What is Vision 2020 Bremond TX really about?

By Denise Barker Gouge, Owner of Texas Slav & German Warehouse in Bremond, TX

I want to start by thanking those of you who went out of your way to contact me regarding my article last week.  There have been several people come forward in a big way, committing to becoming one of the “co-pilots” if you will.  It was a breath of fresh air to see that others shared a similar vision, enthusiasm and willingness to try something new and stick their neck out a bit.

This week I wanted to expand on a few ideas and thoughts regarding what VISION 2020 BREMOND TX IS and WHAT IT IS NOT about.

WHAT VISION 2020 IS NOT:

1.       It is not about saying that people aren’t doing their respective jobs properly

2.       It is not about blaming others for anything

3.       It is not about looking at the past

4.       It is not about forming clicks or political coups

WHAT VISION 2020 IS ABOUT:

1.       It is about encouraging people in our community to step up and share their talents and strengths who wouldn’t otherwise do so

2.       It is about creating a “Leaderful” community based on collaboration, inclusivity and connectedness

3.       It is about looking at the present and future, not the past

4.       It is about encouraging, energizing and collaborating with our current leaders including:  those in government offices, chamber of commerce leaders/members, school board members, educators, business owners and spiritual leaders.

5.       It is about providing a common forum for all in our community to facilitate more connectedness and shared goals and less of an “every man for himself” mentality

6.       It is about making this wonderful little town sustainable, walkable, beautiful and worthy of visits from curious out of towners wanting to spend money.

7.       It is about adding a major source of revenue into our town via tourism

8.       It is about improving quality of life in our community through historical preservation, beautification efforts and adding revenue sources to increase the overall wealth and well-being of our town

9.       It is about paring up those with brilliant ideas but no money with those with plenty of capital but no brilliant ideas in order to add additional commerce in our town

10.   It is about assisting those considering taking the plunge to open or expand a business by sharing our pool of knowledge and resources to ensure their success.

11.   It is about strategic planning to ensure that local businesses are working with one another, and that our town is working collaboratively with other nearby towns to create synchronicity, to create momentum and to pool resources to better attract tourism and add revenue to our town

12.   It is about ensuring that Bremond will be a vibrant, beautiful, thriving, safe and wonderful place to live for our children and grandchildren

Below is an excerpt from the book, Building the Local Economy: Cases in Economic Development, edited by Douglas J. Watson and John Morris (Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia, 2008).  This is what they had to say about the make-up of a successful community:

Successful communities all over the United States understand the importance of an expansive view of community leadership. The traditional notion of the community leader – often a mayor or other powerful “position-holder” — as chief community problem-solver has given way to a new, more dynamic model of the community leader as catalyst, connector, and consensus-builder.

 Dr. David Mathews, President of the Kettering Foundation, in summarizing the findings of the Foundation’s research on community politics, writes:

 “What stands out in the high-achieving community is not so much the characteristics of the leaders as their number … The high-achieving community had ten times more people providing leadership than communities of comparable size. This [high-achieving] community is “leaderful”; that is, nearly everyone provides some measure of initiative. And its leaders function not as gatekeepers but as door openers, bent on widening participation.”

This new leadership model recognizes that leadership is not confined to a few elected officials and business leaders. Rather, successful leadership requires mobilizing the knowledge, talents, and perspectives of every segment of the community. Successful communities tend to be full of leaders.- -end quote

 In my comments last week, I mentioned that we need a team of co-captains.  I hope that this vision is all starting to make a little more sense, to feel a lot less foreign and to be a lot more believable.  I look forward to the positive changes Bremond is about to undergo.  And I hope you join us in our efforts.  What we need are energetic, self-motivating, initiators.  We need people who are willing to take a little risk and discuss things that would be considered outside the box.  We need change-makers and game-changers. 

Think about how much more rewarding it will feel to know that you were part of those beginning grass roots efforts that gave back in a huge way to an unsuspecting little community…versus watching it all happen in disbelief from the sidelines. 

 To learn more or to find out how you can assist the mission, please visit our Facebook Fan Page, call me at 713-410-2540 or email me at TexasSlavGerman@gmail.com. 

Adopt an Intersection

Idea #1: Adopt a Corner. Families and/or organizaitions can adopt a corner (or more) at one of the major intersections along Main Street and along Hwy 14 (there are about 12 intersections making about 48 corners). That family would be responsible for maintaining a small flower/rock garden on one corner. Everyone would have to follow a similar predetermined layout to keep the town looking cohesive. The family adopting the corner will have their name proudly displayed with honor on a beautiful little sign in the garden. All would use native plants/flowers to keep beauty high and cost low.

Picturesque Signs All Over Town!

Picturesque signs all over town...tourists love that...and I would think so do most locals! 

They say that if you want to be successful in a specific area, study people who are successful in that same area...or in this case...that successful town.   

Here is a sample ordinance Bremond could have to move Bremond beautification efforts forward.  These are excerpts from those of a highly successful small Texas town!!  A little extra work for long-term benefit. 

Would our community support something like this?
Has it ever been attempted???

SAMPLE ORDINANCE
Historic Preservation Ordinance: 
The City recognizes that the City of Bremond is widely known for its Polish heritage and historic downtown. Bremond’s unique qualities are vital to attract residents, businesses, and tourists. As a matter of public policy, the City desires to preserve those aspects of the city which have historical, cultural, or architectural merit. Such preservation activities will promote the health, safety, prosperity, education, and general welfare of the people living and visiting Bremond.

Sign Ordinance:  The purpose of these rules and regulations are to provide uniform sign standards and regulations in order to insure public safety and to promote a positive City image reflecting order, harmony and pride, and thereby strengthening the economic stability of Bremond’s business, cultural, historical, and residential areas.