Trying to see through the day-to-day fog of the economy is tough, yet, at least by some measures, Carson City's future is a bit brighter than others.
Last Friday, MSNBC's Bill Dedman reported Carson City is among a handful of communities showing small signs of economic recovery.
"The economy may finally be nearing the bottom of the recession in 23 of the nation's metro areas, according to the latest Adversity Index data on jobs, manufacturing and housing from Moody's Economy.com and msnbc.com. Although not a single metro area in the nation was 'in recovery,' 23 out of 381 showed a 'moderating' recession, meaning their economies were not contracting as severely as six months earlier," reads Dedman's story.
How do we keep the momentum? Local spending will help meet payrolls, pay mortgages, leases and rents, support suppliers, serve customers and pay taxes to provide services, among other things. In today's marketplace this is an excellent way to get and give at home.
We have local examples of how working together pays off: Western Nevada College and Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare are models.
At WNC, enrollment, course offerings and campus life are at an all-time high. CTRHC's nationally acclaimed cancer care, state-of-the-art cardiology care and their continuum of healthcare services are second to none in the region.
Addressing basic needs has built the two corners of a solid foursquare: higher education and healthcare. What, then, are we missing?
As in many U.S. cities, poverty, service gaps that shortchange teenagers, crime and drugs are all among our civic truths. Despite many community-based efforts to mitigate such challenges, it's tough to keep up. Not only do these tolls undermine what we're doing well, but they also impede healthy development. In other words, two squares of the four aren't enough.
The successful examples set by our college and health care leaders first confronted reality then tirelessly worked a meaningful plan.
It's time to raise our expectations of how we work together and proactively build the remaining two corners of a strong community. Personally, like the thousands of residents who participated in the master planning process and crafted Envision Carson City (passed 2006), I'm dreaming of a downtown center whose civic anchor is a 21st century library that helps incubate 21st century skills to sustain and engage our residents for generations.
• Tammy Westergard is deputy manager of the Carson City Office of Business Development. Send questions and feedback to twestergard@ci.carson-
city.nv.us.