Last Wednesday I attended the third MCEDC Economic Development For the Future Meeting at Swan Lake. Culver was represented at this meeting by Bill Githens, Dave Schoeff and Ginny Munroe. This meeting had a “report card” kind of feel. In the previous two meetings we talked about what MCEDC needed in order to help the communities and about a list of goals for each of the communities. At this meeting we listed all of those goals along with all of the associated action steps on poster boards and asked the communities to report on their progress. All of them were able to point to some of the good things they have done and areas where work was needed. A couple even added additional goals to their list.
Culver’s list was one of the longest, but that is partly due to me being an activist, as you can see from my comp plan map The Culver list is shown at the right and you can blow it up to see what is on it (feel free to step up and accomplish anything on there you would like to!)
This meeting was the first that Ginny had attended and it was interesting to hear her comments on how it energized her. Seeing how other community representatives were stepping up and taking ownership on projects was an important goal for MCEDC in these meetings. We hope to instill some civic pride and civic competition and we seem to be achieving some success.
We have already scheduled a follow up meeting for the fourth quarter of 2013 and hope to build on the successes we have seen so far. This program is already paying back with some exciting dividends.
With Lakefest almost upon us, the Culver Chamber of Commerce is already looking ahead to the Culver Fall Fest. One of the events they would really like to push is the Scarecrow Contest. The scarecrow contest has withered, so to speak, over the last few years. The Chamber believes if they can get a good turn out for this, they can draw in media for a news spot on the scarecrows and thus the rest of the events. They think critical mass on this will be a minimum of 50 scarecrows. Put your creative thinking caps on and see what you can come up with!
The entry fee for the contest is $10 and there is a $200 prize for the best scarecrow. To help support this, I am offering to reimburse the entry fee for any Easterday Construction Co., Inc. employee or employee family member. (I will ask that they credit Easterday Construction on their entry so we can keep track.) I will also offer a $100 prize to match the Chamber $200 prize if an ECC entry win! Kathy and Julie have already accepted the challenge. Any ECC entries will be highlighted and credit here.
I was fortunate to be invited to attend Ron Liechty’s 80th Birthday Party at the Conservation Club on Saturday. It was a surprise party put on by his family and it was nice to see the community come out to celebrate with him.
I’ve known Ron for over a decade and I am pleased to call him a friend. My initial introduction was through Easterday Construction’s work on Garden Court projects. Up until this year Ron has been the President of Garden Court. This is a case of a client becoming a friend… A goal I have with all of our clients.
If I hadn’t met Ron through work, I’m sure I would have known him through other associations. It seems like he has been an ubiquitous fixture in Plymouth and Marshall County over the last several decades, serving on various boards and in many cases taking on the leadership and spearheading projects. He is an example of someone giving back to the community. This is an example I try to follow and try to encourage others to pursue.
Last night was the Vision Workshop for the Culver Comprehensive Plan. I’ve been calling this effort 20/20 vision for Culver for a while now. Unfortunately with the poor turn out last night, our vision may require a stronger prescription! Less than 30 people turned out for last night’s meeting. That’s pretty dismal. There were three Plan Commission members there, but only one Redevelopment Commission member and no Town Council members. The overall poor attendance is probably due to poor advertising, but it’s unfortunate that our community leaders aren’t getting involved. I’m not in tune with all of the local groups, but I was disappointed that only one Chamber board member was there who was also the only Second Century Committee board member. That was particularly disappointing considering the leadership role SCC took in the previous Comprehensive Plan. I couldn’t identify any of the Lions Club Board, Kiwanis Board, Boys & Girls Club Board, etc. Maybe that apathy in and of itself says a lot about Culver’s future…
Vision Workshop
Join us at the Community Vision Workshop where residents, business owners, elected and appointed officials, members of the consultant team and other stakeholders will work together to create a vision for the Town of Culver. Attendees will participate in an interactive workshop format to map out their concerns, the things they like best about the community, and the changes they would like to see made in both the near and long-term. The vision workshop will be a fun and engaging way to provide your thoughts about the future of Culver.
Why is the Vision Workshop important?
The purpose of the workshop will be to establish an overall “vision” for the future of the Town of Culver that can provide focus and direction for subsequent planning activities, serve as the “cornerstone” of the consensus building process, and identify a path for growth. Based on the Vision Workshop and previous steps in the planning process, preliminary planning goals and objectives will be prepared.
SAVE THE DATE: June 24th, 2013 6:30 pm Culver Community High School Cafeteria
All community members are encouraged to attend.
For any questions or comments related to the Town of Culver Comprehensive Plan, please contact David Schoeff, Town Manager at (574)842-3140 or townmanager@townofculver.org.