CEC public forum draws Fresno visionaries
Yesterday (Oct 11th) the mayor's Creative Economy council held a public meeting to solicit input for the plan to attract and retain creative professionals to Fresno. Initially, I was disappointed at what appeared to be poor turnout. I very nearly didn't make it myself due to last minute childcare issues. Alas, my problem was resolved and I was elated to have been able to attend. I even got an KFSN interview broadcast out of it.
Anyway, the turnout was very good, and there were a lot of local power players present. Thanks to Tom Jones for facilitating and getting everyone to speak up. Tom asked everyone to share what they would like to see in Fresno in five years. It would be nice if the CEC would do a complete undistilled list that could then be published in the Bee to provoke some discussion and debate. Of course, I don't expect everything that was said to be implemented. Some of the suggestions were beyond the capability of the Fresno metropolitan area. That speaks to the need to develop a regional forum to attract people from other Central Valley communities, as many of the problems we need to address are not particular to the city of Fresno, or Fresno county.
If even a quarter of the suggestions presented were implemented, we likely would not recognize Fresno five years from now. There was a ton of enthusiam and visionary thinking in that room. We as a community need to make sure that the ideas people shared are not discarded, but instead acted upon. I would like to see a meeting of this sort every year, with growing participation from more all sectors of the Fresno community. In five years, this meeting should be five times the size. More people means more ideas, more participation, more witnesses to the dream that could be Fresno.
Anyway, the turnout was very good, and there were a lot of local power players present. Thanks to Tom Jones for facilitating and getting everyone to speak up. Tom asked everyone to share what they would like to see in Fresno in five years. It would be nice if the CEC would do a complete undistilled list that could then be published in the Bee to provoke some discussion and debate. Of course, I don't expect everything that was said to be implemented. Some of the suggestions were beyond the capability of the Fresno metropolitan area. That speaks to the need to develop a regional forum to attract people from other Central Valley communities, as many of the problems we need to address are not particular to the city of Fresno, or Fresno county.
If even a quarter of the suggestions presented were implemented, we likely would not recognize Fresno five years from now. There was a ton of enthusiam and visionary thinking in that room. We as a community need to make sure that the ideas people shared are not discarded, but instead acted upon. I would like to see a meeting of this sort every year, with growing participation from more all sectors of the Fresno community. In five years, this meeting should be five times the size. More people means more ideas, more participation, more witnesses to the dream that could be Fresno.
posted by Jason at 9:08 AM
3 Comments:
I regret that I was unable to attend. I've heard from several comments, via the web, that some really awesome ideas were presented, yet I've not heard any specifics. Could you elaborate?
The facilitator, Tom Jones, asked everyone to present their vision of Fresno in five years, things they would like to see in Fresno in that timeframe. We heard a lot of good ideas, too many for me to even recall. You can try contacting members of the CEC (fresnocec.org) for the complete list. I'll rattle off some of the ideas I remember.
Monorail or light rail
City wide bicyle lanes
Amusement park
Thousands of units of housing downtown
Improved central library
Synchronized traffic signals
Air clean enough to see the mountains
An active queer community
More and better jobs
Direct flights to more places
Water themed place of interest downtown
More arts orientated events, and more public support for them.
It was a fantastic list of ideas, many of which are attainable. Just because you didn't make the meeting doesn't mean you can't participate in the process. If there's anything you want to see, let the CEC know so they can communicate it to our elected officials.
Jason,
As a "new arrival" to Fresno, what do you think about Fresno's Leading Young Professionals (FLYP)? I have seen you active on many blogs and was curious what your opinion was or if you have any suggestions. Please reply to flypinfo@hotmail.com.
Nevin
www.flypinfo.org
Post a Comment
<< Home