On Feb. 7, I attended the annual general meeting of the River Heights Community Association — one of Cochrane’s newer communities. The most striking element I saw was new residents actively working to make their new homes “a community,” who recognized the need to connect, to advocate for common concerns and build a safe and caring place to live.
The concerns of a new community are common across Cochrane. When will the roads, sidewalks and pathways be completed, or finished to an acceptable standard? What are the town’s future plans and timelines for roads, bridges and pathways that will connect their neighbourhoods to each other and the core of Cochrane? There is a quick answer to the question of roads and sidewalks: upon completion of the neighbourhood, the developer is required to bring the infrastructure up to town standards before turning the community over to town control.
In the River Heights Community Association I saw a body that asks and demands answers from the town. I also recognized a group of people concerned and willing to help each other. When the issue of safety, prompted by recent break-ins, came up, they recognized that new neighbourhoods were targets because, by virtue of being new, lack the safety of neighbour-looking-out-for-neighbour, and planned more community events to connect the new people moving into their community.
When the call for new positions on the board was raised, people came forward and accepted these responsibilities and even more residents joined the board. This is democracy at the local level; it made me realize how effective a well-organized, well-informed and concerned group of people can be in shaping their neighbourhood.
They informed and enlisted me to address their issues. In short, with a strategic and respectful approach, this community is being extremely effective. Not only had they come together to ask what could be done for them, they also asked the question: “What can we do for each other?”
Although new, the River Heights Community Association captured the two key elements of a community: working for common goals and caring for each other.
