Friday, September 24, 2010

Catch the Vision!

Welcome to The Scoop!

This is my first blog entry as the new Knox County Visioning Committee Director. With big shoes to fill, I hit the ground running last week, September 15, 2010.

It has been exciting to hear about the various programs that have taken place since the inception of the Visioning Committee. Truthfully, I've followed the group for the past few years. Believe it or not, the undertaking of a county-wide community development group is almost unheard of. But, as forerunners, Knox County is leading the way and has been a model for how to work together across the state of Texas.

The Visioning Committee met on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at the Knox City Community Center. These meetings are held monthly. Representatives from each community come together to tell what is happening in their community as well as discuss ways to prosper the county as a whole. I recommend anyone interested in this county to carve out some time and come to a meeting. The next meeting will be October 21, 2010. Location to be determined.

The Visioning Team has some exciting projects on the horizon. First, they will partner with Lorrie Coop and the Texas Agrilife Extension Service to hold a forum in the near future. Citizens will be invited to come and discuss what they feel is needed in the community. This is an important time and perfect place to share your ideas for the community. This was done in 2004 and many of the issues presented have been accomplished.

The Visioning Committee will use the new information to gain insight on valuable projects for the future. The Extension Service will use it to do their plan of work for the county. The date has not been set, but we hope to accomplish it in early November.

Next, the Visioning Committee will continue to develop tourism materials...this time, in the way of an audio CD. Some visitors come to Knox County as part of a group tour, but many come as individuals and are not sure where to begin their "site seeing" tour. The committee is looking into ways to put together an audio CD of all the interesting places in the county. This CD will give the listener incredible history about the various locations. The travelers can take the scenic tour at their leisure, and feel like they have a personal tour guide riding in their vehicle. (If anyone in Knox County can help the committee get these CDs produced, please contact me.)

This is all I will tell you for now! Keep visiting The Scoop for more information, or come to one of our meetings. We look forward to seeing you! I personally look forward to meeting you and hearing your vast ideas for sustaining the community. Feel free to stop by my office in the courthouse at Benjamin.