Bethel comp plan committee trims draft survey, sets Nov. 24 target

The Bethel Comprehensive Planning Committee met on Oct. 8 to work through a draft community survey that will feed into the town's comprehensive plan. Members cut dozens of proposed questions down to a shorter list, agreed the survey should launch around Nov. 24 at the well-attended Turkey Tuesday event, and said a separate visioning session should follow in late January to dig into the topics the survey identifies.

Key points

• The committee approved minutes from its previous meeting and elected Beth Weisberger as secretary, with Erika providing a written document from the Zoom transcript for Beth to review.
• Members agreed the survey should run first and inform a later in-person visioning session, rather than the other way around, so the survey can identify the hottest topics.
• The group cut large blocks of draft questions, including housing items 10 through 14 and items 11, 16 and 17, and decided to convert the "greatest strengths" question into an open-ended prompt asking people to list three things they love about Bethel.
• Members agreed to keep demographic questions, to reword questions about renting versus owning property, and to keep questions 40 and 41 on rating and prioritizing town services.
• The committee discussed adding a student-focused survey, possibly with Gould Academy students and local civics classes, and a separate, more detailed housing survey later.
• Members debated survey length, citing a Newry survey that drew 438 responses at the start but only about 200 by the end, and agreed shorter is better for data quality.

Next steps

• Allie will revise the draft survey based on the committee's cuts and comments and send it back to members for review.
• Members were asked to email Allie with written comments, suggested question wording, and Bethel-specific items for lists such as transportation and community character.
• The committee aims to have the survey ready to launch around Nov. 24, with paper copies, QR codes, and iPads available at Turkey Tuesday and possibly at other locations.
• A visioning or community engagement session is targeted for late January, after the holidays and MLK weekend.

Read the full transcript