Westerly - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

The Westerly Comprehensive Planapproximately a 50 percent effort of one full-time equivalent (FTE) position should be allocatedover the initial five-year Plan period to spearhead the Plan implementation. This ongoing focusappropriately resides in the Planning Department and should be accommodated within the currentscope of departmental duties. In addition to day-to-day activities, this effort would include theresponsibility for reporting progress against individual action items to the Town Manager on aregular basis.Funds are necessary to support analyses, research, technical studies and possibly expert consultingadvice in areas needed to ensure successful implementation of the Plan. To that end, it isrecommended that a specific line item for “Comprehensive Plan Implementation” be incorporatedin the municipal operating budget and funded in the amount of approximately $25,000 annually tobe deployed based on priorities identified during the annual budget process. This amount should beadjusted year-to-year depending on the priority of projects planned for each budget year.Certain recommended actions will require major expenditures and capital investment and shouldalso be included in the annual budgeting process. Examples of such actions would be: planning andconstruction of the Westerly bike path; development of a parking/shuttle system; expansion ofparking and redevelopment at the train station; continued funding for roadway drainage andsidewalk repair; and potential expansion of the wastewater treatment plant. Many of these initiativesthat strengthen infrastructure may be candidates for grants which have the effect of increasing thevalue of the town’s investment.To assist in the Plan implementation effort, it is recommended that the Comprehensive PlanCitizens Advisory Committee continue to meet at least semi-annually to assess status ofrecommended actions, advise on priorities, and identify emerging issues and trends that may impactthe Plan.Westerly, Rhode Island 63