CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town is embarking on its first master planning process in more than 60 years. 

 

Residents are encouraged to attend the first meeting on "Envisioning Clarksburg 2040" on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at the Community Center. 

 

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is facilitating the process through a $55,000 grant from the state's One Stop Program, which BRPC has matched from its District Local Technical Assistance Program.

 

"This is to give the community opportunities to weigh in on, sort of, what their values are," said BRPC planner Andrew McKeever. "What do they see as some issues, what do they see as some potential threats? And just really give the community opportunity to ... dream."

 

The last master plan was conducted in 1965 and likely wouldn't provide any basis to start with, as the plans are for 10 for 15 years out. McKeever said the town will be starting from scratch, although the recent Municipal Vulnerability Plan could be incorporated. 

 

"Every community should have an active one. And so being able to do this will really help set the priorities for the next 15 years," he said. "So it's really important for the town of Clarksburg to have a sort of shared vision that the community can get behind. And from that sort of shared vision, we'll be able to get some very actionable items."

 

A steering committee comprised of town officials has been established to help with shepherding the process through the winter: Town Administrator Ronald Boucher; Town Treasurer Kelly Haskins; Mary Giron, School Committee; Erin Scott, Planning Board; Susan Brandon, Historical Commission; Colton Andrews, Select Board; and Martha Tanner, Agricultural Commission. 

 

The committee will meet monthly in open sessions and invite knowledgeable community members and department heads to discuss challenges and opportunities in their fields of expertise, and meet with stakeholders. 

 

The planning process will look at economic development, housing, open space and recreation, agriculture, education and infrastructure, among other topics. 

 

"Obviously we have to keep in mind the town's financial position and their resources and look at long-term sustainable support for a lot of these needs and wants," McKeever said. "There's also a lot of forecasting involved. We're really detailing what are the existing conditions in place now, and forecasting out if things stay the same, what will the community look like? 

 

"A good example of that is we'll be looking at some of the climate-change forecasting. ... That work that came out of the MVP process is going to inform the open space recreation plan, and that's going to open up the town for new funding opportunities through the state."

 

The Comprehensive Planning Committee is also asking residents to fill out an online survey here to share their opinion and concerns about the town and its future. Paper copies are also available at Town Hall, the library and the Community Center. 

 

"We have a lot of farmland for our small communities," said Tanner, of the Tanner Farm on River Road. "So I think taking a look at that, how our community, through the survey, what their thoughts on it are, how they want to see it, I guess ... keep it as it is? Have more farms? ... I'm excited to see what the survey comes back with, see what our community is feeling."

 

Between housing pressures and climate change, people tend to put a high value on farming, said McKeever. "I think it's really important that we get the Ag Commission involved in the master plan and the open space and recreation plan to really start looking at what are ways the town, the community and partners, can sort of support the lands that people in this town really care about."

 

Tanner said you can pretty much build a house anywhere, but you can only grow crops and food on specific soils in specific locations. 

 

"If those soils locations are gone, you know, food production definitely suffers," she said. "So I think that's an important thing to bring to people's attention."

 

Brandon had looked through the old master plan, calling it a snapshot in time of how the town thought it would grow. One of the recommendations had been building more roads and connecting to Route 8 across a floodplain. 

 

As the planning process moves along, residents will be provided data, including GIS mapping, to determine what areas should be preserved as a natural resource, which could be targeted for growth, and what should the town prioritize. They'll also look at potential partners, programs and grants. 

 

McKeever said the timeline is tight, with the goal of having a plan by the end of the fiscal year. Thursday night is the first visioning session and another community forum will be held after the first of the year to go over the results of the survey and get more feedback. 

 

"At that point, we'll really be able to start diving into like solutions and sort of what are some actionable steps?" he said.