Regional planner offers mapping, training and "mini" growth-summit save-the-dates

Brock Jackson, a community adviser with the R6 Regional Council, told the Bicknell planning commission the council has funds for mapping and training and offered to provide interactive GIS maps, printed zoning maps and training sessions for planning commissions in the area.

Jackson said the regional office recently acquired a large-format plotter and additional grant funds to create online interactive maps. He offered to produce a zoning map with layers such as orthoimagery and town-limit overlays and to provide a framed printed map for the commission's meeting room at no charge. "We bought a nice plotter printer," Jackson said.

Jackson notified commissioners of a smaller, subject-focused training on February 27 (a "mini" regional growth summit) and a tentative date of May 6 for the main regional summit, which includes sessions on land-use topics and presentations by the property-rights ombudsman and other professionals. "May 6 is the tentative date," he said. He recommended commissioners consider the mini trainings for new members and said he could bring the statewide instructor to a regular meeting if the commission preferred a dedicated session.

Commission members asked for a list of available GIS layers and asked staff to circulate sample maps and the registration link for the February session. Jackson also suggested linking zone polygons on the town's website to the relevant ordinance text; commissioners expressed interest and requested Jackson circulate examples of that integration.

No formal action was taken; commissioners invited Jackson to share sample maps and training materials with staff and to coordinate a possible March presentation if schedules permit.