Saturday, July 27, 2013

A BIG Idea

Brackenridge Improvement Group began with an ad in the Valley News Dispatch newspaper. Brackenridge resident Paul Valasek had seen the positive changes made by community organizations in other towns in the Alle-Kiski Valley, such as Natrona and Arnold. nspired by the positive changes these groups made, Paul sought to bring together Brackenridge residents who were willing to volunteer their time and talents in order to improve our borough. When he placed an ad in the paper asking for interested residents to meet in a local catering hall one weekday evening, he had no idea if there would be more than a handful of people showing up. In fact, 17 residents turned out and shared their ideas on how to help our town reach its full potential.

Following up on the success of the first meeting, BIG held a second meeting on July 15th at Riverfront Park, and got an even bigger turnout. The group used this occasion to begin planning our kick-off party on Saturday, September 21st.

BIG is not here to point fingers or to place blame for the challenges our town faces. To be effective, we must be positive and inclusive, and remain willing to work with all the stakeholders in our community, from local government and businesses to the residents. We are learning from the experiences of similar groups in neighboring communities, and leveraging the expertise and connections of a diverse background of people who make up our membership. Together we will work through the challenges and build a bright future for our town.