Monessen holding open house to gather ideas for future of city
MONESSEN – Residents of Monessen will soon have an opportunity to weigh in on an early draft of the city’s new comprehensive plan.
Acting Mayor Tony Orzechowski announced that the city’s Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee is holding a public open house from 4 to 6 p.m.Wednesday at the Salvation Army building, 308 Schoonmaker Ave.
“We are holding the open house to gather ideas for the future of our city,” said Orzechowski, during the council’s work session meeting last Thursday. “The council can’t do this alone, and we will need the advisory group and other stakeholders to drive the project. All the success of the project will be from the cooperative work of the citizens.”
Although Monessen started work on a comprehensive plan during previous administrations, no plan had ever been completed in a comprehensive or final manner.
The comprehensive plan focuses on several key topics, such as land use, zoning, municipal bill collections and finance, transportation and blight removal. Mackin Engineering was hired to develop the city’s comprehensive plan and MGR Consulting, Inc. was chosen as a sub-consultant to help secure grant funding.
According to Mackin Engineering, a comprehensive plan serves as a blueprint for the city’s future. It documents existing conditions, establishes a community-supported vision, identifies priorities and provides strategies to address needs. The comprehensive plan isn’t intended to be a legally binding document; rather, its purpose is to establish policy and develop an implementable plan.
Councilman David Feehan said the council recently had a productive meeting with the advisory committee – a group that represents residents and businesses from Monessen.
“A lot of people have shown interest in taking part in this group,” he said. “And they are excited about the future direction of our city.”
Councilwoman Lois Thomas is encouraging the public to attend the open house and offer feedback to the council and advisory committee.
“This is everyone’s city,” she said. “You just can’t take ideas from 25 people because we might not be seeing the entire picture. We need to have everyone involved.”