OUR VIEW: Dorchester Needs Goals To Secure A Brighter Future

Ask any self-help expert or "life coach" and they will tell you to set goals if you want improvement.

The same holds true for communities, big and small.

Our village is full of helpful, caring residents who donate their time and resources. From our volunteers, to our businesses, to our school employees, to our elected leaders -- we have it pretty good.

But are we on the same page about our future? 

Our main street needs TLC and a vision. Our housing situation hasn't improved in recent memory, especially with an aging population. Some neglected properties are only getting worse.  Our streets -- well, we won't go there in this post.

The bottom line: Dorchester needs some public goal-setting. If that is occurring somewhere -- maybe the town board or the school board or both -- it isn't being shared publicly. 

That said, it is not the job of our town board, county, state, or federal government to create a vision of what Dorchester should look like 5, 10, or 20 years from now. That job belongs to you -- the residents of Dorchester and its surrounding area. 

Dorchester has all the right building blocks in place: The community foundation and various other volunteer organizations and clubs. But these strengths must be aligned with a plan that will start moving Dorchester toward a brighter future.  

As a community, let's set a handful of goals with firm deadlines.

For example, community groups could ask area households to submit their improvement ideas for future projects, then select the most feasible ideas, then set a finish date so that funding and operations could be initiated. These goals would provide focus; allow us to measure progress; and give motivation.

Without a doubt, Dorchester could benefit from a healthy dose of goal-setting. But this will only work if the goals are those of the community at-large.