Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, communities were challenged with aging infrastructure and growing inequality among citizens. COVID-19 exposed weakened local economies, widened the gap for disadvantaged community members, and extinguished the future of some local entrepreneurs. As communities rebound from the pandemic, they should leverage the lessons learned to usher in a new era of transformation – one that ensures an inclusive society where everyone benefits and takes advantage of the opportunity to rebuild stronger.
Through transparent communications and open dialogue, cities and towns are providing citizens with a sense of community after a period of isolation and offer insight into stabilization after experiencing a precarious future. Our work with community and economic development offices supports local economy stabilization through enhanced community outreach and the promotion of local services and businesses. It is important that community leaders focus on providing citizens with a higher quality of life by spurring activities that will drive local economic growth and development, as well as improving employment opportunities.
The health of a community can be judged by its critical infrastructure – its reliability and performance, as well as its ability to accommodate change over time. Aging infrastructure poses a risk to both public safety and economic health. Our team works with local officials and consultants to develop capital improvement plans that tackle aging infrastructure, buildings, and equipment. We work hand in hand with community leaders to prioritize projects using best management practices and enhanced public safety through planned upgrades to water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation, and modernizing public buildings to meet ADA requirements. We engage community members through a combination of surveys, active listening sessions, virtual town hall sessions, neighborhood meetings, and social engagement to ensure that they are maximizing benefits and making the right investment into their community.
“By utilizing community outreach programs and embracing the voices of citizens and business owners, local leaders will be able to provide community members with ownership into the post-pandemic rebuilding and restructuring of their cities and towns,” said Nichol Figueiredo, CEO, CSS.
About Capital Strategic Solutions
Capital Strategic Solutions, LLC. (CSS) is a Massachusetts-based, woman-owned business (WBE) that is composed of former municipal employees. Since 2014, CSS has been partnering with communities and consultants throughout New England to enhance community engagement by building trust through transparency. Our team is committed to providing equitable resources to communities to maintain and increase community services that benefit residents, businesses, and visitors of each client’s community.
We deliver creative and cost-effective services that maximize success while minimizing risk for our clients. Our team specializes in community engagement, grant writing & management, impact mitigation & crisis communication, project management & oversight, solutions for data management, website design services, tactical social media outreach, and virtual and in-person event planning. We work diligently with our clients to define clear project goals while resolving complex challenges.
Contact us at info@capital-strategic-solutions.com or call 508-690-0046.