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Home My WebLink About2010 - Annual Report Greater Chambersburg 21st Century Partnership, Inc. P.O. Box 1061, Chambersburg, PA 17201 12/31/2010 To: Jack Sharpe The following report is a summary of our activities this year. There were several projects of interest to our partnership that came into being this year. One was the establishment of a Rural Planning Organization (R.P.O.) that meets with Penn Dot to set transportation infrastructure priorities. For many years Franklin County was the only county in the state without an R.P.O. and this should result in improved relations with Penn Dot and funding priorities. Another was the recreation of a Franklin County Redevelopment Authority.(discontinued in 1981).The Authority's purpose is to identify and asset financing construction projects that will revitalize under utilized and or blighted buildings. The only other project being actively pursued by the Partnership and under the leadership of Pat Barbarowicz is the ExecutiveVolunteer Connector Service. We have budgeted $5000.00 to assit in website development which may or may not be needed. Pat is working with Dr.Kooti the head of Shippensburg University's John L. Grove College of Business to implement and provide this service on an ongoing basis. For several years, prior to 2010, the Partnership attempted to pursue its objectives via committees addressing four areas namely 1) Education 2) Transportation 3) Growth Management and 4) Economic Development. The Education Committee concluded their efforts on Workforce Development and a new committee was formed and is now leading the discussions and direction of the Executive Volunteer Connector Service.None of the other three committees met in 2010 and the Partnership came up with a new list of priorities in January of this year which were 1) Business Support of Non-Profits 2) Redevelopment and 3) Diversity. The fust two of these have been actively pursued as noted previously in this report. The third area of Diversity was cited as the one of most interest by the Partnership board members but other than having several speakers talking about this we have yet to identify anything specific we might be able to influence. I have included with this report copies of three documents we prepared earlier this year from input gathered from the board members as part of our strategic planning and other discussions. One of them summarizes all the areas of interest in an attempt to prioritize, which we did in coming up with the top three. Another was a list of things the members felt we could influence and the third a compilation of what the member's idea of Diversity is. In my opinion the essence of these documents indicate the Partnership still has an important role to play in the greater Chambersburg area. -Planning for Positive Change -Establishing Effective Relationships -Mobilizing Resources for Results Greater Chambersburg 21st Century Partnership, Inc. P.O. Box 1061, Chambersburg, PA 17201 Membership: We had an average attendance of 14 voting members per meeting which is 58%of the 24 allowed in our by-laws. We averaged 11 in 2009. Old business: Public transit and community college continue to represent real needs in the greater Chambersburg area. We need to determine what our next steps are in these matters. There seems to be a feeling that some of the existing community colleges are providing more and more of our local needs via advanced placement courses in the high schools and the FCCTC. On the other hand the need for an affordable and accessible community college may still be much needed and this could be an important area we could influence. Finances: We ended the year with a cash balance of$29811 which was $2401 more than we started with. We had $14040 of income and$ 11639 of expenses. As noted earlier no dues will be assessed in 2011 which will drop our estimated 2011 year end cash balance to $11641. (Copy of Financial Statement attached) Speakers: A copy of 2010 speakers is attached as well as a schedule for 2011 meetings. Personal: It has been a pleasure serving another year as executive director. The "Partnership" can point with pride to many positive things it was able to influence since its inception. While the challenges of the present are much different than when the Partnership was started, I think we can all agree that many situations exist that men and women of good courage and intelligence and purpose can have a positive influence on. Barry Drexler, Executive Director -Planning for Positive Change -Establishing Effective Relationships -Mobilizing Resources for Results Greater Chambersburg 21st Century P 12/31/2010 2010 AqhW Dec.YTD .. Chambersbur 3850 3850 Guilford 2825 2825 Greene 2650 2650 Hamilton 1925 1925 St. Thomas 1250 1250 CADC 200 200 CASD 200 200 DCI 200 200 Summit 200 200 C. of Arts 100 100 Franklin Co. 200 200 LIDA 200 200 Interest 240 300 100 Exec. Director 11280 11280 11280 Insurance 238 250, 250 Printin 100 Su lies 45 200 100 P.O. Box 44 40 40 Posta e/Office 32 110 100 Conferences 1500 1500 Public Transit 2000 Su ort Non-Profits 5000 18270 -Planning for Positive Change -Establishing Effective Relationships -Mobilizing Resources for Results Here is a summary of the discussion and preferences we came away with at our planning session on Monday January 25. Jack explained initially,that the executive committee at its meeting in January had identified three areas namely, l) lifelong learning 2)smart growth and 3)public infrastructure.He went on to ask the partners to consider these as well as any others that they felt we as an organization could influence. In the course of the discussion several other areas were brought up and put under the category of"Other". The members were then asked to place a green sticker on the issues they felt we could influence and a red one on the ones they felt we should not be spending time on. Each member had six stickers. Here are the results: Lifelong Learning:"** w t% C, I • Lifelong teaming(mobilizing volunteers for community service)h green 0 red �ueteeed:6 • Community College: 1 green �t .,v-C,, IDekted:no votes • Workforce development:_I green k.A� 6 S I (Cetetea:no voles j SmartGrowth: ** • Redevelopment authority: I I green 0 red • Private Ag. Preservation 7 green 0 red L N`? C-a,rt. 4N 6WTV 0d • Scotland School for Veteran's Children 8 green 0 red Public Infrastructure:'"* • GIS 0 green 4 red • Internet access I green 0 red • Public transit(CTA ISSUES) 3 green 2 red • Transportation projects 0 green 2 red Other: These issues seemed to gather more interest and support than many of the previous: • Business support of non-profits ,10 green 0 red f_ V (�eteeed:9 J • Well being of residents 8 green 0 red f/t 9 00, • Support 2010 census 8 green 0 red , • Diversity issues ,I,; green 0 red ,A • Think tank 8 green 0 red �y( !.l A-' So,for those of you who weren't there,if you want to make other suggestions or vote on the above,please get back to me a.s.a.p.so I can include yours with the rest. I realize that without the benefit of hearing the discussions you are at a disadvantage but you can call me or others who were there to elaborate. Barry Drexler l Greater Chambersburg 21st Century Partnership, Inc. P.O. Box 1061, Chambersburg, PA 17201 12/31/2009 The following is a list from various members of the Greater Chambersburg 21 St. Partnership regarding where they feel we might have some infuence as a catylyst. Greg Cook: 1) create county wide conservancy - L i,-tti 2)community college at Scotland School for Veterans Children DcjT ,�,r � - t/ 34 k i Paul Cullinane: 1)monthly Hispanic business owners meetings 2)downtown revitalization, concept of public/private partnering is L/-t S'r • G 4 U tiT 3) Elm Street Neighborhood Revitalization, best practices for implementation Pam Anderson:: 1) infrastructure funding 2)regional cooperation 3) Hispanic issues ',, AU cc,t,t A C-� 4) Franklin County's aging population t>,- 5) >, -5) rethink partnership meeting schedule Bang Drexler t.w dor +., _ trAks M 17k 0,r AtVA-r' 1) impact of current economic situation( unemployment , housing foreclosures, etc.) Pete Lagiovane: I) support 2010 census Barry save as:P'shiP Possilibilities 2009 works -Planning for Positive Change -Establishing Effective Relationships -Mobilizing Resources for Results Diversity _ U CCC ,`.�•-r.. 1)Q.O.L for all citizens of county - ""- -6 i S p e".41 is 2) We as most communities, are of a diverse nature, multi-faceted. We need to look at all ' ""s Manufacturing, service, ag. professional, race, income levels, housing,military etc. 1 ft's We need to help in areas showing a need. G I•b�'t"� 3) Diversity is encouraging representatives of all people to be heard through equal ` opportunity. . 4) How does community at large and public entities deal with diversity issues and concerns? Some may be real, some perceived. What is the impact of diversity on the community? Positive or negative? How does the community facilitate people of diverse background, becoming involved in leadership positions, committees, boards etc.? 5) Elimination of blatant racism against minorities. Treat all races equally. Create effective outreach programs for business world and downtown businesses in Franklin County and borough for minorities. 6) I would like to see more interaction in the community with first and second generation immigrants. This requires active outreach,which is underway and should be encouraged to continue. The Partnership can work closely in this matter with the COC, the United Churches of Chambersburg and the Hispanic Center to name just three entities). 7) It means to me a state of differences. To me the Partnership is already doing the things necessary to conquer this issue, through members of the board and the reaching out to various community projects that assist in making diversity a mute issue. 8)Diversity encompasses a very broad range of demographic and socio- economic characteristics, but---- The Greater Chambersburg 21 t, Century Partnership might focus more narrowly on racial and ethnic diversity. Its efforts could focus on activities that encourage cross- culture understanding and that embrace diversity. 9)Assimilating non-English speaking or culturally diverse individuals and families into the norms of our community. 10) (As it pertains to our community) Definition: A community of un-alike people sharing the common geographic area. Need: Foster tolerance and respect among different races, culture, etc. intolerance weakens communities, tolerance makes them stronger. (2) 11) Create more cultural/multicultural events to attract people downtown and become more familiar with various cultures(the Cinch de Mayo event was proof that these events can be exciting and successful). More awareness creates an environment where diversity moves forward. Add more diverse individuals to the 21". board. 12)Rather than diversity I seek unanimity for the community in all areas. 13)As a mini-metro area, how can we promote inclusion of all stakeholders? How can we make the traditional"mixing bowl'of our nation bring a smooth blending of diverse groups? Diversity is the widely varied community personality of our entire mid county Area; ethnic, occupational, economic, cultural, religious, education 14)Mission of G.C.21 P.: Be aware and supportive of an ever changing community race profile. Discuss all perspectives of these changes, and be pro-active as needed to"spread the word"about those organizations who are trying to address the challenges of these changes. But we need good data,not just actions based on opinions. 15)Race: racism in: schools,jobs, housing, culture, churches Age: youth leaving, population aging Sex: discrimination, unequal pay, opportunities, abuse Income: losing middle class, unlivable wages, unaffordable housing '" IS- Politics: TOO MANY politicians, only interest is getting reelected Religion: no assimilation, much discrimination, haves vs. have nots. Justice/Law: Favors the rich Change: Hard for people who have been here a long time to accept change