COMMENTARY: ‘Visioning’ A Better Rogers, Arkansas

Columnist Will Vote For Mayor Hines For President If He Can Get Businesses To Raise Salaries

If most of us announced we were having visions, it is likely we would be sent for psychiatric treatment, at the very least. We could even be committed to the State Hospital.

It is OK, however, for the city fathers and mothers to “vision.” Witness Vision 2025, a report of efforts to dream about what the future of Rogers and Lowell will hold.

Rogers started this visioning thing long before the chamber or commerce became the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. I don’t even remember when the first visioning get-together was held — in the early ’90s I think. I was just a kid.

It was all about Rogers then. Simple goals such as a new park here or there. A new pool — or not. There was a lot of talk back then about getting out of the pool business.

The visioning process has expanded since the chamber took Lowell into the fold. Plus, there is that regional thing everyone is hot on. You know: What’s good for one is good for the other.

Vision 2025 was released in 2008 following meetings late in 2007 to garner ideas. The report is online at rogerslowell.com/live_and_work/vision_2025.aspx if you want to read it.

Here are what the priorities were at the time:

• Street improvements. This is where the 2011 bond issue was proposed.

• Community appearance and beautification. Downtown certainly has achieved this goal. I am not so sure about the city’s entryways. I think they are, generally speaking, pretty tacky. I want to see lush, well-tended landscaping, not just ugly signs.

• Advancement of downtown. I think that has happened. There is more work to be done, particularly in attracting people downtown. There are a lot of good stores and great restaurants — not to mention Rogers Little Theater. I think bringing more people downtown will require more events.

• Work force recruitment and retention. This is a continuing issue, and may always be. The world is a more transient place.

• Trails. We got ’em and are getting more. I think we will surpass the 50 miles of trails goal set for 2025 well before that date.

• A community gathering place. I’m not sure I see this on the horizon, although there has been some talk of adding an amphitheater to the Lake Atalanta area. I think that is a fine idea — the symphony could play a free concert there and maybe we could even move Fourth of July fireworks there.

Planning for Lake Atalanta improvements seems to be lagging behind even though there is money for some work on the area included in the 2011 bond issue. City leaders need to take a more proactive approach in make the lake area a shining example of what Rogers is and can be.

• Public school district promotion. The report notes people tend to look down on the Rogers School District even though there is little difference between Rogers’ test scores and those of surrounding districts, Rogers is thought to be lower performing. Of course that is bunk. The district needs to do a better job of educating people about how the district performs. Hard to say if they are making progress in this area — only time will tell.

I bring up the Vision 2025 report because of a meeting movers and shakers had last week about modifying the report. Reporter John Gore said there were many interesting discussions; it will be interesting to see what, if any, modifications are made.

One thing discussed involved the high percentage of residents whose children are in the school district’s reduced-price and free lunch program.

Mayor Greg Hines made an impassioned plea for getting kids off the program. If that does not occur, it will be hard to attract new residents and industry, he said.

Very true, Mayor Greg. Now how are you going to do this? Let’s be frank: One reason kids are on the free and reduced-price lunch program is because their parents make low salaries. The last time I checked, there is no way to force higher pay, except in the case of minimum wage. It is a decision of the business/industry owners who are, generally speaking, more concerned about their pocketbooks than those of their employees.

Mayor Greg, if you can get business and industry to raise salaries, I swear I will vote for you for president.

Although that might be cruel and unusual punishment rather than a reward for good work.

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Leeanna Walker is local editor of the Rogers Morning News and the Springdale Morning News. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NWALeeanna.

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