Peninsula Township Launches ‘Participate Old Mission’ Website

Have you checked out “Participate Old Mission” yet? If you’ve read the most recent Peninsula Township newsletter that came out last week, there’s a great article about it on pages two and three.

(And by the way, kudos to Township Clerk Becky Chown for a fantastic newsletter – it looks great and keeps getting better and better.)

“Participate Old Mission” is a new website launched by Peninsula Township in January. While the original Township website – peninsulatownship.com (which will remain as is) – gives a general overview of township matters, departments and meeting schedules, this new website serves as a virtual watercooler where Old Mission Peninsula residents can offer comments and suggestions for Township projects and issues.

The website was created on a platform called “Bang the Table,” which helps residents get more involved in their communities.

How to Access the Website and Participate

You can find “Participate Old Mission” at participateoldmission.com. The Township is requiring residents to register in order to access the website and participate. Why is that, you might ask. A few reasons…

When you register, you’ll gain access to all of the feedback tools offered. That means you can give your opinion and ask questions.

Registering also promotes accountability and encourages residents to provide thoughtful responses – because feedback can be attributed directly to them. (We’ve all come across those invisible “keyboard trolls” on social media sites – registering with your real name helps to keep things civil.)

Registering also helps the Township know a little more about us so they can identify patterns among viewpoints and perspectives. For example, someone who lives on the OMP year-round might feel differently about a particular issue than someone who’s here part of the year.

So that you know what to expect, here’s the info I was required to give when I registered on the website: User Name (your real name), email, what decade I was born in (those 1960s just keep getting farther down the dial), whether I live here full- or part-time, whether I own property here, whether I work full- or part-time, and whether I live north or south of Gray Road.

Learn more about website specifics here, including privacy (they will not share our info), who moderates the site, what happens to our comments and more.

What’s on “Participate Old Mission”?

The website contains a variety of info about Peninsula Township, including Local History and Culture, info about Township planning through the years (school, library, wine industry, etc.) and places where you can suggest ideas, ask questions and leave feedback (check out this page for resident comments).

A main focus of the new website is Peninsula Township’s Master Plan, including six topics of importance, based in part on the survey results from 2019:

1. Non-Motorized Mobility
2. Alternative Energy
3. Water Quality/Shoreline Protection
4. Agri-Tourism/RuralCharacter/Lodging
5. Cultural Anchors
6. Town/Village Center

Check out “Participate Old Mission” and let us know what you think in the comments section below. Do you think it will help Old Mission Peninsula residents engage more with what’s going on in the Township?

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