Friday, January 26, 2018

Wonder Valley Fundamental Plan

The first step toward having an official “community plan,” is the creation of a “fundamental plan.” According to the County, a community plan guides “...local expectations for County services and set a clear direction for the future of each unincorporated community.”

The Wonder Valley Fundamental Plan begins with YOU filling out the survey: https://tinyurl.com/wvplan

The Fundamental Plan relies on SWOT analysis. SWOT is Strengths/Weaknesses and Opportunities/Threats. Understanding these binaries will help you in filling out the form. They also look at values and aspirations, and focus statement, defined below.


From the survey:
Strengths and weaknesses are considered to be internal to the community, or things the community has control over.
Opportunities and threats are considered to be external to the community, or things that affect the community, but that they have little or no control over.

Many ideas can fall into multiple categories (for example, an existing park may be a strength, but maintenance of the park may be a weakness; a new park may be an opportunity). You may put topics in more than one category.

Values and aspirationsDuring the third exercise we are asking you to provide information on what you value about the community currently and what aspirations you have for the community in the future.

Values express what really matters in your community. For example, dark skies, close-knit community,or  local history.

Aspirations are a future state you would like to see in your community that supports the community's values. For example, a park, more community events,remain rural, improve the local economy, preserve the natural environment, etc.

Focus statements for the community. We ask you to provide input on the direction of the community, including changes you would like to see and aspects you want to remain the same.

When thinking about Focus ideas, think about the overall changes for the community to make. You'll be able to list 5.

At the end they ask about:

  • Historical Information
  • Community Amenities (For example, parks, trails, schools, etc.)
  • Community Organizations
  • Community Events

Please do try to fill out the survey. Don't worry about us being inundated with a plethora of County services. We’re still farther out than anyone wants to venture.