Wellington encouraged to make strategic plan

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Wellington has a strong sense of community, but its newest residents need to be brought into the fold, an assessment team told town leaders in December.

After a whirlwind visit, including a full day of topical forums, the team compiled lists of the century-old town's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Now it's up to the town board, residents and business owners to decide how to make the best use of the advice.

That piece of the assessment starts Jan. 10, when the full town board gets a look at the report. Board meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. Community supporters are invited to suggest ways to move toward a future they would wish for Wellington.

Sponsored by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the assessment team also gave the town a deadline. Part of the team will be back, probably in June, to see what the community has accomplished.

A key threat identified by the visitors is the lack of a unified vision and team effort when it comes to community development. The assessment team went so far as to suggest the town should hire a third-party mediator to work with all factions to establish a clear vision and strategic plan.

"Strong personalities in the community have similar goals but aren't working together and are not listening to each other," the report said.

In an interview following the team's visit, Mayor Larry Noel supported the idea of a mediator. "We've got enough money to implement a third-party mediator to resolve some of our issues," he said.

Wellington also needs to work on the ways it communicates with its citizens, the team said. With that in mind, the town budget for 2006 has increased the annual amount spent on web site maintenance from $2,150 to $5,000, according to town administrator Larry Lorentzen. The web site address is www.townofwellington.com.

The town board also budgeted $12,000 for economic development. Part of those funds could be used to survey all town residents about their expectations and growth issues, Lorentzen said.

Town board member Reggie Kemp is pushing for a strategic plan that starts with area residents' vision for the town, but it can't be too generalized, he said. "Things like a community recreation center won't happen if we don't plan for them," Kemp said. "Our only objective now is to keep everything on an even keel."

Gene Allen, who has twice served Wellington as interim town administrator, said the timing is good for the town to undertake a strategic plan. "There are opportunities that weren't there five years ago," he said. For example, the population has grown from 2,600 to an estimated 4,700 in that time.

A strategic plan would take into consideration the needs and wishes of the town's new residents, Allen said. "It is important that those who have moved to Wellington feel truly a part of the community," he added.

At the forums on Dec. 1, several expressed that Wellington suffers from an identity crisis. "Wellington needs to define itself to be more than just a suburb of Fort Collins," said Doug Andersen, president of the Wellington Economic Development Association.

"Wellington lacks a high school and recreation center that tend to draw people together," Kemp observed.

Concerns about business development and jobs also surfaced. Developer Fred Ziegler noted that people moving into his residential subdivisions would like to see more light industry providing local jobs. "They could take a 10 percent cut in wages and still come out ahead" if they didn't have to commute as far, Ziegler said.

Wendell Nelson, owner of The Chocolate Rose, said he would like to see the fledgling chamber of commerce and WEDA work as one group, adding that the chamber's role is to help small businesses survive in contrast to WEDA's role of bringing in new business.

Community leaders at the forums generally agreed that town government is pro-business and does its best to answer questions. "It sounds like the staff is a little stretched," observed assessment team member Sandi Moilanen.

In response to questions about commercial development, Noel said Wellington has the infrastructure, real estate and employment base to attract new business, and it's a nice town.

"We don't have the deep pockets of some other towns," he said about offering incentives. "We can help, but we can't give them the moon."

Following are some additional highlights from the team's report.

Strengths

• An attractive main street.
• Direct access to Interstate 25 and State Highway 1, with proximity to Interstate 80.
• Newer water and sewer facilities that have capability to expand.
• Amenities such as the Boys and Girls Club, Filling Station, library, senior center and community activities.
• Group of community activists.
• Small-town atmosphere.
• Strong relationship with sheriff's department.
• Open-door policy at town hall.
• Relatively low cost of housing.
• Outdoor recreation.

Weaknesses

• No unified vision for the community.
• No defined point of contact for existing or incoming businesses.
• No cohesive economic development plan.
• No tourism marketing plan.
• Youth out-migration and lack of job opportunities.
• Little community participation in town government.
• Lack of multi-family and senior housing.

Opportunities

• Expansion of health services.
• Cable community channel.
• Agriculture industry culture.
• Access to regional and international airports.
• Development of commercial property along I-25 corridor.

Threats

• Lack of retail businesses.
• Urban growth encroaching on agriculture.
• Lack of communication plan.
• Unresolved intergovernmental agreement issues with the county and school district that could threaten future growth.
• Stigma of being a starter-home community.

Recommendations

• Develop a 5-, 10- and 15-year strategic plan.
• Encourage private sector involvement with community development.
• Develop a business retention and expansion plan.
• Address disincentives for doing business.
• Explore economic development coordination with other regional groups.
• Strengthen the relationship between the Poudre School District's board of education and the town board.
• Establish a town liaison to attend school board meetings and report back to the community.
• Create a town government staffing plan for future growth.
• Explore public/private partnerships for development of sufficient interchanges and major collector streets.

As the assessment team packed up to leave Wellington on Dec. 2, real estate broker Lou Kinzli commented that he is concerned about follow-up. "Only a handful of people dedicate their time to making sure things are getting done," he said. "People need to contribute their time and money for the good of the whole community."