ACE Alabama Communities of Excellence

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News Articles

Jacksonville News - May 14, 2008
Topics varied at Town Hall meetings
by Jennifer Bacchus
News Staff Writer

Last week's Alabama Communities of Excellence Town Hall meetings at the Jacksonville Community Center and West Side Baptist Church held topics ranging from how to rephrase certain portions of the ACE five-year plan to the inclusion of the 2005 Auburn University charrette in the plan. Topics discussed at last week's ACE town hall meetings:

Mindy Poe stressed that the printed versions of the five-year plan was not the edited version. A miscommunication caused a rough draft to be printed. The plan will not be reprinted until after the plan has been re-worded to correspond with recommendations made at the ACE Town Hall meetings. Among these changes are alterations in the phrasing of the barriers section. Two recommendations have been made and are being considered: make the phrasing more positive and change the word "barriers" to "challenges" or another word with a more positive connotation.
Many of those present for the community center meeting felt better communication was needed throughout the city, from the city government to the board of education and the citizens. It was stressed by more than one participant that Jacksonville is already a good town to live in, through better expressing successes and more open communication of areas that need improvement the city can become a great town.
The 2005 charrette, a plan by Auburn University for how the community could ideally look, was brought up by Peter Howell, who recommended the plans outlined in it be included in the ACE five-year plan. Many of those ideas, including a greenway from the Chief Ladiga Trail to the square are currently in process in the city.
A bypass around the city, also part of the charrette, was brought up and discussed as a means of drawing new industries into the area. If this were to occur, improvements to the city's infrastructure would have to be made.
Improving the downtown area to reinforce its position as an economic base for the city was brought up at the West Side Baptist meeting. A recommendation was also made to look into the creation of a chamber of commerce in Jacksonville.
A recommendation was made to better utilize Jacksonville State University and its resources to train future community leaders and work on quality of life projects. The recommendation also included using students to assist with surveys and other projects throughout the city.
Ron Hindman mentioned the wealth of experience and knowledge in the city's retiree population and said he felt it was a largely untapped resource.
Funding for education was another hotly debated issue, particularly the possibility of getting a property tax increase passed. Many of the participants, including JSU public administration professor Dr. Lawson Veasey, felt the measure would only pass through extensive education throughout the city.

Throughout the meetings, one underlying topic has arisen over and over - how to fully educate the community and get the residents motivated to achieve the desired improvements. Recommendations have been made to reach out through the churches and organizations in the community.