Comprehensive Plan facilitators want to hear from you: Here’s how to access Thursday evening’s workshop

In another effort to involve the Shelter Island community in shaping the future development of the town through a Comprehensive Plan, Islanders are invited to participate in a virtual workshop Thursday evening to weigh in on basic questions:

• What makes Shelter Island a desirable place to live, work and visit and what needs to be preserved and enhanced?

• What’s not working so well on the Island and what issues or problems need to be fixed?

• How can the town build on its strengths and make the Island a better place to live and work?

• What social, economic and environmental trends offer possible benefits to the town and how can those be used as advantages?

• What social, economic and environmental trends threaten the quality of life and what could be lost if the community isn’t careful?

The session begins at 6 p.m. with all participants learning the ground rules for the evening’s discussions.

The rules are to ensure that participants treat one another with respect and demonstrate tolerance for ideas they may not personally embrace.

The effort is to use the discussions as brainstorming sessions.

“Expressing your feelings and opinions is encouraged,” Project Manager Edward Hindin said. “We will seek to hear and understand the interests of others and work to make sure that all members’ core interests are expressed and considered,” he said. “Conflict is okay and often important to our work, but personal attacks will not be tolerated.”

After the brief welcoming and establishment of ground rules, participants will be divided into smaller group sessions, something Zoom enables to give as many participants as possible the ability to participate in discussions, but all will focus on the same questions.

The only difference is that the questions will be posed in different orders to ensure responses to all questions are heard in some rooms since time is limited. The small group discussions are slated to last for an hour and 15 minutes.

Following the individual discussions, the entire group will be brought back to a main screen for closing remarks with the overall session lasting until 8 p.m.

Those who wish to participate have several means of accessing the workshop. All can be reached from the Comprehensive Plan tab on the town website at shelterislandtown.us.

• Those who wish to have video and audio can use Zoom, using a meeting ID 841 0781 1019 and the pass code 214171.

• Those who prefer audio only can dial in at 1-929 205 6099, enter the meeting ID 841 0781 1019 and then the pass code 214171.

• To join using a live stream, go to townhallstreams.com/towns/shelter_island_ny then click on the box titled Comprehensive Plan Public Workshop.1.