Being a town with a plan

I've talked a bit about having a Vision Plan for Tarboro, and judging by the response I got, there are some people in town that don't know what I am talking about. 

I'm no Vision Plan expert, so I did what I often do and searched the web for more information.

What I found was not only interesting and informative but very promising, as well.  Many small towns have adopted Vision Plans so it wasn't too hard to come up with copies of their plans plus the information on the methods and processes they used to develop the plans.

Here are links to what I found:

Vision Plan for the town of Breckenridge, CO

Vision Plan for Mount Holly, NC

Vision Plan for Greensburg, KS

Vision Plan New Market, NH

Vision Plan for Avon, IN

I thought this was interesting... The town of Avon, IN has a blog for the their Town Manager . . .

Avon, IN: Town Manager’s Blog

In the town of Castle Rock, CO, the people were given the following to find out their opinions:

Share Your Vision of Castle Rock

And here is the process used to develop a Vision Plan for Ontario NY:

Vision Plan Process - Ontario, NY

As I said, I'm no Vision Plan expert, but we don't have to reinvent the wheel, hundreds perhaps thousands of American small towns are using the guidance of a Vision Plan to help them grow.

Moving to Tarboro

There's a lot of talk about how do "we" attract new people to Tarboro.  We want new people, new home-owners, new businesses.

I'm a "new" person.  My husband and I moved to Tarboro just a little more than 3 years ago.  Several others of the Grassroots folks are "new" people in Tarboro.  We did not all come here for the same reasons, but "something" made us choose Tarboro over all of the other places we could choose to live.  It might be prudent to talk to recent transplants who have already chosen to live in Tarboro.  Ask them some questions, listen to what they have to say and use their answers to discover and enhance the things that will attract more people.

What brought them to Tarboro?

Why did they choose to live here?

What did they expect to find here?

Is living here how they expected it to be?

What are their impressions now that they are here?

What do they like about living in Tarboro?

What would they like to see, do or have here that is not currently present?

Would they recommend Tarboro as a place for other "new" people?

If yes, why?   If no, why?

As newcomers our views of Tarboro as "the best place to live" are definitely coming from different perspectives than folks who have lived here for a long time.  To try to understand the different perspectives is the first step in understanding how to attract more newcomers. 

It is important to understand that with new people and new perspectives come new ideas.  To welcome new people, you must also welcome some degree of change.  Is Tarboro ready for change?

Today's word is ...

Today's word is. .

democracy - government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system." In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

I found this definition on a very informative website provided by the US Department of State as part of their International Information Programs. It is too long to post here, but definitely worth reading so I'll provide a link and you can visit at your leisure.  What is Democracy?

The following is an excerpt:

Today, the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50,000 or nations of 50 million, is representative democracy, in which citizens elect officials to make political decisions, formulate laws, and administer programs for the public good. In the name of the people, such officials can deliberate on complex public issues in a thoughtful and systematic manner that requires an investment of time and energy that is often impractical for the vast majority of private citizens.

How such officials are elected can vary enormously. ...  Whatever the method used, public officials in a representative democracy hold office in the name of the people and remain accountable to the people for their actions.

Renovations

I have made a few minor  "renovations" to the website. First I cleared out some older posting on the community discussion board, mostly those with no responses or out of date topics.

I also removed some of the comments made to blog entries. I thought about it for quite some time before removing the posts, but sincerely felt that some posts had created a level of negative energy that I do not want present on this site about our town.   Yes, we are allowed to express ourselves, and yes we are allowed to voice our concern and disapproval if our elected officials are not doing the job we expect them to do.  That's what democracy is all about and I honestly don't think that it creates a negative image of our town, I think it presents the image of a community of thinking people who care about their town and want to see continued growth in a positive direction. I may be totally wrong, but I think that kind of discussion presents the image of civic-minded citizens in a progressive town. 

What I don't want to see on this site, is bickering among neighbors.  That is unnecessary, unproductive and just plain "icky".

Someone recently expressed to me that they thought there was a lot of negativity on this site. If you know me, you know that I am a strong proponent of the power of positive energy and would never deliberately create a source of negativity.  I believe that our discussions on this website may talk about a need for change, but for the most part, head us in a positive direction.

As a final "renovation", I have re-ordered the navigation bar, placing this blog and the Tarboro Talks - community discussion board in less prominent positions.  I know that people find this website easily on the website and I do want them to get a good impression of our town.  A good impression, does not necessarily mean a picture of perfection. For some thinking, vibrant, progressive types this website presenting our town honestly as it is and as we would like it to be, is a welcoming invitation to come and be a part of our exciting revitalization process.

Frugality

Today's word is: FRUGALITY

Frugality (also known as thrift or thriftiness ) is the practice of acquiring goods and services at minimum cost, resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services, achieved via economical restraints or creative measures. Frugality can be related to the idea of being conservative or conserving money.

Common strategies of frugality include the reduction of waste, curbing costly habits, suppressing instant gratification by means of fiscal self-restraint, seeking efficiency, avoiding traps, defying expensive social norms, embracing free (as in gratis) options, using barter, and staying well-informed about local circumstances and both market and product/service realities.