Passing the Baton from VCRD to Sustainable Woodstock

By Christopher Bartlett

On October 20, 2005, an early snowstorm did not cool the enthusiasm scores of Woodstock residents hurrying to various forums around the village. Full of ideas about how to improve life in their town, they were a part of the initial meeting of the Community Visit Program of the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD).

Last week, a little more than 3 1/2 years after that fresh fall evening, the chairs of the four VCRD task forces reported back to a combined meeting of the Woodstock Trustees and the Select Board. "It gave closure to some outstanding work by a group of very dedicated people," said Tom Debevoise, Chair of VCRD's Woodstock Community Visit.

At the same meeting, representatives of Sustainable Woodstock presented a brief history of their organization and outlined their plans for the future. Not surprisingly, many of the community issues that had attracted the VCRD interest were also high on the agenda for Sustainable Woodstock--community identity, walking and bike trails, and East End development, to name a few.

In their presentations, members of both groups talked about "passing the baton" from the VCRD task forces to the Sustainable Woodstock action groups. And they acknowledged that one of the most important ways in which Sustainable Woodstock has been able to leverage the work of VCRD has been through the migration of many key individuals from one organization to the other.

Sally Miller, chair of VCRD's Community Identity task force and now a member of Sustainable Woodstock's leadership group represents a good example. "It shows the strength of our community's commitment to these important issues," she said. "And there is a large, untapped group is still ready to join in the when they see things developing in areas where they can make a contribution."

Tom Debevoise agrees. "It's a long process that will take a sustained effort. But there is a great willingness to work together in this community. People want to determine where they are going, not just drift along."

Members of Sustainable Woodstock were quick to acknowledge their debt to the earlier work done by the VCRD groups. "The data, analysis, and ideas we inherited from them have given our action groups a tremendous start." said Anne Macksoud, a member of the Sustainable Woodstock leadership group. "We hope that many who were involved in that great work will feel inspired to reengage join our efforts on the next leg of the relay."