The following was submitted by the Eastsound Planning and Review Committee Vision Group.
How important is the future of Eastsound to you?
What will it be like in twenty years?. And what role would YOU like to play in answering that question? How shall we answer the question of the future of Eastsound? Shall it be allowed to evolve on its own in accordance with existing regulations and whatever market forces are brought to bear? Or shall it be guided by the conscious intentions of the citizens of Orcas Island?
This is an invitation to YOU to be part of a group charged to reach a consensus on a vision statement describing our hopes and dreams for Eastsound in 2035; and to draft a statement of that consensus to be published and shared with the community at large. Pre-registration is required.
The premise of this process is that the consensus reached by a group of (say) forty to sixty citizens, representative of our diverse community, will be supported and embraced by the public at large. Childcare will be provided during the working sessions upon request.
Why is a “vision” important? Simple. In the realm of planning, a “Vision Statement” is the bedrock upon which “Goals and Policies” are based and from which “Regulations” are derived. In other words, regulations rely upon the specific goals and policies, and goals and policies rely upon the vision statement. It is in the crafting of the vision that ordinary citizens can have a major impact on the regulations under which Eastsound will evolve.
The Eastsound Planning and Review Committee has recently had two well-attended public meetings on the subject of a Vision for Eastsound. The first was co-hosted with the Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 13. The second on Oct. 26 was co-hosted by Gretchen Krampf and Jared Lovejoy and was headlined as the “50-50” meeting. It successfully attracted the attention and energies of the “under 50” crowd. An estimated 170+ citizens attended these meetings in total.
Needless to say, both meetings generated MANY ideas and diverse opinions over an extremely broad range on just what that Vision for Eastsound should be. With the upcoming revisions to the SJC Comprehensive Plan, now is the time to focus that energy and craft a Vision for the future of Eastsound that can be fully embraced by our diverse community.
Reaching a consensus is not the easiest thing in this world. It takes time, commitment, energy, and effort. But just think what’s possible when we’re all pulling on the same end of the rope? The Eastsound Vision Workshop first session begins on Saturday, Jan. 7 with threee additional sessions. Within one week consensus will be reached on an issue which otherwise would be an open question for months, if not years, to come.
Review the Workshop Process Outline and follow instructions to register at http://doebay.net/eprc/VisionWSprocessoutline.pdf
