By Lori EhdeAbout 40 people participated in the second public work session on the City of Luverne’s Comprehensive Plan.The purpose of a new Comprehensive Plan is to set a general course for the city of Luverne for the next 10 years, mostly in land use, but in other areas such as economic development, too.Tuesday’s meeting was structured similarly to an Aug. 13 meeting in which participants in small groups played a Luverne-oriented board game that had them considering everything from traffic congestion to locations for parks.Consultant Rusty Fifield said Tuesday’s meeting drew a more representative cross section of Luverne residents than the first plan meeting on Aug. 13 did."This is a more diverse group, in terms of age and gender," Fifield said at the meeting.He also said he was pleased with the sincere participation of attendees."My assessment of this level of discussion — to hear this steady buzz — is that people are engaged in the plan."Those who bothered to show up for the two-hour meeting said they hope that their input will make a difference in the end."It’s nice to be able to voice where we want to be in 10 years," said Monica Dingmann, who attended the meeting with her husband, Dan.Fifield said there’s a delicate balance between accepting public input and applying those individual ideas toward the broader good of the community as a whole."It’s the risk you take as a city," he said."If you ask them to participate, you need to listen to what they’re saying. But the public needs to understand that simply because they came and participated doesn’t mean they can impose their will on the plan."Specifically, Fifield was referring to the debate over whether or not Fledgling Field on Highway 75 should be zoned for commercial use."There are sink holes in the community, and you don’t want to get mired in one of those sink holes for two hours at a meeting," he said.While that issue will be addressed, a multitude of other long-range considerations for the city will be addressed as well.Residents will have another opportunity to get in on the process at a workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Luverne Elementary School commons.This meeting, Fifield said, will address more specific areas of the plan."If you are going to participate, this is by far the most important step in the process," he said. "It’s the meat and potatoes of the plan."He said the public meetings on the Comprehensive are not sequential, and that anyone can get involved at any stage of the process.Fifield works for the Hoisington Koegler Group, Minneapolis, and is currently working on Comprehensive Plans for Moorhead and Worthington.
