Warren study stirs concerns on council


Public participation is a key factor in the city’s
comprehensive plan.

BY MAYSOON ABDELRASUL

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Some city council members are concerned that a proposed new comprehensive plan study is going to sit on the back burner like many others performed by council.

Councilman Andrew Barkley, D-3rd, is chairman of council’s strategic planning committee. A handout given out at Monday’s strategic planning meeting said, in part, the “the objective of the comprehensive plan is to evaluate current, future and potential development patterns in the city.”

The committee chose the Poggemeyer Design Group, based in Bowling Green, to construct the plan. The fixed cost was $182,000, which council will have to approve.

Barkley emphasized that the firm was not chosen because it was the cheapest, but because it had strengths in every area that the plan includes.

Councilwoman Helen Rucker, D-at large, said she wants the firm to come before council and make a presentation before she can vote yes on legislation authorizing the plan’s implementation.

Confidence of citizens

The council members agreed with Fiore Dippolito, D-1st, when he said council should ask for input from the community members before committing to plan costs.

Councilman James Pugh, D-6th, said citizens are going to question whether council will actually follow through on the plan or just pay for it and sit on the matter as has been done in the past.

“We need to gain confidence of the citizens that w3e will do it right this time,” he said.

Heather McMahon, an urban design and grants coordinator with the city, attended the meeting and said this study is more in-depth than past planning studies. She said the PDG proposed study involves looking at many different aspects of the city like housing, retail, commercial and industry.

“It’s really important that we lay this down as ground work to define who we are as a city,” she said.

She said she does not think PDG will have a problem coming before council and discussing what the firm’s intention is.

Barkley said Poggemeyer deals quite strongly with public participation, adding the public will have lots of opportunities to have a say in the planning process.

Mayor Michael O’Brien said public participation is important in this process. He said the firm will be hearing from residents and deciding what needs to be done.

O’Brien said Warren needs a comprehensive plan. “A whole generation has gone by without one,” he added.

Larry Dueber from the North West Neighborhood Association said the city needs to come together as a community to turn things around.

“We need to have a plan and be ready to move forward,” he said.

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