What is the process/approach?
• We are guided by a proven model from community revitalization advocate Quint Studer
and Vibrant Community Partners to deploy our efforts toward citizen-led and citizen-powered change.
• We work alongside community members, municipal leadership, and anchor institutions to pave the way and craft a shared vision complete with a metrics-driven action plan to drive sustainable change.
• We look to harness the power of citizen-led change by encouraging as many people as possible to engage in efforts to make Stillwater vibrant.
• We establish and adhere to ground rules for civic discourse around matters of public concern. This allows us to hold productive conversations on issues we may disagree on so that we might better understand others’ viewpoints and, ultimately, achieve the best outcomes for all.
• We strive to build trust across each network as we collaborate to form a plan, determine priorities, and take action.
• We focus on incremental approaches that rejuvenate neighborhoods, fix the nuisances that frustrate our daily lives, and coordinate the renewal of public spaces.
• We work to manage the scope and sequencing to ensure success. In other words, we keep the size of changes doable, and we work in an order that makes sense and gradually builds momentum.
• We put together dashboards with meaningful metrics to show return on our investment in our community.
• When a conversation hits a roadblock, we don’t give up. We don’t let controversy derail us. We don’t walk away from the table or point fingers or let the conversation die. We stay mindful of the value of perseverance and grit. We adjust our plans as needed, we stay engaged, we keep our eyes on the vision, and we keep moving forward for the good of our community.