March 31, 2008
All Five Sponsoring Boards Unanimously Approve Natick 360 Strategic Plan
During the month of March, all five sponsoring boards (Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Finance Committee, Conservation Commission, and Planning Board) voted unanimously to adopt the Natick 360 Strategic Plan. Natick is now one of the few communities in the country to have completed such a comprehensive planning process.
For the past 2 years, the Natick 360 Strategic Planning process has engaged over 10% of households, including nearly 2,000 people, in a dialogue about the future of Natick. This dialog has included residents, local businesses, and non-profits, and has been funded by public funds through a Town Meeting appropriation of $150,000 and private donations from local businesses of close to $40,000.
The dialog has produced a set of value and vision statements for the community and a common set of strategic goals that will move the community toward the future vision, adopted by all five sponsoring boards. Between the five sponsoring boards, almost 200 action items have been identified to be executed over the next 5 years to work toward the goals.
The complete Natick 360 Strategic Plan is available here. We summarize the Value and Vision Statements and the Strategic Goals below.
As citizens of Natick, we value:
- Natick’s “small-town” sense as a safe, interconnected community fed by its heritage, pride and spirit of volunteerism, and by its diversity, derived from its tradition of affordability and welcoming nature;
- Natick’s stewardship of its diverse open spaces, and natural resources;
- A high-value education for students at all levels and abilities, and continuing educational opportunities for all Natick citizens;
- A variety of businesses that create a wide range of jobs and provide support to the community in many ways;
- Natick Center, a vibrant focal point of our community;
- Natick’s abundance of cultural, recreational and educational facilities, wide array of municipal services, and proximity to major transit and transportation resources that contribute to our high quality of life.
As citizens of Natick, we aspire to create a future in which:
- Natick is a healthy community of diverse and interconnected citizens, businesses, organizations and neighborhoods, where citizens of all ages, backgrounds and income levels can live, work and thrive;
- Natick’s natural resources are preserved and accessible to the community;
- Natick Center is the vibrant core of the community, a unique and accessible destination for commerce, community and culture, day and night;
- Natick’s public schools and programs are recognized as among the best;
- Natick’s self-government, supported by informed and engaged citizens, is fiscally sound, delivers services efficiently and communicates effectively with the public;
- Natick’s public infrastructure and buildings fulfill their function efficiently and effectively to the satisfaction of the community, and are maintained in good working order;
- Natick is a desirable and accessible destination that marshals local and regional partners and resources to solve problems and enhance the quality of life for all its citizens.
We will progress toward this vision by working on the following Strategic Goals (random order):
- Assure short-term and long-term financial stability of the Town in order to sustain the services required and desired by the community.
- Ensure that people are well-informed about what the Town is doing, so that people vote and participate in Town boards and committees.
- Maintain public safety commensurate with growth and change.
- Proactively plan for new development appropriate for neighborhoods and the community.
- Improve educational quality, opportunities and outcomes for each student, regardless of age and ability.
- Develop and implement a plan for extraordinary capital projects.
- Develop a comprehensive system for maintaining and improving public facilities, infrastructure, and ordinary capital requirements.
- Improve traffic flows and minimize the impact of traffic on the Town.
- Encourage Natick’s transition to an environmentally sustainable community.
- Attract and retain businesses providing high-quality jobs.
- Promote, foster and enable an economically, socially and culturally vibrant and diverse Natick Center.
- Address the intellectual, physical and social needs of all Natick residents.
The Strategic Plan contains details of almost 200 action items proposed by the sponsoring boards. To read the details of the Natick 360 Strategic Plan click here.
October 2, 2007
ETC Institute to Present Survey Results
Chris Tatham, project manager for research firm ETC Institute will make a presentation to the community of the Natick 360 survey results at 7PM at the Wilson Middle School Auditorium. You are welcome to attend and learn more about what the community thinks. Mr. Tatham will be available for questions at the presentation.
September 6, 2007
Community Survey Results Report Available
Almost 1,200 Natick residents, selected at random by research firm ETC Institute participated in the Natick 360 Community Survey. The survey results are being reviewed by the Natick 360 Sponsoring Boards. You’re invited to attend a presentation of the survey results at the Wilson Middle School Auditorium on October 2, 2007 at 7PM.
Click here for a copy of the survey results report.
June 8, 2007
Natick Residents Participate in Strategic Choices Weekend
More than 140 residents participated in the Natick 360 Strategic Choices Weekend at Kennedy Middle School during the weekend of June 8, 2007. People met in small groups to review a series of strategic choices and help give their ideas about priorities. The results of the Strategic Choices Weekend were integrated into the design the a random sample community survey to be fielded in July 2007.
June 6, 2007
Strategic Options Report Generated for Strategic Choices Weekend
The Strategic Options Report used during the Strategic Choices Weekend is available for your reference. Click here to view a copy of the report. (PDF format)
May 7-11, 2007
Sponsoring Boards to create menu of Strategic Options
During the next several weeks, the Natick 360 Sponsoring Boards will create a menu of strategic options for consideration by the public. The list will be finalized by the end of May and you are invited to help us prioritize the list by attending the Strategic Choices Weekend on June 8-10 at Kennedy Middle School.
Ongoing
Citizens List the Best of Natick
Citizens have an opportunity to list the best things Natick has to offer. If you had a guest visiting from out of town and you wanted to recommend something for them to do or see in Natick, what would it be? Click here to give us your opinion.
Ongoing
Citizens Create Natick’s Collective Timeline
Natick's history is rich and varied. What dates from Natick's past are important to you? How about your personal history? Are there births, graduations, or other special events that you want to record on our Town's Historical Timeline? Take a moment to add your history to our Collective History Timeline.
Ongoing
Vision for the Future Weekend DVDs available at Morse Institute Library
Handouts from the Vision for the Future Weekend and a DVD of the Opening Session on October 27 featuring keynote speaker Anthony Flint are available at the Morse Institute Library reference desk. Details
