Marshfield has been making plans to improve the city for some time now, even partnering with the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG) along the way. On June 29 at the Webster County Fairgrounds, they held an open house event for the public to get a look at what the organizations have been planning.
Started in 1989, SMCOG is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help southwest counties. It offers a variety of services including transportation planning, grant writing, funding searches, and workshops. Essentially, SMCOG acts as consultants for cities in Southwest Missouri and helps planning out the steps needed to improve themselves.
Marshfield is currently working with SMCOG for sidewalk and road plans. Planning typically takes about a year and takes several steps to complete. Aishwarya Shrestha, an Associate Planner for SMCOG shares “It usually takes time to get surveys we want to be done in a month, but sometimes we don’t get enough responses.”
The survey responses Shrestha is referring to is public input. Shrestha mentions that SMCOG tries various methods to reach out to the public, including social media posts, mail, or attending public events like the Webster County Fair. “Ten percent is always a good number,” Shrestha says.
After the open house, SMCOG will take all the data gathered, and formulate a plan for the Planning and Zoning committee. This plan will serve as a guide for the City of Marshfield on what streets and roads need to be prioritized. The overall goal is to improve Marshfield for its residents. Motivational Speaker Nido Qubein once said “Change brings opportunity” and that is exactly what Marshfield needs.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here