Neighborhood meetings on city plan start tonight Administrators hope to hear about neighborhood needs and desires By Patti Zarling News-Chronicle Planners for the city of Green Bay want residents to help determine how the community should develop over the next 20 years. Planning staff is inviting residents to six neighborhood workshops held throughout April at the city's four high schools. The city was divided in six zones based on geographic boundaries, with District 1 the far West Side and District 6 the far East Side. Principal planner Bill Lockery said the sessions will not be open testimonials, with residents standing at a microphone for unlimited amounts of time. Rather, participants will be asked to sit at tables and work with others to develop lists of likes and dislikes about the city. Planners will deliver a brief introduction and slide show, Lockery said, and explain how the information will be ranked. Information also will be available on how to set up neighborhood associations for areas that don't have them, Lockery said. Tallies also will be available for people who can't attend the meetings. Planners then will tabulate the information and use it for the Vision Fest, a day-long community-wide planning workshop set for sometime in June. Lockery isn't sure what to expect for turnout, but said planning staff is hoping to have no less than 50 participants. City Council members also have been invited to the forums. "We want to get the public as involved in the planning process as possible," Lockery said. "This will either confirm our suspicions or show us things are the opposite of what we think. "It will give us a general feel for what the citizens want as week work on planning and when we go out for the Vision Fest." The forums are part of Smart Growth 2022: The Green Bay Comprehensive Plan. The city last updated its plan in 1979. The city will spend the next few years developing the plan. Lockery said planners hope to be done by the spring of 2003. FYI The first of six neighborhood planning workshops (for planning district 6) will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Preble High School, 2222 Deckner Ave. The others are as follows: - District 4, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, East High School, 1415 E. Walnut St. - District 3, 6-8 p.m. April 11, West High School, 966 Shawano Ave. - District 5, 6-8 p.m. April 12, Preble High School, 2222 Deckner Ave. - District 1, 6-8 p.m. April 24, Southwest High School, 1331 Packerland Drive. - District 2, 6-8 p.m. April 26, West High School, 966 Shawano Ave. For information, call city planner Bill Lockery at 448-3400 or send and e-mail to [email protected].