By Adam Stewart
Boards have been on my mind a lot this week. Not like two-by-fours, but volunteer boards people serve on.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Hutchinson City Council discussed appointed boards. I reported on changes on the Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System board of directors this week. At the end of last week, the Hutchinson Community Foundation announced it was looking for volunteers for its board of directors and other committees.
Put simply, our community needs people who care enough to give their time on these kinds of boards, whether in local government or a nonprofit setting. For starters, caring enough to volunteer, to take time for meetings, and to show up prepared sends a message: our community is important, and the thing that particular board works on is important.
Just sending that message matters. People care, people are paying attention, and people are trying. When people know those things, they are more likely to follow suit.
In the interest of full disclosure, I volunteer on the Hutchinson Land Bank Board of Trustees. The Land Bank’s job is to acquire vacant property, take care of it, and eventually sell or donate it to people, businesses, or organizations who will put it to good use.
There are boards that deal with much bigger issues than the Land Bank board, like the hospital board or the Planning Commission. But we always look for ways to revitalize Hutchinson’s older neighborhoods. When Hutchinson Community College got a federal grant to build more housing through its building trades program, they had to have land donated to build on, and the Land Bank board was happy to help. We had been maintaining an appropriate property on Avenue A for years, looking for the right use.
It’s easy to say, “But I don’t know about planning and zoning,” or trees, or public art, or historic preservation, but that’s an excuse. All these boards, whether under the city, county, or a nonprofit, work with staff who do have the technical knowledge and skills to answer questions. Boards’ jobs are to advocate on issues, brainstorm ideas, and make decisions that the public has decided it wants in the hands of community members.
These kinds of boards can also serve as a test run for local elected office. Does volunteering in this way feel meaningful, can I devote more time to public service, etc.? If it ends up not being for you, much better to find that out on the Tree Board than jumping in the deep end of City Council or County Commission.
So, when the city puts out a call for applicants for boards this fall, think about what you care about, and see if there is a board that fits. If you care about what gets built where, consider Planning Commission. If you care about the quality and availability of housing, consider Housing Commission. If you care about art, consider the Public Art Design Council.