Town Planner using volunteer energy and skills to chart course for Stoneham
Published on May 8th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham generations are back in action, planning the future of their town.
Town Planner Michael Gallerani has continued the effort — dubbed “Generations in Action” back in 1999 — to garner community input to guide development of a master plan.
His goal is to achieve the goals he laid out in a strategic plan. This plan was based on data from the Visioning Study overseen by former planner Steve Sadwick, which ranked citizens’ 101 top concerns.
“I identified 48 of the items that have to do with town planning,” Gallerani said. Some goals are broad, such as achieving a good mix of businesses in the Square. Others, like creating consistent design guidelines for commercial buildings, are more focused.
Gallerani wants to have a master plan complete by 2003. He said once the plan is in place the town should be able to implement the desired changes over a five-year period.
Step one was the Visioning Study, then drafting a strategic plan. Next Gallerani brought together business and town leaders to talk about the issues he identified in his strategic plan in three workshops over the past several weeks.
“It was a good session. We talked a lot about parking in the Square,” said Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello about the April 25 workshop. April 25 was a brainstorm session. The April 30 session focused on town planning. And May 7 addressed issues from an environmental perspective.
A findings report issued by the group at these sessions will help to develop missions for volunteer sector teams charged, in the next step, with looking in depth at community development in each neighborhood. These teams will take six to nine months to prioritize and figure out how best to achieve the goals of the strategic plan in their neighborhoods. Gallerani will be a resource and participant along the way.
The town has extended a previous deadline and is looking for volunteers to join sector teams. Interested parties need no special expertise. The only criterion is living in or owning property in Stoneham. To volunteer send a resume and letter to the Selectmen at Town Hall.
Eventually experts will be needed. After the sector teams present their reports a new set of volunteers with specialized knowledge about things like architecture and banking will serve with Gallerani as a Master Planning Committee to synthesize the neighborhood input into a comprehensive plan.
“Then we give the plan to Selectmen and the Planning Board, and they go after the funding,” Gallerani said.
Although Gallerani has no idea how much money will be needed to implement recommended changes, he is confident that funding sources are out there.
“Grants, public/private partnerships. The money is out there if you have a plan,” Gallerani said.
Stoneham is working on it.
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