General

Several people have expressed an interest in the raw data upon which the Reimagine Chatham survey summary was  based. Attached is a file showing responses to each of the 26 questions contained in the online survey that ran from late May until July 24. 

About the data: There were 451 responses but not everyone responded to every question. The consultant team said this is not unusual and that they believed that these results represent a good level of response. 

From the beginning, the steering committee has sought broad public awareness and input. This included placing flyers in Town water bills which reached about 900 customers/households in the study area. Additionally, over 4000 flyers were mailed to households in the study area. 

July was an eventful and significant month in Reimagine Chatham’s progress toward the development of a community Growth and Renewal Strategic Plan. Public outreach efforts concluded after informational update cards, including request to provide input to the online survey, were included in the Town of Chatham water bills and in a mail-out of over 4000 informational fliers within the study area. The work of the consultant team of Hill Studio and Arnett Muldrow shifted from data gathering to evaluation and the formulation of initiatives driven by public input.

The online survey opened in late May and closed on July 24. The survey received about 450 responses. See the survey summary here:

Survey data was evaluated along with input from two days of focus group discussions in late May on the topics / categories of Community Amenities, Outdoor Recreations, Housing, and Small Business and interviews with local stakeholders like the Mayor, Town Manager, County Development Director, Business leaders, Youth workers, and others.

On July 31, a “Visioning Session” was held by the consultant team to brief findings to the Steering Committee members and several stakeholders. The intent was to discuss the information and help jointly set priorities and direction for an initial draft of the plan. At the end of the session, topics to be addressed on the plan were listed and attendees were asked to vote on their top three issues in the four categories listed above. Voting was done by applying stickers to the chosen topics to charts listing the major initiatives on each category.

Though preliminary, some items of broad interested were improving awareness of what the town has to offer, local amenities like walking trails, more restaurants and eateries, improving housing opportunities and addressing derelict structures, and establishing a dedicated business development organization supported by local civic organizations.

During August the consultants will be preparing an initial draft of recommendations and plans for implementation. One requirement for all recommendations is that they be based on local economic realities, the area market, and the feasibility of being successfully developed. A public meeting will be scheduled for September 11 at 5:30–6:30 (location to be determined), at which the consultant team will present the draft plan.

Note: An overarching criterion in developing the plan is to maintain the character of the town and the features that the community has indicated they most like about living here. Further, the plan is not an end. It is simply the basis for a long-term system of community betterments that will involve collaboration of the local civic groups, the town, local businesses, various philanthropic foundations, and governmental grant programs.

These are exciting times, so please share this information with your family and friends and suggest that they follow us on Facebook and sign up for our email list on the website, ReimagineChatham.org.

The data collection phase of the Growth and Renewal Strategic Plan has been concluded and the consultant team of Hill Studio and Arnett Muldrow has begun evaluating the data. The data collection consisted of an online survey in which many of you participated. Also, there were two days for focus groups sessions addressing; community amenities, outdoor recreation, housing, and small business. These efforts were augmented by interviews with various stakeholders. We appreciate the effort of everyone who participated. Over 400 survey responses were received during the period that the survey was open, May 29 – July 24.

On July 31, the consultant team met with the steering committee to present the results of all the public input. This data is contained in a .pdf file which is attached to this update.

All input is important and will be used. However, the steering committee has reviewed the community input and worked with the consultant to help prioritize the issues that might have the biggest impact on the quality of life in our community. This will allow the team to begin drafting a report that will be presented in a public meeting to be held September 11 at 5:30–6:30, location to be determined.

As the draft study begins taking shape, now is a good time to remind everyone of the significance of this effort and why it was undertaken. The report is NOT the end of the process but rather the beginning of what can be an exciting period for our community. The strategic plan will provide the basis for establishing a structure and collaborative effort among the local groups, local foundations, business, and the town to secure funding that is both significant and sustained to address needs and desired improvements in our town and the adjacent area. This is a plan for the long haul and should be looked at as a 2-5–year improvement plan.

Please take time to look over the attached file. It is the beginning of a map for the future and it is something many of you helped shape.

June was a busy month for Reimagine Chatham. The consultant team focused on data gathering and the steering committee launched two initiatives to try to broaden awareness and outreach across the community.

During the week of June 17, Hill Studio held two days of focus group sessions and conducted stakeholder interviews. Additionally, they monitored results from the recent on-line survey. All this data will be evaluated to help form a picture of how citizens see their town and help define issues important to our future. The focus groups were attended by over forty people representing specific interests. The groups were divided into four categories and discussions were held addressing Community Amenities, Outdoor Recreation, Housing, and Small Businesses. Stakeholder interviews involved one-on-one discussions with our consultant by people whose work impacts the community on a routine basis. These are individuals like the Mayor, Town manager, Business leaders, business development organizations, etc. A draft summary evaluation of all this community input is expected in early July.

Outreach and awareness continued during the month with two efforts intended to reach across the study area. Informational flyers were included in the Town of Chatham water bills, a distribution reaching over 900 customers. Further, a flyer for mass mailing was developed and is intended to reach anyone in the area with a mailing address. Each of these actions is intended to inform and solicit involvement, including encouraging local citizens to complete the online survey.

By mid-June, nearly 400 survey responses had been received. This level of responses is reportedly well above the number of replies needed to be statistically significant. The survey will remain available until July 23 and Reimagine Chatham encourages anyone who has not taken it to please do so. After it closes, the data will be evaluated, and a “visioning session” will be scheduled for the steering committee to hear an initial assessment of all the input gathered from the various sources. The public input data will be combined with economic and business evaluations to begin forming a basis for the draft study recommendations.

As the growth and renewal strategic plan development reaches the mid-point of the schedule, thought is being given to how best to organize to implement the recommendations. There will be more on this in subsequent updates.

Another important milestone is here for the Reimagine Chatham initiative. An online survey has been developed by our consultant and is now available. Your input to the survey will help the consultant understand how you see our community and where you would like to see it go in the coming years. This is one of several opportunities for public input planned for the study.

Reimagine Chatham encourages you to donate about ten minutes of your time to complete this survey. Furthermore, please ask your family members and friends to also complete it. The higher the number of the responses posted, the greater the accuracy will be for the statistical model evaluating the public desires for our town. The plan is to keep this survey active for about eight weeks in hopes that word of mouth and other outreach initiatives will produce significant levels of responses.

Click the button or scan the QR code to begin the process.

Thank you.

During the May 14 kickoff, participants took an initial survey about the community. The questions and responses are posted here. Larger text represents more responses with the same word or answer. This initial survey will serve as a basis for a more detailed one as the progress progresses.

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The Reimagine Chatham formal kickoff occurred on May 14, 2024, with the first of several public meetings planned for the study. Prior to the meeting, several Steering Committee members guided the consultant team on a 2-hour tour of the town and study area from Tightsqueeze to ODAC. Following the tour, the team then met with the steering committee to discuss their early impressions of the town. Those committee members present then completed an initial set of survey questions about their personal opinions on the positive and negative aspects of the town. Real time results were displayed on a screen by the system Metri-meter. The public session began at 6:00 pm. Counting steering committee’s members, the total attendance was about 37 despite it being a rainy day. The consultant team seemed satisfied with this initial public session. Earlier in the day, committee member Delilah While had facilitated coverage of the kickoff by WDBJ7 news and the clip was available to show at the public session. It is also posted on the website.

The team was impressed with the town and indicated that it had numerous aspects unique to a town this size such as many beautiful historic homes, two private schools, several small museums, county seat, strong and organized civic groups, etc. They hope to build on these assets. At the public session, the team presented an early economic assessment and an explanation that any strategy presented in the final plan will be driven by the local economic realities. Those attending completed the same automated survey that the steering committee members had completed earlier. Email addresses of those who signed in will be added to the mailout list and survey results will be posted when they are available.

The next actions by the consultant team will involve developing a more detailed survey to expand public input to help shape the growth and renewal strategic plan. Focus groups will need to be defined in cooperation with the steering committee so meetings can be scheduled to look more deeply into specific aspects of the community.

Awareness and outreach efforts continue. Informational cards will be mailed with the Town’s water bills at the end of May. These are intended to reach nearly everyone in the study area, regardless of whether they have internet access. This is because town water serves nearly everyone from Tightsqueeze to ODAC.

The committee encourages you to help in the awareness effort by sharing information with anyone who may be unaware but might possibly be interested. This is all intended to hopefully have people sign up for the email updates. The email list will be important in sending out the more detailed surveys and obtaining as much information as possible to help arrive at the desired community consensus on a town vision. Please check the ReimagineChatham.org site routinely for new information and visit our Facebook page if you use that medium.

Following is a copy of the final schedule for development of the Growth and Renewal Strategic Plan. Some changes are likely during the course of the six month contract. However, the activities and sequence of events should remain essentially as shown.

Chatham Growth and Renewal Plan Project Schedule

* Notable dates:

• Week #1 begins on Agreement Effective Date – April 29, 2024
• Kickoff: Week of May 20 (Ideally 5/22 or 5/23)
• Public Meetings:
  1. Week of May 20 (ideally 5/22 or 5/23)
  2. Week of August 26 (Ideally Aug 27-30)
  3. Week of September 23 (Ideally Sept 24-27)
• Interviews & Focus Groups: Week of June 10
• Visioning/Community Identity Work Session: Week of July 29 (Ideally July 30 – Aug 2)
• Draft Plan Workshop: Week of August 26 (Ideally Aug 27-30)

The Reimagine Chatham consultant study team of Hill Studio and Arnett Muldrow and Assoc. will hold the first of several public meetings scheduled for the Growth and Renewal Strategic Plan for Chatham and the adjacent area. Meeting information is as follows:

May 14, 2024
Pittsylvania County Community Center
6 – 7 PM

The meeting will be an opportunity for attendees to meet the team and learn about the scope of the project and upcoming opportunities for engagement. Some preliminary market analysis data will be available. There will also be a an opportunity to share your perspective of your vision of the Town of Chatham with the project team. This will be an important meeting. Come and bring a friend!

The consultant contract is effective as of Monday, April 29. As we move into the real meat of this Growth and Renewal effort, now is a good time to step back and look at the forest rather than the trees. I want us to remind ourselves why we are doing this and what is at stake.

The development of a growth and renewal plan for the town and adjacent areas, hopefully with broad community input, is the goal. But within that goal lies the real promise of this effort. It is under the plan that future grant opportunities await. The foundations and trusts, as well as governmental grant programs, offer the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of dollars for business and community development in both the short term and over the long haul. Other communities are leveraging these opportunities and Chatham cannot afford to be left behind. The charitable organizations have money to give, they have annual objectives for spending the funds entrusted to them. If we do not get our share, someone else will. It is just that simple.

This effort is volunteer driven and is costing the local taxpayers nothing. It is an opportunity that our community cannot allow to slip by. As a recipient of this bulletin mailing, you have indicated an interest in helping to make our community better for now and the future. By mid-May, there will be an opportunity to attend the first public input session to meet the consultants, learn more, and start sharing your thoughts on how we can collectively begin shaping the vision for Chatham’s coming years.

Joe Rogers
Chairman, Steering Committee — Reimagine Chatham

• As stated in our first Informational Update of March 1, 2024, Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) were sent to three well qualified firms as part of the process of hiring a consultant to conduct the Growth and Renewal Study. All three firms responded by mid-February. The consultant proposals were provided to the steering committee members for comment. Comments received were consolidated and returned to the respective firms along with other information deemed helpful, such as tasks accomplished by the steering committee that they may not be aware of. Such tasks were the development of a logo, brand, and website.
• After receiving the final replies, the steering committee met on March 21 to make the selection. During the meeting, two firms came to the forefront but there was divided opinion on which may be the best match for our community. A decision was made to conduct face-to-face interviews with each firm.
• Face-to-face interviews were held the first week of April. A vote was taken at the end of the week and a company was selected as the #1 candidate. Negotiations are underway with that firm as of the date shown and are expected to be completed by the end of this month. If for some reason they are not successful, negotiations will be opened with Firm #2.
• Once a contract is in place, information on the firm will be made public through the Reimagine Chatham website, press releases and newly created Facebook page. The information will also contain a definition of the study area and a project schedule so that the community may know how the work is planned to progress.
• Awareness and outreach remain important actions for the success of this effort. A Facebook page has been created. It will be used primarily to provide information and progress updates from the consultant as the work proceeds. The steering committee will be working with the consultant on this aspect of the project and will be developing a process to reach as many people as possible in the study area, including those who do not have internet access. Awareness and outreach efforts are intended to make as many people as possible aware of opportunities to provide input into what the community wants to see Chatham become.
• The overall process is currently proceeding as expected. Any delays , such as a pause for the interviews, are considered time well spent because they better clarified the experience and plans of the companies being considered and gave the committee members a feel for the people they would be working with.
• There is no specific deadline to complete this study. We expect the process to take about six or eight months after the contract is in place.

If you are reading this update, you have accessed it through ReimagineChatham.org. A summary of this local initiative is presented there. If the objectives of this initiative are achieved, the effort has the potential to provide sustained funding for grants and studies for projects to help improve our community for the betterment of everyone. Here is where the effort stands as of the first of March.

• Background: Chatham Rotary Foundation, Chatham First, and the Rotary Club of Chatham teamed up to apply for a grant from a local Trust to develop a growth and renewal plan for Chatham and the adjacent area. The philanthropic Trust’s specifically focuses on business development and community improvement by promoting partnerships with community organizations and local government. The growth and renewal plan will be developed by a consultant expert in the process. The applicant was approved and the funding was received early this year, Then the work began. As defined in the application to the Trust, the grant will be administered by a steering committee comprised of the applicants, town of Chatham representatives, businesses, and other local interests.
• The Plan: The plan is intended to be a roadmap toward improving the business environment and quality of life in the town and immediate area. It is not about specific projects, such a walking trail. Rather, its adoption will create an “umbrella” or Vision/ master plan, under which desired improvements and specific projects may be undertaken. In most cases, these improvements can best be brought to success by a coalition of the Town of Chatham, civic groups, local foundations and trusts, and citizen involvement. Building out the Vision will be a long-term process. However, there is reason to believe that ongoing grant funding to help support these initiatives will be supported.
• Organizing: In late December, the organization of the steering committee began. The committee duties have been defined and staffing is essentially complete.
• Hiring an expert: Concurrent with organizing the committee, an RFP (Request for Proposal) describing the work to be done was completed. RFP’s were provided to three qualified firms in early January 2024 and replies /proposals were been received as of mid- February. A review of the proposals is currently underway with an objective of having the committee select a firm and have them under contract by the end of March.
• Public Information: Another critical aspect to success has begun. That aspect is public information. The success of this effort depends on broad and diverse public input. The study process will provide opportunities for obtaining public input addressing what people desire as a vision for Chatham’s future. This will be through focus groups and public meetings. It is important to understand that the plan is not the committee’s plan. The committee is simply there to administer the contract, support the independent work of the consultant, and facilitate their effort however needed.
  
  In addition to the current information being disseminated through the Reimagine Chatham site, posters and cards have been developed and will be distributed through local businesses, member organizations, and other means. QR codes on the posters and cards will direct people to ReimagineChatham.org , where they can sign up for email updates and progress reports, like this one. Two press releases have been issued to The Star Tribune and Danville Register and Bee. The first was published in late December and the other in late February. A diligent effort will be made to reach as many people as possible within the community. For those who lack access to the automated information, the consultant will develop a process to notify as much of the local population as possible, perhaps though a mass mailing.
• Going Forward: Once a consultant is under contract, they will develop a study schedule and begin the data gathering necessary to develop a draft of the Growth and Renewal Plan, a collective consensus Vision for Chatham’s future.