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In April about 200 people went to the
Wake Forest Community House and offered
over a thousand ideas for the future of
the town.
Since then the consultant
for the Community Plan, Glenn Harbeck,
has been distilling those ideas into 15
vision statements that he shared with
the plan’s steering committee Tuesday
evening.
Everyone in Wake Forest will
have a chance to see those statements
Thursday, Nov. 1, at a meeting where
they will be asked what actions the town
should take to make the visions real.
The community meeting will probably be
at the Community House and it will be
from 7 to 9 p.m.
Tuesday the committee
members read the statements, but a large
part of the two-hour meeting was spent
discussing and sometimes dismissing the
pictures that accompanied them, with
Harbeck urging them to take pictures
with smiling people in the foreground.
Although the committee will
certainly listen to public opinion as
expressed in the two meetings, Harbeck
said they have to balance that against
hard facts, “factual research.” That
includes factors such as the age of the
town’s population, its employment,
natural features and infrastructure.
“It’s a see-saw.”
During their September and
October meetings and after the public
meeting, the committee will be working
hard on the facts, Harbeck said. There
will be a final public meeting some time
next spring to present the draft
Community Plan.
The vision statements are:
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Small town character, attractive
appearance
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Vibrant, revitalized downtown
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Well planned and timed
infrastructure
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Growth that pays its own way
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Efficient, multi-modal
transportation system
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Walkable and bikable community
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Open space and environmental quality
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Expanded parks and recreation system
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Neighborhood schools and life-long
learning
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Balanced compatible commercial
development
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Affordable housing and quality
neighborhoods
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Support for arts and culture
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Better jobs, larger tax base, local
businesses
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Community dedicated to public safety
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Leadership, communication and
involvement
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