Moving into a new town can be stressful due to having to file paperwork and scout for resources. You may create a checklist of all the things you have to do with the little information you have gathered in the first few days in a new town.
The New Resident Guide has been re-designed to be more congruent with the color pallet and logos of Windham as part of the towns recent efforts to redesign wayfinding signs, logos on websites and signs, color pallets on sites and signs, and overall working to create a more uniform look of the town.
Currently, the welcome packet is handed out to new residents at the town hall when one goes to submit a change of address, register a car, or whatever it may be that flags you as a new member of the town.
“It’s nice to have some information when you first move into a town, like who to contact and social services, knowing how to participate in parks and rec, and just overall having good access to the first things you want to know when you move into a town,” says Roger Cropley, Communication Director for the Town of Windham. “It makes life a little easier.”
According to Cropley, the guide has been around for several decades, but it has remained a simple packet of some photocopied papers with a general checklist. He has worked on updating the guide for a couple months now and is working on its final touches.
The front page of the packet includes a paragraph that welcomes new residents to the community and a short summary of the contents of the packet. Additionally, every page includes the address, phone number and website for the Town of Windham on the right-hand side.
The new resident checklist includes what to do in the first 10 days that includes registering children for school, filing a change of address, licenses any dogs and pick up trash and recycle carts at Windham Public Works.
This list is followed by another list of what to do in the first 30 days. This includes registering to vote, changing driver’s license addresses, updating car registration, and visiting the Windham Public Library.
Under each task is an address of where to go and a short explanation of what to bring. Further in the packet, there is also a full phone directory that includes the service, the phone number, and a short list of how that service can help you.
For example, by calling the Tax Collection number, you can sort through tax payments, make auto registrations, or call about passports. In short, it’s made simple to know who to call about what.
In addition, the guide ends with an explanation on curbside trash and recycling container placement, with general do’s, don’ts, such as don’t leave them lying down on the ground, and information on what to do with carts in the winter.
This also has a recycling guide with images and descriptions on what can be recycled and what cannot.
Also included in the guide is information on all the parks in Windham with descriptions of what activities can be done, and in-depth information on the East Windham Conservation Area.
Cropley says the town is currently working on redesigning the town’s website and once that’s done, they will make the New Resident Guide accessible online. <
