More than 40 residents gathered at the Jamesville Fire Department on Sept. 22 to take part in a survey that will help shape a master plan for the future of the hamlet of Jamesville.
The Hamlet of Jamesville Master Plan Working Committee has been working with the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNYRPDB) to create a master plan which will help guide government officials when considering projects for the future of the hamlet.
According to Jeanie Gleisner, a program manager of community development and comprehensive planning with the CNYRPDB, the town of DeWitt decided to sponsor a master plan project after hearing residents of the hamlet wanted to address current problems in the hamlet and continue to keep the community a great place to live.
“The objective today is to get the input from the community to see what potential issue areas we would like to focus on… The objective is to identify these problems so we can look into potential resources to solve them,” said Gleisner.
Some of the focus areas the Master Plan Working Committee has identified are the slowing down of traffic through the community, adding additional parking, alleviating traffic conditions, improving the connectivity of the hamlet to neighboring areas, repurposing historic areas, protecting parks, adding a visitor center, promoting wellness, using green resources, improving the community well being and looking into business partnerships that can benefit the hamlet, Gleisner said. Getting community input will help the CNYRPDB and Master Plan Working Committee narrow down the issues that the residents most want to see solved, she said.
Because Jamesville does not have an inclusive government, the governing for the area goes through the town of DeWitt. DeWitt Supervisor Ed Michalenko said he believes having a master plan in place will help town government to keep the best interests of Jamesville residents in mind when considering projects in the area.
“We want residents and local businesses to be able to decide the future of the hamlet,” Michalenko said. “All the problems here were caused by bad planning, like traffic, pollution and overcrowding… We want to create this plan to bring good planning to Jamesville.”
“The town can help on the legislative side when considering projects or zone change requests. They can fund capital projects and figure out better road configurations and parking areas,” said Sam Gordon, director of planning for DeWitt. “And the community can help out by hosting events to bring the community together.”
The project is a part of the ‘Vision CNY Regional Partnership for Comprehensive Planning Project’ of the CNY RPDB and is supported by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Cleaner, Greener Communities program.
The Jamesville Master Plan Working Committee is made up of seven residents, with three alternate members. The members include people from all different walks of local life, such a business owners, historians, architects and chamber representatives. The list of members includes Jerry Aloi, Greg Titus, Pat Brown, Jane Praetorius, Caitlin Titus, Steve Hadley, Linda Crolick, Jennifer Picciano, Diane Noeller, and Debbie Titus.
Gleisner said the timeline for the project will include a few months of organizing and analyzing the community input they have received. The next meeting is planned to be in March 2016 where topic ideas and goals for the master plan will be presented and input on those ideas will be requested. By September 2016, the committee hopes to have a more specific goals and recommendations, and Gleisner said they hope to wrap up the project by late 2016.
Community input is key to this process, said Gleisner, because the residents of Jamesville are the ones who see the problems in the community and may have resources or suggestions to making the community a better place.
“I’d like to see Jamesville bring more people in for the arts,” said attendee Nadine Titus, a local artist who has lived in Jamesville all of her life. “I think this was a good first step in trying to continue to makes Jamesville a place where people can create memories.”
Jamesville residents who are interested in taking this survey can pick up a copy at Jamesville Carpet and Flooring at 6500 E. Seneca Turnpike in Jamesville. The deadline to do this is Friday, Oct. 9.
