white-sulphur-springs-visioning.doc
The Horizons Steering Committee has drafted the attached Community Action Plan as a result of the community surveys and community visioning process. The plan will be reviewed by the Meagher County Community Foundation and will also be promoted to the community in January 2008 in order to ensure that community concerns are addressed.
The Horizons Steering Committee is transitioning its leadership role in the community to the Meagher County Community Foundation Board of Directors. The committee has asked nine new members to serve on the foundation board in order to provide new, fresh leadership to the community. The Horizons committee members will have the opportunity to serve on the board as ex-officio members for the first six months in order to ensure continuity between Horizons and the new board. However, the Steering Committee members are excited by the new board. Steering committee member, Sarah Hamlen, reports, “The steering committee has spent many hours planning a transition to a new group of leaders in the community. The new board members are a dynamic group of people who will do a great job in carrying out the action items identified through the Horizons process.”
The newly appointed members of the Meagher County Community Foundation board of directors plan to set off for Billings on January 15-16 to attend the Rural Communities Conference, sponsored by Horizons Across Montana. The board is excited about attending this training because it provides outside perspective as to what might be done to make Meagher County a more thriving place to live. However, the board is also excited by setting a precedent. Notes County Commissioner and board member, Jamie Doggett, “We want to establish that people positions of leadership in the community should receive training on how to carry out the roles they have agreed to assume. By attending this training, board members establish that, with leadership comes a responsibility.”
Board members plan to use this training to gain new ideas and perspectives in order to better implement and modify the community action plan that was drafted following the Horizons Visioning process.
The Meagher County Community Foundation has appointed a new board of directors. This board will serve two purposes for the Foundation. The first is to breath new life into the non-profit organization and the second is to implement the Horizons Community Action Plan that was developed through the Horizons Visioning process. New board members include County Commissioner Jamie Doggett, County Commissioner Bernie Lucas, Tary Buckingham, Nancy Hereim, Hal Haugen, Judy Berg, City Commissioner, Frank Boyd, and Gene Richeson.
The Community Foundation was created to provide community members a means of re-investing in the communities of Meagher County. The organization has supported recent efforts of Friends of the Bair, the Ranchers to the Rescue, and work of local humanities groups. The Meagher County Commissioners anticipate that the new board members will increase the relevance of this organization and help to ensure that the hard work of the Meagher County Horizons Steering Committee is carried forward.
The Horizons Steering Committee has partnered with the Meagher County Community Foundation to provide long term structure and support to the Horizons work that began last year. The Meagher County Community Foundation has been in existence for a number of years, but is looking forward to fresh leadership and new energy to carry out work in the area. This partnership provides the continuity that the community will require to sustain Horizons beyond June 2008, but also helps the community foundation to remain relevant in community development work. In addition, the 501(c) (3) status of the Foundation provides opportunities for fund raising that would not be possible with other organizations.
New board members are being recruited and bylaw changes will be made during the first meeting of the new board in January 2008 to accommodate the implementation of the Horizons Community Action Plan.
Following community surveys, the visioning event, and many other forms of community input, the Horizons Steering Committee has released a final draft of the White Sulphur Springs community visioning statement. The statement reads:
White Sulphur Springs is full of friendly people who value its rich history, small town way of life, and the multitude of outdoor opportunities that abound in the surrounding mountains. We plan to demonstrate pride in ourselves by cleaning up our homes, in our community by beautifying our town, and in our history by renovating historical buildings. In the next two years, we will work to develop community leadership, increase emphasis on community infrastructure planning, and strive to establish higher levels of civic engagement and community pride.
The kiosk in Joanna’s Park received a face lift, due to the hard work of many Horizons participants. With the help of the Meagher County Chamber and a grant received from the Horizons Across Montana program, the kiosk was sanded, re-stained, and improved to accomodate two great maps of the area that were donated by the Chamber.
Melinda Vennard helped the look of the park as well, by landscaping and cleaning up the edges of the grass. Also the City of White Sulphur Springs restained the gazebo, creating a nice overall appearance of the park. Other volunteers who helped to make this renovation happen were Elton Lee, Mike Vennard, and Marianne Schappek.
Watch for further improvments as the Arts Council adds murals to the kiosk!
Good Work, White Sulphur!