The Parsons Blueprint Community Team – a team of community residents, leaders, and partners of Parsons – has been actively strengthening partnerships, participating in trainings, and laying the foundation for future community development. This summer, the team hosted two free community events (ice cream social and cake walk) to gather valuable insight from hundreds of Parsons’ residents about what they want for the future of their city.
In September, the Parsons team unveiled a vision statement for the community at a calk walk and resident input event held by the Blueprint Community Team. The vision statement was crafted based on feedback received from residents about their hopes for Parsons 10 to 20 years in the future.
The new vision statement reads, “Parsons, WV, the little city with a big heart, is a safe, friendly, welcoming community where all people can live, work, and play in a relaxed, small-town atmosphere. Our vibrant downtown supports the needs of our residents and cultivates a strong, sustainable economy. Our city serves as a recreation hub for the region as our residents and visitors enjoy our impressive system of parks, trails and rivers.”
Once the vision statement was created, the team listened to the public once again and established a priority to serve as a focus for its work.
The priority of the Parsons Blueprint Community is “to revitalize downtown Parsons by growing businesses, providing adequate housing, and promoting community as we encourage gathering places.”
On Thursday, November 14, the Parsons Blueprint team will host a third community event to discuss the Parsons Blueprint Community Team’s goals and work. It will also ask for feedback on the information the team has gathered as well as the proposed vision statement and community development priority. A Community Chat ‘n Chew will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. at Piccolo Paula’s Cafe’. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Blueprint Communities was created in 2005 by the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) of Pittsburgh. The FHLBank has collaborated with The West Virginia Community Development Hub (the Hub) to support a team of people from Parsons to facilitate the planning process, host input sessions, and undergo a training to acquire the knowledge needed to develop an action plan.