Gravette Day

12 • 129th AnnuAl grAvette DAy • Saturday, auguSt 13, 2022 I f you want to execute an effective vision for the future, it helps to have a road map. That was the thinking behind Gravette's decision to embark on what they call the Gravette 2030 Project. It was developed to build a 10-year vision for the city of Gravette and is being spearheaded by Gravette City Mayor Kurt Maddox and Chamber of Commerce President Steve Harari. "The goal is to identify what we want to look like in 2030," Steve said. "And it's an attempt, within the best of our ability as a community, to reach the targets we outline. The published findings will serve as a guide to city leaders that they will consider as they make decisions regarding our future". The idea was conceived not long after Steve assumed the role as president of the Chamber. "The question I received most frequently from people as their new Chamber of Commerce president was 'Steve what's your vision for Gravette?'" he said. "And I would always give an answer that it's not really up to me, it would be up to the people of Gravette." a community effort Involving the entire community in the process is the key to the Gravette 2030 Project. "This is a collaborative effort between the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Gravette," Steve said. "We're equal partners working to move this vision forward." And, in an effort to include all of the stakeholders, they arrived at the idea of having a steering committee. "We are currently recruiting approximately 15 individuals from the community that we hope to have in place by the early fall who would be representative of our different interest groups," Steve explained. "We are reaching out to the businesses, including retail and restaurant owners. We are getting someone from manufacturing, someone from a professional service along with the construction trades and the banks. We are also reaching out to the churches and the school administrators. We are even going to have a high school student hold one of the 15 seats." Steve and the mayor's seats on the committee will be permanent. The other steering committee members are being asked to serve for two years. They will attend approximately six to seven meetings over that two-year period. Some of those meetings will involve hosting public community forums that will be public discussions outlining the elements of the vision and seeking community input. In annual update sessions, the city will review progress towards realizing the vision. "We're going to have members of the steering committee attend these forums," Steve said. "We plan to have a guest speaker that kicks off the topic. We are looking to have our first forum in November of this year. By the first quarter of 2023 we will publish the results to the community. We will say 'This is what we've heard, this is what people are talking about, this is what our initial vision for 2030 looks like.'" Steve Harari, Gravette Chamber of Commerce President All in a day's work!! FARM EQUIPMENT • FEED • SEED AND FERTILIZERS SPRINGDALE 410 E. Huntsville Ave. 479-756-9337 DECATUR 252 N. Main St. 479-752-3399 ELKINS 2049 Twin Oaks Dr. 479-643-2004 Farmers create an economic impact of strength for our region with long days, hard work and determination. Thanks for keeping food on our tables in Northwest Arkansas and The River Valley. 1102 sw jackson • Gravette (479) 787-5256 304 e Main • Gentry (479) 736-2800 Dr. Alan L. Lamb, D.D.S. Dr. Scott Stubbs, D.D.S. Dr. Nick Dollar, D.D.S Gravette Dental associates Proud to serve our community the Gravette 2030 Project charts a course for the future | by Randy Rice

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