Town Hall Meeting

July 13th, 2003
On Sunday, July 13th, North Coast Action held a community Town Hall meeting in Fort Bragg to continue the planning process for the Georgia Pacific Millsite transition from lumber mill to community resource for the greater North Coast. The morning was facilitated by Shirley Freriks and Patty Madigan leading citizens in exploring their personal priorities and then sharing them in a small group process. Ideas generated from previous town hall meetings were ranked and then after lunch Neil Parrot led a planning process using maps of the G-P mill site. Small groups of citizens gathered the maps and added their favorite ideas via colored post-Its. Groups explored creative placements of mixed income level affordable housing, commons spaces, livework lofts, business incubators, art and cultural centers, coastal trails, traffic flow and education centers.The maps were then presented to the larger group.
The guiding pricipal that emerged was to design uses that restore the dignity of labor sustainability so that Fort Bragg and the coast will be a good place to work and to live. Themes that emerged included:
•Connection to existing town and to its history;
• Access and accessibility to the ocean and potential parks and recreation sites by car and especially by bike and foot;
•A dedicated open space for public events and general gathering for
citizens, especially young people;
•Diversified and sustainable local economy including: Micor value-added mill, technology center, craf and cottage businesses, co-op to achieve box- store goals without the box, live and work space and mixed use business district;
• Affordable mixed housing: single and multi family for all economic levels;
•Restoration and preservation of history including Pomo, Ethnic, logging,
fishing, ranching and railroad;
•Bioremediation of site focusingn on windbreaks and Arcata style marsh for sewage treatment;
•Performing Arts Center;
•Educational Center for Marine and Ecological Studies;
•Craft and Fine Arts Village.

A further distilling of these plans will take place at the next North Coast Action town Hall meeting on Sunday, September 7th, (1:00-4:00 PM) at Fort bragg Town Hall. Come be part of this grass roots democratic process and let your voice be heard. All ideas are welcome!