ROCKLAND – Rockland, how do I love thee? The candy stores, library, dog amenities store, the elementary school. The trees, rainbows, ocean side snowcapped mountains, the reindeer that arrive on Easter morning.
Okay, maybe asking Rockland’s youngest residents to draw their hometown favorites drums up a few diverse responses. But still, they know what they like.
These places, for these children, feed the heart and fuel the soul.
For a new group in Rockland, these responses, and the responses of others, are boosting a mission dedicated to drawing out the best the city can offer.
The first 30 volunteers with the group, Rockland Heart and Soul, will spend Saturday, April 29 learning how to conduct interviews from Orton Family Foundation Heart and Soul Coach Jane LeFleur. Then, they will be all ears for an estimated eight months, seeking the opinions of all residents. Anywhere. Anyhow.
What do residents enjoy most about their city? Why do they live here? What are their favorite memories? What do they hope their children will have while living here?
Their goal is to revise the city’s next ten-year comprehensive plan.
The best method, they’ve learned, are kitchen table discussions and neighborhood gatherings. Stories, histories, anecdotes, and successes. Above the poverty line and below. Retirees, fishermen, single mothers. All voices are encouraged. All demographics of volunteer are needed for the interviews, the extrapolation of data from those interviews, the community events where opinions will be sought, the fundraising.
The outcome is expected to be worthwhile.
Rockland’s Heart and Soul group is led by Callie Black, a member of the Comprehensive Planning Commission, which, according to the City website, prepares and updates the comprehensive plan for Rockland, as well as advises the city council on zoning and planning matters.
Black, Connie Hayes, and a growing number of volunteers started the feedback project in the autumn of 2016 with a few members, and then a few more.Their mission is to eventually reap for Rockland similar outcomes as Gardiner and Damariscotta, two of many communities around the nation following the Heart and Soul method.
According to Black, a Heart and Soul project conducted in Damariscotta unearthed a lack of after-school options for teens. In response, a restaurateur converted a basement space, provided food, and created a teen center of sorts.
In Gardiner, residents brought new life for an underutilized waterfront by starting a summer Friday night concert series. Also to come to light was a lack of social options for the elderly. From that, one woman started a public senior citizens recurring event at her home.
Gardiner, according to Black, now displays their feedback-generated comprehensive values in council chambers.
“I think one of the nice things about it is councilors come and go but values stay the same,” Black said. “So there’s some consistency as to how people should be conducting city business.”
Though the group has the support of the city, they will not use city funds. Instead, Black hopes the major funding will come from grants. Grants, of course, take months to be obtained. In the meantime, they work with little. They have no office, nor supplies. An Orton coach is needed, according to Black, at a cost of $15,000. A part-time coordinator is also requested.
Still, Black is optimistic.
“I visited these cities and talked to people about how it went for them,” Black said. “The biggest thing is that people now have more trust in one another, and they discuss things in a civil manner. They appreciate different points of view. And it has just changed the whole tenor of how things go.”
The only negative Black learned of other towns’ projects, came from an interviewer.
“The worst part is trying to keep your own mouth shut during the interviews,” the woman had said. “It’s hard not to join in and share your own stories.”
For more information about Rockland Heart and Soul, find them on Facebook. To get involved, email RocklandHeartandSoul@roadrunner.com
About Rockland Heart and Soul
Rockland Heart & Soul is a community engagement and development process to learn what matters most to those who live, work and visit here. Its purpose is to bring together diverse members and voices of the community to identify common values and themes about what matters most to the people of Rockland and the surrounding community.
The goals of Rockland Heart & Soul include:
Developing a shared community vision through defining community values.
Involving all members of the Rockland community, especially under-represented constituencies, through conversation and storytelling to learn what they care about.
Increasing communication among individuals and groups to develop fresh ideas about community revitalization.
Building a culture of collaboration among the residents, city government and local groups.
We will be collecting stories from our citizens about why they are here in Rockland, what they love and remember about the city and what they hope for its future. From these collected stories, we will learn what matters most to our neighbors and our city. That work will result in the development of a shared community vision.
Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com
