‘Creative Economy’
Teams Are Meeting

Last Wednesday, March 28 the Randolph area completed its work with the Creative Communities Program to develop plans for strengthening the area’s creative economy, setting out action plans around three priority projects.

The projects selected by Randolph area citizens highlight different aspects of creativity.

• One project team will be improving Internet access, which provides the basic tool many entrepreneurs need to make their business a success.

• Another team will be helping establish Randolph’s identity as a green community, one that thinks creatively about solutions to major challenges like preserving the environment. This value is embodied in existing initiatives from alternative energy at VTC to the unique Water Music education model.

• The third project team has tackled the bigger question of ongoing collaboration between many community elements around the creative economy. This team will continue organizational work after the formal structure of the Creative Communities Program has ended.

Each group met together for the first time at the March 28 forum and left with their action plans well underway and the basics of next steps blocked out. They were assisted in this work by a resource team gathered from around the state that will remain available to answer questions as the projects take shape.

Joe Boyd is chairing the Internet group, Linda Morse the environmental group and Julie Iffland the group for creative economy collaboration. Sharon Rives is chair for the overall process.

These team leaders will keep projects on course, and all welcome new volunteers. Contact Sharon Rives at kenrives@sover.net or 728-3726 for more information.

"Randolph is truly a town that has everything! The creative assets of the community, and especially the people who have put themselves on the line in this process, make us optimistic that the town will build its profile as a creative cultural and economic center," said Paul Costello, a member of the Resource Team and Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development.

A final report documenting all of the forums and offering advice from the Resource Team will be available in early May. Examples of work done by other participants in the Creative Communities Program are online at: http://www.vtrural.org.