The Envision Needham Center Project Working Group agreed Dec. 17 to stage an informational event on Feb. 4 designed to give residents the facts they need before completing a community survey.

Project staff said consultants from Apex will deliver a presentation about the project scenarios and methodology, followed by a question-and-answer period. To manage duplicate questions and ensure broad access, the team will collect questions in three ways — a live online tool (Mentimeter), written slips at the venue, and an open microphone — and will post QR codes and printed displays so attendees can review plans.

Several working-group members pushed back against a mic‑less, fully moderated format, arguing that an open forum or small table breakouts would let residents engage more directly. "If people aren't allowed to come up and talk... that's a rip off," one member said during the debate, urging that the public be given multiple options to participate.

Staff said the stated intent is to hold an informational session first so people can answer the survey with accurate background; several members recommended a separate follow-up public feedback meeting, after survey results are compiled, to allow fuller public debate and prevent one evening from trying to serve both functions.

The working group asked staff to provide a scripted timeline for the Feb. 4 event and to include links and an FAQ on outreach postcards so residents can review materials before the presentation. The town plans to use the digital survey and to control the go‑live timing so the presentation can be posted or the survey closed/opened around the event if weather requires rescheduling.

What happens next: staff will refine the event script, confirm Apex’s staffing for station-based interactions, and circulate final outreach text and the survey schedule at the next working-group meeting.