By Mara Brooks, Editor
Charlotte Community Partners (CCP), in consultation with Vermont-based Community Resilience Organizations, released the final report of its 2020-2021 Charlotte Resilience Assessment. The report, which compiles data collected during Oct. 2020 to June 2021, seeks to assess the town’s ability to “bounce back” from hardships such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last November, the CCP circulated a “resilience survey” asking Charlotte residents how resilient they believed the town to be in five key areas: Basic Needs and Services, Environmental and Natural Systems, Physical Infrastructure, and Community Relations.
Respondents ranked each section on a scale from one to five (one/1 being not very resilient and five/5 being very resilient), or “Not Sure.”
One hundred-eighty residents participated in the survey.
Insights obtained from the survey included:
“This is merely a glance at what the results show, and further discussion is needed amongst various groups, committees and organizations in town to discern what the results indicate and how they can be helpful,” the report stated. “The ongoing work of the CCP will be to try to engage various groups to stimulate discussion around the results with the hope of making our beautiful town, through collaborative community engagement, more resilient welcome to all.”
The CCP, led by Cindi Robinson of the Food Shelf, Margaret Woodruff of the Charlotte Library, and Rev. Kevin Goldenbogen of the Charlotte Congressional Church, was formed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with creating and facilitating the Community Resilience Assessment, the organization seeks to address climate change, energy, food, environmental health, land and water, and living economies.
Last Fall, CCP partnered with Community Resilience Organizations “to guide us in the process of conducting a resilience assessment for Charlotte,” the report said.
“We hope to bring our town together in a common endeavor to work on the issues and concerns that face us now and those that will impact us in the future,” a statement on the CCP website reads.
Charlotte Community Partners has met twice a month since last April. It includes representatives from CCS, the Charlotte Senior Center, Transition Town Charlotte, Seed Library, CVFRS, the Grange and others.
To view the Charlotte Resilience Assessment report, click here.
For more information on the CCP, contact: Margaret Woodruff.