Section 2 - Introduction

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

Moulton Street Doorway

 

 

 

 

           

 

                                               

 

 

  A.  Statement of Purpose

A groundswell of public support for and interest in the preservation of West Newbury’s rural character and open space first found voice in the 1996 OSRP.  The Town has supported – both at the ballot box and at Town Meeting – all nine open space initiatives put before it since 1996.  That support has continued to grow and shows no sign of abatement.

 

The mandate of the 2003 OSRP is to preserve what remains of the rural character of the Town by identifying long-term goals and by taking practical, pro-active steps to meet the challenge of development pressure.  The Plan seeks to be a useful tool for the community towards achieving the goals identified through the 2003 OSRP planning process.

 

 

The updated Open Space and Recreation Plan is designed to help continue the long-term, dynamic, and ongoing process by which the Town evaluates and addresses its open space and recreation needs in the coming years.

 

 

 

 

  B.  Planning Process and Public Participation

West Newbury’s Open Space and Recreation Plan was developed and written by members of the West Newbury Open Space Committee throughout 2002 and into 2003.

 

Appointed by the West Newbury Board of Selectmen, the Open Space and Recreation Committee has nine members:  seven voting members, and two associate members.  During most of the preparation of the 2003 OSRP, six of the current members had served on the Committee since March 1996, when the original Open Space and Recreation Committee was appointed.

 

These original members were active participants in the creation of the Town’s 1996 Open Space and Recreation Plan, and have brought continuity and an historical perspective to the revised Plan.  Three new Committee members, along with other members of the community, have brought fresh energy, new perspectives, and hard work to the current Plan revision. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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B.  Planning Process and Public Participation, Continued

Table 2-1:  2003 West Newbury Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee

Members and Participants

 

Open Space Committee:                                                                                                                             

Anne Madden (chairperson)                                         Patricia Reeser

Madelyn Cirinna                                                          Leigh Stoecker (through June 2002)

Dawne Fusco                                                               Janet Thibeau

Mary Lee Mahoney (through June 2002)                    Francis “Mickey” Culver

Mark Cosentino

           

At-Large Members:                                                                                                  ____________

Don Bourquard

Mike Mokrzycki

 

Parks and Recreation Commission Liason:                                                 ____________

Jim Sperelakis

                                   

Other Participants:                                                                                                    ____________

Ray Cook                                                        Tracy Blais (Finance Director)

Judy Mizner (Conservation Commission)           Wendy Reed (Water Commissioner)                

Rick Parker (Planning Board)                           Madelyn Cirinna (Animal Control Officer)

Rob Phillips (Planning Board)                Marcie Ricker (Planning Board)

Michael Gootee (Water Department)                Janet Tatarzuk (Water Department)

Barbara Raiche (Mill Pond Committee) Ann Bardeen (Planning Board)

                       

Special Thanks to:                                                                                                     ____________

David Santomenna (Essex County Greenbelt Association)

Ed Becker (Essex County Greenbelt Association)

Adelaide Janes (West Newbury News)

Jennifer Solis (Newburyport Daily News)

Elise Hendrichs (West Newbury Post Office)

Don Fowler (West Newbury Food Mart)

Walter Christianson (Harborside Printing)

Jerrard Whitten (Merrimac Valley Planning Commission)

Matther Franz (Merrimac Valley Planning Commission)

Barry Kaplan (Photographer)

Dick Berkenbush (Lifelong resident, former Selectmen, and former Police and Fire Chief)

Kathy Moynihan (Graphic Designer)

Leigh Stoecker

B.  Planning Process and Public Participation, Continued

Meetings

 

During the plan development period, the full OSC met at least monthly during most of the winter and spring of 2002 and 2003. Because of the efficiencies of electronic communication (unavailable to the Committee in 1996), this effort was substantially different from the previous planning effort.  Much of the organizational and routine communication was accomplished via email.  The Committee launched a website and posted our timetable, list of responsibilities, working drafts, and other supporting material.  All of our meetings were advertised public meetings, with public participation encouraged.  Several local newspapers covered our planning efforts.  (See Appendix A for minutes of meetings, and Appendix C for copies of news articles.)

 

Open Space and Recreation Survey

 

In order to gather broad input from the entire West Newbury community, one of the first tasks for the Committee was to develop an Open Space and Recreation Plan Community Survey.  A sub-committee of the OSC drafted the survey, with input from Jim Sperelakis of the Parks and Recreation Commission, Judy Mizner of the Conservation Commission, and Rick Parker of the Planning Board.  Upon approval from the full OSC, the survey was mailed in mid-February 2002 to all 1,600 households in Town.  Shortly before mailing, both the West Newbury News and the Newburyport Daily News ran articles about the upcoming planning effort, encouraging townspeople to watch for the survey in the mail, and inviting their participation. Several reminder notices were posted as well. 

 

By the March 1st deadline, approximately 200 surveys had been returned by mail to the Open Space Committee, or delivered to collection boxes at the Library, the West Newbury Food Mart, or the 1910 Town Office Building.  In order to encourage greater participation, the OSC extended the deadline by one week, to March 9th, with further publicity in the papers.  The final number of surveys received was 316, or just under 20 per cent of those mailed.

 

Survey results were tabulated by Tracy Blais, manager of the Town’s Finance Department.  Narrative responses, written by survey responders, were reviewed and compiled by members of the Committee.  The survey form and tabulated results are provided in Appendix B. 

 

Public Forum on Open Space and Recreation

 

The survey results served as the basis for discussion at a Public Forum on Open Space and Recreation, which was held on the evening of April 3rd, 2002 at the Town Office Building.   The

Forum had been widely publicized, with several notices in the local papers; with flyers at the

Library, Post Office, Town Office Building, and Food Mart; and with a notice printed on the Survey itself and mailed to every household in Town.

 

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B.  Planning Process and Public Participation, Continued

Approximately 20 members of the public attended, as well as most members of the Open Space Committee and Jim Sperelakis of the Park and Recreation Commission.  (Minutes of the Forum are included in Appendix A.)

 

Updating Sections 3, 4, and 5

 

During the spring months of 2002, the Committee was also reviewing, researching, and updating the extensive background material found in Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Plan. The responsibilities for  various subsections were allocated to Committee members and other Plan volunteers.  Their research involved discussion with many Town Departments, including the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Water Commission, and Finance Department, among others.  As the information was updated, it was posted to the Plan Website, for review by other members.  In this way, the updated information could inform the discussions that were to follow.

 

Plan Development Working Meetings

 

Armed with community input from the survey and the Forum, with additional contributions from Town committees and departments, and with newly updated information from the Plan’s background sections; informed by six years of experience; and imbued with a renewed energy and enthusiasm for the task at hand,  the Open Space Committee embarked on a lengthy review and discussion of the Town’s current open space and recreation priorities. 

 

During three working meetings of the Open Space Committee on April 24, May 29, and June 19,  2002, the Committee translated ideas and comments from the community into specific goals, objectives, and strategies which would be included within the later sections of the Plan. 

 

During the Committee’s regular June, July, August, and September meetings, the OSC continued to discuss the Plan, and spent considerable time on issues related to the mapping and listing of priority parcels.  In addition, maps from the 1996 OSRP were re-examined and re-designed to reflect changes in land ownership and use since 1996.  The Merrimack Valley Plannning Commission was consulted and assisted extensively in redesigning the various maps.