We all have our favourite things that we love about living in our community. Collectively documenting the community assets that are meaningful to residents forms the basis for establishing a common identity.
According to the most recent (2007) update of the Town’s Corporate Strategic Plan the opening statement of the vision for our Town reads as follows: The Town of Pelham is known as a friendly, peaceful place where residents enjoy the best of both worlds: thriving commercial centres, boutique stores, protected agricultural land and green space.
Completion of the East Fonthill Secondary Plan and the servicing of the applicable land area brings with it the business opportunity associated with a potential 30% increase in our population base. Last week our new Town Council held a strategic planning session with the intention of reviewing and updating our community vision for the future.
What does our Town Council expect this new growth to look like? Perhaps a better question is “What do we want this growth to look like?” Another critically interrelated question is “What is our plan to attract this growth?”
It is an ideal time to bring together community stakeholders to share vital information with each other, in order to identify and plan for the anticipated future growth of our Town.
How do we best mobilize our resources to successfully make Pelham a “destination community”, for the benefit of all citizens, business owners and community organizations?
What will be the catalyst that will lead to the consolidation of all of our individual Town promotion activities into one common branding theme and marketing plan?
Kudos to the City of Thorold! Just last week Thorold established a “Citizen’s Advisory Committee” in order to achieve broad based community consultation concerning the City’s Economic Development Strategy. Perhaps this is a model that our Town may also someday embrace.
Cathy Berkhout-Bosse, H.B.A. is a real estate broker and Communications Strategist living in Pelham. You may read past columns at http://niagararealtysource.wordpress.com
