BELLOWS FALLS — All members of the Rockingham community are invited to participate in the second phase of the “Let's Take Action Rockingham” process to set direction for the future of the town.
The meeting, put together with the help of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, will be Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at the Lower Theater at the Town Hall in Bellows Falls.
According to a VCRD news release, it will be a follow-up on the initial session held on Dec. 4, which drew more than 150 community members.
During the Dec. 4 forums, residents met in focus groups to share their thoughts on topics of relevance in Rockingham that included tourism and lodging, transportation, attracting and retaining young people, education, building redevelopment, arts and entertainment, economic revitalization and infrastructure, housing, and recreation.
A visiting team of 30 representatives from state, federal, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic agencies heard their ideas, and will remain as resources as the town moves forward on priorities that emerge through this process.
Ideas shared on Dec. 4, as well as submissions via an online survey and a youth forum, have included strategies to: improve community infrastructure and internet connections; build and improve recreation trails; boost the arts; revitalize and utilize historic community buildings; improve community communication; build a youth center; better connect youth to career opportunities; improve public transportation; and more.
“VCRD and the Visiting Team were impressed and encouraged by the strong turnout, deep commitment to community, and concrete ideas shared on Dec. 4,” said Jenna Koloski, VCRD community and policy manager.
At the Jan. 8 meeting, residents will review the ideas shared and VCRD will facilitate a discussion where members of the community will advocate for causes of particular interest, and finally vote for issues they want to move forward in the coming year.
Koloski called this meeting a “critical turning point in the community-wide discussion where we will go from brainstorming ideas to setting priorities and,ultimately, engaging community energy to move the work forward. This is all about local voice, decision, and leadership.”
The issues that are selected will become the focus of task forces in the future. In February, VCRD will return with a resource team of state, federal, and nonprofit leaders for a final visit to help the new task forces build action plans and resource connections to advance the priority projects.