NORWICH – The Norwich Historical Preservation Society was created to protect the history of the city, while helping to guide it into the future. “We link the past and the future by revealing heritage, revitalizing community, conserving resources, and designing new areas that are sensitive to the City of Norwich,” the group’s mission reads.

The committee is still in its infancy, but Mayor Joseph P. Maiurano has appointed eight people to participate in the panel. Fran Nial, a teacher at Perry Browne Primary School, chairs the committee. Other appointees include Don Windsor, Patricia Scott, Joseph Telesky, Todd Dreyer, Dale Storms, Terry Bresina and Kate Stewart. The members of the organization have varying experience and come from different backgrounds. The mix includes a common council member, a planning board member, local historians, and community residents.

According to Telesky, the city’s historian, the Historic Preservation Committee will meet once a month and will focus on what he calls the three P’s – protecting, preserving and promoting the city’s architecture. “We want to keep the history of the community, but we don’t want to stop progress,” Maiurano said.