TOPSHAM

Topsham will wrap up its series of “Back to the Future” community forums tonight by discussing all of the issues covered in past sessions.

Since late 2015, speakers have come to Topsham Public Library to talk about community economics, transportation planning, and protecting and promoting historic heritage and rural heritage. The events were sponsored by the town and library.

The wrap up session will start at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Topsham Public Library and focus on thoughts from the public. The meeting will review the topics of the past workshops and small groups will delve further into the topics and talk about how the community should proceed going forward.

John Shattuck, Topsham’s economic and community development director, said the series sets the foundation for the comprehensive planning process that will begin this summer. Comprehensive plans are a road map to guide local policy decisions and zoning ordinances. An updated plan could go to a Topsham town meeting for approval in 2018.

The “Back to the Future” series was designed to be interactive and interesting and also to get people thinking about how the town plans for and envisions the town’s future.

For example, how does the town preserve its rural and historic heritage balanced with intensifying and getting higher use out of its downtown, Shattuck said. How does it contend with having an arterial road in the downtown, or move forward with the Topsham Fair Mall area.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

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