Salisbury residents, with support from the City of Salisbury, Rowan County and the Rowan-Salisbury School System, have formed four area action teams to necessary for Salisbury’s future. This is the Community Action Planning program.
History
In early 2017, a group of more than 20 community stakeholders from organizations including workforce development, religious institutions, the Salisbury Police Department, Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, Livingstone and Catawba Colleges, and the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP worked together to develop a list of focus areas marked for improvement in the Salisbury community:
Public Safety: Improving the relationship between residents and Salisbury public safety agencies
Opportunities for Children and Youth: Improving positive experiences for Salisbury youth, increasing high school graduation rate
Improved Community Relations: Stronger neighborhoods, healthier communities and increasing communication
Workforce Development: Improved employment opportunities
Three months later, residents were encouraged to attend at least one of five Community Action Planning Sessions to help develop the vision of a “healthier community that provides a livable environment which is safer, with higher educational achievement, stronger workforce and employment opportunities and better relationships between the community, the City and law enforcement.”
The sessions were held:
- Monday, April 3, 2017 - Wallace Educational Forum, 500 N. Main St., 6 to 8 p.m.
- Thursday, April 6, 2017 - Livingstone College, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, April 8, 2017 - Civic Center, 315 S. MLK Jr. Ave., 10 a.m. to noon
- Saturday, April 29, 2017 – Hurley YMCA, 828 Jake Alexander Blvd., 10 a.m. to noon
- Saturday, May 20, 2017 – Cornerstone Church 10 a.m.
Goal Summary Sessions
Salisbury residents once again gathered together in August to ensure the goals they developed during the Community Action Planning Sessions were accurate, measurable and achieveable. Facilitator Brenda Anderson presented preliminary data at the Tuesday, Aug. 1 City Council meeting, where she outlined draft strategic goals for each area within one to three-year periods.
These subsequent meetings will provide residents an opportunity to approve or modify the goals presented, and create citizen action teams to develop specific next steps for achievement.
Residents and community stakeholders are encouraged to continue to be part of the ongoing process, sign up to be on an action team and attend future sessions.
Download Community Action Presentation