plan community carrington 2020-2024
TRANSCRIPT
2020-2024CARRINGTONCOMMUNITY
PLAN
Inside
Description of Planning Process
Summary of Electronic Surveys &Focus Groups
Selected Goals & Strategies
Developed in partnership with:
City of Carrington
Carrington Economic Development
Carrington Convention & Visitors'Bureau
Carrington Development Corporation
Carrington Area Chamber ofCommerce
BACKGROUND
In the summer of 2019,
stakeholders within the Carrington
area engaged with Strengthen ND
to develop a five-year CommunityPlan. Through a community
survey, youth survey, several
community focus group sessions,
and leadership-driven planning
sessions, data was able to be
collected on the current state of
Carrington and the surrounding
area, as well as what could be
future priorities. Laid out in the
community plan are the details of
the planning process, relevant
outcomes, and the distilled goals
and strategies to guide future
growth and development of
Carrington and the broader
encatchment area.
Strengthen ND is a dynamic, multi-faceted, and
well-connected organization that works across
North Dakota to elevate nonprofits and rural
communities to support a high quality of life and
resources for vulnerable populations through
community development.
COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS
At Strengthen ND, our motto is:
“If you can’t write it, you can’t do it.”
We believe that creating and documenting a community’s goals and
methodology is the most vital step toward actualizing the outcomes you
hope to see. Of course a community can have a clear strategy without
having a strategic plan. A strategic plan is merely a document that puts on
paper the long-term chosen direction. While a clear direction may exist
anyway, writing it down enables it to be better understood by residents, by
partners, by developers, and even by community staff and elected officials.
Our belief at Strengthen ND is that an effective strategic plan makes
choices based on: 1) knowing who you are; 2) knowing what brings change;
3) predicting how the environment is likely to change; and 4) rigorous and
honest self-appraisal. To support this belief, Strengthen ND worked with
the leadership of the Carrington to compile and deploy a community-wide
survey and a survey specific to Carrington's youth; hold five community
focus groups, and facilitate and document the outcomes of a leadership-
driven planning process, which resulted in the distillation of five issue areas
and associated strategic goals.
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
Through a widely distributed
electronic survey, the leadership of
Carrington sought to understand
residents' current perception of
the area, their thoughts about
current opportunities and
challenges, and their thoughts
about what leadership should
focus on into the future. Below is
an abbreviated summary of the
results obtained from 315
respondents; the complete listing
of results can be found in the
plan's attachments.
Of the respondents:
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
Of the respondents:
On a scale of 1 (NOT IMPORTANT) to 5 (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT), pleaseindicate the level of importance of each of the following items listed belowto the future resilience and growth of Carrington.
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY
After reviewing the results of the
community-wide survey, the leadership or
Carrington noticed that a key demographic
had not been reached: area youth.
Therefore, to learn more about Carrington's
strengths and weaknesses from a youth's
perspective, a survey was deployed through
the Carrington Public School District for
youth grades 5-12. Below is an abbreviated
summary of the results obtained from 144
respondents; the complete listing of results
can be found in the plan's attachments.
YOUTH SURVEY
Of the respondents:
YOUTH SURVEY
YOUTH SURVEY
YOUTH SURVEY
YOUTH SURVEY
Of the respondents:
On a scale of 1 (NOT IMPORTANT) to 5 (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT), pleaseindicate the level of importance of each of the following items listed belowto the future resilience and growth of Carrington.
YOUTH SURVEY
Youth
Workforce
Marketing
Recreation & Community Experience
Community Image (physical aesthetics)
Soft Services (child care, social services, aging services, quality of life)
What do you love most about living in Carrington? What keeps you in the
community?
What do you think the greatest needs of the community are?
What keeps you up at night? What are the greatest opportunities
available to Carrington?
What is missing from Carrington that could make it a more vibrant
community?
What would you like to see Carrington's leadership focus on?
What else would you like the leadership of Carrington to know?
Any other final comments?
To further support understanding of the community-wide and youth
surveys, five community input focus group sessions were held. Participants
for the focus groups were selected from specific targeted segments of the
community, including stakeholders representing needs or expertise around:
With each of the focus group sessions, attendees were provided with seven
prompts:
Complete notes of each focus group session can be found in the attached
materials.
COMMUNITY FOCUS GROUPS
Top Takeaways
FOCUS GROUP TAKEAWAYS
Based on the results of the electronic surveys, it was identified that five
focus group areas would be most appropriate in order to move the
community needs conversation forward. Below are the takeaways from the
focus groups, as well as big ideas that were identified throughout the
discussions.
Safety was cited often as a driving factor of residents' decisions to stay or
move to the community.
Carrington is viewed as a small town with “big town” features.
Plenty of opportunities for adults (recreation, jobs).
Plenty of opportunities for youth (good schools, sports, recreation).
Carrington’s centralized location is a great benefit.
Juxtaposition to hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation is a
benefit.
2-hour proximity to Minot, Grand Forks, Fargo, and Bismarck is a plus.
“We are in the middle of everywhere.”
There is a great need for a centralized community communication
mechanism for populations ages 8 to 80. Ideas cited include:
Community app;
Digital billboard; and
Event reminders/push notifications.
Carrington needs to build a community brand and engage in different
marketing strategies. Items identified include:
Capitalizing on social media platforms;
Providing marketing supports to individual businesses and groups
(marketing the community’s features/amenities to community
members);
Creating a culture of welcoming throughout all of the community; and
Dedicating an individual staff member to community marketing.
Top Takeaways
FOCUS GROUP TAKEAWAYS
From the input received from youth, there seems to be a disconnect
between the high school and the community. Ideas provided from the
youth include:
Youth supporting community marketing by providing their photos,
creating social media hashtags, distributing information.
Youth engaging in individualized learning focused on Carrington’s
available workforce opportunities.
Investment in Carrington’s downtown was often cited, indicating a need
for increased foot traffic, private investment, and beautification.
Housing was identified as a barrier for individuals moving to the
community. While affordable housing exists, it is perhaps not at the
quality that individuals from other communities are willing to invest in.
Big Ideas Discussed
Developing a robust farmers market;
Social media “takeover” by youth;
Development of a community navigator position to support workforce
recruitment and retention;
Cross-Community Hospitality Training to create a welcoming community.
Bringing back Rainbow Gardens concept;
High School Individualized Learning Platform/Process for Carrington’s
workforce opportunities; and
Community App and Digital Billboard.
Residents & Leaders Value: Welcoming: Creating a culture of welcoming is important to
leadership and residents, whether they are a passerby, tourist in town
for a few days, new to the community, or a longtime community
member.
Youth Voice: Leadership and residents in the community
acknowledge the strong leadership that has guided the area's
successful development, and they want to see the new generation of
leaders cultivated. Further, young people in the community are
seeking opportunities to have a voice or meaningful input in the
future of the Carrington.
Collaboration: As is evidenced by the number of organizations and
institutions that have come together to develop the community plan,
the Carrington area values collaboration amongst all of its residents,
businesses, and community groups.
Future-Thinking: From succession and transition planning to
business retention, the community of Carrington is always trying to
strive to meet future needs and create more opportunities for future
generations.
IDENTIFIED COMMUNITY VALUES
Based on the results of the electronic surveys and individual focus groups,
Strengthen ND was able to identify what residents of Carrington find
important or value.
GOALS & STRATEGIES
Its agricultural roots are valued and cultivated;Small town assets and small businesses are prioritized;Youth are engaged in creating the community they want to live in;andAll residents are proud to call Carrington “home”.
In 2024, Carrington will be a vibrant community where:
Community Leadership,
Workforce Development,
Business Development,
Community Development, and
Marketing.
With the results of the electronic surveys and focus groups, the leadership of
Carrington came together to focus and strategize on drafting a vision, goals,
and strategies for the future. Carrington's goals and strategies are
subdivided into the different issues areas identified as most pressing in the
community, including:
Below are the outcomes of the planning sessions.
Our Vision:
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIPGOALS & STRATEGIES
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTGOALS & STRATEGIES
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTGOALS & STRATEGIES
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTGOALS & STRATEGIES
MARKETINGGOALS & STRATEGIES
AttachmentsCommunity-Wide Survey Results
Youth Survey Results
Focus Group Session Notes