AUBURN — The retaining wall running along Main Street in New Auburn is scheduled for a face lift next year as part of the city’s beautification project.

Eager young people from Franklin Alternative High School are getting a lesson in community organizing as they collect 700 surveys aimed at gathering public opinion about the project and its direction.

“People have this opinion about Franklin being just a place for bad kids and punks,” said Britney Richardson, 18, of Auburn, a student in John Morris’ class. “We want everyone to respond to the survey so that the wall is appreciated by everyone, not just young people.”

The city plans to renovate the retaining wall that runs between Laurel Avenue and Newbury Street. A steering committee organized by the community development office recommended taking an “art gallery” approach with the wall. Instead of repainting the surface, the city will repair the deteriorating concrete and install panels featuring the work of area students, who will be helped by local artists.

Students working with Morris in a class studying public opinion and statistical analysis developed the survey as part of a unit on modern communities. The survey was introduced Thursday by Franklin students who hit the pavement in a door-to-door effort to reach as many New Auburn residents as possible. The survey will be available for the next three weeks at various locations throughout the city in an effort to collect a broad range of responses.

“The public perception is that these kids have no aspirations, and the reality is that these kids want desperately to belong to the community,” Morris said. “Hopefully, their interaction with the public will show people what great kids these are.”

Morris said that his students hope to distribute the survey to area businesses, the mall, grocery stores, the library and city hall. He said students are also hoping to interview senior citizens in assisted-living centers.

The survey asks what type of theme people would like to see depicted on the wall — historical, social (portraits of town founders or celebrations) or an environmental theme featuring the town’s natural resources. The survey also asks who should produce the art — local artists, professional artists, students or community volunteers.

“This survey will help people realize that we really care about our community,” Richardson said. “We want to get a variety of opinions, so that we have many different aspects, and not just our peers.