By L. Parsons Winslow Economic Director Una Wirkebau has created a survey for all Winslow residents. The survey is intended to gather information about the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) concerning the town. In addition to offering the survey online on the City of Winslow Facebook page, Wirkebau also presented a live version to citizens last week. “I would like you all to think of a community outside of Winslow that you have been to that you just felt has it together. They’ve got all the things that make you feel warm and fuzzy. Think of the things about those communities that are taking a situation that is probably not the best, but making the best of it,” stated Wirkebau to those in attendance. Wirkebau explained that those fun, quirky, inclusive communities are what her goals and ideas are for Winslow. “What does a sidewalk, a school, a tree, a flag, a banner and a manufacturing plant all have in common?” Wirkebau explained that all of those are about economic development. Economic development is about quality of life for a community. “It’s not just somebody saying, ‘Oh I’m going to go find an industry and bring them in here and then my job is done.’” She said, “If you’re not supporting your local entrepreneurs, if you’re not giving your community what it needs to be livable and happy, you’re not doing your job as an economic developer.” As the discussion continued, Wirkebau attempted to stimulate thoughts from the attendees regarding the SWOT criteria. “At this point in time for me to go and approach an industry and tell them we’ve got a railroad spur, we have BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe), we have I-40, we have an airport that’s amazing… that is not going to happen. This community as it stands today can’t absorb 100 employees of that industry.” She continued, “Maybe, even if we had housing, if we brought them in right now, what would they do? We need to give them things to stimulate them. That’s what those communities you were thinking of before have figured out. The more we get people to say this place is amazing, the more they’re going to come back time and time again.” She mentioned what she calls, “The Great Move,” in which urban residents are noticing that they can work from anywhere and they are seeing that they would rather live and work in a more rural setting. “Why not live in a place where they can garden their own food and their kids can walk to school and be safe? Those are things, I think that we are striving for.” The concept of SWOT, according to Wirkebau is to determine a pathway of what the needs are for any given organization or, in this case, municipality. She said, “We have never done this in Winslow. We have never had any kind of strategic plan for Winslow. The county has, the region has, but we have never done that. That is part of why we are in the situation that we are in. This is really going to help. There are no wrong or right answers. In fact, the more answers that we have that are the same, that actually says something in itself.” Wirkebau once again expressed her belief that there is, “So much opportunity in Winslow.” She also gave examples of what would fall under the threat category on the SWOT analysis. She said, “Homelessness, having a community that is not healthy or that doesn’t have access to healthcare, I-40 could be considered a threat, the shutting down of the coal plants, climate change could be a threat.” She explained that threats could be as large or as small as the survey submitter could perceive. “Again, no right or wrong answers. I would just love to get some feedback from those of you who live and work in this community on what we can do better as well as what we are already doing right.” The SWOT survey will be available through mid-November, according to Wirkebau. Those wishing to participate in it can do so online on the City of Winslow’s Facebook page or by visiting City Hall, located at 21 N. Williamson Ave.
