Consultant says building interaction is key to building strong communities

By Michael Glover

Herald-Tribune

Fort Scott, Kan. -- When Terry Woodbury was a young boy, Sunday was special.

After church, the family would travel to a neighbor's house or invite someone over for what he called "Sunday dinner." He recalled how adults visited. Children played. It lasted all afternoon, until they went home to do chores.

But times have changed, Woodbury said. Rarely does he hear about people gathering together on Sundays for dinner at a neighbor's house. He asked why.

Woodbury found the answer in "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community," a book written by a Harvard University sociologist.

The 544-page book explains that since the 1960s, all sorts of societal ties have weakened.

As a result, volunteer citizen interaction has suffered in cities across Kansas and the United States. One sign points to the fact there are fewer people carrying all the weight of volunteer-driven organizations, Woodbury said.

"Because we don't connect as well as in the past, our community suffers, Woodbury said. "We're less safe, more afraid, less informed, more angry, and poorer neighbors."

Since August, Woodbury, president of Kansas Communities L.L.C., has conducted a revitalization project in Fort Scott to bring more people together and build on positive elements in the community to solve problems and reverse negative elements.

Citizen engagement is a vital piece to the project. But in visiting with groups and with nearly 200 residents of all ages in Fort Scott, Woodbury found that citizens are engaged in the community.

"There is no shortage of citizen engagement among Fort Scott residents," he said. "Fort Scott is not short of activity."

He points to the "community conversation" Nov. 15, at Fort Scott Middle School, where 157 residents packed the school cafeteria. He said residents generated 29 examples of positive elements in the community and ways Fort Scott residents can get involved in the community.

The examples will help during a Jan. 26 community vision retreat that will produce four to seven goals for the future of Fort Scott. A nominated group of five to 10 people will be asked to develop each goal.

"This whole process is aimed to engage citizens … and empower them to influence the future of the their community," Woodbury said in an e-mail interview.

Citizen Advisory Committee Chairwoman Kathy Dancer is optimistic about how the process can improve the community. CAC is an organization that was formed in 2004 to hold City officials accountable for their actions. Dancer is one of the people nominated for the goal-setting activity.

"When people look at this project, they see some great examples of things Fort Scott does as a community. However, it tends to be targeted to the same group, and it tends to be participation by the same group of people in these activities," Dancer said. Her suggestion would be to incorporate new citizens in citywide functions and the revitalization project.

"We need to get new people involved in what we currently have," Dancer said.

Dancer said part of the problem might come back to economic job prosperity in Fort Scott. Well-paying jobs, enough to support a family, are lacking in the area.

"It doesn't matter how many cool activities you've got, if a person can't bring home a decent paycheck and support their families and feel good about how they're supporting their family, all these things aren't going to matter," she said.

Fort Scott City Commissioner Nick Graham said in an e-mail interview that apathy is the biggest obstacle for the city.

Graham said: "Something I've been told by some of the co-workers I'm friends with is 'It's Fort Scott, it's never gonna change.' I think a good chunk of the population likely feel that way, which results in 1,200 out of 8,000 people voting in the city elections.

"What would happen if even just 2,400 people instead of 1,200 people got involved in and followed city politics? I think you'd see new ideas and personalities spring up all the time, and new people with a lot to contribute stepping up to the plate and running for commissioner with each election year.

"A lot of people feel like they are only one voice in 8,000, but I don't think anyone would have to look too hard or too long to find people with the same desires and ideas they have, and soon enough your one voice becomes a hundred voices, then a thousand voices, and that is something that cannot be ignored or brushed aside."

Graham went on to say that "only those who fear change and growth in Fort Scott have any need to feel threatened, but this is the direction we are heading. The community has spoken, and I think the survey results and testimonials at the community conversation made it clear that change is in demand, and you can either jump aboard and contribute or get left behind."

Terry Woodbury contributed to this report.