Guthrie Center community members are encouraged to attend a special public hearing this Thursday evening at City Hall in relation to the possible creation of a downtown commercial district committee.

City Administrator Laura Imerman tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the committee would be created to give the City “the ability to make sure the integrity of the downtown district stays in-tact,” given the numerous different projects currently on-going in town.

If the public is in favor of such a monitoring committee, it will then be placed on Guthrie Center’s next City Council agenda for a formal vote from Council members.

Imerman says the committee would have the authority to ultimately approve or disapprove of any changes to buildings in the downtown area.  She says the committee would not be put in place for strict oversight of building renovations, but rather to ensure that any construction would be “encouraging controlled change” in town.

If the downtown district committee is eventually created, Imerman says it would be considered as part of Guthrie Center’s Planning & Zoning Commission.

Thursday’s public hearing meeting begins at 6pm.