LOWVILLE — Lewis County residents will be asked for their input on the countywide comprehensive plan at three community "visioning" meetings next month.

The meetings will be held Aug. 5 at the Croghan and Lowville fire halls and Aug. 6 at the Lyons Falls fire hall. All three meetings will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. and feature an identical format. Refreshments will be provided.

"The Project Team believes that meaningful, sustained, and dynamic participation from local officials and the general public is the key to developing an effective and implementation-ready County Comprehensive Plan," states a project description on the county's Web site.

Each workshop will begin with a presentation on the project's purpose, timeline and future participation opportunities. Some interactive exercises then will be used to gather information to help define the future vision statement. Depending upon attendance, participants may also be broken into working groups to allow for greater interaction and understanding of individual ideas.

"The Plan, to be completed over the course of the next year and a half, will serve as a framework for the development of county level policy decisions, as well as providing recommendations for local municipalities," according to a release from the county Economic Development Department.

It will address issues such as land use, economic development, environmental conservation, public infrastructure and community resources.

Once adopted, the plan also should improve the county's access to grants.

The estimated $178,420 project, being conducted by Rochester engineering firm Bergmann & Associates, is to be completed in late summer 2009.

The county has been awarded $34,310 through the state Smart Growth for Adirondack Communities grant program and a $25,000 state Community Development Block Grant to help fund the study.

A 17-person steering committee was formed in April to assist with plan development, and several meetings with stakeholder groups, including county, town and village officials, have already been held.

Anyone seeking more information on the project may call county Planner Renee J. Beyer at 376-5423 or visit the project page on the county's Web site.