The Columbia Board of Aldermen on February 5 scheduled a planning workshop among themselves in mid-April to determine “where we’d like to see the town go,” in Mayor James Cahoon’s words.

Three of the five aldermen are newcomers. Hal Fleming, Seth Gibbs, and Bryan Owens were seated December 4, joining Cahoon, Mayor pro tem Sandra Owens, and Alderman Lloyd Armstrong.

Cahoon suggested using Vision 20/20 as a starting point for the discussions. That document sets forth goals town leaders planned to achieve by the year 2020.

The mayor recommended that the workshop be held at the Eastern 4-H Center at Bulls Bay.

Cahoon, who moved from alderman to mayor last December, was a longtime chairman of the town planning board and a former assistant superintendent of Tyrrell County Schools.

The meeting will be open for anyone to attend and listen. However, no public comment period is to be on the agenda, and nothing was said about soliciting written input from residents, property owners and others interested in the future of Columbia.