KERNERSVILLE
In 1996, the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce helped create a long-term plan for the town to match similar ones being developed by the Piedmont Triad Partnership and Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
Kernersville's 2020 plan was developed by five task forces, each with a citizens committee providing ideas. The 2020 plan has been reviewed about every four years since, and a new review is getting under way.
The plan's need for current revisions has grown more apparent as Kernersville's commercial and residential boom spiked in recent years.
For example, the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, which will be a major Kernersville destination when completed, is not even mentioned in the plan.
In 2004, the 2020 plan was updated to reflect the addition of the FedEx Corp. hub to the community, with conversations focused on such issues as increased traffic.
Bill Apple, charged with reviewing the economic-development arm of the 2020 plan, is putting finishing touches on his committee's report for final compilation by Arnold King, the chairman of the City-County Planning Board and a Kernersville resident who spearheaded the 2020 plan back when it began.
King, a commercial real-estate agency, will take revisions to the chamber's economic-development advisory council for a final review, consolidation and endorsement.
The revamped plan would then go to the board of aldermen.
"This is not a plan typed in permanent ink and put on a shelf to gather dust. It's very fluid,'' Apple said. "It's a report on how the citizenry feels. For example, do we want bond debt for a project to occur? Do we want to expand our outstanding residential recycling program to include commercial businesses?"
Some of the economic-development topics include discussion about the Big Mill Farm Road interchange.
"We've had a respectful, good discussion about this topic with ideas for so many alternatives that would not destroy the nearby neighborhoods," Apple said, noting that several committee members live near the proposed interchange.
Although the 2020 plan has no mandates, it reflects the community conscience and the direction that residents desire town aldermen to pursue. The committees were formed so that people can contribute their opinions. The aldermen have been invited to participate in the committee meetings.
"It's an opportunity for town government to reach out and get the thoughts of the community," Apple said.
Bruce Boyer, the chamber's chief executive and president, said he believes that the 2020 plan is a road map for the town's growth.
"Kernersville is so well-positioned that we will do well,'' Boyer said. "Long-range planning like this helps us look ahead while reviewing our past, too."
■ Monica Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com.
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