OFFERING GUIDANCE — Brandi Rosselli, director of community planning for Mackin Engineering, addressed members of Weirton Council Wednesday as part of a work session to launch the development of a strategic plan for the city. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — With a changing landscape and new municipal administration, city officials have decided the time is right to draft a new vision for Weirton’s future.

Members of Weirton Council gathered for a work session in the Rose Room of the Millsop Community Center Wednesday, to launch the effort toward the development of a new strategic plan.

Mayor Dean Harris noted many of the changes experienced by the city in recent years, explaining he had been mayor during a previous strategic plan creation in the late 1990s.

“For 78 years, every council, every administration, had Weirton Steel,” Harris said, adding with the company’s bankruptcy in 2005, the services and assistance provided by the steel manufacturer to the community disappeared. “The challenge to us is to move the city forward without Weirton Steel.”

Planning and Development Director Mark Miller explained there have been discussions about a formalized strategic plan for many years, with the city now working with Mackin Engineering to formalize the process.

Brandi Rosselli, director of community planning for Mackin, has been involved in previous projects with Weirton, including updates to the city’s Unified Development Plan and a recently drafted Housing Plan.

“This is a prime time,” Rosselli said. “It’s a really good time to be thinking about the future.”

Rosselli met with the city’s department heads Tuesday, gathering suggestions to be included in the discussions, with a goal of a more targeted document to provide guidance over the next 10 years.

Rosselli explained the key is for council to continuously monitor the strategic plan, tracking what aspects are being followed and accomplished, as well as what may need adjusted as new developments take place.

Among the areas of discussion Wednesday were ways for the city to improve its promotion of the community, as well as beautification and marketing the city; methods of revitalizing the city’s downtown; neighborhood revitalization and property reuse; multi-modal transportation; parks and recreation; public safety; and overall city governance.

Several members of council agreed the city needs to do a better job of keeping residents informed, with Ward 2 Councilman Ralph Cunningham recommending they each take time to meet with the constituents and get feedback.

“As councilmen, we need to go out to the people,” Cunningham said.

Ward 5 Councilwoman Brittany Holloway suggested the city launch a smartphone application, with Assistant City Manager DeeAnn Pulliam explaining the option already is available to the city through its website.

Other discussions included mentions of recreating a Main Street program, façade programs to reinvigorate the appearances of various buildings in the city, and the possibility of creating a land bank.

Resident Athena Blake attended the work session, saying, while she appreciates council having the discussion, it shouldn’t be up to the municipality to address the issues with several of the private properties.

“It’s not the city’s problem. It’s the owner’s problem,” she said, adding she feels many of owners of the most troubled sites have the money available to address the issues. “All it would take is for the owners to fix their buildings and people would come.”

Miller confirmed the city has approached several of the property owners in the city’s downtown to discuss possible opportunities.

Officials noted this will be an ongoing process as the strategic plan is created.