The City of Ann Arbor has begun a process to update their Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan. The purpose of the PROS Plan is to guide the recreation planning and development efforts of Ann Arbor parks and recreation over the next five years. The plan provides guidance on issues such as acquisition of land, recreation facilities, maintenance, neighborhood parks, and natural areas. As part of this effort, two public workshops were conducted in September and October to gather public input. You may send us your comments, suggestions, or questions on the plan.

Contact: Lucie Fortin at lfortin@cwaplan.com

The City of Mt. Pleasant is currently developing a Strategic Plan as the guiding document for a wide range of municipal decisions and as the first step in developing the overall Master Plan. The Strategic Plan is intended to embody the attitudes and opinions of the residents of the City of Mt. Pleasant. The process of developing the Strategic Plan and obtaining community input will involve a “Visioning Fair” and two (2) focus group sessions. The Visioning Fair will allow residents to share their views on a wide range of topics. Subsequently, the focus groups will provide an opportunity for participants to look in greater depth at specific areas of concern identified during the Visioning Fair. The results of these sessions will provide the basis for the City’s Strategic Plan.

Contact: Doug Lewan at dlewan@cwaplan.com

Scio Township  is currently updating their Master Land Use Plan and developing a Park, Recreation, Open Space, and Greenway Plan.  While the Master Land Use Plan will be the official policy statement to guide land use decisions, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the first such plan for Scio, will articulate a vision for the Township's parks, recreation, and open spaces. 

In spring and summer of 2007, a mailed resident survey and a Planning Fair were conducted to solicit input from residents and community stakeholders on a wide range of issues such as land use and development, land preservation, transportation, and community facilities and services including parks and recreation.  The Planning Fair included six sub area stations based on recognized township geographic areas where participants were encouraged to comment about these issues.

These community input efforts were very successful in generating a number of opinions and ideas which will be distilled into a set of goals and objectives as the basis for both these plans.  The resulting documents will outline the Township's strategies for the future growth of Scio and the policies that are intended to implement them.

Contact: Doug Lewan at dlewan@cwaplan.com or Lucie Fortin at lfortin@cwaplan.com

Lima Township For more information please view the Master Plan.

The Upper Clinton Subwatershed Group was formed to address the next phase (or �Phase II�) of the Clean Water Act, which regulates how communities manage storm water. Six communities in northwest Oakland County, including the City of the Village of Clarkston, the City of Lake Angelus, and Independence, Orion, Springfield, and Waterford Townships, have come together to meet these requirements on a �watershed basis,� which considers the impacts of storm water to an ecological unit (a watershed), rather than a political unit.

The group first came together in May, 2002. They retained Carlisle/Wortman Associates Inc. (CWA) to assist them in organizing the required work, developing planning documents, and facilitating public input meetings. To date, the group has developed more than half of the planning documents required by the permit. The next step is to create a Watershed Management Plan, which will involve a broad range of organizations and residents in its development. Several levels of involvement are planned. A Steering Committee has been formed, which includes regional and county agencies, land conservancies, business groups, and school districts, among others. The Steering Committee will meet periodically when the communities need input on specific matters, such as identifying potential problems within the watershed, or areas of particular environmental significance. The next level of involvement includes civic groups, riparian land owners, business owners, and members of the general public. These people will be asked to provide input at different stages in the plan development, through focus groups, workshops, surveys, and questionnaires. Involving agencies, organizations and citizens in development of the plan will encourage their support when its time to implement the plan. Throughout the process, CWA has worked to strategize how best to involve stakeholders in the process, and integrate this information into planning documents that will work to protect water resources within northwest Oakland County .

Contact: Sally Elmiger at selmiger@cwaplan.com