The formal ‘coming together? of Leadership Clarkston began almost a year ago ? and now the group plans to set two to three new projects in motion.
In early February 2005, representatives from the City of the Village of Clarkston, Independence and Springfield townships, the Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce and Clarkston Community Schools met to set a joint mission for the Clarkston area.
In May 2005, the official mission was established for these five entities: to bring these groups together for the purpose of establishing a shared vision for the future of our community; to establish shared goals; and to encourage and develop a spirit of partnership, cooperation and respect that results in economic growth and an improved quality of life within the Clarkston area.
After establishing the mission, the five groups decided to form a steering committee with the purpose of defining Leadership Clarkston’s ultimate goals and projects.
Now, tentatively on March 1 at the Clarkston Schools administration building, the five entities will converge once more to finalize their goals for the next 18 months.
‘Really what we are trying to do is set two achievable goals,? said Chamber Executive Director Penny Shanks. ‘In March, we are going to formally identify what those goals are. We’re also going to decide who will make this their own and take the lead on these. We need to create an action plan to move forward on them.?
‘This is a very exciting time for the townships, the parks and recreations, the schools and the chamber,? said Kristy Ottman, Clarkston city council member and steering committee member. ‘It is really a wonderful way to hold these discussions. We have a lot of opportunity to share our knowledge, our ideas and our resources.
‘This is a great opportunity to create a unified board that will help to move all the entities involved in a positive direction.?
‘I think it’s going well,? said Ron Sullivan, steering committee member representing the Clarkston school board. ‘This started a year ago and the momentum’s still there.?
Shanks said the steering committee was asked to focus one goal on an existing project among the entities and the second goal on a new project.
According to Shanks, the committee selected ‘a coordination effort between the townships? parks and recreations and the school district’s community education program? as the existing project. Just a few of the ideas tossed around included producing a single publication that cludes the information from each and possibly including the townships? libraries.
When asked about the new project, Shanks said the committee centered upon two ideas ? coordinating efforts for the entities to share resources (i.e. joining together to maximize purchasing power or creating compatible inventory systems) and using a common voice for communication such as the public access channel.
‘Right now, residents in Springfield Township do not get the same public access news as those in Independence and Clarkston,? explained Shanks. ‘They also don’t get the news from the schools placed on there.?
‘We’ve got to start someplace and I think the items we are beginning with are a great point,? said Sullivan. ‘We still have a lot of research to do, but they’re somewhere to begin.?
Shanks was uncertain whether the steering committee would decide to combine the two new projects or keep them separate. She added that the final decision may not come until the March meeting.