There are so many aspects to a community. And it s easy for us to focus on just one piece of the community and to work only with those who share that interest. We saw that fragmentation demonstrated for us at IRP meetings in Mackay and in Kooskia with transportation planning.
Engineers think about building safe roads as efficiently as possible.
Without a concerted effort to communicate and coordinate, they may miss others in the community concerned about tourism, infrastructure, or a potential industrial park. Efficient and effective public investments come more often with thinking across programs and issues, with integration of community development efforts. A coordination mechanism across disciplines is crucial to rural success. An October 2000 article in the National Journal by Megan Twohey makes the same conclusion. So does the Governor s Task Force on Rural Development, when it calls for a rural champion and a State Rural Development Team.