Pizza, Palaver and Planning In Southbridge

Ken O’Brien

Todays’ Southbridge News featured a front page article titled “Master plan generates interest, ideas.”

Mark Ashton wrote, “Maybe the timing was finally right, or the stars were properly aligned for a change.
Maybe it was a matter of putting enough information into enough hands in enough offices and organizations that their group efforts could no longer be ignored.
Maybe it was just the free pizza.
Whatever the reason, or reasons, last Wednesday’s Master Plan Visioning Meeting in Southbridge Town Hall drew….nearly a hundred people…”

If it’s a multiple choice test, I’ll mark “C” as the most likely answer.

The article goes on to state, “Daphne Politis, one of four representatives from Community Preservation Associates, the firm hired (by way of a grant) to work with Cassandra Acly and the town’s Economic Development and Planning Department to build a brighter future for the town….
‘A master plan is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity,’ Politis told her audience, reminding them that the last ‘official’ plan was issued back in 1963…”

Well, if that was the last “official” plan, what were the rest of these and why did we spend money on them?

Was the money simply spent, as Sir Edmund Hillary said as to why he climbed Mount Everest, “Because it’s there”?

What do we have to show for it?

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Southbridge mulls growth in stages

 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Published on November 14, 2006

SOUTHBRIDGE - Southbridge is taking another look at growth - in stages.

Officials are considering five-year, 10-year and longer term plans for the town. They've discussed creating the town's first master plan since 1965.

With that in mind, they have invited the public to attend the next Town Council Planning and Development Subcommittee, slated for 7 p.m. Dec. 7.

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Focus on downtown planning

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Published on October 20, 2005

SOUTHBRIDGE - Officials say a meeting this weekend on a redevelopment plan continues the work of other meetings and plans over the past decade to revitalize the downtown area.

"But this is going to go further, because now we are actually working on a plan for redevelopment, a master plan for the downtown area," Economic Development Director Cassandra M. Acly said yesterday.

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Southbridge asks for schools study on uses for new and old buildings

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Published on December 18, 2004

SOUTHBRIDGE - A study of possible uses for the present high school could be done by late spring, opening the way for the School Building Committee to begin new school plans for the town.

Town Manager Clayton R. Carlisle expects to advertise in February or March for a proposal to study uses for the high school building. He said the study could be done over the next two or three months.

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Plans on growth and needs require feedback

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Published on October 9, 2003

SOUTHBRIDGE -- Residents who wonder about the impact on the town of a 150-house subdivision are among those being urged to attend the Long-Range Planning Steering Committee meeting at 6:15 tonight in the McKinnon Council Chamber at Town Hall.

The meeting will review ideas the committee has developed over the past year to address the town's economic, housing and recreation needs through a community development plan.

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Southbridge told to plan for its future

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Published on November 22, 2002

SOUTHBRIDGE -- The town's strengths are its affordability, public services, open space, highway access, housing diversity and historic, walkable downtown.

What Southbridge lacks is jobs for less-skilled workers, an access road to a proposed industrial park, diversified retail businesses and tough enforcement of codes on deteriorating housing.

Those were among the findings of about 30 residents who met last night at Mary E. Wells Middle School ….

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Meeting on town's growth tomorrow

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Published on November 20, 2002

SOUTHBRIDGE -- The Economic Development Department will hold a ``community visioning meeting'' tomorrow night to begin planning how to deal with the residential growth expected over the next few years.

``We know development is coming, so let's have it go our way,'' Economic Development Director Cassandra M. Acly said yesterday. ``This is a chance for us to decide what we want our town to be like.