# Presentation: 092671

## Texas Rural Partners, Inc.

- Presentation
- Council Development Workshop
- Kansas City, November 2003

## A Brief History of the Partnership

**1990 President Bush establishes “Presidential Initiative on Rural America”**
**MISSION:  Contribute to the vitality of the Nation by strengthening the ability of rural Americans to participate in determining their futures**
**GOAL:   To promote public/private collaborative partnerships within an entrepreneurial environment for identifying and implementing innovative approaches to the social and economic problems of rural areas**
**1991 Eight Pilot States establish Rural Development Councils (****Kansas, Maine, South Dakota, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Washington****)**

## Texas Rural Partners, Inc. Mission

***   *****The Texas Rural Partners, Inc. Mission is to Match the Resources of Federal, State, and Local Governments and the Private Sector-Both Profit and Nonprofit-with Locally Conceived and Driven Development Strategies.**

## Texas Rural Partners, Inc. 

- Resource Team Assessments

## Why do Community Assessments?

- Assist communities in visioning and strategic planning
- Empower all citizens

## Resource Team Assessment

- A community-based planning and assessment process consisting of interviewing a large number of people in the community, recording their suggestions and having a team of experts write up implementation plans for community use.  (developed by TRP)

## Assessment Team Process

- Average Team of 5-7 resource specialists
- Large Teams 15-25 resource specialists
- Spend 3-4 days in a community
- Listen to the community by asking 3 questions-interview everyone!
- Record community answers
- Develop major themes
- Last day – host town meeting
- Prepare and present written report to community

## How did we get started?

- Identified need
- Drafted process
- Train pilot team
- Recruited pilot town & hosted team
- Secured buy-in from RC&D’s, COGs, & Extension
- Revised team materials
- Marketed process

## Team Members

- Council of Governments
- Forest Service
- Private Consultants
- RC&D Coordinators
- USDA Rural Development
- Health Specialists
- Universities
- Cooperative Extension Specialists

- Educators
- Texas Dept. of Agriculture
- HUD
- Utility companies

## First Community!

**Hearne, Texas**
**Population, “5,122”**
**Assessment held November, 1993 **
**Eight team members**

- YEAH!!

**Notes:**
100 best small town by Norman Crampton

## Population Samples of Communities

- Balmorhea “765”
- Campwood “595”
- Cross Plains “1,063”
- Early “2,380”
- Winters “2,905”
- West Columbia “3,472”

- Comanche “4,087”
- Coleman “5,410”
- Crystal City “8,263”
- Pecos “12,855”
- Stephenville “13,502
- Lufkin “28,562”

## Community Responsibilities

- Submit written request for team
- Provide Community contact
- Leadership program in place (TRLP)
- Provide meals and lodging for team
- Provide logistics
- Publicity
- Copy and distribute final report
- Provide follow-up reports at 6 months and 1 year

**Notes:**
Discuss pre-work (notebook)

## Host Listening SessionsCommunity Sectors

- Agriculture
- Churches
- Youth
- Seniors
- Retail
- Banking
- Civic groups
- Etc...

## Team Leader Responsibilities

- Assist community requesting a team
- Recruit team members
- Facilitate listening, work sessions and town hall meeting
- Compile final written report
- Provide follow up support to community

## Team Members Responsibilities

- Volunteer time for team effort
- Be available for the duration of the team and follow up
- Be a good listener
- Assist in facilitation
- Write an original resource filled report – on time!

## Coleman Team Members

**Coleman Team Members**

## Typical Agenda

**First Day**
- 10 a.m. –12 p.m.		Team arrives
- 12 pm  –  1 p.m.		Lunch with community team
-   1 p.m. –  5 p.m.		Community tour
-   6 p.m. – 7:30p.m.	Supper & team orientation
**Second Day**
- 6:30a.m.-7:30a.m.	Breakfast with Ag community
- 8:00a.m.-8:50a.m.	Realtors listening session
**AND IT GOES ON!!**

## 3 Questions

- What are the major problems and challenges in your community?
- What are the major strengths and assets of your community?
- What projects would you like to see implemented in your community in the next 2, 5, 10 or 20 years?

## Team Develops Major Themes

- Economic Development
- Housing
- Aesthetics - Keep Texas Beautiful!
- Youth concerns
- Infrastructure
- Zoning

## Host Town Meeting

- Held the evening of the last day
- Everyone invited back
- Opportunity to THANK community
- Team presents “What was Said”
- Team presents major themes – “What was Heard”
- Each team member gives one recommendation

## Final Report

- Presented to community 4-6 weeks after assessment
- Contains Executive Summary; Agenda; Team members; What was Said; What was Heard; Team member reports

- Team Member Report MUST include:
- RECOMMEND-ATIONS & RESOURCES!

## Follow-up Town Meeting

**Help to Set Priorities**
- Invite everyone in community
- Put them to work!
- Establish personal top three priorities
- Work in groups to establish group top 3 priorities
- Report out

## Benefits to the Communities

- Affordable assessment process
- A final report that won’t sit on the shelf
- Simple to complex projects
- Opens communications and builds relationships
- Plan that can be attached to grants

## Assessments To Date

- COMPLETED  57 Teams
- Anson 1997
- Baird 1998
- Balmorhea 2000
- Bee County 2003
- Big Lake 2002
- Bremond 1999
- Calhoun Co. 2002
- Campwood 1998
- Centerville 2000
- Clarksville 2001
- Clifton 1999

- Coleman 1999
- Comanche 1999
- Crockett 2002
- Cross Plains 1998
- Crystal City 1997
- Daingerfield  2000
- DeLeon 1997
- Dublin 1999
- Early 1995
- Electra 2001
- Fisher County 1998
- Glenn Rose 2003

## Assessments To Date continued

- Gorman 2000
- Hamilton 2002
- Hearne 1993
- Honey Grove 2000
- Hubbard 2000
- Jasper 1999
- Jayton 1997
- Kenedy 2000*Karnes Co.

- Linden 1996
- Lufkin 2000
- McCamey 2001
- Morton 2001
- Ozona 2000
- Pecos 2000
- Queen City 2002
- Ranger 1998
- Rising Star 1997
- Rocksprings 1999
- Rosebud 2001

## Assessments To Date continued

- Sanderson 1999
- Seymour 1998
- Stephenville 1998
- Tenaha 2001
- Throckmorton 2000
- Tolar 1999
- Van Horn 2001
- Village of Vinton 2003
- West Columbia 1996
- Winnsboro 2001
- Winters 2000

- Team Scheduled
- Texas & Arkansas

## So, How Are they Going?

- Assessment Draws Crowd

- Experts to Eye Community's Future

**Assessments Provide Direction**

- Town Meeting a Hit With Community

## Success Examples Early, Texas

- Business Development Incubator
- Cleaned up and improved signage
- Received TxDOT funding for curbs and gutters along Early Boulevard.

## More Successes

_**Cross Plains, Texas**_:
-  Formed a Housing Corporation
- Received $150,000 USDA Loan
- Received $50,000 USDA Grant
_**Hearne, Texas:  **_
- Received a $250,000 Grant
-  Restored the Hearne Railroad Depot
-  Re-establishment of the local Economic Development Corporation.

## More SuccessesLinden, Texas

**New Businesses**** **
- Dollar General Store, Downtown Restaurant, and a New Grocery Store.
- Hired a full time Economic Development Coordinator

## More Successes

- _Rocksprings_
- Opening the Devil’s
- Sinkhole to tourists
- _Balmorhea_
- City named the Official “Oasis of West Texas”

## TEXAS YES PROGRAM 

- Sponsored by Texas Dept of Agriculture
- , 21 hardworking rural Texas communities honored at a special ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion on Oct. 15.
- Resource Team Communities Acknowledged
- Jasper – Construction of the Jasper Airport Industrial Park, Home to a new aircraft manufacturing facility and an expanded helicopter repair center.
- Focus on aeronautics

## COLEMAN TEXAS

- Head of cattle outnumber people
- Citizens plan a five-phase 2.25 million youth activity county rodeo grounds.
- 4A sales tax dollars used with grants, donations
*Population: 5,410**Location: Central Texas*

## Let’s  hear from our panel on what is happening and has happened in their communities     

## What Are Team Members Saying?

- “Thanks for letting me participate!”
- “This experience has opened up a whole new world for me.”
- “I’m ready to do another one!”
- “This process and outcomes has made my job so much easier.”

## How Report is Being Used

- Community Strategic Planning
- State Agencies
- RC&D – Action Plans
- Attachments to grants
- Leadership training
- Legislators

## Success for TRP

- Exposure
- New Partners, including other SRDCs
- Funding match
- Assisting others in meeting goals
- Most important:  helping our rural communities...

## For further information contact:

**Texas Rural Partners, Inc.**
**8140 Burnet Road Suite 218**
**Austin, Texas 78757**
- _[E-mail ](mailto:E-texasruralpartners@onr.com)__[texasruralpartners@onr.com](mailto:E-texasruralpartners@onr.com)_
**Phone: (512) 323-6515**
**Website:**
**www.texasruralpartners.org**
** **