Unite Goldsboro to host roundtable
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on November 29, 2017 5:50 AM
Operation Unite Goldsboro, a grassroots organization working to improve the community, will host its third community roundtable Thursday evening focusing on the city of Goldsboro and Goldsboro Police Department.
The roundtable is open to the public and will start at 6 p.m. at Rebuilding Broken Places, 2105 N. William St.
The first police roundtable was held in June and an education roundtable was held in July.
"This will be our second one with the police department," said Mark Colebrook, organizer with Operation Unite Goldsboro.
"Operation Unite Goldsboro is trying to be the bridge between different entities, the county, city, education and health. We're trying to be the bridge that connects these entities to the community."
The roundtable is planned to offer updates from the city manager and police chief on city projects and initiatives. There will be time for discussion and questions.
City Manager Scott Stevens will provide information on city projects, including plans for the 2018 summer youth employment program. Police Chief Mike West will provide information about the police department, including the progress of community policing and its pursuit of accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Colebrook said.
"We really want to give the community information about what's going on, what it will do and how this ties into the whole community policing," Colebrook said of the CALEA accreditation process.
"Scott Stevens will also be there to talk about things the city is doing."
Colebrook said the manager's input will allow residents to hear first-hand about city projects, if they don't typically watch the manager's monthly video update on the city's website.
"This is an opportunity for him to provide some of that information," Colebrook said.
The roundtable meetings are an effort to bring decision-makers to the table with members of the community in a setting that is more informal than regular government meetings, such as the Goldsboro City Council, Wayne County Board of Education and the Wayne County Board of Commissioners, Colebrook said.
A community roundtable focusing on education is expected in January and a community health roundtable may take place in February or March, Colebrook said. The health roundtable is planned to include representatives from Wayne UNC Health Care, the Wayne County Health Department and Wayne County Chamber of Commerce.
"Right now, the goal is to have the roundtables quarterly," he said.
Operation Unite Goldsboro also has a working group of its members, which meet at other times to discuss issues that need addressing. The group regularly seeks ways to act on ideas and concerns raised by the public.
Efforts are also underway to create a community resource guide that can be used by the public and shared by area agencies and local government.
"One of the goals in 2018 is to put together a resource guide," Colebrook said. "From where we started to where we are, we have a lot of dialog and executable things that will require a plan of action to bring to life.
"The community needs to see more tangible items coming from our meetings instead of just talk. The community needs people who talk the talk but mainly walk the walk."