Improved communication channels should help town develop

By Kurt Steele

Noting that Norfolk has, in the words of a long-ago Presidential candidate, a thousand points of light and yet believing that these need to be coordinated, the Norfolk Economic Development Commission and the Coalition for Sound Growth are focusing on improving communications among the many town organizations and residents as a way of fostering economic development.

EDC’s chair, Libby Borden, says, “We are increasingly recognizing there are all sorts of creative ideas and points of energy across the town, which if shared, nurtured and advocated in an organized way could benefit our town and its residents.”

While Norfolk has always had both town government communication channels and a small-town “grapevine,” Borden believes we need better avenues of communication between organizations and residents who may have good development ideas but are not in contact with each other.

Fortunately, a project already underway to redesign the town’s website holds a promise of supporting this type of communications down the road. Vint Lawrence, who is heading up the website project and is chair of the Coalition for Sound Growth, says, “Once we finish making the website easier to navigate and expand its content, we hope to introduce an interactive forum for Norfolk. The forum will have to be moderated, but it should allow town residents and organizations to communicate widely with each other. Hopefully, informal contributions will in some cases lead to new collaborative development efforts.”

Lawrence adds, “We also want to add a calendar to the website that would list the activities of town committees and volunteer organizations. This will give residents more up-to-date meeting information and put them in a better position to engage with the town’s decision-makers.”

Aside from the new town forum and online calendar, Lawrence thinks the redesigned website will offer more appealing visuals and a clearer storyline about the town, perhaps helping to draw in new visitors and new residents to support the local economy.

Borden points out that there are currently more than 50 organizations in town working to develop Norfolk in various ways. She believes that giving these organizations the ability to communicate easily with each other may spark new development efforts. Helpful to the town forum project down the road will be the EDC’s work in documenting all town organizations along with their purposes and activities.

She believes that a town forum could also help Norfolk’s large part-time resident community connect to the town better, allowing their interests and skills to be more readily tapped for economic development.

Borden identified HamletHub, an online local news daily, as another valuable resource that is available to all town residents. She hopes it will grow in content and prove helpful in supporting the town’s development.

Norfolk Now will continue to publish longer-format monthly articles both in print and online, hopefully facilitating an exchange of ideas and information that may foster economic growth.