Community Reflections -- Just Do It

One of my mother's best friends, Nancy Fox, wound up living in Great Falls, Montana and over the years my family and the Fox clan would take turns making the Missouri/Montana trek. I still have a picture taken when I was about 3 years old in front of what was then my grandparents' home at the end of one of our trips, with me in full Montana dress -- a forecast of my enthusiasm for travel.

My parents would spend months getting ready for the long drive to Great Falls. They studied maps, planning a different route each trip so that we could see a new part of America; my dad calculated the daily miles while my mother researched historic sites along the way. Although I don't remember every trip, I'm told I chewed up the paper maps; in Yellowstone National Park I had to go to the bathroom about the time Old Faithful erupted (after my parents had waited almost an hour in line -- and we missed it); and I slept most of the time they drove and was therefore bouncy and wide awake at night. I do remember the time with my parents, the fantastic scenery, and the very energetic Fox family. What I mostly remember, though, is the planning.

Alan Lakein, time-management expert, says that "Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now." Doesn't the prospect of doing something NOW sound great? Time is a luxury that we do not have. Towns around us seem to flourish while it seems to take everything we have just to not go backward.

Could part of this be because the last plan the City had was done in the late 1960's? I think about those Montana trips -- we would probably eventually have arrived at the Fox's doorstep if my parents had not looked at a map, or if they had looked up the route, but not brought the map along, but how much time and energy would we have wasted? It's the same thing on a community level -- we will probably eventually get the work done, but man, what a waste of time, energy and funding when we don't have a written plan.

Councilman Jake Crafton asked a question about continuing to gravel streets in Kennett the other night at a Council meeting. It would apparently cost about $30,000 to correctly pave a very short section of one of the City's streets, and that funding is not available at this time. The correct process is that the adjacent property owners would have to pay the cost of having that street paved. OK, herein is a plan -- let's use streets as an example since streets are tangible, every-day things that we all use. Not even looking at a comprehensive community strategic plan (which we need!), but let's just consider a 1-yr, 3-yr, 5-yr capital improvements plan developed with the input of the community and the City departments. Our plan should be well communicated at all times, so we would all know that in 2010 so-and-so street is going to be resurfaced. It's 2008, so we need to be thinking about how to leverage the money that is going to be spent on that street -- are there grants available? How are the fire hydrants along that street? Are there any traffic or safety issues? Is this a well-traveled route to a school? Could there be a bike route included? Any work need to be done on the sidewalks? What about lighting? What's going on underneath the street -- water lines, sewer, and drainage? And the list goes on -- and this is only one example of the many decisions that every City department faces every year.

Amazingly enough, things do get done, thanks to the hard work of many people. What else could be done if more people got involved in the process and helped to develop a plan which could provide continuity and maximize funds. This is OUR community. We need to bring our future into the present and do something about it NOW. Any takers?