Open Forum

What a difference a year makes! December 19, 2006

The past year was quite an active one for our organization!

Most notably, after months of deliberations and soliciting feedback from you, we made several significant changes. First, our organization is now known as the Responsible Growth Alliance of Chesterfield (RGAC). This name was selected based upon widespread sentiment that “Task Force” implied a temporary status. As you all know, there is nothing temporary about us – we are a permanent fixture within the Chesterfield community, and the new name reflects this. Second, we clarified our mission statement to explicitly reinforce our desire for increased commercial growth in the county, as well as our position as a resource for citizens, businesses, and county leaders. Third, in an effort to solidify our base of support and develop organizationally, we defined the terms through which county residents can be “members” of the RGAC. Fourth, we launched a new blog – our new home on the Internet – which allows us to keep you informed about key happenings affecting quality of life and economic development in Chesterfield. The blog also allows for interactive comments from members and concerned citizens, thus giving us instantaneous feedback from you. You can find it at http://www.responsiblegrowth.org.

On the advocacy front, we continued working diligently to inform public policymaking and media coverage in Chesterfield by attending and speaking at over 50 public hearings held by the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, School Board and the Richmond Times-Dispatch and through hosting representatives of leading county agencies at our monthly meetings. We encourage commercial development and have been in favor of mixed-use development like the Watkins Centre. We led the effort for the revision of the Upper Swift Creek Plan that is now closer to completion. We reached out to surrounding jurisdictions and gave a voice to regional growth and development issues as a founding member of the Partnership for Smarter Growth. Finally, we are putting the finishing touches on the first-ever county-wide Community Image Survey, the results of which should be available in the coming months.

None of this work would have been possible without the dedication of our members and supporters. Going forward, your moral and financial support will be critical in helping us fulfill our mission, to protect and secure a high quality of life and economic development in Chesterfield County by encouraging policies and programs that improve our communities, and to educate citizens on the methods and processes they can use to achieve livable, sustainable community in partnership with residents, public and private agencies, businesses and elected officials.”

In short, we need your help to sustain our efforts at representing your interests to policymakers, the media and other community leaders. We ask that you consider contributing a modest annual gift of $30 for Voting Membership in order to defray some of the costs of our activities. Additionally, we wholeheartedly encourage those of you who wish to donate in a greater amount to do so at your pleasure. You can rest assured that your contribution will be money well-spent as we continue to give voice to the citizens of Chesterfield.

Your contribution can be mailed to us at P.O. Box 5747, Midlothian, VA 23112, or you can leave it with us at one of our regular meetings held at 7pm on the third Thursdays in each month at the Hampton Inn located 3620 Price Club Blvd, Midlothian, VA 23112, just off of Hull Street Road.

We thank you for your time and support. We look forward to working with you and for you in the future. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us via email at responsiblegrowth@gmail.com. You may also contact RGAC President Mike Harton at mike@harton.net or Executive Director Marleen Durfee at marleenk@msn.com