2020-2024CARRINGTONCOMMUNITY

PLAN

Inside

Description of Planning Process

Summary of Electronic Surveys &Focus Groups

Selected Goals & Strategies

Developed in partnership with:

City of Carrington

Carrington Economic Development

Carrington Convention & Visitors'Bureau

Carrington Development Corporation

Carrington Area Chamber ofCommerce

BACKGROUND

In the summer of 2019,

stakeholders within the Carrington

area engaged with Strengthen ND

to develop a five-year CommunityPlan. Through a community

survey, youth survey, several

community focus group sessions,

and leadership-driven planning

sessions, data was able to be

collected on the current state of

Carrington and the surrounding

area, as well as what could be

future priorities. Laid out in the

community plan are the details of

the planning process, relevant

outcomes, and the distilled goals

and strategies to guide future

growth and development of

Carrington and the broader

encatchment area.

Strengthen ND is a dynamic, multi-faceted, and

well-connected organization that works across

North Dakota to elevate nonprofits and rural

communities to support a high quality of life and

resources for vulnerable populations through

community development.

COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS

At Strengthen ND, our motto is:

“If you can’t write it, you can’t do it.” 

We believe that creating and documenting a community’s goals and

methodology is the most vital step toward actualizing the outcomes you

hope to see.  Of course a community can have a clear strategy without

having a strategic plan.  A strategic plan is merely a document that puts on

paper the long-term chosen direction.  While a clear direction may exist

anyway, writing it down enables it to be better understood by residents, by

partners, by developers, and even by community staff and elected officials.

Our belief at Strengthen ND is that an effective strategic plan makes

choices based on: 1) knowing who you are; 2) knowing what brings change;

3) predicting how the environment is likely to change; and 4) rigorous and

honest self-appraisal. To support this belief, Strengthen ND worked with

the leadership of the Carrington to compile and deploy a community-wide

survey and a survey specific to Carrington's youth; hold five community

focus groups, and facilitate and document the outcomes of a leadership-

driven planning process, which resulted in the distillation of five issue areas

and associated strategic goals.

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

Through a widely distributed

electronic survey, the leadership of

Carrington sought to understand

residents' current perception of

the area, their thoughts about

current opportunities and

challenges, and their thoughts

about what leadership should

focus on into the future.  Below is

an abbreviated summary of the

results obtained from 315

respondents; the complete listing

of results can be found in the

plan's attachments.

Of the respondents:

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

Of the respondents:

On a scale of 1 (NOT IMPORTANT) to 5 (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT), pleaseindicate the level of importance of each of the following items listed belowto the future resilience and growth of Carrington.

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY

After reviewing the results of the

community-wide survey, the leadership or

Carrington noticed that a key demographic

had not been reached: area youth.

Therefore, to learn more about Carrington's

strengths and weaknesses from a youth's

perspective, a survey was deployed through

the Carrington Public School District for

youth grades 5-12. Below is an abbreviated

summary of the results obtained from 144

respondents; the complete listing of results

can be found in the plan's attachments.

YOUTH SURVEY

Of the respondents:

YOUTH SURVEY

YOUTH SURVEY

YOUTH SURVEY

YOUTH SURVEY

Of the respondents:

On a scale of 1 (NOT IMPORTANT) to 5 (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT), pleaseindicate the level of importance of each of the following items listed belowto the future resilience and growth of Carrington.

YOUTH SURVEY

Youth

Workforce

Marketing

Recreation & Community Experience

Community Image (physical aesthetics)

Soft Services (child care, social services, aging services, quality of life)

What do you love most about living in Carrington?  What keeps you in the

community?

What do you think the greatest needs of the community are? 

What keeps you up at night? What are the greatest opportunities

available to Carrington?

What is missing from Carrington that could make it a more vibrant

community?

What would you like to see Carrington's leadership focus on?

What else would you like the leadership of Carrington to know?

Any other final comments?

To further support understanding of the community-wide and youth

surveys, five community input focus group sessions were held. Participants

for the focus groups were selected from specific targeted segments of the

community, including stakeholders representing needs or expertise around:

With each of the focus group sessions, attendees were provided with seven

prompts:

Complete notes of each focus group session can be found in the attached

materials.

COMMUNITY FOCUS GROUPS

Top Takeaways

FOCUS GROUP TAKEAWAYS

Based on the results of the electronic surveys, it was identified that five

focus group areas would be most appropriate in order to move the

community needs conversation forward. Below are the takeaways from the

focus groups, as well as big ideas that were identified throughout the

discussions.

Safety was cited often as a driving factor of residents' decisions to stay or

move to the community.

Carrington is viewed as a small town with “big town” features.

Plenty of opportunities for adults (recreation, jobs).

Plenty of opportunities for youth (good schools, sports, recreation).

Carrington’s centralized location is a great benefit.

Juxtaposition to hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation is a

benefit.

2-hour proximity to Minot, Grand Forks, Fargo, and Bismarck is a plus.

“We are in the middle of everywhere.”

There is a great need for a centralized community communication

mechanism for populations ages 8 to 80.  Ideas cited include:

Community app;

Digital billboard; and

Event reminders/push notifications.

Carrington needs to build a community brand and engage in different

marketing strategies.  Items identified include:

Capitalizing on social media platforms;

Providing marketing supports to individual businesses and groups

(marketing the community’s features/amenities to community

members);

Creating a culture of welcoming throughout all of the community; and

Dedicating an individual staff member to community marketing.

Top Takeaways

FOCUS GROUP TAKEAWAYS

From the input received from youth, there seems to be a disconnect

between the high school and the community.  Ideas provided from the

youth include:

Youth supporting community marketing by providing their photos,

creating social media hashtags, distributing information.

Youth engaging in individualized learning focused on Carrington’s

available workforce opportunities.

Investment in Carrington’s downtown was often cited, indicating a need

for increased foot traffic, private investment, and beautification.

Housing was identified as a barrier for individuals moving to the

community. While affordable housing exists, it is perhaps not at the

quality that individuals from other communities are willing to invest in.

Big Ideas Discussed

Developing a robust farmers market;

Social media “takeover” by youth;

Development of a community navigator position to support workforce

recruitment and retention;

Cross-Community Hospitality Training to create a welcoming community.

Bringing back Rainbow Gardens concept;

High School Individualized Learning Platform/Process for Carrington’s

workforce opportunities; and

Community App and Digital Billboard.

Residents & Leaders Value: Welcoming: Creating a culture of welcoming is important to

leadership and residents, whether they are a passerby, tourist in town

for a few days, new to the community, or a longtime community

member.

Youth Voice: Leadership and residents in the community

acknowledge the strong leadership that has guided the area's

successful development, and they want to see the new generation of

leaders cultivated. Further, young people in the community are

seeking opportunities to have a voice or meaningful input in the

future of the Carrington.

Collaboration: As is evidenced by the number of organizations and

institutions that have come together to develop the community plan,

the Carrington area values collaboration amongst all of its residents,

businesses, and community groups.

Future-Thinking: From succession and transition planning to

business retention, the community of Carrington is always trying to

strive to meet future needs and create more opportunities for future

generations.

IDENTIFIED COMMUNITY VALUES

Based on the results of the electronic surveys and individual focus groups,

Strengthen ND was able to identify what residents of Carrington find

important or value.

GOALS & STRATEGIES

Its agricultural roots are valued and cultivated;Small town assets and small businesses are prioritized;Youth are engaged in creating the community they want to live in;andAll residents are proud to call Carrington “home”.

In 2024, Carrington will be a vibrant community where:

Community Leadership,

Workforce Development,

Business Development,

Community Development, and

Marketing.

With the results of the electronic surveys and focus groups, the leadership of

Carrington came together to focus and strategize on drafting a vision, goals,

and strategies for the future. Carrington's goals and strategies are

subdivided into the different issues areas identified as most pressing in the

community, including:

Below are the outcomes of the planning sessions.

Our Vision:

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIPGOALS & STRATEGIES

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTGOALS & STRATEGIES

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTGOALS & STRATEGIES

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTGOALS & STRATEGIES

MARKETINGGOALS & STRATEGIES

AttachmentsCommunity-Wide Survey Results

Youth Survey Results

Focus Group Session Notes