RUMFORD – Virtually all of the River Valley’s 10 towns are at some stage in planning for the future through development of communitywide comprehensive plans.

Some, like Canton and Rumford, have recently adopted a plan. Others, such as Hanover, have yet to get a group together to begin work. And many are about to start a revision of a plan that is now out of date.

To answer the many questions and to help solve common and diverse problems faced by each town as they develop a long-range plan, the River Valley Growth Council, together with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, held a workshop Tuesday morning to get people involved in the process.

“There are common needs and concerns,” said John Maloney, AVCOG workshop leader.

The two-hour workshop aimed to learn what those needs are.

Sometimes, a basic question concerns getting people involved.

Charlotte Collins attended the workshop from Dixfield. She is on her town’s Comprehensive Plan Committee, which seeks to revise their 15-year-old document.

“We are looking for people to serve on the committee short term,” she said.

She believes Tuesday’s workshop and those to come will help Dixfield network with other towns as they develop or revise long-term plans. Dixfield, she said, is particularly concerned with the changes that are taking place due to the loss of tree growth and habitat. Large tracts of land are now being subdivided, something that Collins believes must be addressed.

In Mexico, the Comprehensive Plan Committee has been working on an update of the 10-year-old plan for more than a year. David Errington, a member of that committee, said the town is particularly concerned with subdivision laws that must be revised and site plan review regulations.

Plans are to hold a public hearing on a revised document in the spring, with residents voting at the annual town meeting in June. He said he wants workshops to provide training for the town’s Planning Board as it tries to make changes to the subdivision and site plan laws.

Other concerns that will likely be addressed at workshops over the the next few months include: working out a way so small towns can share code enforcement officers, getting the public involved in a town’s future, and how to assure that an adopted comprehensive plan is put into use.

Mary Dube, RVGC coordinator of the workshop, said future workshops will be announced as soon as a solid list of needs drawn from Tuesday’s session are compiled. AVCOG may address some issues, while others, such as the Forestry Service, may head sessions focused on forest land and development. Towns with comprehensive plans are also more apt to be successful when applying for grants.

“A plan is an important piece of any town’s growth and development,” she said.