As a small businessman and community volunteer, I believe that positive change only happens when a strong vision has been cast. As I have been walking around the village talking to residents, I hear a mixture of up-beatness (people of Clyde are maintaining a positive attitude) and hopelessness. People want good things for Clyde, and no one is giving up hope. But they need a strong vision to get behind.
I have heard complaints that people in Clyde just don’t care, or don’t want to get involved. I don’t believe that for an instant. I think we all care about the community in which we live. I think the lack of involvement has more to do with a lack of clear vision and leadership than anything else.
Sure, it won’t immediately cure what ails us, but I believe it is important to cast a vision for the future of Clyde. Here are some things I would like to see. Feel free to add your two cents in the comment section below.
Downtown
Our downtown is like many other downtowns in the region, and throughout the country. We have empty storefronts and little foot traffic. We can’t flip a switch and go back to the way it was, but there are things we can do to improve our downtown. First, we can spruce up the buildings. Owners have been stepping up recently and things are actually starting to look nice. The Chamber has helped out by finding grants for facade improvement.
Even though the storefronts are empty, they don’t have to look empty. Local citizens and groups like Clyde SPAN have been helping to decorate some of the empty storefronts, and we can do more.
But the real answer is to get businesses to buy in to Clyde. We could just give up on downtown, and chalk it up to a changing economy. Or we can get creative. As a community, we can come together to make our downtown work again. We may have to use the buildings for non-traditional things, or maybe we need to develop a persona for downtown, such as a center for crafts and antiques, or a place for low cost professional office space.
Much of this can be done with citizen and business involvement. The government can help by making downtown an active place to run a business. We can also do more to help out the building owners. Currently, there are a few things that increase the cost of ownership in downtown, like a tax on every toilet, whether it is in use or not.
We can do away with regulations that keep businesses away. We can also do things to attract business, such as looking into providing access to high speed internet via wifi, and perhaps tax incentives.
Together, we can make downtown vibrant again.
Grocery Store
The number one thing on many people’s wish list for Clyde is a grocery store. The ball is already rolling on trying to find a grocer who will come to Clyde. Officials and volunteers have not been sitting idle, and hopefully together with a willing entrepreneur, Clyde will have a grocery again. When we do, we need to support it as a community. We also should look for a unique store to bring to Clyde, so that people from the region will travel here to our store.
Standard of Living
Of course, its not all about business. Clyde is also a place to call home. For many, it has been home for a long time. I grew up in Galen and am raising my family in Clyde. We enjoy quite streets and a pleasant walking community. But there are some things we can do to improve.
First, we can continue to work on infrastructure. Our roads and sidewalks need constant attention. Our water supply and piping must be kept up to date. We also need to ensure our community continues to be safe. We can’t stop supporting our police officers and fire volunteers.
But status quo is not good enough. Many of our residents are retired, and we should celebrate that. We have many community events now, but we can do a better job of promoting them and getting more people involved. We can also add more things to do, for retirees and working families alike.
I personally would like to see more in the way of events and festivals that will attract outsiders, yes, but also help us to bond as a community. In today’s world, we are all going 100 mph in different directions. The one thing we all share in common is the community in which we live. So lets do more together as a community.
Taxes
Taxes are too high. It is a statewide, even countrywide problem. On a local level, we need to collect taxes primarily to upkeep roads and other infrastructure, keep our streets safe, and to make improvements for the future of our village. We struggle because we have a decreasing population, and that means we have less people to share the load.
We need to improve the village to bring in new residents and businesses. Some of that can be done with tax and grant money. A lot of it needs to be done through individual effort. We can do a lot to improve the image of Clyde without spending a ton of money. This will help.
We need to seriously consider every penny we spend as a government. We need to find ways to cut costs so we can cut taxes. We also need to take our case to the State to stop sending unfunded mandates down to the local level.
I believe in a small government. I believe in a vibrant community that gets things done as a community. As we move forward, we need to develop our vision for the future of Clyde together. This is something we need to do together, with open minds and the heart to get the job done.
Clyde can be a unique and interesting place to live and visit. We just need to roll up our sleeves and get to work on it.
Let me know what you think about the future of Clyde in the comments section below.