By Scarlet Thalman
BCR Correspondent
BARODA MI — The Village of Baroda regular meeting took place on October 6th at 6:30 p.m. in the Baroda Municipal Building. The meeting included many discussions regarding community improvement — through park infrastructure changes, business recognition events, and budget regulations to ensure all improvements are possible — with the most notable discussion being about the Community Growth Alliance (CGA).
The new CGA was developed to serve the Villages of Baroda and other territories; members in attendance including Julie Elliott (board trustee) and audience member (Katie Schoenwitz) discussed the committee’s success so far. According to Elliott and Schoenwitz, the committee has regularly met with Robert Jones and the larger CGA committee, which includes representatives from other participating towns, and these meetings have led to much headway. Elliott emphasized her confidence in these individuals, adding, “We’ve got a solid group.”
The group’s biggest focus is completing a SWOT analysis — that’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats — for both the Village and surrounding area. The group requested each community gather data about its own strengths, weaknesses, and local priorities to create a regional development plan that helps everyone share resources and promote their communities. Regarding the group’s progression in this effort, Elliott stated that they are still working to determine “what’s working, what needs improvement, and where we have room to grow.”
Once the planning phase is complete, the group will compile all findings into a report outlining both short- and long-term goals. The hope for this effort is to identify opportunities for marketing, events, and even infrastructure coordination.
There was also much discussion involving communication and branding as well. Following board and audience concern regarding Village informational material and branding, the idea of updating or redesigning the Village website and/or redesigning the Village logo was considered. This was then brought up as another one of the CGA’s big focuses, and efforts to update these aspects may be one of the marketing efforts made by the committee.
Major branding efforts discussed included developing a “Welcome to Baroda” online hub, simplifying business licensing and permit access online, and creating a unified tourism and event calendar for the Village and Township. The overall hope of any updates is to provide a clear, organized marketing strategy for future investment and tourism. Everett explained this goal, saying, “We want people who are new to Baroda — whether they’re moving here, opening a business, or just visiting — to find everything they need in one place.”
Overall, there is much optimism about the work of the group. Schoenwitz stated, “This has been a really productive process. Compared to some of the other communities, our group has been very organized and involved. Everyone’s bringing ideas and local knowledge, andit’s giving us a lot of good data to work with.” The CGA is working to present Baroda as a vibrant, growing, and business-friendly community within the region, and there is much to come for this ambitious group.