After taking a break from active duty for a couple years, Destiny Dickinson has reunited.
It has new members and a new project to tackle, but the goal is still the same.
"We have to keep pushing forward," said Vaune Cripe, who is again taking the lead of the group. "I so believe in Dickinson; there's a passion there for making the community better."
As a part of the initial Destiny Dickinson group, Cripe successfully worked to get Dickinson residents to approve a ½-percent sales tax to build the West River Community Center.
This time, Cripe is hoping to help Dickinson recruit more retail opportunities. The first step is working with Buxton, a Texas-based company.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We just decided it was an opportunity we really couldn't pass up," Cripe said.
While Cripe took the lead once more, she said it's a group effort.
"It's an awesome coordination of efforts," Cripe said. "We're in constant contact."
The we this time around is Dickinson City Commissioner Rhonda Dukart, Stark Development Executive Vice President Gaylon Baker, City Administrator Greg Sund and Cripe.
"(Destiny Dickinson) is not a standing committee," Sund said. "They address community issues and membership shifts based on those issues."
Sund said the committee's role is to be actively involved in implementing the results of Buxton's survey.
"I'm just interested in developing issues, and I promoted the Buxton study primarily because I heard a presentation from the company from a conference I attended last fall," Sund said.
Since then, Sund has gathered information on the company, participated in a webcast and then brought a company representative to Dickinson.
ADVERTISEMENT
In late-December, Stark Development signed Buxton for a Community ID survey, which began in mid-January.
"As our evolution has followed the evolution of Dickinson and the evolution of the workforce, our mission is much more about quality of place," Baker said.
Stark Development has a $50,000 contract with Buxton. The results of the survey allow Destiny Dickinson to discover a number of retailers that could be successful in the city.
"The cost is something you have to pay attention to, but we have to start somewhere and it's information we don't have access to," Cripe said of the reason behind doing the survey.
Initially, Cripe and Dukart became involved with Destiny Dickinson because they were interested in getting an indoor recreation facility. However, they joined the group again because they realized the results of the Creating Our Destiny survey, conducted by the city in 2000, were not fully implemented.
"The number two issue, and complaint by thousands of people, was the lack of retail; there were very little shopping opportunities," Dukart said.
However, the original group didn't pick up the Creating Our Destiny survey after it succeeded in getting the community center, until this chance arose.
The next steps
ADVERTISEMENT
Once the survey results are received in April, Destiny Dickinson's members have about a month to prepare before they head to the International Council of Shopping Centers in Las Vegas.
"In addition to recruiting, we have to do the fundraising to pay for the recruiting because that does not come without a price tag," Dukart said.
While Buxton is going to offer support tools, it is up to Destiny Dickinson to sell the retailers on the city.
"At the time we go, we should have a list of about 20 retailers and or restaurants that are well suited for this area and those will be the first people we will go see," Dukart said. "Then, we hope we can become good salesmen."
Sund said the survey would offer the types of businesses that would be successful here, but that doesn't necessarily mean the city would bring in big businesses from the outside.
Like its previous effort to gain support for a community center, it is important to Destiny Dickinson to keep the community informed and seek its support.
"The more information people have, the better choices can be made, and that's why the community involvement is a part of the process," Cripe said.
