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State of the Vision – January 2002
OverviewVision 2020 – Year 1 – Laying the Foundation
One year ago Greater Bakersfield embarked on a 20-year mission to achieve the Vision for the future created by community. Much was accomplished during this first year in implementing the 20-year Action Plan developed during the Vision 2020 process. People are talking and working together. People are acting. Things are happening. And Greater Bakersfield is moving forward.
How do we assess all that has been accomplished? Above all, in Year 1 we have laid the foundation for the next 19 years. Key public and private institutions have adopted the Vision and Action Plan and are setting in motion their own action plans. People and organizations from across the community are coming together to tackle problems and leverage their resources. A Vision 2020 mindset is emerging that emphasizes learning from each other and collaborating to get the job done. There is a renewed sense of urgency, yet also growing confidence that as a community we can achieve our Vision.
People are talking and working together. The existing climate of collaboration has intensified as city and county government, educational institutions, business, and community-based organizations focus on common objectives as identified by community input. More than 100 agencies and organizations are actively involved in implementing the Action Plan. More than 150 Vision Force volunteers from across the community continue to monitor and champion implementation of the plan.
People are acting. The City of Bakersfield and the County of Kern adopted the Vision 2020 Report. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Cal State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield College, the Kern High School District, Bakersfield City School District and others have embraced the Vision. The Workforce Investment Board, Kern Economic Development Corporation, Chambers of Commerce and other groups have incorporated Vision 2020 into their program of work. “Spirit of the Vision” awardees exemplify the “can do” attitude of individuals, groups, public officials.
Things are happening.
- Many of the community planning strategies and actions have been incorporated in the recommendations for update of the 2010 General Plan.
- Recently the City, County and KernCog came to agreement on the transporation alternative that can move us toward solving our transportation infrastructure problems
- KernLearn the online assessment tool and help for students, developed by the Kern High School District went live in October 2001.
- Kern Youth Leadership program that was identified in the Visioning process as a real need, was developed by a Leadership Bakersfield class in 2001, and went live January 2002 through the GB Chamber of Commerce and KCSOS Partnerships Plus.
- The City followed through with its plans to hire an urban forester to help protect and expand our tree canopy, and recently adopted revised landscape standards for new commercial developments as a first step in raising landscaping standards.
- Community policing, or “cops in the neighborhoods” was identified by the community as an important step for a safer community and the Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff’s Office are moving forward with their plans for community policing substations in the neighborhoods.
- As a result of innovative efforts of the City Economic Development Department, funds were obtained and agreements signed for new single family homes to be built as affordable housing in-fill developments.
- The City of Bakersfield with assistance from the Downtown Business Association and local architects staged a charrette process last May in which residents were invited to share their ideas for an improved Heart of the City where people would want to live, work and play. Many of those concepts, such as the Wall Street Alley plan, are moving forward.
- East Bakersfield Community Coalition, Greenfield Collaborative, and Southeast Neighborhood Partnership along with several other organizations have used Vision 2020 data to help win grnats totaling almost $1 million.
- By March 2002 you will be able to ride from CALM to Enos Lane on the Kern River Bike Path…and enjoy water year round in Beach Park.
- Last September the Workforce Investment Board presented the first “State of the Workforce” that gives us a starting point to measure where we are and where we want to be for the future of our economy.
- “BabySteps” has been expanded. It is a collaborative program of the KCSOS and the BCSD to provide new parents with a book and other items for their new baby, to encourage parental involvement in reading at an early age.
- Bakersfield’s Image was a major element of the Vision that came back from the community. The research phase of an Image campaign is underway.
Significant work is ahead of us. Many things are happening, driven by many organizations and individuals, but there is much more to do. As we embark on Year 2 and beyond, we must continue the forward momentum in implementing the community’s plan. This must include serious focus on five critical areas: improving our air quality; finding funding for our transporation infrastructure needs; improving our downtown to truly be the “heart of the city”; creating jobs for today and tomorrow; and targeting reading first in our efforts to improve the performance of our students. We have much ahead of us in the next 19 years!
It’s up to all of us to make our community’s Vision a reality. It’s Our Future, Our Responsibility.
