Summer is a time for celebration. We celebrate our nation’s birth on July 4. We celebrate the harvest of strawberries and other fresh fruits and vegetables that burst forth as the temperatures rise and the sun vaporizes the clouds and gloom of winter. Mostly, we get outside! We fish, we boat, we hike, we bike, we picnic, we travel, we play ball. We celebrate the spectacular place we call home.
This year, there is one more reason to celebrate. By now, I hope you have heard that Maple Valley is among this year’s top 10 cities and towns in America judged to be best places for families. In its August edition, Family Circle, the respected national magazine, conducted research and chose Maple Valley as the ONLY place west of the Rocky Mountains to receive this designation. It is a great honor and certainly is cause for celebration. But what does it really mean?
That question was at the center of an energetic discussion last Wednesday at the annual board of directors’ planning retreat for the Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce. The board focused not only on the meaning of Maple Valley’s new status but also on how it can further benefit the people who live here and the businesses and organizations that serve them.
Is it enough to celebrate being named as a top-10 city for families? Judging by the conversations we had on July 13 it is clear to me that the Family Circle designation is only the beginning of better things for this community. I choose the word “community” because our Chamber looks beyond political boundaries to the many members who live and work in Black Diamond and the unincorporated areas that border Maple Valley. The honor bestowed upon Maple Valley can bring value and energy to us all.
Our challenge, both as a Chamber and as a community, is to use this national publicity to identify and pursue opportunities that will benefit us for years to come. Maple Valley is a great place to live but it and the surrounding area can become better still. There are many needs: improved infrastructure, additional classroom and support spaces for our schools, more recreation opportunities and facilities, a broader business and commercial sector, more local jobs, and communication upgrades to keep pace with advancing technology. And, of course, we must maintain a reasonable balance between development and our natural environment.
Fortunately, we are equal to these challenges. This is an exciting time for our community. Your Chamber will be working hard to continue building a community worthy of its top-10 ranking. More importantly, we see this effort as another step in creating a more cohesive community by encouraging greater participation and involvement of the people who live here. Like the celebration that is summer, we believe this is our community’s time to shine.
Added on 07/19/2011
Filed Under
E-Newsletter,
President's Message by Chamber blog
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