CITY CONCLUDES HERE TO SERVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS
(Charleston, W. Va.) – The City of Charleston concluded its 2023 Here to Serve community meetings which provided citizens the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas and troubleshoot challenges in person and via an online form. During the meetings the Planning Department focused on community outreach geared toward updating the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
“Here to Serve is about bringing city government to our community members – making our departments more accessible to the folks we serve and getting to know the folks in our communities,” said Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin. “We appreciate everyone who came out to talk with us and who provided feedback online; as well as the facilities who welcomed and hosted our City Team for our meetings.”
Nearly 120 community members attended the Here to Serve community meetings to speak with departments in person, and nearly 30 comment forms were submitted – with the majority being submitted via the online form.
"The Here to Serve events have been a lot like calling DoorDash for city support. All of Charleston's City Hall is basically delivered to a community center or church next to your home," said Council Member At-Large Joe Solomon. "While I love when people come to City Hall, it's been a joy to meet people in their neighborhoods. I’ve gotten a chance to help people on issues ranging from basement flooding, noisy neighbors, traffic congestion, to navigating a new small business, and helping a Senior learn about the free gym inside her local Parks and Recreation community center."
“It’s always great to sit down with the folks in our community and talk about the issues most important to them,” said Council Member At-Large Shawn Taylor. “Through community meetings, like Here to Serve series, we encourage open dialogue and continued collaboration.”
During the Here to Serve community meetings the City’s Planning Department focused on community outreach geared toward updating the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Using large scale maps of the neighborhoods, facilitating interactive input sessions, and a survey, the department was able to collect information about the things most important to the community which included: greenspace, transportation, housing, public safety, and more. A draft of the Comprehensive Plan will be available on the Planning Department’s website next week.
“Based on our survey, people largely feel that Charleston provides a good quality of life for its citizens and that the City has been moving in the right direction,” said Dan Vriendt, Director, Planning Department. “They desire to see a continued commitment to having outstanding parks and recreational facilities, maintaining Charleston’s position as the region’s entertainment and cultural hub, and continuing to maintain high quality municipal services.”
The issues that rose to the top for meeting participants are also issues the City has prioritized over the past four and a half years – including rehabilitating and maintaining the existing housing stock, enforcing property maintenance codes, continuing beautification efforts, eliminating blight, and creating public art. Among the infrastructure improvements deemed most important by meeting participants were replacing old streetlights with brighter and more efficient LED lights; and providing comfortable and well-maintained sidewalks, bike trails, and routes for people of all ages and abilities.
The City of Charleston hosted five Here to Serve community meetings: September 19 at Kanawha City Community Center, September 28 at Mary C Snow Elementary School, October 11 at Elizabeth Memorial United Methodist, October 24 at KCPL Main Library, and November 1 at Roosevelt Neighborhood Center.
