By JIM KEMP, guest columnist
As your Brown County Redevelopment Commission president, I thought it was time to share some of my experiences and perspectives over the last 14 months of being appointed to the board by the Brown County Council.
At the very beginning when the opportunity presented itself, I was very forthright with everyone involved that historically, I hadn’t been concerned with county government and held very little knowledge or experience of county government in Indiana.
I have been a lifelong resident of Indiana. During the first 25 years of my life, I lived in seven northern Indiana counties. Then in 1986, I relocated to Bartholomew County. But it wasn’t until 2008 that my family and I purchased a 15-acre horse farm in Van Buren Township.
Before moving to Brown County, I was familiar with the Brown County State Park, Ski World, Little Nashville Opry, and, of course, Bill Monroe Music Park. When we began discussions of having a horse farm in the country, we surveyed the following counties: Bartholomew, Decatur, Shelby, Jennings, Jackson, Johnson and Brown.
What attracted us to Brown County was the Hoosier National Forrest and the location of the county. Its proximity to Columbus, Seymour, Bloomington, Greenwood and Indianapolis played a key role in our decision. Additionally, the typography and the feeling of being far removed from the hustle and bustle of life was a plus. And it is usually only a 30- to 45-minute drive time to most of the cities listed above.
When I made the conscious decision to volunteer my time and energy in the support of the county, I also made a commitment to myself and the community to take a servant leadership approach, to work and keep my personal opinions and biases to myself, and to refrain from personal judgement and the need to fix. After all, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
There is nothing wrong with Brown County as it is. It’s the future change that is uncertain. And it is this uncertainty of change that creates the emotional discord.
The last 14 months have been an experience. My journey began with the formation of the Brown County Hometown Collaboration Initiative, the public announcement of the Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center, and the facilitation of the Helmsburg community meetings. Over this brief period, I have taken the opportunity to meet personally with council members, commissioners, county department managers, various community board members, religious leaders and community members.
The conversation usually begins by being asked if I am from Brown County, how long I have lived in the county, and their sharing of thoughts, feelings and perspectives on the county.
What I have discovered is everyone I meet and talk with — whether their families have lived in the county for generations or they have relocated here from a different part of the country — is they all share one common theme: They are proud and passionate about living in Brown County.
Brown County is a small county measured by its population. However, its diversity of people, creative thought and historical perspectives is an attractive asset and a core strength of a community for its size.
The quality of people who work and lead our schools and county government have the utmost in integrity and appear to be doing their best while having to operate in a reactive environment with limited resources.
This past year there has been much spirited debate centered around the future of Nashville, the only incorporated town in the county. My current perspective is that the town of Nashville appears to be at the center of attention most of the time. There appears to be a historical tug-of-war between the claim for more tourism led by the hospitality and retail sectors and those who would like to become less dependent on tourism.
At the county level, I have listened to concerns of those asking the question of whether we are living up to our environmental stewardship responsibilities. Our environment isn’t just limited to our public spaces of air, water and land. It also includes the maintenance and upkeep of our personal real estate being free from trash and debris, as well as the demolition and removal of abandoned and condemned properties. After all, we live in and around the Hoosier National Forrest, Brown County State Park and Yellowwood State Forest. I would hope the majority of us would value a shared responsibility to protect our way of life.
I also listened to concerns from those who live in our county with limited resources. How do we work together to lift those in our county who may lack the resources that some of us may take for granted?
I have listened to those who claim the county lacks affordable housing. I’ve seen the social media post making the claim our community members are in need of a living wage. I am beginning to perceive that we, as a county, have a disproportionate number of community members who have too much “month at the end of their money” — community members who fear that the day will come when they will no longer be able to pay their insurance, taxes and utility bills on the land their ancestors once owned.
In a fair and perfect world, I would love nothing more than to snap my fingers and be able to lift everyone in the county.
I would love to restore communities like Helmsburg and Bean Blossom to their former glory.
I would love to create small, affordable, community neighborhoods where young and old alike could live as it once was — free from drugs and crime, and where the children could play and grow up with their neighborhood friends.
I would love for us as a county to attract more artists, musicians, writers, executive chefs and creative thinkers who would add value to our local economy, thus creating more opportunity for local employment.
But it isn’t about me; it is about you. It’s about what you want for yourself and your family. It’s about what you value and the value you place on living in Brown County.
If you could snap your fingers for the future of Brown County, what would it look like? I ask these questions to challenge you to spend some time thinking about what you want not only for yourselves, but also for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Currently, the Brown County Redevelopment Commission (RDC) is waiting for the approval of a $40,000 planning grant from the Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs (OCRA). Pending approval, the RDC has selected the consulting firm of Thomas P. Miller & Associates to work with the RDC and the county in the development of an economic plan.
However, we at the RDC agreed that it doesn’t make any sense to waste the amount of time, energy and money in the creation of a countywide economic plan if the county citizens are left out of the process. After all, this economic plan includes all of us who call Brown County our home.
We agreed to create a fact-based, countywide presentation that will provide a broad overview of where the county currently is and what possible challenges we may face in the near and distant future. The purpose of this presentation is to foster a communitywide conversation from those who are willing to take the time to create clarity around the basic facts, and the opportunity to voice their concerns and vision for the county. Our intent is to listen to understand.
Our approach is to hold a total of eight public presentations during the months of September and October. Depending on scheduling conflicts, we may have to include the first few weeks of November. These meetings will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at locations to be determined in all four townships.
The Brown County Redevelopment Commission meetings that are currently scheduled for Thursdays, Sept. 13 and Oct. 11, will specifically be devoted to the county presentation and community conversation.
If you have any questions or comments, I can be reached at 812-372-5646 or by email at [email protected].
In closing, I will simply say this: If you are going to live in Indiana, it doesn’t get any better then Brown County.
Jim Kemp of Brown County is the president of the Brown County Redevelopment Commission, an all-volunteer, appointed board. He has worked in the financial planning industry for 27 years. He also is a certified teambuilding and leadership coach. He can be reached at 812-372-5646 or [email protected].
