Salisbury residents to participate in final Community Action Planning Session

Groups to develop measurable action plans for city’s future

Salisbury residents, in partnership with the city, Rowan County and the Rowan-Salisbury School System, will tackle four focus areas necessary for Salisbury’s future through their last Community Action Planning Session, Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to noon at the J.F. Hurley YMCA. Childcare will be provided.

The Saturday session is the last of a four-part series of meetings that address:

• Improved public safety and its relationship with citizens 
• Opportunities for children
• Improved community relations
• Workforce development

Residents are encouraged to attend 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 vision and focus areas were developed over a two-month period of work sessions featuring 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.

While community stakeholders will serve as facilitators for this effort, Salisbury residents will complete the bulk of the work in shaping the city’s future by creating an achievable, measureable roadmap for success in each of the four areas.

“Our residents have repeatedly shared with City Council and staff members that they want effective action plans to address the challenges in the city of Salisbury, not just another meeting,” said City Manager W. Lane Bailey. “These work sessions will allow residents to work together on these important issues facing our community and develop the strategic action plan on how we are going to overcome them. A project of this significance cannot solely rely on one person or entity to lead. Working together and holding each other accountable for the successes is what will move Salisbury forward.”

After Saturday’s session, each focus area will be assigned to community leaders who will be responsible for further development, implementation, measurement and reports to the stakeholder group at large and the community.