Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton Shawn Walker, a member of WCCBI’s executive committee, pitches the Warren Worx concept to the Warren County Commissioners.

By JOSH COTTON

jcotton@timesobserver.com

What does the future of Warren County look like?

It’s a question with no clear answer.

It would seem collaboration would be key but what does that look like?

The Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry is taking a stab at answering that question.

They’ve called it the Warren Worx initiative and it’s part of the county’s comprehensive plan that was approved by the commissioners earlier this week.

The proposal has been pitched to the Warren City Council and the Warren County Commissioners in the last couple weeks.

Andy Sokolski, who serves on the WCCBI executive committee, said the chamber has sought to “align ourselves in purpose” with both the city and county governments as well as its members. “How do we help create communities in Warren County that would be a great place to live, work and play” And ideally support population growth.”

The purpose of Warren Worx is to bring Warren County entities together on a regular basis with a common agenda to work collaboratively and reduce redundancy, primarily with projects and funding, the draft plan provided by the county explains.

“The idea is for everyone to retain their independent organization, but dedicating time, resources and funding to agreed upon initiatives.”

A wide array of entities stand to be involved — the WCCBI, city and county government, WCVB, ANF, WCSD or other community groups, though the idea remains in the planning stages.

“This ultimately was a way we could bring all of those parties together,” Shawn Walker, who serves on the WCCBI executive committee, as well, said. “How could we turn strategy into action, create some framework we could all operate together within?”

Walker outlined that the WCCBI, under the proposal “would act as that aggregator. (We) need somebody at the top that can keep it all together. This is about shared resources.”

Warren Worx is based off of the Kane SPARKS program.

“They decided to communicate with each other and get on the same page,” WCCBI President/CEO Jim Decker said.

He explained that Kane takes “ideas, concepts, projects” that are then “all vetted against ‘What’s the mission?’ They’re communicating with each other” to ensure everything they do is “complementary to the overall community mission.”

That’s the goal behind Warren Worx.

Decker said this won’t be a group that gives a “thumbs up or thumbs down” to any specific project but “more bouncing it up against the country brand. Does it meet the objective?

When a project comes up in the county, the goal of Warren Worx will be to “get everybody behind that…. The concept is more to massage the fine details on any given project or initiative.

“The key is everybody buying into that on day one.”

Getting everyone on board won’t be without its challenges.

First, projects cost money and those resources will have to come from somewhere.

Beyond that, Decker acknowledged an “angst against the WCCBI” for some in the community. “We don’t want it to be limited by us.”

As for the funding piece, he added that “each stakeholder is going to have to evaluate what actions are being taken and how they can support that.”

For some, that will be dollars and cents. For others it will be input.

“At the end of the day this is a communications tool.”

Decker also told the commissioners that there’s a need to “manage the expectation of the partners,” stressing that “not in any way, shape or form” is the WCCBI looking to manage all the projects that might be undertaken.

“(We are) hoping to share resources across the county, getting people who know each other but don’t necessarily converse with each other” sharing ideas and “making sure they are not conflicting with each other.”

The first major initiative that the organizers have outlined to the governing bodies is a branding initiative.

Walker said a request for proposals is currently out to nine different agencies that work in that space.

The need for that common county brand is one of the first redundancies that Warren Worx is seeking to address.

Beyond that, there isn’t a list of projects already percolating.

“(We’re) intentionally leaving some of the details open-ended,” Decker said. “(This) has to be something that is born from the bottom. We’re going to create an open shell. Stakeholders have to come together” to define how it will function.

Sokolski told the commissioners that they will be presenting a budget, staffing plan and charter to city council in a couple weeks.

“The energy that is back in the community, it’s a great place to be right now,” Walker said. “There’s no shortage of ideas. It’s just a matter of getting the partners aligned.”