The City of Fayetteville invites all of the public to participate in the Fayetteville Forward Summit. The summit will run from March 31 through April 4, 2009, and consists of a two day collaborative process.”
This email is being distributed, chain-mail like, to every civic group and church group (it even was sent to my synagogue, probably the latter category for them). I was trying to move the five days listed into the two days promised and got stymied. Checking the official Web site for Fayetteville Forward just made me more confused. Day One is three days long. Day Two therefore must be two days long. They may overlap.
Let’s all take time to study the schedule. When read a third time it makes sense. If you have time to comb through the bureaucratese — “the FF summit seeks to build on and connect previous work including City Plan 2025, the Eva Klein study, UACDC Light Rail study, and others. Participants in the summit will create action steps through collaborative exercises so that implementation can begin immediately. The end product will be a detailed economic development plan and time line through 2012.” — and the New Age marketing lingo — “It is an open, inclusive, participatory event that elicits the best ideas and heartfelt desires for the community, building on existing work, and connecting these efforts to create a compelling vision for the future of our community … moving the City of Fayetteville Forward for a sustainable future.” — you do have time enough to spare at month end to help your hometown see its way clear. Or not.
Day 1 turns out to be three hours long. There’s several sessions from which to choose between March 31 and April 3. Nothing’s available April 1, hmmm. Day 2 is a day, 8 to 5 Saturday, April 4, no word on lunch. Maybe you take breaks on the open day, April 1.
What we need is a new, improved high school to teach me how to work my calculator and calendar so I can make this add up then pencil it in.
In rereading the original e-mail, I see that won’t be necessary: “Children 8 years old or older are invited to participate in the summit.” Let’s put them to work: Youngsters can explain how one new, huge high school is better than building a second high school and renovating the first. They can persuade voters to pay for light rail in our uncongested cluster of towns then sell get commuters to ride it.
