Planner says comprehensive‑plan draft will be compiled for March review; public open session set for Feb. 2

Staff from the regional planning agency Katie COG told the Skyegan Planning Board that the comprehensive‑plan update is progressing but that the consultant team is stretched thin; the planner said they have received 55 survey responses and proposed pausing individual chapter edits so staff can compile a full draft for board review in March.

The planner, speaking for Katie COG, said the agency is short‑staffed (one planner on maternity leave) and is hiring a GIS specialist; staff requested that board members forward specific edits and data sources by email so the agency can incorporate them into the compiled draft. The planner said the objective is to provide a complete draft to the Planning Board in March so the board can send the plan to the select board by April in time for the town’s June meeting.

Board members discussed public engagement for the next scheduled public open visioning session on Feb. 2. Staff said they will prepare a slide summarizing survey results (the planner noted "the number one comment thus far ... is definitely about Madison Avenue and speeding") and the board discussed options for handouts and poster boards to help attendees digest the information. The planner also asked Joel at Katie COG to try to produce an updated, easier‑to‑read map of growth areas for public review; board members said the current map is confusing and that labeled roads and existing water/sewer lines would help.

The board confirmed the Feb. 2 public open session and agreed that Katie COG would compile the draft plan for March review. Staff noted that if the select board needs the plan earlier, the town’s schedule could shift, but the planner said the current target remains the June town meeting unless the select board changes its timetable.