Preston ― Town and school officials along with residents will be asked this fall to envision Preston in three, five or 10 years, and note what they like and don’t like in that vision.

The town and school district are embarking on a unique effort to create a joint strategic plan that will assess current conditions, projected growth patterns, business development, zoning and the use of public lands and buildings.

Town and school administrators have selected the Massachusetts-based consulting firm, Martin & Associates, to write the plan, splitting the total $35,000 cost between the town and school budgets.

The boards of selectmen and education held a joint meeting Tuesday to meet consultants Justin Martin and Phil Auger and hear an outline of the process and schedule.

Martin, the firm’s founder and president, said rarely has he seen town and school boards work together to form a joint plan.

“So many towns and cities wait until after everything is developed and built up and changed and they’ve lost something before they start saying, ‘What can we do and how can we plan this?’” Martin told the boards.

First Selectwoman Sandra Allyn-Gauthier said she has wanted to create a strategic plan since she first ran for office in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the effort. Preston also is updating its 10-year plan of conservation and development. Allyn-Gauthier said the two plans are separate but will share priorities, data and projections.

One dominant but yet unknown factor will be the pending development of the former Norwich Hospital, which is expected to be turned over to Mohegan, the Mohegan tribe’s gaming and entertainment company, in early 2025.

“There’s a lot happening around us, in the corners of our town,” Superintendent Roy Seitsinger said. “There’s a lot happening in town both from the district point of view and the town point of view.”

From now through mid-October, the consultants will assess the town’s current organizational and operational structures, launch online surveys and conduct telephone interviews with current and former town and school officials. They will contact business owners and hold focus group sessions.

From Sept. 15 through Nov. 15, the consultants plan to analyze the town’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, called a SWOT process. From Oct. 15 to Dec. 15, the group will compare Preston’s characteristics to other New England towns for ideas.

Martin & Associates hopes to present draft findings to town leaders in January or February and finalize the report by mid-March. Martin said the schedule is flexible, allowing participants to “linger longer” on specific topics if necessary.

c.bessette@theday.com