A plan for the future that isn’t “pie in the sky?”

Sign Warren County up.

The county commissioners on Wednesday approved an agreement Mackin Engineering to develop a comprehensive plan for the county.

“(I’m) super excited to get this underway,” Commissioner Jeff Eggleson said, calling it “something we’ve talked about for a few years.”

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin said he’s been getting questions from people in the community on where the future of the county is headed and said this plan would answer that question.

County Planner Dan Glotz said the county’s current plan was completed in 2005. State funding will cover 90 percent of the $55,125 cost.

“We want to make this plan an implementable one,” he said, “rather than it being a … pipe dream if you will.”

Four consulting firms submitted requests for proposals for the project, but Glotz said “Mackin had the best proposal for us” and was already working on the county’s recreation plan.

The first step is identifying prior “recommendations that haven’t been carried out yet,” he said. From a general perspective, the next step will be identifying a vision “to ensure input we receive is reflected against that particular vision.” That stage will identify assets and issues and set some goals.

Past plans were “pie in the sky” and “unrealistic” he explained, emphasizing that projects identified in this plan should be “absolutely doable” – with identified responsible parties, cost, funding sources and timeframes.

Two public meetings will be a part of the project as well as the formation of a steering committee and stakeholder group interviews.

“This will be a project that relies heavily on input from the public,” Glotz said.

He said the plan would take about a year to complete and cautioned that state funding agencies — Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Department of Community and Economic Development — will conclude a project doesn’t have public support if it isn’t included in a plan like this.

BIKE PATH IMPROVEMENTS DISCUSSED

Bruce Swanson raised concern about the condition of the Warren Bike-Hike Trail, especially the section between East St. and State St.

Glotz said that he and the county’s maintenance director identified areas that fall that need attention, including a section of “rippling” caused by roots and a couple locations in the process of being “undermined by some washouts.”

He said the county is currently working on bidding out that work to be paid for by county Act 13 dollars.

“We have the funding in place to do that,” he said of fixing those areas. “(We are) hoping to get it done this spring if we can.”