LAWRENCE: Residents share ideas at Community Conversation

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
    About 40 township residents came together Saturday morning for a “community conversation” sponsored by the Lawrence Township Community Foundation — and when the chat was over, the message that came out loud and clear was the need for communication.
    The LTCF has hosted similar community conversations to gauge what is on the mind of the community, Mayor Pam Mount told the group. The non-profit LTCF also hands out grants to community groups from time to time.
    Many good things have come out of the earlier conversations, including the group Sustainable Lawrence, Mayor Mount said. The goal is to bring the community together “to find out what they feel, what they want to happen and to share it with each other,” she said.
    “The LTCF is listening,” facilitator Calvin Thomas said. “It wants to hear our conversation — how to shift and award grants to where they are needed most. What right now is needed in Lawrence? Where are the gaps? What keeps you up at night — as residents, as employees, as employers?”
    Priming the participants before they broke down into smaller discussion groups, Mr. Thomas said the objective of the community conversation is to listen to other points of view. People may not agree with each other, but that dialogue is expanding their viewpoints, he said.
    “You should look at what is wrong, plus what can we do to solve it. A community that moves forward is focused on finding solutions,” Mr. Thomas said, encouraging the groups to talk. 
    Then, the residents formed four groups — “A Healthy and Safe Lawrence,” “Engaging Our Youth,” “Promoting Lawrence Township” and “The Golden Years,” which focused on senior citizens.
    When the groups reconvened, each one reported on its discussions and findings.
    The “Healthy and Safe Lawrence” discussion group suggested creating an online email notification system — similar to the Lawrence Township public school district’s “Quicknews” — to inform the community. The information also could be made available through fliers and mailings.
    It was also suggested that residents could volunteer to become “block captains” — someone who would be responsible for getting information out to his or her neighbors on a person-to-person basis. 
    Better use of community facilities, such as Lawrence High School, also was suggested. The high school is centrally located, and it could be used after-hours for cultural events. A small fee could be charged to cover costs.
    The “Promoting Lawrence Township” discussion group also said a community newsletter, similar to Lawrenceville Main Street’s version, would be good. Lawrence is many communities, and an “ambassador” program to welcome new people to the township also would be helpful.
    One of the suggestions offered by the “Engaging Our Youth” group was to call for a youth summit, which would offer young people an opportunity to speak to each other about their concerns while the adults listened.
    While sports is important, there should be more opportunities for youngsters to participate in non-sports activities. There should be more non-sports-related recreational activities, the group agreed.
    The “Golden Years” discussion group noted that senior citizens have much to offer and can provide a tremendous resource. An event aimed at linking seniors with groups or businesses that could benefit from their help or advice was suggested.
    Wrapping up the session, LTCF President Michelle Cash encouraged the participants to sign up so the foundation could reach out to them and form committees. There could be some “really concrete, exciting outcomes,” she said.
    Ms. Cash can be reached at [email protected], or [email protected], or by calling 609-734-5305.