(Editor's note: Bridget Dugan is an employee with Frederick P. Clark Associates, the planning consultants hired last year by the Town of Oyster Bay to help develop a comprehensive plan outlining a vision for Hicksville's future.)

I have been asked by a number of Hicksville residents to respond to inaccuracies in recent articles in the Hicksville Illustrated News and erroneous statements being made by some community members about the Hicksville Hamlet Plan. Hopefully, the following comments will help clarify this matter:

1. The Draft Road Improvement Concept is a draft proposal which was first presented to the community at the Nov. 13 Public Workshop, along with subsequent outreach meetings held with groups and organizations. The intent of releasing the draft concept is to solicit input from the public. This is a draft concept - there is no formal proposal, nothing is cast in stone and construction will not be taking place this summer, despite the rumors being circulated.

The town, steering committee and project consultants are very interested in receiving feedback from the public about this draft concept, as well as the other recommendations being prepared for the draft Hicksville Hamlet Plan. We had already agreed to have the special meeting to allow the downtown community to discuss traffic and parking issues in more detail.

2. The Draft Road Improvement Concept is not the same thing as the Hicksville Hamlet Plan. Some people are referring to the draft road concept as "the Plan" and this is very misleading.

Although traffic and parking are very important topics, they are only one section of the Hicksville Hamlet Plan. The draft Hicksville Hamlet Plan, which is being pulled together, will be a comprehensive plan for the entire Hicksville community and will address various subjects ranging from community appearance to land use and zoning. We are using the feedback from the community and our detailed analysis to prepare draft recommendations and specific actions which will supplement the vision statement, goals and objectives for the different subject matters. Note: the objectives were not included in the recent article.

3. We have received a lot of positive feedback from members of the community who are supportive of the planning process and are very anxious to start implementing some of the ideas and vision for the Hicksville community!

4. The format for the public workshops (which is different from other outreach meetings) allows the public to hear a presentation in the main room then break into smaller groups to talk with other community members and provide us with input about possible opportunities, strategies, recommendations or issues. After the small groups discussions are done, everyone has a chance to hear an overview of what was said in the other groups. All of the comments are then typed and made available to the public.

This format has been done very successfully in many communities! One of the reasons is that most people feel more comfortable talking in a smaller group rather than in front of a large audience of 300 or 400 people.

The purpose is to allow everyone who wants to voice their thoughts to be given a chance to do so. Public input is a very important part of any comprehensive planning process. Please be assured that we have, and will continue to, incorporate public input and participation in the preparation and implementation of the Hicksville Hamlet Plan.

Bridget Dugan, AICP

Senior Associate, Project Manager

F. P. Clark Associates, planning consultants