Townsend Community Plan Advisory Committee talks public engagement

Obtaining public input is on the agenda for the Townsend Community Plan Advisory Committee. In a meeting Tuesday afternoon, June 18, committee members debated ways to let the public weigh in on the city’s direction.

Formed last year as the guiding group developing Townsend’s next community plan, the CPAC has picked up speed recently.

Last month, city officials approved almost $100,000 in funding for the committee to hire consultants to aid in its work.

Hiring consultants, committee leadership has said, will help fill the gaps in the group’s professional experience. The SE Group and the East Tennessee Development District — which already works with Townsend’s government — are splitting the funding, with the bulk of the money going to the SE Group.

The dynamic approach, Townsend Mayor Don Prater has said, will allow the committee to get multiple perspectives while keeping costs down.

On Tuesday, committee Secretary Christina Delaney said the group has signed contracts with both consultants, which will go into effect at the beginning of the month. Acting as committee chair due to absences, she said the contract with the SE Group includes a number of public meetings.

Committee members generally agreed there is a need to garner input from the public.

Catey McClary offered the use of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont facilities for a public forum, should the committee choose to host one.

“We’ll invite partners to come and speak and just try to build an event where people can gather and share inputs and insights,” said McClary. “I see our role as the facilitator, non-decision makers for what is important here.”

Contractors have proposed spending time getting to know the Townsend community and residents.

On Tuesday, committee members discussed creating a list of potential community contacts that could serve as starting points for the SE Group’s personnel to capture the essence of Townsend. Members created a two-page list of sources at an earlier meeting and might expand that to serve a greater range.

A representative of the SE Group will be in town to discuss the contract with the Townsend Planning Commission July 16, Delaney said. It’ll be easier to nail down other dates after July 1.

“The idea is a lot of community involvement,” she said. “We want to include everybody.”

Other options for garnering public input could include surveys and collecting data from surveys already conducted by other groups.

Tremont, for example, has surveyed residents with some data points similar to what the committee is searching for.

A coalition of residents dubbed the Townsend Preservation Society has also conducted its own survey, asking residents what they love about the area and polling their opinions on events and government.