Drawing From Past to Decide Big Future Plan

As North Hampton prepares to celebrate its history through an event that captures the spirit of the mid-1840s, local officials are hoping to draw from that foregone era to spark an in-depth discussion about how to bring the town into the future.

Town Administrator Paul Apple said there are many parallels between Saturday's Town Hall Day and the upcoming design charrette for the municipal complex plan, and that the past will help residents better understand the reason why a municipal complex is needed.

Town Hall was built as a way for residents to get together to learn more about — and get involved in — what was going on in North Hampton. Apple said creating a community center through a municipal complex will serve that purpose while fulfilling residents' more modern needs, which is why he said this weekend is the perfect time to heavily plug the charrette and get the idea on people's minds.

"I really do see the two events as linked," said Apple. "Town Hall Day celebrates what people did both in 1843 and recently, and now we're celebrating what’s next. We’ve secured our link to the past, and now it’s time to strike for the future. I really think Town Hall Day is this great platform to launch a discussion."

Town Hall Day will be held on Saturday, May 18, from noon to 3 p.m. The day will feature selectmen in an ox-drawn, full-period-costume parade down Atlantic Avenue to Town Hall, a North Hampton School student-run art show, various edible 1840s-style treats and more.

The charrette, a different type of planning meeting where community ideas are gathered and discussed before they're incorporated into a formal set of recommendations for a given project, is a two-day event on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15.

Citizen input sessions within the charrette will be held at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on June 14. The event also features a potluck supper at 5:15 p.m. to make it more than just a regular meeting — something more akin to dinnertime gatherings at Town Hall in the 1840s, according to Apple.

The presentation of the recommendations will then be presented at 2:30 p.m. on June 15 at Town Hall.

Apple is a big proponent of making public meetings and gatherings more involved, inviting and family-friendly. He said North Hampton residents are tasked with a big decision that will shape the town for years, much like the individuals who decided to create the town's much-praised historic structure — which is why he wants to harken back to that time while plotting North Hampton's future.

"What's our product going to be?" asked Apple, stating that North Hampton's "ancestors gave us" Town Hall. "There are a lot of ideas but there is no plan and the point of the charrette is to have public discussion about what the plan is going to look like. It really is an opportunity for people to participate at the ground level."

"That's the kind of sense of community that produced Town Hall. Shouldn’t we be following this model? I know it sounds corny, but if people get out and meet their neighbors, the product will be a lot better."

The ultimate goal is to reach some sort of decision in time to place the municipal complex plan on the warrant for the 2014 town meeting next March, according to Apple.

"Ultimately what happens is up to folks in town," said Apple. "At some point you have to make a decision, and that’s what we need to do."