By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster residents who have ideas for the future of the city’s Siluria community and the Main Street Medical Mile will have a chance to provide their input during several upcoming public meetings and workshops.

The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham is working with Alabaster to update the city’s 2005 master plan, and will focus on the future of the two city districts in late April.

The first public input sessions will begin at 11:15 a.m. on Monday, April 27, with a roundtable discussion about the future of the Siluria community. The meeting will be held at Alabaster City Hall, and will include the roundtable discussion from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. followed by lunch from 12:15-1 p.m.

From 1:15-2:30 p.m., organizers will take attendees on a walking tour of the Siluria mill site, and 2:45-4 p.m. will feature a discussion of the opportunities for the Siluria district.

The public input sessions will continue on Tuesday, April 28, with a focus on the Main Street Medical Mile district. All April 28 sessions will be held at Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

From 9-10:30 a.m., Mary Helmer with Mainstreet Alabama will give a presentation on the importance of creating a main street and merchant association, and 10:45-11:30 a.m. will feature a workshop to identify the vision for the Medical Mile.

From 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Commute Smart will set up a survey station to allow residents, business owners and employees to express their dreams for the Medical Mile.

From April 27-30, a design committee will take input from the public meetings and use it to lay out conceptual designs for the two districts. From 6:30-7:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, the committee will unveil the conceptual designs to the public at Alabaster City Hall.