WARWICK RECEIVES A GRANT TO UPDATE ITS OPEN 
SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN

by Mary Williamson, Chair, Open Space Committee 

In December our community was notified that the Franklin Regional
Council of Governments had technical assistance grant money
available for municipal planning projects.   Since Warwick's Open
Space and Recreation Plan expired in July 2007, the Chairs of three
Town Boards - the Open Space Committee, Planning Board and
Conservation Commission - thought this would be an excellent
opportunity to obtain professional assistance to update the Plan.
The three Chairs (Mary Williamson, Ted Cady and Karro Frost) wrote
a joint letter to the Select Board requesting that the Town apply
for a grant.

In February we received the good news that Warwick was awarded a
grant.  This will enable the Town to receive nine months of
professional planning assistance from Kimberly Noake-MacPhee,
FRCOG's Natural Resources Program Manager, at no cost to the Town.

To update the Plan, we will convene a special Ad Hoc Committee entitled
the Open Space Plan Committee.   We hope to draw members from the
following sources: 1) current members of Town Boards, particularly the
Open Space Committee, Planning Board and Conservation Commission, 2)
those who helped to draft the Plan in 2002, and 3) any residents in Town
who are interested in participating.

The initial organizational meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
March 4 at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall Dining Room.  If you are
interested in participating in the OSP Committee, please let Ted
Cady know (544-6410) so he can make enough copies of the 2002 Plan
for the first meeting.  Our first meeting with Kimberly is
scheduled for Wednesday, March 25 also at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall
Dining Room.

We are very pleased and thankful to have received this grant. 
Updating the Open Space Plan will benefit the Town in two ways. 
First, it will provide the opportunity to consider with greater
depth and care some of the topics that were treated hastily while
under pressure to complete 2002 Plan by the deadline.  Second, once
the State has reviewed and accepted our updated Plan, Warwick will
once again be eligible to receive grants offered by the Executive
Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.