The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

September 19, 2008

Greenbrier County planners seeking input from public

Christian Giggenbach

Greenbrier County planners are gathering information for a county comprehensive plan and are asking for input from the public.

Planning officials are asking citizens to fill out surveys, attend one of their informational meetings or participate in one of their many subject work groups, Melissa Scott of the county’s planning office said.

Survey forms will be accepted by the planning commission through Oct. 8 and are available online at www.greenbriercounty.net or at the planning office located in the county courthouse. Surveys have also been distributed throughout the community and will be available at six community meetings.

“Each meeting will include a short presentation on the county’s comprehensive planning process, a ‘Creating Greenbrier’ question and answer session and a short workshop where citizens will help define the types of land use they want to see in their communities,” Scott said.

Those dates include:

Sept. 29, Greenbrier County Public Library in Lewisburg, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 30, Rupert Community Building, 7 p.m.

Oct. 1, White Sulphur Springs City Hall, 7 p.m.

Oct. 6, Alderson City Hall, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 7, Rainelle City Hall, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 8, Ronceverte City Hall, 6:30 p.m.

In October and November, citizens will be invited to work on the actual plan. Groups of individuals will be working on specific portions of the plan, creating goals, objectives, strategies and financing options for their different subjects. Those work group meetings will be held on four Saturdays — Oct. 18 and 25 and Nov. 8 and 15.

“The meetings are open to anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and tackle subjects,” Scott said. “Each meeting will include two, two-hour work sessions. The locations of the work group meetings have not been finalized yet.

“The original (comprehensive plan) document was written in 1970, and although there were updates made to the original plan in the 1980s and 1990s, this is the first complete rewrite since 1970. The process is designed to ensure that the plan will reflect what citizens (who are willing to participate) want, not what appointed or elected officials think they want.”

For more information, contact Scott at 304-647-6630 or on the Web at www.greenbriercounty.net.

— E-mail: cgiggenbach

@register-herald.com