Having lived and worked in Nocona as the economic development director now for a year and a half, I’m excited as we begin 2007. In this series of articles I will be sharing with you some of what I’ve learned locally and in general about opportunities for Nocona and the people who live here.

One of the greatest strengths a small town like Nocona depends upon can be summed up in one important word: COMMUNITY.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines COMMUNITY several ways, but they each serve as a valuable vision for what creates a community like Nocona.

 

a: a unified body of individuals – Unity, sharing common visions, hopes and desires. These are absolutely vital to any small town, like Nocona.   

b : people with common interests living in a particular area – Common interests are as simple as a clean town, safe streets, relaxed living and as complicated as good education, well-paying jobs, and affordable taxes.

c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location – Community members have to be involved, motivated and working together for the common good.

d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society – Characteristics can include joyfulness, sincerity, and helpfulness towards strangers. Interests can include art, horses, golf and of course much more.

e : a group linked by a common policy – Coming together on how Nocona can prosper and grow, how our children are educated and how our town is maintained can be the most challenging aspect of any community.

f : a body of persons having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests – Nocona is so richly blessed in its history and in its opportunities for the future.



I look forward to sharing more on each of these important aspects of growing a healthy, vital, community in Nocona in coming articles. If you have any thoughts or visions about Nocona and its economic development, please call me at 825-3150.


Our first definition of what Community means began with “ a: a unified body of individuals – Unity, sharing common visions, hopes and desires. These are absolutely vital to any small town, like Nocona.”

Unity does not mean absolute agreement on every thought, action or detail. What matters is determining the most vital aspects of our community. Aspects such as quality of life, jobs, education, economic health, new businesses and others should all receive major focus from us all.


One main focus of the two NEDC Boards is to help Nocona remain somewhere people feel at home. Somewhere where we know our neighbors, visit with friends and share with family. There is no desire to outgrow our sense of community. No headlong rush to become another Frisco, Austin or Dallas/Fort Worth. NEDC is looking not at size, but at important community aspects like quality of life, jobs, education and the others.


So where should we start? First should be someplace where we can make a living. There is a need to attract “new” money to Nocona. Unfortunately, America no longer serves as bedrock for manufacturing jobs. We have moved even from a service economy to an experience economy and now people are talking about an innovation economy. Building such a capability though will take committed investment in time and education.


In the meantime, we need to attract outsiders to spend their money in Nocona. In other words attract tourism dollars to help support our community. Tourism is a pillar of economic survival for small American communities including Nocona. Take Glen Rose, Texas for example. Their tourism dollars actually provide a larger share of the community income than property taxes! Glen Rose is smaller than Nocona, but they have developed reasons for people to come visit and the community attitude to make even visitors feel at home.


Tourism is not the only answer to Nocona’s future, but it does provide opportunity and hope to the community. Tourism requires a reason for people to visit Nocona and an attitude by our community that visitors are welcome and respected.


In future articles we will talk about some of the efforts underway to help with tourism and jobs in Nocona. If you have any thoughts or visions about Nocona and its economic development, please call me at 825-3150.
 

Community as “Common Unity” continues as our theme this week. This is especially important as we look at the advantages of tourism for Nocona.


Even having traveled the world during my Air Force career, I have been greatly impressed with the locations, activities, events and possibilities Nocona offers visitors. The varied history of the area is amazing. The Nocona Athletic Goods Company and Nokona baseball gloves, the start of Justin Boots and our continued boot manufacturing with Montague Boots, Northern Italian heritage in the county, the Chisholm Trail and Red River Station, Spanish Fort and its artifacts and stories and the North Texas oil fields are all reasons for people to come see Nocona.

Add to these two 18-hole golf courses, an oftentimes underutilized Lake Nocona, the Chisholm Trail Rodeo Arena, the county Agricultural building, the effort to revitalize the downtown and hopefully the completion of the Tails and Trails Museum. It all adds up to opportunity for the community and our citizens.


The “common unity” though has to be in our attitude about our own community. What we project in our attitude about Nocona is what visitors will most remember. We could have a Disney theme park, but if we are constantly complaining about our community, people still wouldn’t enjoy it.  How we feel about Nocona is much more important than buildings, history or events. Caring about our community and becoming involved in its future will make all the difference.


I am not ignoring that we face a variety of challenges. Our downtown needs improvements and more operating businesses. The museum still needs vital community support. Our streets (like many others in small, rural communities across America) are in need of repair. We need new restaurants, hotels, businesses and affordable housing. But these are not insurmountable problems; at least not insurmountable unless we give up hope.

NEDC has recently composed a letter to Nocona High School alumni talking about Nocona’s Renaissance and the opportunity to help Nocona prosper and grow.


In future articles we will share some of that letter and other efforts underway to help with tourism and jobs in Nocona. If you have any thoughts or visions about Nocona and its economic development, please call me at 825-3150.
 

We have several projects and efforts underway to assist economic development within Nocona. Several revolve around tourism. There are others that are more generic and still others that will take additional time to develop and mature.


One of the first we’ve completed is a letter that is being sent to each of the Nocona High School Alumni. There is no doubt that people with an already established connection to Nocona would have a better tendency to stay and commit to the community rather than a business looking for the next, best community monetary incentive package.

Here is some of what we asked of our former students:


“Have you ever considered bringing your talents and experience back home to Nocona?

“Maybe your children are just reaching school age and you remember the benefits of small community schools. Maybe some of you are just tired of the congested traffic, light-speed pace and isolation of city living. Or maybe some of you may be reaching retirement. Whatever your circumstances…

Nocona would like you to consider coming home!

 

“There are several opportunities to benefit your home community and fulfill those long delayed passions and dreams. What have you always wanted to do? Has the thought of owning and operating a chocolate shop, establishing a web-based business or creating a successful small business been a long delayed dream? Do you want to get back to ranch life or start an orchard or vineyard?


“There is an effort underway to revitalize Nocona and improve its opportunities for tourism, small business and web-based business. For rural communities like Nocona, the key is talented, innovative people with a heart for the culture and history of our community. Having graduates like yourself, and your family, return is an effective opportunity to increase economic growth and enhance the quality of life for everyone in Nocona.

“Nocona stands on the verge of a great opportunity, a renaissance if you will, and we would like our alumni friends and neighbors to share in Nocona’s bright future.


We look forward to hearing from you, including any suggestions or ideas to benefit our community. Check out our new web site at www.nocona.org.”


Of course these opportunities also apply to those who have already chosen Nocona as home. If you have any thoughts or visions about your future Nocona please call me at 825-3150.
 

One of the other projects Nocona Economic Development Corporations is involved with is the structural survey of our downtown buildings. One of the first comments I heard after moving to Nocona was about the dangerous condition of our downtown. Following the tragic building collapse and loss of life in 1979, there has been major concern about all the downtown.


Because of the perception of the dangerous conditions in the downtown buildings,

Nocona EDC applied last year to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office about obtaining a revolving loan program to assist downtown building owners with repairs that might be needed. The Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) was approved, with a requirement that the NEDC 4B board conduct a consistent structural survey to determine the needed structural repairs to each building.  


The structural survey was conducted in early January and the report is in the final stages of being completed. Although the report on each individual building is the proprietary information of each building owner, there were no major surprises concerning the challenges downtown Nocona is dealing with. NEDC will soon begin working with the building owners to access the federal loan funds to assist with necessary structural repairs. The NEDCs’ objectives for this project are not to benefit any particular building owner or business, but to ensure Nocona does not lose the heritage and opportunities a structurally sound downtown provides.


In fact, it was only recently that Texas economic development corporations have legally been able to assist with retail businesses at all. Prior to the last legislative session, neither the 4A nor 4B boards could directly assist with retail businesses. The 4A boards, even today, can basically only spend money on projects that create manufacturing jobs. However, the 4B boards in small communities like Nocona have now been given some authority to spend the sales tax money on supporting retail businesses. Our local boards will continue to look for ways to assist the community in overcoming business challenges and obstacles.


If you have any thoughts or visions about the future of Nocona please call me at 825-3150.
 

Nocona currently faces another important challenge: the rebuilding of the Nocona Athletic Goods factory. This important Nocona business not only provides almost 100 jobs at full capacity, but its tour program is a great draw for local tourism.


Nocona was blessed to have John Ratzenberger’s Made in America visit in early 2006 and everyone applauded the national coverage when it aired in June of last year. We were hoping that the program would add to people visiting Nocona during the summer; and then the fire hit.


I can’t say enough good things about how Nocona Athletic Goods, and especially the Storey family, have overcome this catastrophe and continued looking ahead to the future. From the beginning, they have worked to provide for the employees and to find ways to restart operations.


However, the NEDC boards and Nocona cannot take the Athletic Goods Company’s generational presence in Nocona for granted. Business recruitment by other communities and states is extremely competitive and aggressive. We all need to ensure we find ways to assist with the rebuild and the future growth of this local icon.


The NEDC boards and the city have already agreed to pursue state programs to aid with the rebuild. We are also interested in finding ways to compensate for the increased taxes a new building will cost the company. We are also working with North Central Texas College and Texas Workforce Development to create skills training programs that will benefit the entire leather industry in Nocona.


The Athletic Goods Company also needs reliable people willing to join its team. The company is still about a month behind in baseball glove production and football production is on the near horizon. Not being able to attract a viable workforce is as harmful as not helping with the company’s profitability as it rebuilds.


I expect most locals remember the devastation of losing the boot company, we do not want to repeat history by ignoring the challenges the Nocona Athletic Goods Company still faces and helping them to rise out of the fire like the Phoenix of legend, even bigger, brighter and greater than before.


If you have any thoughts or visions about the future of Nocona please call me at 825-3150.
 

I began these series of articles talking about common unity on economic development efforts, especially the role tourism can play in bringing in outside dollars for our businesses. I’ve discussed the general local attractions, NEDC’s letter to Nocona alumni, the 4B Board’s efforts to save our buildings downtown and both NEDC Boards’ efforts to assist the Nocona Athletic Goods Company. One other important asset is reaching a critical stage: The Tails and Trails Museum.


I understand the various frustrations and disappointments over the last several years as the museum board began, stalled and now is trying to complete its effort. I realize emotions run high over several past events and insecurity over finishing a successful museum. The museum is probably the best example of where Nocona needs to overcome doubts and objections and really start embracing what a museum can do for tourism in this community. Museums are natural attractions that also educate about our community, our heritage, our past and can even leave us hopeful of the future.


In a meeting in Paris, Texas, one of the day’s events was touring a local museum that has been created there. Nothing fancy or elaborate like the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, just something that is attracting people and passing on Paris’ history and culture. If we choose, we can also create something to be proud of. Something that will attract people to our area for continuing visits, offer educational visits from schools throughout the region and even offer our own students a better understanding of Nocona’s place in the history and culture of Texas and the United States.


We need to get involved now! This is absolutely an effort that needs the common unity of every member of not only Nocona, but all of Montague County. We need to draw a line in the sand that says we don’t revisit the past disappointments or frustrations, but that we roll up our sleeves and pitch in our time, experience, ideas and yes, money to finally pull this all together. Tourism in Nocona needs this museum and our acting positively as a community to support completion will eventually benefit us all.


If you have any thoughts or visions about the future of Nocona please call me at 825-3150.
 

My last article about the museum and its importance for not only tourism but our heritage and history, leads to another important community project: the historical survey of Nocona. A formal historical survey of Nocona has never been accomplished. There are several efforts going on to collect photos and to capture some of Nocona’s history. There was even a well-documented book published several years ago with much information about Nocona. But it is vital, especially as we are losing so much knowledge and history lived and remembered by our own “greatest generation” citizens, that we capture as much information as we can right now.


Last year NEDC sponsored several community meetings with experts from the Texas Historical Commission. Much of it gave us the basis for conducting a survey properly and the last meeting, just before the holidays, even began dividing Nocona into workable, small block sections by which to conduct the survey.


Of course, weather has not been conducive to people spending a lot of time outdoors, but hopefully the worst is past and those interested in helping with this project can begin planning and scheduling the survey.

The hope is to have participation by several community groups, especially our youth. We think involving our younger citizens will better help them understand how precious and unique Nocona really is. But we also need our community members that remember what Nocona used to be like and where local families lived and worked.

Another aspect of this survey is including Red River Station and Spanish Fort in our efforts. Both of these communities have a tremendous historical significance for Nocona and the region. Collecting this information will help preserve this remarkable heritage.


To make this next meeting more available to everyone we are scheduling it for Saturday, March 3 beginning at 10 a.m. in the Nocona Community Center. The meeting will be a refresher of the process for the survey and beginning to organize small groups to cover about 3 square blocks, including photographs.


This survey will be a process. It is not expected to accomplish this in one day, or even one month, but we do want to begin and hopefully finish this year in preparation for Montague County’s 150th Anniversary in 2008.

Please join us for this important effort aimed at preserving our history and heritage for generations to come.