A group of San Juan Bautista area residents are planning the city’s future by serving on the Strategic Planning Committee.

The 10 volunteers are working on goals, objective policies and programs included in the city’s 2035 general plan. The group gathered for a special meeting Thursday at City Hall to report on the progress various subcommittees are making.

Each subcommittee is charged with creating proposals that will be presented to the City Council for review. The committees are:

• Government and Communications (public facilities and services element, public safety element and noise element).
• Arts Culture, Recreation and Wellness (health element, open space element).
• Agriculture, Environment and Land use (land use element, circulation element, housing element and conservation element).
• Business, Development and Tourism (economic element).
• Historic Preservation and Community Design.

The city’s goal is to engage as many residents, business owners and stakeholders as possible to become involved in current planning activities to reflect the vision of the entire community set in the general plan.

A matrix of subjects the committee is looking at is available on the city’s website. The timing of proposed plans are listed as immediate, short term, medium and long term.

The entire committee meets every month to discuss its progress. But the subcommittees meet on their own.

Members of the committee are Shawna Freels, chair; Shirley Brewer, vice chair; John Freeman, Ana Garcia, Jennifer Colby, Bev Meamber, Jolene Cosio, Estrella Esparza Johnson, Mandisa Snodey and Maria Elene Madrigal and Darryl Green, who will be appointed at the next meeting.

Among the plans the subcommittees are addressing are: a city-wide emergency response plan, a city parks and recreation master plan, including a possible dog park and a community garden; a public art project, a wellness fair, a First Nations Walking tour, a farmers market, agrotourism and ecotourism, an economic development matrix and weighing in on the city’s draft cannabis ordinance.

Four members of the Strategic Planning Committee were absent Thursday,  so the group did not have enough members present for a quorum, even though they believed they did. Six members must be present for a quorum. The committee took  took some action, but without a quorum, it was not official.

The actions were:

Amending the committee bylaws to include a recording secretary. Ana Garcia has agreed to be the recording secretary.

Appointing Mandisa as chair of the Agriculture, Environment and Land Use Sub-Committee.

Appointing Darryl Green to the Strategic Planning Committee.

Recommending that the City Council designate a place for a dog park and a community garden.

Adding discussion of the city cannibas draft ordinance to the March 1 agenda.