Thankfully, there are some shining examples of neighboring communities working well together for the greater good courtesy of relationships formed between neighboring communities in the center of Chautauqua County. Ripley and Westfield have been working well together for years. They began partnering on plans for their neighboring waterfronts, including working together on an opportunity plan for the New York Department of State long before embarking recently on a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program plan.
Collaborations Paying Off With Water
There are ways to work together to make water affordable for all. A number of local communities banded together in February of 2016 to form a regional water distribution system called the North County Water District. Creating an implementation plan took many years of municipal meetings, planning, and feasibility studies. This was funded through grants, the Chadwick Bay Regional Development Corporation, and Chautauqua County. As a result, the construction of new water mains, pumps, and water storage facilities will create a district system that will save money and provide security for the village of Brocton, the towns of Portland, Pomfret, Dunkirk, Sheridan, and the North County Industrial Water District.
Turf Battles Hinder Collective Impact
Most adults recall their high school football rivals. That’s because those competitions were frequently fierce, and the animosity between schools sometimes spilled over into other areas of the communities. The hostilities were often so intense they made any collaborative ventures between the communities seem unlikely, if not impossible.
However, just as no single person or organization is responsible for significant social and economic problems in today’s interdependent world, it’s also unlikely any single entity will solve them alone. Change comes from better cross-sector coordination rather than from isolated interventions.
Farms Remain Economic Driver for County
Unlike many counties, Chautauqua is fortunate because agriculture is one of the biggest industries here, but it can’t thrive without help. Consequently, the county regularly develops an Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan. The latest update is called the Chautauqua County Agricultural Development & Enhancement Strategy. Designed to support local farmers and enhance the profitability of agriculture, it requires assessing local farmland and agricultural resources every five years. After research, interviews, focus groups, and surveys of farmers and the general public are conducted, planning and investment recommendations are made for the county and its municipalities.
Finding Partnerships, Possibilities for Agencies
When the general public cuts back their budgets simply to afford food and gas, they are less likely to be as generous as they were when the economy was booming. That’s why even before the pandemic struck, the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF), Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, United Ways of Northern and Southern Chautauqua County, The Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, and Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation came together to address nonprofit capacity building in Chautauqua County. They understood the need to connect to be more efficient with their limited funds.
Consequently, they reached out for support to the Gebbie Foundation, Lenna Foundation and successfully secured a significant investment from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to launch the Chautauqua Nonprofit Capacity Partnership.
Despite Our Fears, Change Is Often Progress
It’s so disorienting to walk into a favorite store to grab something and find the store has been rearranged. You can’t easily find what you came to buy. It’s frustrating.
Most of us are creatures of habit. We love our routines. They form our comfort zones and make us feel secure. That’s why a lot of us resist change. Yet change is the only real constant in this world.
Rescue Calls Require Cooperation
When people call 9-1-1, they expect an ambulance staffed with well-trained Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel will arrive within minutes. It can mean the difference between life and death. Thankfully, the local response rate is so exceptional that complaints about ambulance service are exceedingly rare.
However, it is getting harder and harder to provide the high-quality EMS care people expect and deserve, especially in rural counties like Chautauqua. There is a crisis emerging in prehospital EMS, and it isn’t just a local problem. It’s affecting communities all across the nation.
Economic Panel Backs Build of Hospital
Earlier this month, the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation Local Economic Development committee sent a statement to state Gov. Kathy Hochul noting its backing for the new health-care facility. The letter was signed by the LED committee Chairman Richard Johnson, the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation’s Board President Nancy Adams Fry and foundation Executive Director Diane Hannum.
Quality Care Signals A Healthy Community
Most people can’t imagine living in a community where quality healthcare isn’t readily available. Yet few give much thought to what is required to create and maintain a quality health-care system — until it’s threatened.
Quality health care is essential to personal well-being and our communities’ health. It heals, protects, and prevents, or slows, infectious disease transmission and specific health conditions. It is vital to businesses. They can’t operate without a healthy workforce.
Shovel-Ready Sites Can Help Build Jobs
Breweries, Wineries are Big Draws
It’s relatively easy to recognize a community that’s flourishing. In many ways, the area radiates an energy that makes people feel good. That often has a lot to do with what’s happening there.
While it’s not usually the first thing that comes to mind for most people, some researchers say that one of the most reliable ways to tell whether or not a community is doing well is whether or not it has at least one craft brewery.
Newly Elected Face Challenges
The people have spoken. New faces will soon join many local government teams, making this a perfect time for our elected officials to take a hard look at how well their local governments have been operating.
Members of these teams need to develop productive relationships with each other, with their civil servants, and with the people living in their community if they hope to make government work for all of us. This is an essential part of governing.
Public-private partnerships have benefits
People often complain that students graduate from high school without learning the skills they need to be successful in life. They are usually referring to basic life skills, pointing out that many recent graduates can’t balance a checkbook, cook a decent meal or do their own laundry.
Even worse, many new graduates enter the workforce without the basic skills needed to succeed on the job. Some of those skills are referred to as soft skills, like arriving on time and avoiding leaving early or abusing sick leave. Employees must be able to think critically and organize their work effectively. They must function well as part of a team, get along well with their coworkers, and respond to customers appropriately.
Re-Energizing Area Begins With Optimism
True Patriots Promote Better Quality of Life
People generally have a basic understanding of the long-term civic story of the community where they live if they’ve lived there for any length of time. Their version may not be totally accurate, but most people are able to connect their community’s past to what is happening there now. This usually gives them hope for a better future for themselves and their neighbors, especially if most members of their community can quickly identify their local patriots.
Taking a Local Not National Look
Turning Brain Drain into Brain Gain
Many different factors influence where people choose to live. A lot remain where they were born and raised throughout their entire lives. Some find their dream jobs in their hometowns. Others stay simply because being near family is more important to them than anything else. Some think they cannot financially afford to move. Others are fearful of the unknown and unfamiliar.
Our County Still is Someplace Special
When people live somewhere long enough, they often forget what they love about it. The next time you take a drive locally, pretend you've never been here before. Try to see the area through the eyes of a stranger. Think about the features that draw you to visit other places. Think about the things you would care about if you had to move to a new location. Then think about what draws others to come here.