect on where we have come from and more importantly, where we are going.
Setting goals is a good exercise for an individual, a family, a company and a community.
But, creating a plan is just the beginning.
Implementing a plan is where the real work begins.
Here’s to New Beginnings.
Let’s all be about working toward a Happy 2020.