Well, they spelled that wrong, as “Where are we now?” Maybe for the video narrator from California who showed a picture of lily pads when he said “River”.

But to be fair, this website and the video from the Development Authority organized by VisionFirst whom Lowndes County paid $25,000, presumably matching Valdosta, also adopted by SGRC, does work hard to show a positive vision of the local area. Oops, I forgot the hospital and the Chamber, and, most importantly, Georgia Power, listed in the FAQ:

Who is the leading the effort?
A team of engaged community and business investors spearheaded this effort to bring forth a far-reaching community plan. Partners in the strategy’s development include City of Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia Power, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority, Valdosta State University, the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and South Georgia Medical Center. This group of partners have joined together to hire VisionFirst Advisors economic development constultatnts focused on location advisory services, economic development strategy, organizational management and result-driven marketing and communications. VisionFirst has experienced economic development at every level both from the perspective of the local community as well as that of the corporate client.

The Steering Committee is the usual suspects of the elected and appointed top local staff of the above organizations, plus a few.

I don’t see any mention of Internet speed, but I guess they want it, because the website (much like Lowndes County’s own website) uses big background images that take many seconds to load out here on the end of slow “broadband” straws.

Of course the video emphasizes football (both Lowndes and Valdosta), Moody AFB, and VSU. Its view of forests appears to be the longleaf pines at VSU, which are the oldest in the county. And it does include tractors with a harrow (not sprayers).

Plus it includes good views of Grand Bay WMA; the boardwalk, and the observation tower:

The “Walk on Water” bit I can’t tell whether it’s at Splash Island Waterpark in Wild Adventures or Valdosta Wake Compound.

I don’t see the Hahira Caboose or train depot or Honeybee anywhere in the video or on the website, but Hahira and all the other local cities as well as the surrounding counties and cities in Georgia and Florida please take note in the FAQ:

What communities are being looked at for the development of the strategy?
While Valdosta-Lowndes County is the subject of the Community and Economic Development Strategy, it is expected that the strategy will expand the overall jurisdiction for purposes of an accurate analysis using data available from the surrounding region. In order for the implementation of the strategy to be successful, it is important to develop specific deliverables for the betterment of our communities within Valdosta-Lowndes while working in conjunction with regional efforts.

The website says they’re going to hold meetings and there’s a survey. Maybe the survey is already on the website somewhere, and maybe later I’ll come back to wait through more slow graphic loads to see if I can find it.

But, really, B+ for effort in applying standard corporate SWOT analysis to a community.

-jsq

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