Econmomic Development for a community

Currently in Hartsville there are several citizen committees working on the required updating of a strategic plan for the city. The State apparently requires the update and the city has implemented the process for updating. Citizens, when they are working for the good of their community, do so with the trust that the people who are in charge and who have the ultimate decision-making authority value the work and the thinking that the citizens are putting forth. Citizen input from the community conversations and other venues along with investments in Hartsville say that our community has a lot going for it. Those working on the update of the plan hope this is one way to find a way to focus on growth and progress and the continuing quest of making this community one of the best in South Carolina, if not the nation.

The Economic Development planning group is going to try defining economic development in a frame that fits within the context of the city or greater Hartsville area. So, if you were defining economic development, what would you be thinking about? In a series of add-ons to a string on hartsvilletoday.com there was an extended discussion about the types of businesses some people would like to see. The one requirement for nearly all those businesses is a population with money to buy the products and services those businesses have to offer. That population with money is one of the things being thought of in terms of economic development. There were a number of other factors that covered a range of issues. Rather than list those, let's have the question remain: When you think of economic development for the greater Hartsville area, what are the ideas that come to mind?

The committee is meeting weekly and this blog (or Hartsvilletoday posting) is way I thought of to develop a little more input from the community. If inclined, I hope you will donate your proverbial "two cents."

Firefighters -- God Love Them

My father was a fireman. My grandfather was a fireman. An uncle or two were volunteers. The fire service has been integral to my life. As I listen to Mayor Riley honor the nine firefighters who lost their lives, and the firefighters who daily protect Charleston, I can't hold back the tears, nor can I hold back thoughts of service.

Some of my earliest memories are hearing fire sirens and then making the sign of the cross and saying a quick, heart-felt Hail Mary (I was Catholic). The families understood, as did the firefighters, that this is a dangerous business. I don't know of a fire fighter who thinks of heroism as a part of their job description. All the ones I have ever known saw fighting fires as job that had the added plus of being service to their community. Most just say it is a job someone has to do and they feel fortunate to be among those who are called to do it. But they never think of themselves as heroes -- that is up to the rest of us to consider.

When I hear the fire siren, I am still quick with a prayer for the people answering the call. Their families also need a prayer because they do understand that each call has its own danger -- being a fire fighter is not a routine job, under any circumstances. One of my father's worst injuries came at a grass fire when the smoke obscured a hold and went down with a heavy water pack on his back.

Here in Hartsville we are fortunate to have a strong fire department that is a combination of paid fire fighters and volunteer fire fighters. Their presence is our protection and has been for 99 years in this community. They will appreciate your prayers but will be embarrassed if you talk about heroism -- that is not in their self concept. They serve and protect. Like most of you, in Hartsville, SC, or in other communities around the world, I am thankful they are there!

Speaker Provided Lots of Thought Food for Community Building

Lee Bussell was in Hartsville the other day. Lee is CEO of S. C. largest marketing communications agency and an active citizen in Columbia, SC and the State. He shared some thoughts at an All-Member luncheon sponsored by the Hartsville Chamber.

We really needed to have another 50 or so people in the room to hear some of the exciting ideas that Lee shared but most importanly so that those exciting ideas could ignite some thinking that would help Hartsville better envision its growth.

I was not taking notes, so this is not a verbatim account of Lee's talk but rather some of the connections that I was making while he discussed the direction they have been taking in Columbia.

** One idea I like a lot was the "Good to Great" committee that they established. His key message here was that this committee is working toward defined metrics for committee performance and working toward defining the core idea of Columbia. If you are one of the few who has not read the Jim Collins book, his central message is for an organization to adhere to a "Hedgehog Concept." In short, this concept is to determine what your organization can do better than any other organization and focucs all activity on making that happen. I don't think we have determined this in Hartsville and would love to see that type of discussion taking place.

** Another key message that was included in this talk was the need to build from existing strengths. He suggested that most successful community building efforts are not inventing something from nothing. During his talk he happened to mention biofuels and that got me thinking about Hartsville's strengths as a community built on agriculture, manufacturing and education and how well the concept of biofuels seem to fit this core of basic strengths.

** So, we often talk about our core and our strenghts in this small town but few of us in our various organizations put these strengths (and weaknesses) on paper where we might let them mix together to help ignite some creativity. Education is one of our strengths. We have a four-year college that provides an excellent college education for hundreds of students and most of them are from this area. We have the Governor's School for Science and Math, which provides a superior high-school education for juniors and seniors from schools across the state. We are fortunate to have a strong technical college that works closely with industry and others (Florence-Darlington) and we have pretty strong support for the public education system. But, I think this is an exercise for a cross-responsible group that could determine what they were going to deliver and then deliver as the first step in laying out a VISION for our area.

** One of the quotes that often gets into talks I give around the community comes from something the former CEO of Sonoco often repeated inside and outside the company. That uote is, "When you stop getting better, you stop being good." One way that Lee Bussell highlighted this state of affairs was to note that 15 to 20 years ago Columbia, SC, Austin, TX, and Raleigh, NC, were about the same size municipalities. Can you guess which of those communities had the highest income ratio? Back then it was ......Columbia, South Carolina. Today, Columbia only wishes it could compete in the same area as Austin and Raleigh. There is a moral to that story for Hartsville and one that we need to wrap our heads and hearts around before it is too late.

** Some things are happening in this town and there are several projects that might be on the verge. Is there a connection? Is there a thread that brings them together? This is where that vision thing comes in again and while there may be a thread, it is pretty thin and not very visible to many in the community.

** Another major part of Lee's message is the same refrain we heard from Rich Harwood when he was in town to talk about the role that citizens must play in their communities. According to Harwood, it is the citizens who can make positive things and positive change happen. Also, according to Harwood and to Bussell, it is only those citizens who will make the change happen because other people have other priorities and really don't care all that much about Hartsville, or, for Lee - Columbia. So, who are those citizens who should be joining together to make things happen?

** Building community and building communities within a community is the work of the citizens of that community. It is OUR job. Let's do it!

Momentum is important

Momentum is important to a community because it means movement is taking place. The worst thing, in my view, that can happen to a vibrant community is to allow "status quo" to become the goal. Complacency is a contagious virus. Complacency has few symptoms. Complacency can even provide a type of feeling well that can mask the sickness until so much damage has been done that it takes major intervention to get the community back on a healthy track.

Communities with a lot of activies that are ongoing may suffer from growth pains and may even have some stress and strain as the programs are implemented. Those who have spent time in the gym or on the practice fields understand this condition in the adage, "no pain, no gain."

In the Hartsville community we are beginning to see some momentum building. Just yesterday, Senator Joe Biden brought his Presidential campaign bid to our Coker College. While those in larger communities see this as little to nothing, for a town of 7,500 in a wider community of about 40,000, a candidate stopping by is noteworthy. It is also appreciated. Senator Biden treated Hartsville as he would have treated Columbia, Greenville or Charleston and those in Hartsville, on all parts of the political spectrum, appreciated his contribution to the national debate. Later this month William Raspberry of the Washington Post will be in Hartsville as part of statewide education conference investigating poverty and education. That March 30 event will be discussing a topic crucial to the ongoing question of improving education, not only in South Carolina but throughout the nation.

While on important events that demonstrate momentum, the Coker College Center for Leadership and several other organizations are investigating the question of gang activity in the Darlington County area. Gang activity is not all that prominent an issue and the meetings that are going to be held, with noted community authorities including Stedman Graham and Ron Carter, are to draw some attention to the question before the issue becomes an out-of-control problem.

"Imagine and Act for the Public Good" is the underlying theme of The Harwood Institute, an organization dedicated to helping communities re-engage their citizenry. Richard Hawood, founder of The Harwood Institute, will be in Hartsville on March 28 and 29 to talk about his views, findings and ideas on re-engaging citizens in the well-being of their communities. His public speech will be March 29 at Davidson Hall on the Coker College beginning at 5:30 p.m.

For a small community, there is quite a bit going on in Hartsville, SC. This note did not even discuss RENOFEST, which is a Bluegrass Music Festival that has become one of the mainstay events bringing Bluegrass fans from many states to this town March 23, 24 and 25.

Mostly it is the little events that provide the momentum but it is leadership that must be envisioning those events and bringing them to reality. Communities need their citizens to be involved in all types of momentum-creating events. Get involved!