The City of Oak Harbor wants to have more conversations and catch up with the community about local projects and partners.

At 6 p.m. on Feb. 27, the city will host a meeting with community members at City Hall to share updates on a variety of upcoming improvements to the downtown and waterfront district area that will increase accessibility and safety while also improving traffic flow, according to a press release.

The city in fact plans to bring retail closer to the waterfront, beautifying the 600-acre area while also addressing its declining infrastructure, bringing new homes and jobs and bringing more vitality to downtown.

This project will be in part paid for by a $200,000 grant from the Department of Ecology and $100,000 from the Center for Creative Land Recycling, the News-Times reported on Jan. 31.

During a city council meeting in late January, some council members and members of the public voiced their concerns about losing Oak Harbor’s small-town feel. The Feb. 27 meeting will be an opportunity for community members to provide their input and ask questions about projects such as road and utility improvements, enhanced pedestrian walkways and efforts to improve traffic flow, according to the press release.

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the city will host the Community Catch Up featuring ICOM 911 Executive Director Sofia Kohfield. The catch up, which takes place at City Hall, is a one-hour event where key organizations in Oak Harbor — such as the local school district, Island Transit, SPiN Cafe, the Parks and Recreation team and more — will share updates and plans with residents who can ask questions and have conversations with these groups.

This event was first introduced on Jan. 28, when the city invited administrators from the Oak Harbor School District to talk about the levy that appeared in the Feb. 11 special elections ballot.

Following a presentation and conversation about ICOM, attendees may tour the dispatch center across the street from City Hall.