Friday's Internet Edition, July 04, 2008.
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| Rendered design concepts will allow residents to visualize Van Horn's future entrance monuments. |
paints a thousand words
and it’s on that truth that
the Van Horn Economic
Development Corporation
has chosen this Saturday to
provide a bunch of pictures
of the plans, ideas, concepts
and goals of the Van Horn
Economic Development
Corporation’s Economic
Development
Initiative. The initiative
is called Project 7,
the room is called the
Project 7 Room, and the
special day to view those
pictures is this Saturday,
July 7, 2007, or 7-7-7.
The Project 7 room
is located in the front-most
room of the Clark Hotel
Museum where the EDC
has undertaken a rapid and
ongoing renovation of that
small building in order to
demonstrate appropriate
renovation techniques,
highlight the museum and
define a central location
convenient for locals
and travelers to see the
pictures, find the vision
and catch the dream of a
Van Horn that is everything
its people want it to be
from the smallest project
to the grandest project
(like rebuilding the
historic Culberson County
Courthouse).
In reality, the vision is the
community’s vision. Just
over two years ago, VHEDC
and its advisory group,
AdventGX, held three public
work sessions to hear the
dreams of the community
and determine an approach
that will make these dreams
come true over time.
Things never move as fast
as we would like, and
numerous hurdles to success
have been identified
from simple apathy to federal
and state policy and programs
that just don’t fit our rural
and remote community.
The pictures that we are
going to show this Saturday
will, we hope, help with the
apathy thing while strategic
meetings held recently in
Austin are the approach that
we’re taking to solicit real
support of our efforts for
rural economic development
that is more than just talk.
But, the biggest factor in
the success of our program
is you. We have felt the
support of the community
as we’ve come to this
point and now we want to
share some of the pictures
that have been developed
under our program.
These pictures help us to
understand the different
projects in ways that words
fall short. They, more than
any component of the
program, help us to grasp
the vision, dream the
dream and open our minds
to let our own ideas flow.
That’s our request of you for
this Saturday, 7-7-7. Please
come see the pictures,
read the novel, dream
with us and then flow
out with your own ideas,
suggestions, dreams and
vision. We want to hear
about it. Tell us in person
this Saturday, drop us
a note sometime on the
project7.org website, or
slip a piece of paper into
the Project 7 suggestion
box that is located in
the front wall of the
Project 7 room. Anonymous
is fine if that’s what
you want, but knowing
who you are would be
better. We might need
to call you sometime so
that we can get you to
share your vision with us.
The VHEDC Board will
be there this Saturday to
hear your thoughts, talk
some history, fill you in on
the particulars of our
community projects, and
just visit ‘cause “that’s
what we like to do best.”
EDC Board members
are Larry Simpson,
Becky Brewster, Laura
Barragan, Susie Hinojos,
Paul Blankenburg, Sam
Bhakta and Linda Tarango.
TEEX and Van Horn Partner to Enhance
Rural Economic Development
The Texas Engineering
Extension Service (TEEX)
is an internationally
recognized leader in the
delivery of emergency
response and workforce
training, exercises and
technical assistance and
economic development
support. A member of The
Texas A&M University
System, the agency provides
hands-on, customized
solutions that impact
Texans in their daily lives.
Van Horn is among the many
communities that TEEX
has supported. Recognizing
that the local leadership in
Van Horn was willing to
do the hard work required
to build the community,
TEEX decided to partner
with Van Horn early in
its economic development
initiative, providing
strategies for addressing
the unique challenges
facing very rural and
remote towns across Texas.
TEEX stepped in early on
when Van Horn Economic
Development Corporation
called in need of specialized
raining for local businesses
seeking to improve their
business practices. TEEX
tcreated a training course
that provided business
computing basics for
contractors. Later, TEEX
provided Van Horn with a
grant for services to develop
conceptual drawings of
community beautification
and highway improvement
plans. Those drawing
subsequently supported
the town’s request for
funding support to bring
the projects to fruition.
More recently, TEEX
partnered with Van Horn
and AdventGX to develop
a specialized seminar for
rural leaders focusing on
the dissemination of best
practices for rural economic
development. The Rural
Economic & Tourism
Development Seminar held
in Van Horn in March of this
year was the pilot seminar
in a series that will now
travel the state in an effort
to bring rural development
strategies to some of the
state’s most remote towns.
TEEX and Van Horn
have long been dedicated
to the education and
improvement of local
citizens and municipal
employees and have
together accomplished this
goal. Van Horn has been
host to countless TEEX
courses and Van Horn
and Culberson County
workers have enjoyed the
benefits of TEEX training
programs geared for current
municipal employees and
residents of communities
throughout Texas.
Visitors to Van Horn and
surrounding communities
also benefit by the expertise
of workers in this small
west Texas community by
having experienced law
enforcement personnel,
well-trained emergency
first responders and public
works staff who provide
safe drinking water to all.
Van Horn cares not only
for its own but for everyone
who passes through to other
destinations and the public
safely personnel in Van
Horn are better equipped to
serve thanks to the training
provided through TEEX.
For more than 80 years, TEEX goals have
included developing Texas
businesses and the economy,
protecting people and the
environment, and building a
safe, modern infrastructure.
By working closely with
communities like Van Horn,
TEEX is able to ensure that
its programs and services
have a positive impact on
Texas. In Van Horn, TEEX
impact has only begun and
the partnership is one the
agency hopes to emulate in
communities across the state.