MCEDC on WTCA
Tune in to WTCA “The Chief” 1050 AM
“What’s Your Opinion?”
Spotlight on WorkOne Marshall County
9:45 a.m. Friday, June 14th
Featuring guests:
Lorna Shively
Job Lead Specialist
Jay Bahr, MPA, Executive Director
Marshall County EDC
Marshall County Economic Development Corporation
Culver Comprehensive Plan – Vision Workshop
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
701 School St.
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.
Meeting with Jackie Walorski
Representative Jackie Walorski
On Tuesday April 30 I was invited to a meeting with Jackie Walorski at the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. There was some interesting discussion (more than what was printed in the paper) but I was disappointed in the participation. I know that invitations were sent to the other Community Chambers and there were no other representatives there. Of those in attendance only three of us brought up issues for the congresswoman’s consideration, despite her obvious willingness to answer questions and work on issues. This was a follow up on a meeting she held at the Plymouth Chamber in January which I attended, and I have to say I was impressed that not only did she remember me, but she came back with answers to some of the questions I posed then.
There were only about four of us that put questions in front of the congresswoman and because of lulls where no one else asked anything, I actually put three in front of her. She was receptive and honest, when she didn’t know she said she would find out and get back to us. I don’t think we can ask for any more than that.
As much as I am disappointed in the goings on in Washington, I felt that the interest from Congresswoman Walorski was refreshing and was a counterpoint to the disinterest from those that bothered to come.
Who should lead?
I was invited to attend a work session of the Culver Town Council last night. The work session was the result of the efforts of MCEDC to energize Marshall County communities to plan and prepare for growth. Unfortunately last night’s meeting degenerated into random complaints from various attendees about some Culver boards and commissions with very little positive discussion or resolution. I had invited Jay Bahr, MCEDC‘s new Executive Director, to attend this meeting and was somewhat embarrassed. It wasn’t exactly what I would have liked him to see with his first introduction to Culver’s leaders.
In February, MCEDC held our first County-wide economic development summit with attendees representing all of the communities in Marshall County. As a result of that meeting I had met with several Culver Town Council Members to see what action steps could be taken. My thoughts on this involved encouraging the Town Council to be the pointy head of the spear. In other words, set an agenda for growth and improvement and pass that mandate down to the boards and commissions that serve beneath them. Theoretically, the Town Council is the elected body that represents the people and through them the citizen’s will should be enacted by the appointed boards and commissions. Without a cohesive plan of action to implement, the boards and commissions either proceed on their own agendas or in some cases are rudderless and accomplish no agenda.
There has been some progress. Retention meetings have been held with Elkay and discussions have been had regarding how to make Culver more accessible to business. All positive steps, but ones without a cohesive goal.
The Comprehensive Plan will fill part of this need, but it needs the will of the citizens and their elected officials, the Town Council, to be reflected in that. Even though completion of the Comprehensive Plan is as much as a year away, the Town Council needs to be gearing up towards implementation and as I’ve tried to express to them, the Comprehensive Plan process can’t be an excuse for doing nothing now.
Last night’s meeting showed a lack of respect for the Town Council’s position of authority in the Town. It was a good step towards leadership, but it’s clear that they are going to need to TAKE their leadership back. There will be no shortage of complaints, but complaints don’t fill the leadership void. Culver’s unofficial motto has always been “Change is bad even when it’s change for the better”. The Town Council needs to ignore that and be the instigator of change. Change for the better…
Hands-Free Faucets at Home
Have you fallen in love with the germ-free faucet activation you find in airport restrooms? iTouchless EZ Faucet allows you to retrofit your home faucets for the same hands-free activation. The system mounts to your existing faucet. Just turn the valves on and the EZ Faucet turns it on and off using infrared sensors.
The adapter will fit most kitchen and bathroom faucets. The sensor mounts to the side so you do not lose any space in the sink below the faucet outlet. It also includes a manual on/off switch in case of a malfunction. Pretty slick!
