There was lots of talk about the tornado touchdown during the networking portion of the May meeting of the Chattanooga Women’s Council of Realtors, and some Realtors at the meeting were still without power.
At this joint meeting of the WCR and the Women’s Homebuilder’s Association, Past-President Cheree Dumas noted during her inspirational message that the past week had been interesting to say the least.
“The news of Osama Bin Laden’s death has had a strong impact on Americans. Many of us breathe a sigh of relief and many wonder what comes next,” she said. “This victory over cruel terrorists reminds me of a saying by Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.’ We have a strong country with a strong sense of courage. Even with evil men threatening us for all these years, our country has stood strong and endured. Just as our military men and women have stood and done what they needed to do to keep us safe, working hard to rid the world of evil and wrongdoing, I believe each individual has that power within themselves to stand with firm convictions when others try to tear them down.”
After Dumas’s inspiring message and the first course was well underway, the Homebuilder’s Association explained their second quarter project involved visiting Room at the Inn and doing a spaghetti dinner for the women and children there. Those in attendance were encouraged to volunteer at this location with the promise that they would come away “with a wonderful experience, ... thankful for what you have.”
Kaye Ivey, president of WCR and vice president of the Women’s Homebuilder’s Association, then spoke about the “Girls Day Out” fundraiser for the WCR planned for October 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be vendors with purses, skin care products, make up and even a personal massages. The $20 tickets will go on sale at the next WCR meeting in August. Super sponsor SunTrust was present with handheld mortgage calculators for everyone. Kelly Hugenin of SunTrust said, “Last year was a hard year, and this year we have a few more challenges, but things are looking great and moving in the right direction.” She also thanked everyone for allowing them to be a super sponsor of WCR.
Patti Martin, super sponsor with Warranty Title, brought “survival bags” filled with a bottle of water for “when running down the road to make a closing or last showing,” a pack of crackers, a pen and pad “to write down that last figure to get the contract signed,” and Snickers bars for a Realtor’s drive home. Martin also reminded Realtors of the close bond between competitive Realtors in being there when needed. John Bridger, director of regional planning agency, was the guest speaker for the meeting. He grew up in Maryland, and moved to Chattanooga in 1991 to work with the regional planning agency after receiving a master’s degree in city and regional planning.
Bridger said his motto in planning is to expect the unexpected. He said a lot of people fall into the trap of planning for the plan that doesn’t always get them to where they want to go. People also plan for the dream or plan for everything, and these are also often unsuccessful. “The planning I’ve learned to appreciate as a professional is planning for change,” he said.
With an inspiring vision in mind, planning engages the changemakers that Realtors are included within, he said. In-fluencing the decisions of people moving into and around Chattanooga makes Realtors changemakers, as much as builders, elected officials and others are. In this respect, Realtors must involve Bridger’s agency into their plans to make the plans come to their full fruition.
Another important thing for planners is to make strategic choices, bearing in mind that they can’t do it all. Using synergy and leverage, they can get better results by thinking toward the future but also on what needs to be done today, this month, this year. Planning is a means to an end and not an end in itself, he said, and you also have to be clear about results to monitor how the change implemented results in progress.
At the regional planning agency, they recognize that land is a limited resource. While many can agree that our city doesn’t want to develop to the point of becoming another Atlanta, we still want some of the development that Atlanta has, Bridger says. Using the backgrounds of those who work at the RPA in everything from geology to environmental science, their primary responsibilities deal with developing land use and transportation plans as well as administering zoning. “We focus on transportation and land use with the goal to improve quality of life and economic vitality and public health,” he said.
The upcoming projects that the RPA is involved with include the regional growth plan, which will encompass Chattanooga, Cleveland and Dalton, and is the first of its kind. This should be coming out in early 2013, Bridger said.
They are also working on a review and educational process to address the growing national trend of suburban townhouses and how these can be more fully utilized in Chattanooga. Another one of their key study areas is the widening of Bonny Oaks from its connection on Hwy 153 to where it ties in on I-75. “Plans don’t implement themselves. It takes people and resources. You bring that knowledge and resources that make these happen, and we want you to come out and participate,” Bridger said. “The key is to get in front of it and get it to work for us and not against us.” The downtown prize basket for the membership drive of the WCR was then drawn for and given away to Brenda Pargeon.
The Women’s Council of the Homebuilder’s Association meeting will be June 7 at the Homebuilder’s Association. The next WCR governing board meeting is May 18, and members are always welcome.