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Topsham pedestrian committee schedules February workshops and launches interactive map survey to crowdsource safety concerns
Summary
The Topsham Bison Home Pedestrian Committee agreed to pursue February community workshops and an online ArcGIS survey to collect pins and descriptions of locations where residents feel unsafe walking or biking. The committee discussed event format, library and school venues, promotion deadlines and moderation options for the map.
Sarah, the project consultant, told the Topsham Bison Home Pedestrian Committee that the outreach plan will pair in‑person, drop‑in workshops with an online map-based survey so residents can flag locations that feel unsafe.
"Click the blue button…click here to share a location, click on the map to drop a pin, and then provide any details and hit submit," Sarah said while demonstrating the ArcGIS interface. She explained the survey asks for travel mode, level of concern and the main reason (speeding, lack of sidewalk, lighting, surface condition, personal safety, or other).
Committee members discussed timing and promotion. Vanessa, joining over Zoom, said the first in‑person workshop will focus on information gathering and recommended an open‑house format so families can drop in: "The first event is…we're looking at dates in February," she said. The group proposed hours such as 3–6 p.m. to catch both after‑school families and people coming from work.
Members asked about privacy and moderation. Sarah said entries are anonymous (no name or email attached) but can be shown on the public map by default; she offered to configure the survey so staff approve entries before they appear or let users opt out of public display. "There's no name or email or anything associated with it," she said of the map pins.
Logistics and publicity deadlines shaped date choices. The committee agreed that the town publicity ('crier') needs at least two weeks' lead time. Members flagged Feb. 12 as potentially tight for printing postcards and preparing the web launch; Feb. 20, Feb. 26 or school‑vacation week were discussed as alternatives.
The committee also agreed to collect in‑person input for people who do not use the online map (maps posted on walls, sticky‑note exercises, and staff or volunteers to record comments during the event). Sarah will check library availability and report back; the committee will narrow outreach assets and sticker/font/color options at the next meeting.
Actions and next steps recorded: S5 moved to approve the previous meeting's minutes (second recorded as Aaron); the minutes were approved by voice vote with no roll‑call tally recorded. Sarah will resend Drive files, configure the survey moderation settings as requested, confirm venue availability with the library, and circulate draft outreach assets ahead of the next meeting.
The committee set a follow‑up in two weeks to finalize assets, confirm the event date, and prepare materials for the town crier and other outreach.
