HIGHLIGHTS OF JUNE 26, 2008 COMMUNITY MEETING

The Sharon EDC organized a community meeting/workshop that was held at the Sharon Community Center on Thursday evening, June 26, 2008.  Approximately twenty people attended.  The session was filmed by Sharon Cable Access TV, and is available for viewing at http://www.sharontv.com/gov_replays.html , and click at EDC.  The meeting was facilitated by Kathy McCabe, AICP of McCabe Enterprises.

Each firm, Land Strategies and Wright-Pierce, made a brief presentation on their respective scopes of work in Post Office Square.

Activities that occurred during the meeting included:

· Review of project area.

· Brief historical overview of the evolution of Post Office Square

· A virtual tour of Post Office Square

· A group exercise focusing on four major issues

1. What do you like and value about Post Office Square?

2. What needs to be in Post Office Square so that you want to come more frequently to Post Office Square? 

3. What are your concerns or worries about prospective revitalization or development in the Post Office Square area?

4. What excites you about the potential revitalization or development in Post Office Square?

In general, persons present like the Town Center, like the small town feel of the center, like the walkability of the Center, liked the presence of the Post Office and Library.  In terms of needs and desired activities, a wide range of suggestions were made including a variety of retail shops, restaurants, and mixed-use development.  As to concerns or worries, the leading concerns were wastewater, traffic, and “will it ever really happen?”   What excites people is continuing and strengthening the small home town feel of Post Office Square, the prospect of restaurants; the potential for mixed-use, general improvements.   It should be pointed out that people generally liked the improvements that have been done to Post Office Square to date, and acknowledge that Post Office Square is good, but could be better.   

· A Visioning Exercise was undertaken by three different groups.  One group focused on the vision underground for Post Office Square, identifying some potential wastewater options (e.g., the center area of the primary block surrounded by S. Main, E. Chestnut, Pond Street, and Billings Streets.  The other two groups focused on the above-ground vision with concerns about the building street edge, new ideas for traffic circulation, new uses, relocation of the library, mixed use, a new path connecting S. Main and Pond Streets, “restaurant row” were among the ideas featured in the other two visions. 

Prepared by K. McCabe, McCabe Enterprises, July 2, 2008