Montrose, SD

Montrose On the Move. Our community’s new sign–and slogan–was unveiled during the Visioning Kick-Off October 7th. We were all really excited to see the large, beautiful kelly-green sign that can be displayed anywhere we want the positive message of our community to shine. We’re on the road to great things–utilizing the skills and talents of the great people within our community. Let’s get on the road together, folks. We CAN make things happen. Thanks, Jan, for your work with the sign company to have this completed in time for our Kick-Off. It looks wonderful and is a real motivation to all of us.

Great job writing your Vision Statement, Mission Statement and Goals on Tuesday. You are on your way to having a stellar Strategic Plan to help map out your future. Keep up the good work!

I have always been one to try to find the positive in every situation.  In my mind, having a negative attitude didn’t make sense - it just made the situation worse.  I found out differently yesterday.

In speaking with a fellow Montrose-area resident about our Horizons project and the changes that we would like to see, some comments came up that really got me “fired up”.  When discussing the changes that I (and many others from the community) would like to see, I was told “that will never happen - not in my lifetime, and not in yours.  Too many people like this town just the way it is, why change things?  We never had that before, why do we need that now?” 

At first I was thinking that an attitude like that is part of the problem.  But after some thought it occurred to me - that may be just the thing to get us moving!  I know it gave me more determination to get things done.  It showed me that we need ALL types of people and attitudes to keep “Montrose On The Move”!

The Irish Pub served community residents who turned up for the complimentary ham dinner to begin the Horizons Visioning/Strategic Planning Kick-off Event on October 7. It was a great way to start our afternoon. Thanks to Bunny, Jackie, Vicky, Audrey and Scott for a job well done.

It was great to see more than 80 people show up this Sunday for the Kick-off Event of our last phase of Horizons. We had a great meal (thanks Irish Pub crew!!), an update on the Horizons project to date in Montrose, reports from our four action areas following the study circles, and an explanation of where we go from here.

 Better yet, we saw some new faces at the meeting and had some great new people sign up for the planning meetings coming up in October and November. It will be great to get the insight from a great mix of people. Thanks to everyone who came and helped make it successful. Thanks, too, to Martha, our Community Coordinator, for giving a good rundown of what’s to take place next and helping us stay on track!

 A big ‘thanks’ to our steering committee for their willingness to dig in and get this done, and to Dean, our school superintendent, for chipping in and helping set up and take down. As someone famous once said: “It takes a community….”

Amy was busy taking photos of the event with our new Horizons camera, so check back soon to see the Kick-off in action.

One thing we learned in the Horizons Study Circles is that poverty isn’t  just about the income of our residents. Some of our residents may simply be unaware of the resources of our community. That’s why we’ve put together the Montrose Resource Book–a list of businesses, organizations AND services that we have available in Montrose.

A good example is that while we may not have a pharmacy in Montrose, we do have delivery from Salem Drug to the Montrose General Store. That can be a real resource for senior citizens, or anyone else who wants the convenience of medicines being delivered right in their own backyard. It’s one more way we’re trying to make a difference to fight poverty in our community.

I’m smiling because I now know how to blog! At least I know more than I did 1 hour ago! You can still learn new things at 54.

We’re busy getting ready for the Horizons Visioning Kickoff this Sunday, Oct. 7th at noon at the Montrose High School gym. A free meal and drawings are great attractions, but we’re most interested in letting people in our community know what’s been happening in the Horizons program, what we’ve accomplished to date, and where we want to go from here. We want input from anyone who’s interested in the community and our future. Make sure you come and participate!

After ___ years, I’m back at school - learning to blog!  I’m doing fine so far, be we’ll see how I am at the END of the class.  I hope to be able to share my “expertise” with others who would like to be professional bloggers!  Connie Smith is here with me, adding to her knowledge as well.

Amy Condon and I are back in school. We’re getting ready to keep other members of the Montrose Horizon Community informed about what exciting things are happening with Horizons in our great community. We’re among 12 other people in the Horizons program attending a Community Blogs Training at Mitchell Tech Center.

They’re showing us how to get our message out, add photos and other things to make this a place you’ll like to come and find out more!