To the Editor:

The Tri-Town Economic Committee would like to thank all the panelists and participants who came out for our first long range-planning forum on August 28, and invite everyone to our next forum on September 18, from 7 to 9 pm, at the Jacksonville Municipal Center.

The first forum, a historical perspective of economic development in the valley, was well attended by more than 80 residents. It began the task of recognizing that every constituency group, from young to retired, from agricultural to second home-owner, and from tourism to nontourism, will be negatively affected if we do nothing.

The forums are part of the efforts of the Tri-Town Economic Development Committee created by the selectboards of Dover, Whitingham, and Wilmington. A series of six forums is planned to lead up to next year’s Town Meeting to create a longer term outline of how we might better control and improve our common destinies.

The second forum will consider understanding the root causes of our economic challenges so we can overcome them. In this forum we will have speakers explore economic data of the valley, region and state, and the challenges facing us. We will then ask the audience to discuss “what are the root causes of our economic issues and which of these can we impact and control?”

We are hoping to encourage all residents of the valley, the business community, and second home-owners to participate in this two-hour forum.

As community members, we believe everyone’s input and participation in these forums is vital as we move toward developing goals and plans and ultimately funding of projects to strengthen, diversify, and grow our economy.

Sincerely,

Bruce Mullen

On behalf of the Tri-Town Long Range Economic Development Committee

Wilmington