It’s going to be a busy summer for Rockland Heart and Soul.  The group has collected more than 260 stories from the community and will continue listening to stories until the group has heard from every part of Rockland. 

Every week, volunteers gather in teams of two to listen to these stories, learning what Rockland as a community cares about, what it hopes for, what worries its residents about the future of Rockland and even recommended actions. 

As Rockland Heart and Soul volunteers continue to collect stories and their spreadsheets grow, more people are asking “What happens now?  Where does all of this lead?” 

It’s a hard question to answer, because Rockland Heart and Soul only collects the information; it’s the community that decides what to do with it.  This fall, in a series of neighborhood meetings, Rockland Heart and Soul will share what has been learned andl all listen to one another this time.

“Did we get it right?  What do you think? What are your priorities,” asks Rockland Heart and Soul. “As we work with City’s Comprehensive Planning Commission, this information will also help drive the development of the new comprehensive plan, the blueprint for the future of Rockland.”

Other communities in Maine have credited the Heart and Soul process with great results – both large and small. 

In Biddeford, the Heart adn Soul process revealed strong and widespread community opposition to an in-town trash incinerator, prompting the city council to approve spending $6.7 million to buy the plant and tear it down. This risky move eliminated 80 jobs and the city’s largest taxpayer, but turned out to be a catalyst for major change. 

As of early 2016, Biddeford had $90 million in new and approved projects in the pipeline. The 35-acre mill district is being redeveloped including a $50 million boutique hotel and $15 million in affordable housing. Vacancy on Main Street has dropped dramatically. The business and industrial park is nearly full.

In Damariscotta, residents came together to develop a plan for increasing bicycle safety and mapping new bike routes.  Recent sidewalk repairs were based on information collected by Heart and Soul.   In Gardiner, residents brought the community together with waterfront concerts, organized volunteers to plant flowers around downtown, and established Heart and Soulmate awards to celebrate residents involved in the community.  The local Duct Tape Council holds it together, working with all of the non-profits to make sure resident needs are met with no duplication of services.  

Rockland Heart and Soul joined the City’s Comprehensive Planning Commission at the Summer Solstice Festival this year.  Interactive displays for adults and children provided information about priorities for spending our tax dollars and the wishes of children for recreational activities.  Volunteers recorded stories from passersby.

If you have not yet shared your story, you can set up a time and date for a volunteer to talk with you by emailing info@RocklandHeartandSoul.org.  The volunteers want to hear from you.

The public will be invited to Rockland Heart and Soul’s Neighborhood Meetings where the information from the gathered stories will be shared with participants for discussion and setting priorities.  The results of all of these meetings will be presented at a large, city-wide meeting, where, as a community, the group will develop clearly stated priorities about what matters most to the people of Rockland.

“And we hope that the residents who participate in this process will be ready to make sure that these priorities are reflected in our new Comprehensive Plan and in future decisions made by local government, business leaders and other decision-makers,” the release said. “We also hope that, as in Biddeford, Gardiner, Damariscotta, and other Heart & Soul communities, people will realize they can be a part of decision-making as well as take personal action to help get things done in their community.”