MONTAGUE — The town is wrapping up a multi-year effort to create a comprehensive plan, “Five Villages: One Future,” and will be holding two open houses to review the draft plan and its recommendations.

The Montague Comprehensive Plan, last produced in 1999, is focused on preparing for a healthy, strong and climate-resilient future, while at the same time maintaining the town’s unique character and sense of community.

In 2022, the town conducted a survey to gather input on community issues. Two public workshops were held in early 2023 to develop community-created goals and priorities for the Five Villages: One Future plan and gather insight into preferred implementation strategies. The results of the survey and public workshops can be found at https://montagueplans.org/.

Since that time, Montague staff and their consultant, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), have been collecting data, meeting with focus groups, stakeholders, and town committees and drafting the comprehensive plan. The draft chapters and recommendations will be available for review on the project website at https://montagueplans.org/review-comment/.

The town would like the community’s input and feedback on the draft plan at two open houses.

The first open house will be held on Tuesday, June 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Great Falls Discovery Center (2 Ave. A, Turners Falls). Food, child care, and translation services will be provided. Transportation services are available upon request. All are welcome to stop by any time during the open house to learn about the findings and recommendations for each of the chapter’s sections and provide feedback. Those who visit each topic table will be entered into a raffle for a prize from Montague businesses.

The second workshop will be held virtually on Thursday, June 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. Participants can find the link at https://montagueplans.org/ and are encouraged to join anytime during the virtual open house to learn about the plan and provide feedback.

Public comment on the draft plan will be open from June 6-21 and can be sent to Town Planner Maureen Pollack at planner@montague-ma.gov or FRCOG Planner Megan Rhodes at mrhodes@frcog.org. The project is funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program.