Community Facilitator helps towns reach Economic Action Plan Targets

2. Community Facilitator helps towns reach Economic Action Plan Targets • A community facilitator project undertaken in 2008-2009 has helped communities on the Baie Verte Peninsula evaluate and move forward with an Economic Action Plan for the region

3. Goals: • To revisit 8 communities involved in previous community facilitator project to bring back to life the economic action plan that had been completed several years earlier • To discern whether there was any additional support needed by community councils in order to rejuvenate their economic plans and thereby enhance the infrastructure and economic development for their community

4. REDB Role: • Emerald Zone hired facilitator who: • compiled a worksheet for community council meetings, outlining the targets, results and objectives of each individual community • met with each of the 8 community town councils to assess progress with prior targets and to see if there were any new current or future initiatives for the councils

5. Outcomes: • Community facilitator reported an increase in community unity and confidence • Reviving the economic action plans resulted in renewed enthusiasm about priorities and achieving their development goals • It was also noted how much progress had been made since the original facilitator program was launched

6. Development Highlights: • Baie Verte: marine improvements, infrastructure and recreation upgrades • Burlington: trail improvements, tourism information developed, recreation upgrades • Middle Arm: trail, recreation and tourism improvements • Seal Cove: writing a Community Building plan as a result of facilitator’s help