>> VISION 2030 IS NORTH ADAMS' COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR COMMUNITY
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND FIVE YEARS INTO THAT PLAN, MAYOR THOMAS BERNARD WANTS TO
SEE WHAT THE CITY HAS ACCOMPLISHED, WHAT NEEDS
IMPROVEMENT, AND WHAT HASN'T BEEN TACKLED AT ALL.
WE SPOKE IN THE STUDIO.
>> THAT WAS REALLY THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT NORTH
ADAMS HAD DONE IN OVER -- CLOSE TO 40 YEARS AT THAT POINT, AND
IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THAT.
JUST TO THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH HAD CHANGED IN THE CITY OVER THAT
PERIOD OF TIME, AND TO DO TWO THINGS.
ONE, TO DEVELOP A ROAD MAP FOR WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO
PROJECT 15 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE WHERE WE WANT TO BE.
BUT TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY REALLY DEEPLY IN THOSE
CONVERSATIONS, HAVING A GOOD VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE LED THROUGH
THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, BUT THEN, YOU KNOW,
STAKE HOLDER INPUT SESSIONS ON A NUMBER OF THE TOPICS RELATED TO
THE PLAN.
>> AND SO NOW YOU'RE FIVE YEARS I
INTO A FIVE-YEAR LOOK.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO HAVE THEM REVIEW WHAT'S HAPPENED?
>> IT'S IMPORTANT, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT STRATEGIC PLANS,
COMPREHENSIVE PLANS, THERE IS THIS STATEMENT EVERYONE MAKES
YOU DON'T WANT TO PLAN TO SIT ON THE SHELF.
>> COLLECTING DUST?
>> COLLECTING DUST.
AND OURS HASN'T. THE GOOD NEWS IS, IT REALLY HAS
DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING.
I REFER TO IT, OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, WHEN WE
LOOK AT THINGS LIKE THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOC GRANT
PRIORITIES, GET INVOLVED, PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TALK ABOUT IT.
WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FOOD ACCESS AND A MEMBER
OF THE CITY COUNCIL WHO BROUGHT THAT FORWARD REFERENCED SOME OF
THE FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE PIECES OF THE PLAN AND SAID, THIS IS
WHAT WE'RE SAYING ABOUT OURSELVES.
DEVELOPERS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN
NORTH ADAMS SAY, WE KNOW YOU HAVE A PLAN.
IT WAS A CHANCE TO TAKE A PAUSE, SEE WHERE WE'VE GONE, WHAT OTHER
THINGS WE CAN PUT A CHECK MARK NEXT TO, WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE
FEEL LIKE WE'RE BEHIND ON AND NEED TO PUT MORE ATTENTION TO,
AND THEN WHAT'S CHANGED IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS THAT SAYS
SOMETHING THAT, AT THE TIME THE PLAN LAUNCHED, FELT LIKE A
PRIORITY, WE MAY THINK ABOUT IT DIFFERENTLY.
I WAS FLIPPING THROUGH BEFORE WE CAME IN, AND EVEN SOMETHING
BASIC LIKE THE DATA ABOUT SCHOOLS, WE HAVE SINCE THE PLAN
WAS LAUNCHED CLOSED ONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND OPENED A
NEW SCHOOL.
SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT, THAT
BECOMES PART OF IT.
>> SO FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE PLAN IT LOOKS
AT FIVE CENTRAL AREAS.
THERE IS ECONOMIC RENEWAL, INVESTMENT IN AGING
INFRASTRUCTURE, CREATION OF A THRIVING CONNECTED COMMUNITY,
INTERGENERATIONAL THINKING, AND FISCAL EFFICIENCY.
KIND OF A MIX OF TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE.
HOW DO YOU GET AT QUANTIFYING THE INTANGIBLE STUFF?
>> THAT'S WHERE THIS IDEA OF STARTING THE REVIEW CAME FROM
FOR ME.
I WAS LOOKING THROUGH IT.
ACTUALLY, IT'S SEVEN AREAS.
SEVEN PRIORITY AREAS.
>> I MISSED TWO.
WHAT ARE THEY?
>> HISTORIC PRESERVATION, AND THEN AGAIN THE FOOD PIECE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
BUT I STARTED LOOKING AT IT.
I SAID, SEVEN PRIORITIES.
IT'S 43 GOALS, IT'S -- NO, IT'S SEVEN PRIORITIES, 43 GOALS, 95
POLICIES, 355 ACTIONS.
I ASKED THAT SAME QUESTION, HOW DOES ANYONE GET THEIR ARMS
AROUND THAT?
SO ACCOMPANYING THE PLAN IS AN IMPLEMENTATION METRICS.
A CHECKLIST OF ALL THE THINGS IN THE PLAN WHICH RUNS TO 25 PAGES.
AND NO ONE CAN REALLY KEEP AN EYE ON THAT SOLELY BY
THEMSELVES, AND DOING IT, DOING A CHECK-IN LIKE THIS ALLOWS US
TO IDENTIFY WHAT HAVE WE DONE AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?
BUT THEN WHO ARE THE PARTNERS?
WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WE SHOULD BE BRINGING IN TO TALK ABOUT
HISTORIC PRESERVATION?
WHAT PIECES HAS THE HISTORIC COMMISSION BEEN WORKING ON?
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS WE CAN TASK TO THEM?
SOME OF THE OUTDOOR RECREATION PIECES HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP BY
GROUPS LIKE MASS IN MOTION THROUGH THE NORTHERN BERKSHIRE
COMMUNITY COALITION.
THEY JUST STARTED PARTNERING WITH US ON A GRANT THROUGH THE
FRANKLIN LAND TRUST TO DO TREE PLANTING.
SO THERE IS A PRIORITY OR AN ACTION ABOUT SHADE TREES AND
TREE PLANTING AND WE'VE GOT SOME SUPPORT TO DO THAT.
BUT IT'S THEN BEING ABLE TO SAY, THAT WAS SOMETHING IN THE PLAN.
HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RECORDING THAT?
>> AND SO LOOKING AT THAT 25-PAGE CHECKLIST, YOU ACTUALLY
BROUGHT SOMEONE IN, A FORMER GRADUATE, NOW WORKING WITH
REGIONAL PLANNING, TO OVERSEE -- ZACHARY FURY, AM I SAYING HIS
NAME CORRECTLY?
>> YES.
>> HE'S TALKING ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO LOOK AT IT, STARTING WITH
PUBLIC SESSIONS.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC OVER THE NEXT MONTH
OR TWO AS YOU EMBARK ON THOSE SESSIONS?
>> WHAT ARE THE THINGS MOST IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY?
AGAIN, NO ONE INDIVIDUAL, NO ONE GROUP, CAN TACKLE 355 SEPARATE
ACTIONS AND DO THEM ALL EFFECTIVELY.
SO HOW DO WE SET SOME PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OF THE
PLAN TO SAY, HERE'S WHERE WE'VE BEEN.
AND, IN THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
I TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE SMALLER ACTIONS, BUT TOURISTS
OPENED AS A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF THE PRESENCE OF MASS MOCHA.
>> A HOTEL?
>> A HOTEL ON THE WEST END OF THE CITY.
BUT THEY ARE VERY INTERESTED AS THEIR LARGER DEVELOPMENT PLANS
MOVE FORWARD.
NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION, THEY ARE INTERESTED IN
ACTIVATING THE PROPERTY THAT THEY HAVE FOR OUTDOOR
RECREATION.
SO THESE THINGS ALIGN.
WE'VE GOT A GUY, DAVE, WHO BOUGHT A MILL AND JUST CUT THE
RIBBON ON IT THIS PAST WEEKEND IN.
ABOUT TWO YEARS HE FILLED IT WITH 44 BUSINESSES.
THE HARD PART IS IT'S NOT RIGHT DOWN IN THE CORE OF DOWNTOWN ON
MAIN STREET.
>> SET APART?
>> SET APART FROM DOWNTOWN.
BUT WHAT DAVE HAS DONE IS HE'S CREATED THIS BUSINESS INCUBATOR
BUT ALSO THIS COMMUNITY.
SO YOU'VE GOT A COFFEE ROASTER, A WINE CELLAR.
THE COMPUTER BUG, REPAIR PL A THERAPY OFFICE.
THERE IS A COMMUNITY, IT'S BRINGING THE COMMUNITY INTO THIS
SPACE AND REALLY BEING A GATHERING PLACE.
>> AS YOU FLIP THROUGH PLAN, IT'S SIZABLE.
>> YES.
>> ARE THERE AREAS THAT JUMP OUT TO YOU AS, YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE'RE NOT HITTING THE MARK ON XYZ?
>> I THINK THE FIRST SECTION AND THE LARGEST SECTION OF THE PLAN
IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SECTION, AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE
NECESSARILY NOT HITTING IT, BUT THAT'S A PLACE WHERE SOME REVIEW
A OF THE STRATEGIES AND PRIORITIES
COULD HELP.
TO SET THAT LIST OF IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES BY DISTILLING SOME OF
WHAT'S IN THERE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS A LOT OF EMPHASIS PLACED ON MARKETING,
AND -- >> MARKETING OF THE CITY?
>> MARKETING OF THE CITY ITSELF, AND WE'VE DONE REALLY GOOD WORK
WITH THINGS LIKE SIGNAGE.
WE'RE WORKING WITH A SMALL MASS WORKS GRANT ON A DIGITAL WAVE
FINDING PROJECT THAT SHOULD ROLL OUT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
MONTHS.
WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT THAT IS WE THOUGHT WE WERE BEHIND THE CURVE
AND WE'RE GOING TO END UP WITH A TOOL THAT'S HOPEFULLY A MODEL
FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT WILL HELP TO ATTRACT.
BUT REALLY MAKING SURE THAT OUR MARKETING EFFORTS ARE -- THE
CITY MARKETING EFFORTS ARE BEING DONE IN CLACK RATION WITH
BERKSHIRE, WHO ARE DOING LARGER PLANNING.
COLLABORATING WITH THE NORTH ADAMS PARTNERSHIP WHICH HAS DONE
THEIR OWN STUDY AND JUST MAKING ALL OF THESE THINGS ALIGN SO
THAT EVERYBODY IS FOCUSED ON THE SAME SET OF IMMEDIATE
PRIORITIES.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MR.
FURY, WHO IS OVERSEEING THIS REVIEW OF THE 15-YEAR PLAN, THE
FIRST FIVE YEARS OF IT, HE SAID HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT
RANGE OF PEOPLE COME TO THE TABLE AND GIVE THEIR INPUT.
HOW DO YOU GET AT THAT, CRACKING THAT NUT, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S
VERY COMMON IN COMMUNITIES WHERE YOU HEAR FROM THE SAME GROUP OF,
YOU KNOW, INVESTED FOLKS, BUT HOW DO YOU HEAR, HOW DO YOU
REACH OUT TO NEW PEOPLE AND HEAR FROM THEM?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S ALL OF THE MARKETING TRICKS.
IT'S HITTING EVERY CHANNEL.
IT'S LETTERS.
IT'S OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS TO TALK ABOUT THE PLAN, AND TO
SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
DRIVING IT TO THE CITY WEBSITE.
THE PREVIOUS PLANNING PROCESS REALLY DID HAVE A ROBUST SITE
WHERE THE EVOLUTION OF THE PROCESS WAS DOCUMENTED, AND I
WOULD SEE US CONTINUING TO DO THAT.
IT'S HITTING PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEN IT'S GOING WITH
WORD OF MOUTH.
SO TO BRING IT FULL CIRCLE TO SOMETHING YOU MENTIONED, WHICH
IS THE COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD, ONE
OF THE THINGS I HAVE DONE IN THIS FIRST TERM IS TO KIND OF
REINVIGORATE AND REVITALIZE THAT GROUP BY ADDING STAKE HOLDER
REPRESENTATIVES.
SO HAVING A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE OR THE BOARD WHO IS A
MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, HAVING A SCHOOL COMMITTEE
REPRESENTATIVE.
HAVING SOMEBODY FROM MCLA, ALONG WITH THE COMMUNITY AND AT LARGE
MEMBERS SO THEY CAN WORK THEIR NETWORKS AND THEY CAN HELP TO
BUILD STAKE HOLDERS, AND AGAIN, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE
INVOLVED IN THE PLAN LAST TIME WHO ARE STILL INVOLVED, AND I
KNOW THEY WILL HELP TO INFLUENCE THAT AS WELL.