The Newfield Planning Board will host a forum on Thursday January 19, 2023 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at the Newfield Firehall, 77 Main Street.
The Town of Newfield Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2013, identifies Newfield’s assets and resources. It articulates a shared vision while recognizing diverse views and it sets strategies for utilizing and preserving assets to achieve that vision. The January 19, 2023, event is an opportunity for residents and business owners to specifically provide input to the revitalization of the hamlet.
Co-sponsored by the Newfield Town Board and facilitated by Braver Angels, the forum will focus on the Main Street, Bridge Street and Shaffer Road intersection – considered to be the core of the hamlet. Currently this intersection lacks crosswalks, has no stop control on the Bridge Street approach to Main Street, and based on Tompkins County data it is among the intersections in Newfield with a high crash rate.
Potential improvements to the hamlet have been considered in the past through various studies and initiatives. Most recently in Spring 2021, a student-led team from the Cornell Design Connect Program researched and proposed a design for consideration. While no specific plans have been approved to date, these earlier discussions provide a springboard for the January 19, 2023 forum.
Following a brief overview presentation, participants will work together in small groups to find common ground on aspects of how safety and aesthetics of this critical intersection may be improved.
All residents, business owners, and property owners who are interested in the future direction of Newfield are encouraged to attend and share their perspectives.
If inclement weather conditions require postponement, the forum will be held Thursday, February 16, 2023. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE GO TO https://newfieldny.org/newfield-hamlet-revitalization-plan/
The Newfield Planning Board was created in 2007 to “protect the health, safety and general welfare of the community, and to facilitate planning for transportation, water and sewer improvements, drainage, schools, parks and recreation through the use of comprehensive planning.” The Planning Board has an advisory role in offering advice to the Town Board on issues such as the Comprehensive Plan, land use and environmental issues. The Planning Board consists of five volunteer members, appointed to five-year terms by the Town Board.
Newfield Town Board is comprised of four at-large members and the Town Supervisor. Terms of office are four years with an election cycle occurring bi-annually.
Braver Angels is a 501(C)(3) non-profit. Launched in 2016, it is a national movement to bring conservatives, liberals, and others together – not to find centrist compromise, but to find each other as citizens. Through workshops, in which Braver Angels serve as facilitators and moderators, Americans understand each other beyond stereotypes and work together to form community alliances.