Community Forum: “Riding the Wave – Managing Community Change”

Panel and Group Discussions, and Expert Guest Keynote Presentation

WHY:  because, ready or not, change is here and accelerating.

The wave is rolling in.  It’s here, we see new evidence of it everyday.  More traffic, more tourists, more construction, more development, more demand for social and government services.  A wave of change is rolling into the Walla Walla region.

Is it a tsunami, or a wave of prosperity?  We shouldn’t wait to find out.  We may not understand the particulars, but we all inherently know that our regional economy and population demographics are changing, our regional environment and natural resources are under increased pressure, regional social service and justice systems are stretched thin and strapped, and our regional community infrastructure, including “bricks and mortar” assets, systems such as local government and political processes, and “soft” assets such as art, culture, and architecture, are straining against the pressure.

The million dollar question.  Are all of these things connected?  For example, can we have a strong and diverse economy if we don’t have a clean environment and sustainable natural resources, or affordable housing, or responsive and effective local government, or a community that respects differences in race, culture and income?  Do we need a broad strategy and plan so that people working on these various issues are communicating and coordinating with one another, or can they be successfully managed separately, which is generally what we’re trying to do today?

A community conversation about change.  The only way to answer these questions is to have a community conversation about change.  It’s bigger than the current process to update the comprehensive land use plan in Walla Walla.  The comp plan process is mainly about growth and developing a land use plan that satisfies the state Growth Management Act.  A grassroots community conversation would be about change across the broader region from Milton-Freewater to Dayton, and what to do about it.     

Let the conversation begin! A group of concerned and involved citizens has been meeting for over a year to figure out how to begin this important conversation.  Here’s the first step – three forums, one each in January, February and March.  Please come and be heard.

Click here to register.