The town administrator said the forum will be an opportunity for residents to voice their opinions, particularly on the new Town Hall-Police Station project.
Here is the condemned Monson Town Office Building on Main Street.
MONSON — A public forum will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at the former Hillside School on Thompson Street to give residents an opportunity to talk about their vision for downtown public places damaged by last year's tornado.
The forum will be held in the selectmen's meeting room, and will be led by the town's disaster recovery manager, Daniel J. Laroche.
In a press release from Laroche, he wrote that he wants to know if residents have ideas regarding the new Town Hall-Police Station site. The new building is slated to be constructed at the site of the former Town Hall, which took a direct hit from the June 1, 2011 tornado and has been closed ever since. Veteran's Field is behind it.
At Tuesday's selectmen's meeting, Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers explained that the forum will allow residents to voice their opinions about that specific area.
When the Town Hall-Police Station project came before voters, she said many wanted to see what the facility would look like, but a design wasn't available. This is their chance to weigh in, she said.
She gave the following examples: Do residents want a skate park built behind the Town Hall-Police Station again? Where would they like to see parking? How about baseball dugouts? Or a senior fitness trail? The Senior Center is across the street from where the new town offices will be built.
"Whatever you want to share, this is the time, and this is the place," Neggers said.
The Community Design Resource Center, Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and town officials all will be in attendance at the forum.
Neggers said the forum will set the foundation for an event at the Architecture Boston Expo on Nov. 15, in which Monson's tornado-damaged downtown again will be discussed.
Laroche noted that this planning effort comes from the visioning work completed by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission this past spring that was featured in "A Community Plan for Monson Center," a supplement to the town's master plan.
Feedback for the supplement came through community meetings and workshops, along with an online survey. One suggestion that is being implemented is keeping the Town Hall-Police Station on Main Street.