"The community of Waynoka strives to improve the quality of
life for its citizens
by encouraging revitalization and growth while preserving our rich heritage."
Editorial By Mark CarsonNow that the dust has settled and the air has somewhat cleared, as Waynoka, we have a great opportunity to focus on our vision for the future. With the collective efforts of the community using the Century Community project as a tool, a fantastic mission statement for Waynoka was produced. Waynoka's Century Community Mission states, "The community of Waynoka strives to improve the quality of life for its citizens by encouraging revitalization and growth while preserving our rich heritage. " This simple but effective mission statement produces a clear understanding of our vision for Waynoka in the future. Every organization and person in the city can agree on this mission statement. If the community buys into and owns these simple words, it will play vital part in building this vision of Waynoka. There is not one of us that is not interested in improving our quality of life here in Northwest Oklahoma. This mission is not about changing what our organizations are doing or what project any one of us is working on. It's about making us all aware that we share a common direction in creating that home town that we envision. The Century Community Project is a wonderful catalyst to develop a unified plan. It is breaks down into modules and organizes the contributions of our organizations. The collective plans of these organizations with their goals play an intricate part in producing a common direction for Waynoka. "We work together in this town and always have," Barbara Icke said in a recent City Council meeting, "We are making great things happen." Waynoka groups and committees are working for the betterment of Waynoka, which is our mission. Opportunity is knocking at our door. I think that the Century Community Project is a great way for us to break down those traditional boundaries, east vs. west, city vs. state park, in town vs. out of town, Waynoka vs. Alva, and even us vs. them! If you are interested in the betterment of our community, get involved. Used with permission from the Woods County Enterprise |
Co-Chairs Karen Payne and Jeanne Cole
The Oklahoma Century Community Program is designed to take communities to the next level of economic readiness. The program focuses on implementing locally defined plans using structured training modules centered on community and economic renewal.
During the first planning phase of the Century Community Program process, communities conducted a self-evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses. This next level of the Century Community Program process requires communities to use that assessment and community strategic plan to implement community and business development improvements and thereby cause economic renewal.
Benefits
The intangible benefits a community will receive are numerous:
- Improved quality of life for all citizens
- A community that is well positioned to attract new business
- A new level of community pride in a job well done
- Public demonstration of community leaders’ commitment to making a difference
- Heightened awareness of the importance of continual planning and improvements in the economic development process
- A community with a strong foundation for future growth
The tangible benefits will be realized with implementation of the community strategic plan.
Modules
Taking a modular-based approach, Century Community addresses improvements in
the
following areas:
- Leadership and Planning
- Physical Infrastructure
- Emergency Preparedness
- Location & Transportation
- Education & Workforce
- Quality of Life
- Buildings & Sites
- Business Development
- Marketing
- Community Services
- Entrepreneurial
- Tourism
- Energy
Read more on the Waynoka Century Community website.