In a second policy planning session on Wednesday night, the Spring Lake Board of Commissioners, town department representatives and community members met to discuss and refine improvement goals for the town’s future.
After narrowing a list of ten potential focus areas down to only six in an early December policy planning session, a group of about 25 community stakeholders has now whittled the list to four top priorities, where members rated each item on a scale from one to six in order of importance. Let’s break down the results.
- Revitalized Town Infrastructure
Spring Lake will promote revitalization efforts for infrastructure like commercial and residential streets, recreation spaces and other areas and facilities used regularly by town residents.
- Safe, Reliable and Sustainable Utility Services
Maintaining utility services like water and sewer systems has been an ongoing issue for the Town of Spring Lake, with years of neglect and temporary repairs culminating in the overall decline of these systems. Under this objective, the town will launch initiatives to make necessary repairs to water and sewer systems to provide reliable services to Spring Lake residents.
- Safe, Vibrant and Healthy Community
In this focus area, according to a document provided by town officials, Spring Lake will work to “promote an environment where residents feel safe and enjoy access to community opportunities and amenities.”
- Economic Development
Spring Lake will aim to support the community by encouraging business opportunities that bring necessary and desired products, services and employment opportunities to the municipality.
Commissioners, town department representatives and community members split into small groups to discuss and select two top objectives within each focus area. These objectives will be compiled in a ranked list and tallied based on order of importance, using the same ranking process that led to the selection of these four focus areas. The official data on these objectives will be discussed at the next strategic policy planning session. These planning sessions are open to all Spring Lake residents.
The next strategic policy planning session will be held at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5. The location for this meeting is yet to be announced.
