Wellington strives to define goals and priorities

By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent

Since Wellington residents were invited to "Dream Wellington's Future" on March 25, business and governmental leaders have been working on how to translate dreams into concrete activities for building the community most residents want.

A community assessment performed by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade cited the need for a community strategic plan to outline the town's goals and aspirations for the future. Wellington's fledgling Chamber of Commerce then took the lead in assembling community members to interpret the results of a town survey and decide how the community might best grow and serve its citizens.

"Assessing priorities is still the prime concern right now," said Wendell Nelson, co-owner of the Chocolate Rose and current president of the chamber.

The chamber board has formed an Economic Development and Resource Committee to support existing businesses and develop new ones and a Community Growth and Development Committee charged with interpreting the community survey.

The CGDC meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Leeper Center, 3800 Wilson Ave. It will work with the EDRC and town government to get programs under way.

On June 12, the CGDC met with a representative of the Colorado Department of Transportation. Nelson, concerned about how prospective customers will access businesses across a busy interstate, was looking for feedback about possible pedestrian bridges.

Nelson has also been concerned about in-town parking. The committee has had two ad hoc meetings with the town board regarding these and other matters, but no formal proposals are in the works.

The CGDC also expects to address a range of concerns that include the safety of children at street and highway crossings, highway signage, rerouting Highway 1, recreation programs and facilities for children and adults, communication of town information and events, new schools and school programs. The chamber has reported some of this information in a pair of newsletters distributed to member businesses, and it has a web site under construction.

The EDRC, divided into subcommittees that address new business recruitment and support of existing businesses, does not have regular meeting times as yet. Ron Young with ReMax Realty guides the former subcommittee, and Bert McCaffery with the Business Card Factory is the person to contact for the latter. The chamber can be reached at 568-4133 or by e-mail at contact@wellington coloradochamber.com.

The community assessment also recommended that the town draw up a strategic plan that would outline goals for Wellington and how to achieve them. According to town administrator Larry Lorentzen, the six-month follow-up meeting with the assessment committee is tentatively scheduled for July 25. Nelson said the business community wants to be involved in this process.

Lorentzen noted that the town has been trying to deal with other issues, including an intergovernmental agreement with Poudre School District. (See related story on page 8.)

Nelson is actively looking for more participation by member business people on the various chamber committees. "We need your help!" he said. Those interested should e-mail Nelson at chocolaterose@earthlink.net and use "chamber subcommittee participation" in the subject line.