Voices of the valley: Planning for your future

In the 1950s, my grandfather and I would sit on our front porch, open a window, and listen to the Yankees on a cabinet-sized AM radio. Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford led the Yankees to six World Series titles in that decade. 

Asked by reporters, "What's your plan today, Yogi?" Yogi shouted," Make a game plan and stick to it. Unless it's not working,"

Yogi's witty sayings and memories of my grandfather's laugh refreshed me for half a century, whether I was planning months of lesson units for my students or professional development with district teachers and staff. 

In Plains, a plan is being developed to address the pressures posed by population growth, affordable housing for working families and young adults, and the rising demand for water conservation and supply over the next ten to twenty years.

That said, and in keeping with Montana code, the town of Plains recruited residents to serve on the town's Planning Board, whose central task is to research and develop plans for the Town Council and the mayor's office with a focus on serving community members. 

Currently, the Planning Board's attention is focused on updating a five- to ten-year growth policy. While a growth policy is not regulatory, a growth policy — as defined by the legislature—directs support for local community development and supports loan and grant applications for the Plains area.

To understand the needs and visions of our community — families who ranch or grow crops, business owners and employees, school leaders and teachers, hospital, fire and police staff, working families, seniors, people with special needs and land use for housing and infrastructure — is a huge task, taking several months to gather information and interview individuals and groups.

In this effort, community participation fosters community empowerment and democratic development. The research process itself becomes a platform for residents to voice their ideas, engage in collective problem-solving, and mobilize for change. This increased capacity for self-determination is a significant benefit, independent of the study's specific findings. By actively participating, residents are better equipped to advocate for their needs, ensuring that future development and policy decisions for their Montana town are truly community-centered.

Resident involvement directly impacts the sustainability and utility of the research outcomes. When community members are involved in designing and implementing solutions, they develop a sense of ownership over the resulting programs, policies, or interventions.

This capacity building — the enhancement of local skills and resources — means that improvements are more likely to endure long after the research team departs. For a small Montana town grappling with economic development and housing needs, locally driven solutions are key to long-term success.

The Planning Board will draft a framework for community planning and development with visuals, such as maps and charts, to enhance understanding. Essential focus areas of a growth policy include realistic, achievable goals (the what and why of the growth policy) with specific action plans (who will do the work and what are the measurable benchmarks).

The Plains Planning Board received a $30,000 support fund from the Montana Department of Commerce to advise the Board on researching and editing a current growth policy. Also available online is Montana's Growth Policy Resource Book from the Montana Department of Commerce, Community Development Division  commerce.mt.gov/_shared/comdev/CTAP/docs/Growth-Policy-Resource-Book-2020.pdf

“Let our advanced worrying become advanced thinking and planning.” — Winston Churchill