ALPINE — Alpine Community Projects is hosting a Far West Texas Community-Building Summit aimed at setting the stage for ongoing collaboration in the region. The two-day event will begin the evening of Friday, January 17, at The Granada Theatre in Alpine with Doug Griffiths, the author of 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, a book about how to make and keep towns strong and vibrant. The evening will include food and a social hour.
On the morning of Saturday, January 18, the event will resume to discuss how to implement ideas from the night before through breakout sessions and group breakfast and lunch. This process will be led by Liz Miller Grindstaff, Danelle Smith, Malinda Veldman and Michael Looney.
Grindstaff has experience in planning, government relations and management and has worked as both a senior city staff leader and an elected official. With her background, which includes serving as a San Angelo City Council member, mayor pro-tem, and assistant city manager, she has insights into how cities work, the challenges their leaders face and the solutions they need.
Smith is a native of Abilene and began her career as a Main Street manager in Lampasas, Texas. Her professional experience includes commercial real estate management, retail development and marketing, and downtown preservation/economic development. Her unique background encompasses corporate, civic and nonprofit partnerships working together for a common goal.
Veldman is a licensed mortgage loan originator and special projects coordinator. Her prior work has been in retail sales and management, serving as historic preservation and redevelopment director for the City of Irving, and Main Street program director for the City of Corsicana.
Looney has been vice president of economic development for the City of San Angelo Economic Development Corporation since 2014.
The book 13 Ways to Kill Your Community is available at Alpine’s Front Street Books and online and is described as offering a no-nonsense, practical approach to community building, which can be easily grasped. It offers practical, implementable steps that can be taken to bring a moribund community back to life. The 13 ways outlined in the book cover topics ranging from ensuring adequate safe water to encouraging residents to shop local and valuing a community’s senior citizens and newcomers. The book also explains the importance of community aesthetics, leaders’ willingness to embrace change, and cooperation among organizations, businesses, agencies, boards and other communities.
Event organizers will reach out to invite area leaders in local government, businesses, nonprofits, churches, law enforcement, and other segments of the communities in the tri-county area and the greater region. A registration form will soon be available at the event website https://www.alpinecommunityprojects.org/january-2025-summit. There will be no charge for attendees, but space will be limited.
In addition to Alpine Community Projects, sponsors of the event include Permian Basin Area Foundation, Still Water Foundation, Benjamin Garcia and The Granada Theatre, Front Street Books and Jean and Chris Cornell. Additional sponsors are still needed for the summit to help fund group meals and other expenses. Sponsorship levels and details are available on the website.
Alpine Community Projects is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and an expressly non-partisan organization that supports, energizes, and undertakes projects that enable Alpine and its citizens to flourish and lead more fulfilling and happy lives at every age.