PARIS – It’s time Paris got to work on updating its Comprehensive Plan, Selectman William Merrill told board members Monday.

He also reminded Town Manager Steve McAllister of his earlier request that someone pull together the latest census data specific to Paris so that it can be incorporated in an updated plan.

McAllister said he’s been planning to retrieve the census data, “as I have time.”

He said the town has $7,000 in a comprehensive plan account, which could be used to hire a trained professional from the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. AVCOG helps towns update their comprehensive plans, McAllister said.

The 1992 comprehensive plan, which had been reviewed and accepted by the state, was rejected by voters. It uses 1990 census numbers, and those would need to be updated, McAllister said. Art Hill put in 10 weeks of steady work on the last plan at no expense to the town.

Merrill said a good use of the $7,000 would be to have AVCOG pull together the updated numbers, and then the committee could meet to go over policies in the plan.

Currently, there are only three people officially assigned to the inactive comprehensive plan committee: John Barlow, Nancy Record and Ray Glover.

Selectman Bruce Hanson agreed with Merrill the town needed to start work on updating the plan.

“We got to do something, if not, the state’s going to come down on us. They’re going to implement one, and we’re not going to like it,” Hanson said. He noted that many grantmakers are asking towns now for copies of their comprehensive plans.

Glover said a town is only required by the state to have a comprehensive plan if it has zoning, which Paris does not.

“But still, in the long run, it’s best to have a plan, so we can be aware of the trends and growth patterns in town,” Glover said. The state really frowns on towns that allow growth to go unchecked and then slap a moratorium in place to stop that growth until it can figure out what to do, he said.

ggeraghty@sunjournal.com

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