Fairfield Bay to Undertake Planning for the Future

by Mark Peterson - October 15, 2019

Congratulations to community leaders of Fairfield Bay, who recently committed to launch a strategic action planning process to ensure a vibrant and sustainable future for the community.

Initiated by the Fairfield Bay 2035 Team, representatives from several organizations were invited to a meeting on Oct. 11, 2019, to discuss how best to plan for the future.

Fairfield Bay Team 2035 Chairman Ken Schuette opened the meeting, stating that the purpose of this meeting is to explore how we can work together for the future of Fairfield Bay. Van Buren County Extension Agent Danny Griffin then introduced Mark Peterson, Professor of Community and Economic Development with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

Peterson presented information about Breakthrough Solutions, a partnership program with the purpose of assisting Arkansas communities become vibrant and sustainable in the 21st century economy. He described the strategic action planning process that is used in the Breakthrough Solutions program and led a discussion about the community. The consensus of those present was that Fairfield Bay does many things very well, but it is important to plan for the future, particularly in light of the population decline of Fairfield Bay, and challenges to maintain and fund infrastructure needs of the community.

Those present committed to move forward with a strategic action planning process, with assistance from Dr. Peterson and the Breakthrough Solutions program. They also agreed to serve as a steering committee for this initiative. The group chose Moving Fairfield Bay Forward as the name for this initiative, and chose the following individuals to lead this initiative: Co-chairs: Ken Schuette and Jackie Sikes, and Communications chairperson: Deborah Bond.

Stay tuned for upcoming events sponsored by Moving Fairfield Bay Forward.