Craftsbury Community Visit
 

Craftsbury Community Visit - Step 1:

 
 

 


Craftsbury Community Visit Process – Step 2:


Please come to the Craftsbury Community Meeting on Tuesday, October 20th from 6:30-9:00pm at the United Church of Craftsbury. The Vermont Council on Rural Development will return to Craftsbury and present a synthesis of the big ideas that you and over 160 Craftsbury community members generated at the first set of forums in September. On October 20th community members will discuss the ideas and champion directions that they think will have the greatest long-term benefit for Craftsbury, vote for their top priorities for action, and can join task groups to move them forward if they would like to. This is a dynamic and interactive session and a great opportunity for Craftsbury to set some positive direction for the future. All members of the greater Craftsbury community are invited to come and help set priorities for action for the future of the community.

Through this process, community members have a tremendous opportunity to set bold, transformational goals for the future of Craftsbury. The program is most successful when a diverse representation of the community participates. So we encourage you to spread the word to family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, businesses, service organizations, high school students, seniors, people who care about Craftsbury... 

This process is open to everyone and everyone is invited and encouraged to come!

If you want to learn more about the Community Visit process, visit our website: http://vtrural.org/programs/community-visits. And check out the Craftsbury page on our website: http://vtrural.org/town/Craftsbury. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there,

Margaret Gibson McCoy, Office and Communications Manager
Vermont Council on Rural Development


802-223-6091
info@vtrural.org
www.vtrural.org


On October 20th over 100 Craftsbury community members gathered in a community meeting to consider the ideas that were discussed through the Craftsbury Community Visit process and to set priorities for action. At the meeting, the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) presented a list of all the key directions that the community had put on the table at the public forums on September 22nd and school forums on September 14th. Participants discussed what was most important and most needed and voted on the priorities that they thought the community should line up to accomplish. Then, a number of folks signed up to serve on Task Forces to move these issues forward over the course of the next year. The top 3 priorities that participants chose include:

Advance Craftsbury Land Protection Many residents are concerned about development pressures on Craftsbury’s open landscape and village character. A Task Force could be formed to evaluate ways to protect and enhance community assets including the potential for really well designed zoning to protect, sustain, and enhance beloved community assets.

Improve Cell Phone and Broadband Access Craftsbury residents would like to have better access to cell coverage and broadband internet access. Craftsbury could convene a partnership of local residents to work with regional, state, and federal partners to bring improved cell and broadband coverage to the community.

Build Partnership between Schools and the Community Craftsbury Academy students and community members expressed a desire to better connect the Craftsbury Schools, the community, the Outdoor Center, and Sterling College. A group could come together to better connect students with the community, the college, and the outdoor center by developing community-wide activities and programs, building internship and service opportunities in local businesses or the Craftsbury Community Care Center for students in the town, or create collaborative programming and learning opportunities with the Outdoor Center and College. The group could look into opportunities to raise funds for these activities and to establish a foundation to help support these efforts.

We hope to see you Tuesday, November 17 from 6:30 to 9:00pm to kick off the work of these efforts!