By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Following a vote this week, the Town of Berlin will contract with the firm Mead and Hunt for an update to the municipality’s comprehensive plan, a process that will guide future growth and development, for a cost of $99,075.

Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said the town is required to review its comprehensive plan every ten years. Berlin’s current plan was adopted in 2010 and reviewed without changes in 2020.

Bohlen said she chose to take the comprehensive plan project on during the upcoming town hall renovations. A total of eight firms returned proposals for the work, and Mead and Hunt was selected as the successful bid submitter.

Councilman Steve Green, who served on the review committee with Councilman Jack Orris, said the decision followed “a pretty extensive” process, including two four-hour meetings to review the four top-ranked applications.

Green noted that the comprehensive plan is essential to Berlin’s planning department and planning commission, as well as future developers, so they have “some indication of what we stand for as a town, what we’re looking for.”

He added that residents will have chances to offer their input on the community’s future, in what they would like to see in terms of infrastructure and development efforts.

“Citizens will have a survey; they’ll also have plenty of opportunities to weigh in along the way,” the councilman said.

Green also stated that the project was budgeted at $100,000, and the selected firm’s proposal fell within that amount. Additionally, the submission includes an interactive “story map” website that will be updated in phases and maintained by the consultants rather than the town.

Orris said the final choice was difficult given the strong applications, but he supported Mead and Hunt in part because of their community engagement approach and local connections.

“It did make it very tough, at least for me, to narrow it down to one,” Orris said. “But I think that was a plus in my book.”

Mead and Hunt have worked on the Greenway Master Trail project, an initiative that looks to create a network of bikeways, connecting local destinations and landscapes throughout Worcester County.

The selected firm’s proposal says that their execution of an updated comprehensive plan for Berlin “will be grounded in a collaborative, transparent, and phased approach that reflects the town’s unique character, priorities, and aspirations.”

A timeline was included in Mead and Hunt’s submission. The project is scheduled to kick off in January 2026. From February to April, the firm will hold meetings to address topics like goals and policies, land use, transportation, municipal growth, historic and cultural resources, community facilities, water resources, natural resources, housing, economic development, and plan implementation.

“Our team is aware of stormwater and drainage issues around the town, specifically in the Flower Street and West Street areas, and is prepared to address these concerns,” Mead and Hunt’s proposal adds.

From May to July, the company will develop the plan, engaging with town residents and business owners to gather feedback on objectives. A first draft of the comp plan will be completed by late summer or early autumn of 2026, and an open public meeting will be held for critiques. A final document will be submitted around November or December.

The council unanimously approved awarding the comprehensive plan update project to Mead and Hunt, with Councilwoman Shaneka Nichols absent.