In Pursuit of High Performance: The EDC’s 2021 Projects Poll
by Dave Hammond, EDC Chair
Research shows that goals are 42% more likely to be achieved when written down. To realize greater success, the Economic Development Commission (EDC) has committed to a Planning practice, with a written set of goals and how to achieve them.
Abiding by a practice of planning is not an original idea – high-performing teams in the corporate world engage in written goal setting as a matter of course. Corporations have a sizeable advantage over municipal organizations: typically, there is a comprehensive strategy – a Giant Arrow – to keep employees pointed in the same direction with an aligned set of goals; most often achieving goals is tied to performance – and pay.
““If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra”
In a municipality, it’s not so easy: Town Boards and Commissions must consider a wide diversity of taxpayer interests, which can be a bunch of arrows all pointing in different directions. Also, Commissions like the EDC are formed of volunteers – committed citizens, but people with jobs, families, and competing responsibilities (note: the EDC is comprised of 12 dedicated, engaged community members – a fantastic team!)
How can Commissions in Towns like Stonington achieve a level of high performance given diverse community interests and the limited time available to volunteers?
The Stonington EDC has developed a Planning practice comprised of the following steps:
Brainstorm Ideas for potential projects. These ideas are informed by Commissioners’ personal interests, the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD – the Town’s Giant Arrow), the Department of Planning (DoP) and Board of Selectman (BoS) priorities, and community input.
Review the list of Ideas and examine their relative value to the Town. What are the Ideas where the EDC can strive to make the Town better, with its focus on growing the Grand List?
Discuss the relative merits of each Idea in a dedicated EDC meeting.
Engage in a prioritization exercise where each member ranks what Ideas they think are the highest priority. These selections can be driven by personal passion, but also the Ideas must be achievable, align with the POCD, and add value to the Town.
Once prioritized, the EDC has a written set of goals to guide the efforts of these 12 dedicated volunteers. See 2021 Goals below.
For the bigger projects where a small, nimble team is the best path forward, a sub-committee Leader is named and Commissioners volunteer to participate, following their passion. EDC Sub-committees meet independently to develop a team Charter complete with an action plan, then execute against those detailed steps. The full EDC acts as clearing house for charting progress at its Regular meetings, where Sub-committees’ report-back accomplishment, ask for input, and decisions are made and recorded. The EDC will focus its attention on the following set of projects for the coming year:
2021 EDC PROJECTS
Circus Lot / Dahl Oil Lot: for adjacent parcels in downtown Pawcatuck, explore recreational riverfront use coupled with economic development of dormant vacant Liberty St parcel.
Mechanic St mills: see that under-utilized and vacant mill spaces are preserved and developed.
Pawcatuck River Greenway; Pawcatuck Streetscape: in keeping with EDC downtown Pawcatuck revitalization efforts, improve pedestrian experience on the street and through riverfront access.
Pedestrian Bridge Engineering Design: long-envisioned and supported by the community, determine the path forward to connect Coggswell street to Westerly and the train station.
Stuck Property Analysis; Exit 92: central to EDC’s role, seek suitable development for underutilized properties.
Comprehensive Zoning Update: a critical Department of Planning priority, support the effort to contemporize Stonington’s outdated regulations to reflect what the community wants and needs in today’s world.
Housing strategy / Affordable Housing Plan: required by State statute, the EDC priority is now in-progress, thanks to a grant awarded to the Department of Planning
Golden Triangle neighborhood / Stonington Gateway: realize the potential of this economic engine of Stonington, which becomes the first impression of many visitors.
Want to see the EDC or one of its subcommittees in action? All meetings have posted Agendas, Minutes, and are open to the public. Monitor the Town website for upcoming meetings and join in! You can also follow the EDC at its Stonington1649 website and on Facebook. Want a free copy of the POCD (147 page PDF)? You can download that right here.