Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The March 24 edition of the Gazette-Journal contained an item, MPPDC to hold strategic planning retreat. It noted that "representatives of Floricane, a Richmond area consulting company, will lead the session. The retreat will provide participants from six Middle Peninsula member counties and towns of Tappahannock, West Point and Urbanna to discuss the current state of the commission and review past successes and best practices and to identify the key strategic challenges and priorities for the commission."

I am curious, will this function have any resemblance to a past MPPDC event? Building a vision of the Middle Peninsula landscape, that featured a speaker from sustainable development at the Urban Land Institute. The auditorium was full to hear the speaker talk about community planning.

If this retreat with its Richmond consulting company representatives has any relevance to the current Mathews County Comprehensive Plan, I am curious as to th...