2nd Creative Economy Forum Set for March 1

On March 1, the second in a three-part series of forums on the "creative economy" will be hosted by area residents in partnership with Vermont's Creative Communities Program.

It will begin with presenting ideas proposed in the first forum, then invite additional ideas and comments, and finally prioritize three projects to start work on this spring.

The forum opens at 6 p.m. in the Chandler Art Gallery with light refreshments, followed by the meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. and lasting until 8:45 p.m.

The first forum, which took place on Jan. 30, brought together over 50 Randolph-area residents to talk about their region’s strengths while brainstorming ways to ensure that strong cultural, community and economic collaboration continues into the future.

The ideas put forward included possibilities such as:

• Expand rural broadband;

• Build a map of cultural resources in the region;

• Maintain a detailed, searchable, online calendar of events in Randolph.

• Strengthen Randolph’s identity as being at the center of the state – a location that is accessible, contains all the necessary elements of a vibrant downtown (from shopping for basic goods to entertainment), and is home to major regional institutions, such as Vermont Technical College and Gifford Medical Center.

Helen Labun Jordan, director of the Creative Communities Program at the Vermont Council on Rural Development, has organized the many different ideas into a draft list of concrete projects that can advance Randolph’s creative economy. The task now is to reach agreement on a final list of possibilities and set priorities for moving forward.

The decisions reached on March 1 will set the stage for a third, and final, forum in which a resource team from around the state will work with local project teams to develop specific action plans around the priority projects.

Everyone from the Randolph area is welcome to attend. If you did not attend the Jan. 30 event but would like to participate on March 1, please e-mail kenrives@sover.net to receive notes from the first forum. Notes will also be available with refreshments at 6 p.m. March 1^st.

More information on the creative economy and Creative Communities Program can be found online at:

http://www.vtrural.org.