Hansville Futures may spring forth committee

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, December 13, 2006

HANSVILLE — As the final report of the Hansville Futures Project makes its way through the community, residents are being encouraged to help chart the course of how the Greater Hansville Area grows in the next couple of decades.

Plotting took a new direction last Thursday as discussions got rolling on how to best implement the plan created by the Hansville Futures board. The general consensus of those gathered at the the Hansville Community Center was to form an advisory committee akin to the Kingston Citizens Advisory Council and the Suquamish Community Advisory Committee, though there was some debate over how much influence the county should have on the proposed group.

“There were variations, people talked about all degrees from very little to similar to the Kingston advisory group,” Hansville Futures steering committee member Ken Shawcroft said Friday. “The (Hansville) group has put together some bylaws and a mission statement, now we just need to form and decide how to work with the county.”

Shawcroft, who advocated for no ties with the county, said he was arguing one extreme with the 30 residents hailing from Hansville groups and neighborhoods. But, Hansville Futures steering committee member Steve Bauer pointed out Monday it seemed most residents in attendance were interested in working with county officials.

“There were concerns about how loose and what kind of flexibility we could have,” he said. “But I think overall, most people were interested in working with the county. The more I thought about it, as long as this group is clear on what it wants to accomplish, we should be fine.”

Community member and Hansville Greenways vice president Fred Nelson said those at the meeting are geared up and ready to start building Hansville’s future. Many have followed the futures project closely, and now that the time for action has come, they are ready to lend a hand.

“We had a tremendous turnout for the meeting,” Bauer said. “Every community and organization in Hansville wants to be involved, now with the planning part done, they are ready to roll up their sleeves.”

“Everyone was really enthused,” Nelson said. “They are ready to take the results of the futures project and get to work on the things that need doing.”