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Presque Isle planning board refines developer survey, forwards goals to city manager
Summary
The board revised multiple developer- and contractor-focused survey questions, discussed outreach and contractor lists, and voted unanimously to forward finalized planning goals to City Manager Sonja Eyler for City Council consideration.
The Presque Isle Special Planning Board on March 5 reviewed draft surveys aimed at developers, contractors and residents and recommended several edits to sharpen responses and improve outreach. After discussion the board unanimously voted to forward its finalized goals to City Manager Sonja Eyler for presentation to the City Council.
Board members recommended technical edits to Survey 1A intended for developers and general contractors, including adding page numbers and converting some open-ended questions to check-box responses to speed analysis. Ward Gerow asked who would implement the survey; Lewis Cousins noted staff would support the effort and Planning Assistant Penny Anderson was identified as the person who can pull the city's master list of permitted contractors for distribution. Sean Nordenhold suggested extending the planning horizon in Q3 from five to ten years, citing COVID-era impacts on longer-term planning, and Tim Levesque asked that follow-up text be added to Q4 to capture reasons when respondents answer "no." Board members also proposed limiting or removing several subjective questions (9/9A) and condensing Q5 and Q7 to focus on what affects respondents most.
On Survey 1B (trades and capacity), members recommended removing several draft items and replacing Q6 with a checklist of constraints and Q9 with a checklist of trades so respondents can identify bottlenecks. For Survey 2 (intermediaries) the board advised including brokers and agents among recipients and noted a local shortage of appraisers could limit responses unless those contacts are already identified. For Survey 3 (demand side) the board asked for clearer renter/owner distinctions (a suggested Q7A), multiple-choice selections for desired housing types, and a new question asking which amenities would entice people to move to Presque Isle.
Board members discussed outreach logistics and costs; Lewis Cousins and others noted the past planner had no budget for surveys, and members asked whether the city could absorb printing and postage costs or favor in-person roundtables for certain respondents. The board estimated in discussion that the city has roughly 300 contractors in its master list and emphasized the need to get material back in a reasonable time frame.
The board concluded by approving a motion to forward its finalized goals to City Manager Sonja Eyler for City Council consideration. The motion was made by Tim Levesque, seconded by Ward Gerow and passed unanimously.
