Acommunity meeting was held on Feb . 18 to present the Pilot Team for “ Envision Future” in the Northeast Connecticut Council of Government’s Office on Route 12 . The meeting was on the Borderlands project to redevelop the Dayville Four Corners area in the vicinity of Routes 101 and 12 , and input from the community was encouraged .

Linda Walden , the planning director for the town , said , “ The Borderlands project is something that Killingly is participating in . This is the first public workshop on a project called ‘ Dayville Four Corners Project . ’ We are looking for yourinput in a group setting . ”

Landowners , business owners and town officials were present to learn what they could about the project . The “ Four Corners” is where Routes 101 and 12 meet in the Dayville area of Killingly . Presently , there are several businesses that have closed , and the town is hoping to revitalize the area , hopefully in the near future . Part of the area was rezoned from residential to business in the Breakneck Hill area , while keeping part of it rural .

For the past two years, Killingly has been working on the project to see what the residents would like to see happen with area , and is now bringing it to the public for their direct participation .

Through the decades , small town American has seen many changes take place - going from a small Main Street , where the hub of the town was , to streets that have automobiles whizzing by to get from one strip mall to the next . Today , with the desire to retain as much rural land as possible , but still looking forward to further growth to create jobs for the community , towns are seeing another means of commercial buildings coming into play ; businesses facing the road with landscaping of trees all around . Brick walkways often line pathways from door to door and to a common area , then around the back to a parking lot hidden from the street . Side streets before and after the cluster of buildings will lead to a residential area . This not only makes the most out of a small space while leaving as much undeveloped land as possible , but also eliminates the many driveways that several strip malls can make , helping to eliminate street congestion .

Recognizing that now is not the time to expect contractors to come knocking at their door , Peter Flinker , of Dodson Associates , a Massachusetts-based consulting firm , referred to the plan , saying , “ Through the decades , small town America has gone through many changes … This is one of the decisions that has to be decided on for the future of Dayville when the next boom happens . ”

After giving his map presentation , Flinker instructed the audience to break up into small groups for a brainstorming session to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of developing the “ Four Corners , ” and what they would like to see it look like . The groups were asked to write their ideas down to be analyzed .

One group discussed the idea of a commuter rail system that would run up to Worcester then onto Boston , eliminating much of the traffic on Interstate 395 . With the Five Mile River close by , it was also suggested that a hydropower plant would be an advantage .

Another meeting will be held on March 25 , when Flinker will present a group of redevelopment alternatives . For more information about this project , contact Susan Westa at susan . westa@uconn . edu or ( 860 ) 774-9600 , ext . 24 , or visit the Borderlands Web site at www . borderlandsproject . org .