.jpg)
The following was written by Robert Lott, president of the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, of which NSBNEWS.net is a member:
Sorry for the delay in this month's newsletter. I will assume full responsibility as I wanted to wait until the New Smyrna Beach City (Commission)/CRA workshop convened Aug. 5th (second such workshop this year). I am glad I waited, I was not disappointed. This workshop produced the same positive, informative formal thinking (dialogue) as the first meeting.
Peter Sechler of ASLA (consulting group for CRA Plan Update) provided a comprehensive overview of the plan to date. Sort of a compilation of all the information gathered from all of the public workshops and interviews since the last presentation. The information provided a nice picture of where we are in our redevelopment spectrum as well as where we need to be in 2015, and many suggestions as how to get there. The process is not complete by any means but the direction is really starting to emerge.
(Earlier) that same day, I had the opportunity to sit with Tracey Barlow, city manager of Edgewater. He shared the progress made since their "visioning" workshops earlier this year. This workshops included city council, planning and zoning, the economic development board, city staff as well as many citizens. I recognized the same productive cooperation as experienced with the NSB efforts.
It is gratifying to witness our local officials and volunteer boards working together in an informative and cooperative atmosphere and watching the vision of our future communities take shape. We all know we live in a special place and we want to maintain the qualities that provide this special paradise. Notice I did not use the word "preserve." As stated by Mr. Sechler, "to preserve is to put in a jar with formaldehyde." What we really want is to "maintain" a living, vibrant community that provides the products and services conducive to our envisioned lifestyle. What we are learning is that we cannot achieve that goal by doing nothing. We must work together and work hard to succeed in developing the infrastructure to support our collective vision.
In conclusion, we are making tremendous headway, but we still have many hurdles to overcome before we are firmly planted on the track to (an) envisioned future. And to our elected officials and volunteer boards, keep up the good work, keep your eye on the ball, and most important, keep the faith.
In the words of Jon Madonna, "Nothing stops an organization faster than people who believe that the way you worked yesterday is the best way to work tomorrow."