Scoping meeting for Community Action Plan

Residents meet to discuss and 'scope' initiatives for the Community Action Plan. Click image [DJP April 2007]

The first of Violet Town's 'scoping' meetings was held in the evening of Tuesday 17 April, in the Community meeting room.

Facilitators met with interested residents to define what it is we are doing, develop objectives and write a scope statement to define project boundaries.

The seventy-seven suggestions that were put forward at the recent Community Opportunity Workshop were grouped in to the following ten themes. 1.Youth and Community; 2. Planning and Development; 3. Major Roads; 4. Local Services; 5. Arts and Recreation; 6. Water; 7. Food and Energy; 8. Marketing; 9. Infrastructure and; 10. Reconciliation.

10 steps to action planning

1. Develop a statement(s) to define what is to be achieved by initiative

2. Develop objectives of the initiative (why are you doing it?)

3. Write a scope statement to define the project boundaries (What will and will not be done)

4. Who are stake holders (Names and organisations)? Should they be invited to the next meeting?

5. Work breakdown structure - what are all the things that need to be done? (then review – what can be removed)

6. Who is doing what from the focus group? (who is responsible and accountable)

7. Risks (what may affect the initiative and how might it impact positively or negatively)

8. Assumptions (are there assumptions for this initiative to work)

9. Research to support project (what is available elsewhere that supports the initiative)

10. What are the service / maintenance costs of the initiative

Because of the amount of suggestions collated, the scoping meetings have been split and will occur over two nights, the next being Tuesday 24 April 2007.

At the second set of scoping the initiatives, facilitators will discuss the themes: Infrastructure; Reconciliation; Food and Energy and; Planning and Development.

"The results of each group's scoping of themes and initiatives will feed into the Community Action Plan that Violet Town Action Group intends to prepare" said David Arnold, meeting organiser for VTAG.

"This Community Action Plan, to be reviewed in a maximum of two years, is important for organising our interactions with other authorities, and assists in gaining funding for our projects."

For details/interview call the Editor on (03) 5798 1858

Chair of VTAG Howard Myers at the scoping meeting