Tell city where to go

Rock Hill residents have a unique opportunity to help city chart its future development path.

Have you ever wanted to tell the city where to go? Today is your chance.

During a three-day event beginning tonight at 7, Rock Hill residents will have a unique opportunity to play a hands-on role in mapping the future of the city. Billed as “Tell the City Where to Go! Today's Decisions Build Rock Hill's Tomorrow,” this series of community meetings will bring city officials and residents together to discuss what direction the city should take in a variety of key areas.

The meetings will be held in the Palmetto Room at Historic Old Town, 150 E. White St. The public is invited to all three sessions.

Tonight's meeting, from 7 to 9 p.m., is likely to be the most exciting for participants. It will focus on “where we should grow.”

Those who attend will listen to an overview from city planners and then will participate in what the city calls a “mapping process” Small groups will be given maps and electronic key pads to vote on various proposals regarding the city's future. The keypads will be used again when participants respond to a number of questions from city officials.

All this information then will be compiled and analyzed to help the city determine its long-term comprehensive plan, which will be adopted in the fall of 2010.

Teams and focus groups will meet Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to review information and maps from the public meeting. Some officials also will visit key locations mentioned during the public meeting to better understand issues raised by residents. The public is invited to come by at their convenience to review the maps and other information.

On Wednesday, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the city will hold an open house so the public can view the results of the sessions. Visitors also will be able to choose their preferences on different land-use scenarios, again using instant-result keypad voting.

This three-day series of events is an ambitious and innovative effort to involve members of the community in helping to plan the future of the city. Those who attend won't have to penetrate layers of bureaucracy; they can express their preferences with the touch of a keypad.

This process offers a much more direct way to influence the way Rock Hill will grow than simply filling out questionnaires or petitioning City Hall. All residents have to do is show up tonight and let city officials know what they think.

If ever you have wanted to complain about the direction in which the city is headed; if ever you have wanted to encourage city officials to do more than they are doing now to improve life in the community; if ever you have wanted to learn more about where the city is headed and what your fellow citizens think about it — now is your chance.

We urge interested residents to take advantage of this rare opportunity and attend one or all of these sessions.