This session was our celebration meeting with good food from Mel's Diner. Several of our regulars showed up along with a few new faces we were glad to see. Prizes should have been awarded to Opal Lee Cookson, Tammy Donner, Norman Ogles and Jeff Holloway for attending all 5 sessions. That will have to be added to the agenda for another meeting.

Along with the celebration, some very important work was also done.

The Puxico Four Corners Development Team action groups chose a contact person and assigned individuals to work on the specific action areas. The contact persons are:

Economic Improvement Group - Jeff Harmon

Tourism Group - Eldon Evans

Social Improvement Group - Tamara Donner

Physical Improvement Group - Dale Sifford

These groups will get together on an ongoing basis to work on their visions for Puxico. Periodic meetings of the entire Puxico Four Corners Development Team will be held to update everyone on the progress of the individual groups and to finalize and write the plan. Each group has a big assignment but with the dedication and enthusiasm of the people we have seen thus far - these goals are attainable. It will take time, hard work and encouraging the participation of others in the community to achieve success.

The Puxico school art teacher is working with students on the logo contest for the group. The judges were selected and will be looking for something that is colorful, creative and captures the spirit of the group. Savings bonds will be awarded to the first and second place winners.

Happy Holidays and keep watching our website for updates and coming meetings.

About the same rowdy crowd as last time, with some new faces. Glen Harmon won a prize quickly for talking so much. He was given a jar of bubble maker with a wand, so he could put all the hot air to practical use. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out how to use it. Martha will probably show him when they get home.
After all the hard work, the group decided that they needed a name. It was discussed and the name for the group to develop the area is:

PUXICO FOUR CORNERS DEVELOPMENT TEAM

The name is intended to capture the spirit of working with nearby Wayne, Butler and Bollinger Counties in developing the area that surrounds Puxico.
The groups spent a great deal of time developing specific actions that must be taken to realize their visions. Toward the end of the meeting, the four groups discussed their planned action with the entire group.

TOURISM
· Promote Agri-tourism
· Restoring old buildings
· Develop the Depot as a historic museum
· Build a motel
· Upgrade and beautify Main Street
· Improve Highway 51
· Promote Mingo Tours Auto/Bus/Historical/Civil War theme
· County Bicycle tour
· Promote Puxico as the 'Gateway to Mingo and Wappapello"
· Puxico walking tour
· Local festivals

SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
· New building for Senior Center
· Improve Veterans Park for festivals, and use as community center
· Purchase/build a building for adult learning center
· Cultivate the culture of the area/region

ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT
· Speculative building in industrial park for area career center
· Create higher skilled, higher paying jobs
· Support the growth of local businesses
· More jobs, better pay to retain young people
· Business Recruitment
· Improve infrastructure
· Improve Highway 51
· Cultivate the culture of the area/region
· Promote, market, advertise, take advantage of existing resources

PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS
· Downtown Revitalization, Lighting, Sidewalks
· Build a motel
· Beautification, Yard of the month
· Action Committee
· Volunteer clean up days in conjunction with a cookout
· Make Highway 51 a 'Super 2'
· Research and exploit fund raising opportunities.

At this point a skeleton plan for the development of the area has been developed. Now, small details will have to be worked out, assignments made and momentum continued. As Ira Meadows said, "The more people who get involved, the better it works". After the details are settled, the plan will be written and all participants and anyone else who is interested will be given a copy. Each group must continue to meet and promote the actions they have decided upon. The Stoddard County IDA, The local Coordinator and many others will serve as resource persons and assist the group with sources and ideas for assembling resources to carry out the plan.
The next meeting is on December 12. Smaller details will be discussed, a logo for the Team will be worked on and plans will move toward finalization. THIS SESSION WILL INCLUDE A CELEBRATION! Don't miss this meeting.

Gracious Mayor Coutavas and Jeff Holloway opened the meeting before a near-capacity crowd. Getting right into it, the Visioners reviewed the visions that were formulated at the first meeting and updated at the second meeting:
1. Adequate jobs with higher skill levels and good pay
2. Physical and economic growth
3. Downtown revitalization
4. A center for community activities, recreation and senior facilities
5. Improvements in physical infrastructure
6. Facilities for the youth
7. School improvements
8. Tourism Development
9. Improve Housing
10. Cultivate Cultural Resources
During the session, other visions were added as follows:
11. Improve Highway 51 to a "Super 2"
12. Improve other busy roads in the area
13. Public Transportation
14. Area Career Center (Training)

Needs and resources were reviewed and discussed. The first obvious need is for funding for projects. Representative Rob Mayer attended the meeting. After considerable coaxing, he spoke to the group about his vision for funding from the State level. It came as no surprise that the State of Missouri is in a tight fiscal situation, which means that funding for programs will be limited. Representative Mayer did say that Puxico was taking the right approach by working together, formulating plans and defining their focus for development of the area. It appears that limited funds will be most available to those communities that position themselves to demonstrate that any funds received will be utilized to the best benefit of the recipients. Even in difficult times, the best projects will still be funded.

Visioners then looked at the visions they had formulated and categorized them as follows:
ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT
· Adequate jobs with higher skill levels and good pay
· Cultivate Cultural Resources
· Physical and economic growth
· Area Career Center (Training)

PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT
· Downtown revitalization
· Improve Housing
· Improvements in physical infrastructure
· School improvements
· Improve Highway 51 to a "Super 2"
· Improve other busy roads in the area

SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
· Cultivate Cultural Resources
· A center for community activities, recreation and senior facilities
· Facilities for the youth
· School improvements
· Public Transportation

TOURISM
· Tourism Development
· Cultivate Cultural Resources
· Improve Highway 51 to a "Super 2"
· Improve other busy roads in the area

The group (which was rapidly turning into an unruly mob) then divided into four groups to work on the four categories outline above. The procedure that they will follow is to take the rather broad visions that they categorized and decide what specific actions will be necessary to make the visions happen. As each action is identified, the following things must be considered:
1. Who will do it?
2. What steps are necessary?
3. What resources are needed?
4. What information is needed?
5. How will we measure success?
6. Will there be problems? How will we deal with them?

This is the process that was happening when it was 9:00. It will be continued at the next meeting on November 14th.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A FEW DEDICATED PEOPLE
TO CHANGE THE WORLD ...
INDEED, IT IS THE ONLY THING WHICH HAS EVER CHANGED IT.
Margaret Meade

There were a number of new faces at this meeting, in addition to most of the previous participants. It was encouraging to see three students from the school.

The session was started with a review of the purpose statement, Puxico exists to: which is stated in the first session. The group was still happy with the statement.

It was hard for the group to confine themselves to the methodical planning method being used. It is now becoming evident that there are good avenues for improvement and the resources to get those things accomplished. Ideas are beginning to develop and specific projects are 'popping up' that seem to be too easy and simple (and probably are). However, the group, although wired up, completed the tasks necessary to carry on the planning process.

Julian Steiner, Missouri Enterprise, attended the meeting. He is the contractor for the City on the feasibility study for economic development. He is very excited about the tourism possibilities for the area and stimulated those present with some excellent ideas.

Then, the eight visions developed at the first meeting were reviewed. The group was offered the opportunity to add to the visions as new ideas developed through the evening. And new visions were developed. The Visions added were:
1. IMPROVE HOUSING
2. CULTIVATE CULTURAL RESOURCES

The participants then entered into a discussion of the resources that would be needed to accomplish their vision for Puxico. The conclusion was that the following resources would be essential to developing the 10 visions.
1. MONEY
2. MANPOWER
3. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
4. IDEAS
5. MARKETING OF --TOWN--PEOPLE--CULTURE
6. ADVERTISING
7. UNITY
8. COMMUNITY PRIDE
9. MORE BUSINESSES
10. HOUSING
This list will be developed further, but the list seemed to contain all the elements necessary to begin realizing the visions that are wanted.

With the needs in mind, attention was turned to the resources that were available presently. It was decided that the following things were already available:
1. MONEY
2. TOURISTS
3. MANPOWER
4. EXCEPTIONAL SCHOOL
5. COMMUNITY PRIDE
6. GOOD IDEAS
7. HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER
8. JOB CORPS
Surprisingly, the lists were very similar. If we'd had more time to discuss, the lists might have been more similar. Unfortunately, the bell rang at 9:00 and we all went home.

The next meeting is November 7, City Hall, 6:30. This meeting will be to organize the visions into categories. Participants will then decide which categories each would like to be involved with, and will begin to form a strategy to get what they want for Puxico!!!!!!!

"Puxico is Paradise", was the comment that won Mike Hodge first prize for 'profound statement of the day'. That sentiment was echoed by the sizeable group of participants all evening. There was discussion, at one point, about competitiveness. Dale Sifford allowed as how he was very competitive and always wanted to be first. He coined the phrase "Second Sucks". Unfortunately, he only won second prize in the profound statement contest. Second place is just the top loser.

The session was kicked off by Mayor Coutavas, who expressed his pleasure at the turnout and voiced his support for the effort being made. Coordinator Jeff Holloway gave a brief outline of the funding structure and direction of the Group.

The visioning session, facilitated by Sue Tippen and Gary Capps, was focused first on the identification of why Puxico exists as a community. This segment was difficult and required a lot of fruitful discussion and some compromise. In the end all were in agreement that:

PUXICO EXISTS TO NURTURE FAMILIES/FRIENDS SPIRITUALLY, SOCIALLY AND THROUGH A TRADITION OF CARING. PUXICO ALSO EXISTS TO PROVIDE A QUALITY CLIMATE OF SERVICES, SAFETY, EDUCATION, RECREATION, FELLOWSHIP, INSPIRATION, HOSPITALITY AND ACCEPTANCE, WITH HOMETOWN SPIRIT AND PRIDE.

While this was a time consuming exercise, it is absolutely necessary for participants to know why their community exists, so they can decide what they want their community to be.

With this in mind the group embarked on an intense discussion of what they want their community to look like in the year 2015. Comments receive via e-mail were also considered by the group. It was quickly decided that this vision was not intended for the older generation, but instead, for future generations. The participants worked in smaller groups and outline their visions for the future of Puxico. Those who were less literate were given crayons and allowed to draw pictures. The results from each group were surprisingly similar. Results were compared and a comprehensive list was prepared and agreed upon by everyone in attendance.

This, then is a preliminary list of what the citizens of Puxico want their community profile to be in the year 2015:

1. Adequate jobs with higher skill levels and good pay
2. Physical and economic growth
3. Downtown revitalization
4. A center for community activities, recreation and senior facilities
5. Improvements in physical infrastructure
6. Facilities for the youth
7. School improvements
8. Tourism Development

The eight stated visions are broad and general and will need to be refined and separated into specific activities for each category. Resources that are existing will need to be identified. These items will be addressed in the next session. In future session, attempts will be made to identify other resources that may be available and that may come available at a later date.

NEXT SESSION IS OCTOBER 29, 2002 AT PUXICO CITY HALL AT 6:30.