(Sept. 10, 2015) The Town of Berlin will hold two upcoming work sessions to assess feasibility of converting the former Tyson’s Chicken plant into grounds for public use and, most likely, a multi-use reaction facility.
The Town Council voted to buy the property in December, with three caveats before the sale closed. Following a clean environmental study and an appraisal that aligned with the sale price the council agreed to, the feasibility study is the final hurdle.
In August, the council voted unanimously to pay planning and design firm EDSA $34,500 to complete the study.
Administrative Services Director Mary Bohlen said the work sessions were the start of that process, and would in some ways resemble the strategic planning sessions the town hosted earlier this year.
“The consultants are going to come in and have these work sessions to talk about what the expectations are,” she said. “The difference is that it won’t be the big, public meetings that it was for the strategic plan.”
Bohlen said the sessions would primarily seek input from the mayor and council, as well as town staff, rather than the public en mass. The next step would likely include a survey of the property as well as the surrounding area.
“They’ll look at the area and see what other facilities have so that we’re not saturating the market with the same thing everybody else has,” Bohlen said.
The first meeting, described as a “kick-off discussion with feasibility analysis consultants, mayor, council and department directors” will be held Sept. 9 in the council chambers at town hall at 3:30 p.m. A follow-up discussion is scheduled for Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. at the same location.
The work sessions are open to the public, although public input will be strictly at the discretion of the mayor.
The Town Council voted to buy the property in December, with three caveats before the sale closed. Following a clean environmental study and an appraisal that aligned with the sale price the council agreed to, the feasibility study is the final hurdle.
In August, the council voted unanimously to pay planning and design firm EDSA $34,500 to complete the study.
Administrative Services Director Mary Bohlen said the work sessions were the start of that process, and would in some ways resemble the strategic planning sessions the town hosted earlier this year.
“The consultants are going to come in and have these work sessions to talk about what the expectations are,” she said. “The difference is that it won’t be the big, public meetings that it was for the strategic plan.”
Bohlen said the sessions would primarily seek input from the mayor and council, as well as town staff, rather than the public en mass. The next step would likely include a survey of the property as well as the surrounding area.
“They’ll look at the area and see what other facilities have so that we’re not saturating the market with the same thing everybody else has,” Bohlen said.
The first meeting, described as a “kick-off discussion with feasibility analysis consultants, mayor, council and department directors” will be held Sept. 9 in the council chambers at town hall at 3:30 p.m. A follow-up discussion is scheduled for Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. at the same location.
The work sessions are open to the public, although public input will be strictly at the discretion of the mayor.