On March 24, all members of the Mendon community are invited to kick off a process to set direction for a vibrant, prosperous, and dynamic future. This process will engage the entire community in reviewing challenges and opportunities facing the community, identifying top priorities for action, and developing concrete actions plans and connecting to resources for the future of the town.
This first step in the Mendon on the Move process will be an evening of virtual community forums to discuss assets, challenges, and opportunities for action. At 6 p.m., everyone is invited to come together for an opening session and then breakout into smaller discussion groups to share ideas in forums on four different topics, chosen by a steering committee of community representatives: The Vitality of Our Economy; Community Connection, Identity, and Sense of Place; The Future of Recreation in Mendon; and Quality of Life and Supporting Families– attend the forum most important to you.
Step 2 of Mendon on the Move will be a community meeting on April 21 when all residents will be invited to champion action ideas, set priorities, sign up for task forces and build action plans with a visiting team of resource leaders to help identify key action steps and technical and financial resources.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) was invited by the Town of Mendon to facilitate this process. VCRD is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the advancement of Vermont communities. In the past 20 years, VCRD has worked with over 75 communities throughout Vermont to bring residents together through their facilitated and structured process to share ideas and move toward common solutions.
VCRD will bring with them a visiting team of Vermont state, federal, business, non-profit, and philanthropic leaders to listen to and reflect on the challenges and opportunities for action that residents identify. The visiting team members will include leaders from USDA Rural Development, Vermont Community Foundation, Rutland Regional Planning Commission, Rutland Area Chamber and Economic Development, Vermont Arts Council, Preservation Trust of Vermont, Let’s Grow Kids, U.S. Forest Service, and other key Vermont community and economic development experts and leaders.
Jenna Koloski, VCRD’s community and policy manager, works with the Mendon community. She said, “No one from outside of Mendon knows what is best for the community – this is an opportunity to engage in a community discussion, as equals, and have a voice in deciding the best course of action for the future of the town. All are welcome to join in on forums to brainstorm ideas for the future.”
All members of the community are invited to participate. To learn more and register for the forums, visit: bit.ly/MendonOnTheMove.
For more information, visit www.vtrural.org or contact VCRD at 802-223-6091 or jenna@vtrural.org
