Alexander officials want a piece of your mind

If you’ve ever wanted to tell someone from the city what you think, now’s your chance. Everyone has until September 30 to express their opinion about the City of Alexander.

The Alexander Planning Commission is in the process of writing a new Master Development Plan. You are being asked to answer questions in a survey that will help guide the planning commission and city council in writing the growth plan. The Master Development Plan will aide city officials as to how Alexander can be improved now and provide a vision of the city’s future needs. The current development plan dates back to 1982.

As of Friday, September 24, 52 surveys have been submitted online. Only two or three paper versions have been turned in to city hall.

The survey includes questions such as; How would you like to see Alexander grow and develop in the future?, Should the city emphasize making Alexander more walkable by encouraging pedestrian-friendly development throughout the city?, Which housing types do you prefer for Alexander?, and Which parks and recreation amenities does Alexander need the most?. This is only a sample of the 12 questions concerning Alexander. There is also a section of questions to help describe the person answering the survey and where they live in Alexander.

All of this information will be compiled by statisticians at Metroplan. Based on the answers, a preliminary development plan will be written. Planning commission members may get their first look at survey results during the October planning commission meeting.

The planning commission will schedule a public hearing to discuss the results of the survey with city residents and present the preliminary plan. Those attending the hearing will have the opportunity to discuss the meaning of the results and provide input into amending the proposed preliminary plan. Metroplan staff will take that information and alter the plan where needed.

Everyone who lives in or near Alexander are invited to complete the survey. It can be found online in both English and Spanish. The two links to the online survey are provided below.

English: https://metroplan1.surveysparrow.com/s/City-of-Alexander-Community-Preference-Survey/tt-1f6819

Spanish: https://metroplan1.surveysparrow.com/s/Encuesta-de-Preferencias-para-la-Comunidad-de-la-Ciudad-de-Alexander-/tt-8dc659

These links are also available on the city’s website. Just go to cityofalexander.com. The links are on the home page.

If you know someone who doesn’t use the internet they can obtain a paper version at city hall; Monday-Friday, 8:00AM to 4:30PM. Both online and paper surveys must be submitted by the end of the day Thursday, September 30.

Volunteers for Citizens Advisory Group still needed
The planning commission is still in the process of forming a, “Citizen Advisory Group.” The advisory group, working with the planning commission, will take part in developing the master plan based on their interpretation of the survey results and their normal daily contact with the public.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer for the Citizen Advisory Group should contact either the mayor or planning commission chairman. Mayor Paul Mitchell’s email address is mayor@cityofalexander.com. You can contact Planning Commission Chairman Michael Huck at pcchair@cityofalexander.com. Or, you can phone city hall (501-455-2585) and speak to either the mayor or leave contact information to volunteer for the advisory group.