Master Plan Review Members Promote Community Discussion

By Kendra Bobowick

The weekend “went very well” for a handful of volunteers who offered their time, thoughts, and opinions about Fairfield Hills, according to Master Plan Review Committee member Ben Roberts.

He was “impressed with how seriously the participants took their work.” On March 5 and 6, a group of roughly 18 volunteers convened for two days with hired facilitator/consultant Rosa Zubizarreta and representatives from the review committee to bring the public’s thoughts into the Fairfield Hills reuse conversation.

“They had a lot of enthusiasm and were creative in their thinking,” Mr Roberts noted, and “at least a few people recognized that we’re not where we want to be,” as the group — a microcosm council — worked to bring the conversation about Fairfield Hills “alive for people.” His Master Plan Review Committee is charged, in part, with including public input regarding what residents hope to see happen with the former state hospital campus.

As residents’ understanding of Fairfield Hills deepens, Mr Roberts said, “That’s what we need — consensus and energy in the broader community, and we saw that happen with the microcosm council.”

The council’s discussions will be the starting point for communitywide discussions on March 16 and 23.

Mr Roberts hopes to “stimulate an energized conversation,” starting March 16. Ms Zubizarreta explained, “It won’t be a regular meeting where people stand up to talk one by one; it will be interactive and an exploration of possibilities.”

Both she and Mr Roberts hope for a “thought-provoking conversation,” they agreed, during a conference call this week.

On the coming Wednesday evenings in March, Mr Roberts anticipates participants will form “break-out” groups “where people can think creatively together,” he said. “It’s not a debate of one person trying to persuade others; it’s people looking for insights or key questions to resolve.”

Mr Roberts seeks insights from the community to better inform his review committee, which will soon make its recommendations to the Board of Selectman regarding the master plan.

“Whatever we hear we’ll carefully consider in deciding what to recommend. We’re listening intently to the community,” he said. Although his committee may not endorse everything they hear, “We’ll give very strong consideration to what the community says.”

Looking at the Fairfield Hills campus as a whole, he said, “There are tough decisions to be made.” Some microcosm council volunteers feel similarly (See related article).

Information derived from conversations on March 16 and 23 will help review committee members formulate questions for a townwide survey to circulate in coming weeks.

Residents are encouraged to attend evening community sessions on Wednesdays, March 16 and March 23, from 6:30 to 9 pm, at the Edmond Town Hall. Participants may arrive as much as 15 minutes early. Light refreshments will be available. The second conversation will build upon the first, Mr Roberts said, so participation in both is encouraged.

 

How Did It Help?

“It was valuable to listen to them think through the complexities of deciding what to do,” said Mr Roberts. Participating in the council and reading and receiving so much background information has in some cases “shifted understanding” of Fairfield Hills.

A major theme to emerge is “balancing and learning from the Fairfield Hills history, then moving on,” said Ms Zubizarreta. She saw a group that “was not bogged down by controversy, and at the same time learning from the past to avoid repeating mistakes.”

The group considered how to “create economic benefit without creating a burden,” said Ms Zubizarreta, and how to create a balance” of needs, Mr Roberts said.