Dear Editor:
For some time now the big buzzword in Douglas has been economic development. Housing, Wal-Mart, zoning, brain drain, business park, roads…the list goes on and on. Thousands of other towns have the same issues.
Then, last week your front page reported about 20-somethings moving to town to “launch their professional careers.” Excessive hyperboles aside, what is displayed in the front page photo are three young people on their cell phones and electronic devices interacting not with each other, not necessarily with Douglas, but with the entire world of social and business opportunity.
On this playing field we all are on equal footing. Big city folks and country bumpkins all have an equal chance because of technology. Professionals don’t really need a unique place to live. Thousands of towns provide them with equal opportunity.
So, what makes Douglas unique from other small towns? Why not live in Glenrock, Wheatland or even Wright? Is the soul of Douglas in the Jackalope?
Last weekend I attended a seminar in Casper that addressed the problem. It found that cities and towns are discovering the arts and cultural heritage as key ingredients for economic development. A strong educational arts program helps students find meaningful work based on critical thinking and creative problem-solving. Strong arts venues attract tourists that spend more money exploring new museums, galleries, landmarks and historical areas. Arts are a key ingredient in attracting jobs for when the minerals run out; where technology, intellectual property, design, writing and entertainment become an inexhaustible supply of jobs and wealth.
Study after study have shown a strong correlation between arts participation and civic engagement, building socially stronger communities that have less crime, fewer student dropouts, more volunteerism, greater physical activity and better health.
It is of utmost importance that Douglas begins to do more than provide infrastructure for economic development. It should follow the lead of many other more livable cities and provide an infrastructure for social strength through greater arts participation and program support.
This is what will stem the increasing flow of cars going to Casper. Not a Wal-Mart store. And maybe those 20-somethings in your photo might start talking to each other face to face.
Rom Hinz
301 S. 6th St.
Douglas
