Dalton urged to keep on believing

Mar. 23—A little more than five years ago leaders of the Greater Dalton community received some bad news. A study commissioned by the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce found that Dalton and Whitfield County had a persistent talent drain, very low educational attainment levels and a poor self-image.

That led the chamber to unveil Believe Greater Dalton, a five-year effort to address those issues.

"We have met all of the goals we set for ourselves, but there is more work to be done," said Believe Greater Dalton Executive Director Allyson Coker Tuesday night at the Weaving Room, a meeting space at the Mill at Crown Garden on Chattanooga Avenue.

Coker and other Believe Greater Dalton officials presented the organization's plans for the next five years.

"One of the reasons we chose this site is that revitalization is now its own specific strategy in the next five years," said Coker. "Downtown Dalton was one of our focuses in the past five years. We've seen a lot of great things going on there. Now, we want to extend that into the corridors leading out of downtown."

Some 300 people packed the room for the presentation.

"I think everyone I've known in my life is in this room," joked Believe Greater Dalton Co-Chair Bill Davies, market president for Truist. "This is wonderful. I'm extremely excited about the next five years. Our goal is to create actionable strategies that bring tangible results."

The other co-chair is Anna Adamson, director of Junior Achievement of Northwest Georgia.

Officials touted Believe Greater Dalton's accomplishments during the past five years. For instance, a housing study commissioned by the group found that Whitfield County has an aging housing stock and an inadequate amount of housing at all levels of the market. Shortly after that, developers began work on several major projects. Officials said that by the end of 2024 some 900 new units will be on the market.

Believe Greater Dalton is one of the groups that does programming for Dalton's Burr Performing Arts Park. Attendance at events there grew from 16,000 in 2018 to more than 100,000 in 2022.

And Believe Greater Dalton spearheaded Gratefull, a community Thanksgiving dinner in downtown Dalton. More than 1,700 people attended the event in 2022.

Coker said more than 4,500 people responded to Believe Greater Dalton's latest community survey, including more than 1,000 middle and high school students.

The previous five-year plan focused on six areas: community pride, downtown Dalton, economic development, education, entrepreneurship and housing.

The plans for the next five years will focus on community pride, economic development, education, engagement and unity, housing and revitalization.

Stephani Womack, Believe Greater Dalton's director of education and workforce development, said during the next five years the group will be looking at ways to support students outside the classroom "so they show up at school ready to learn."

Coker said another goal is to work with city and county officials to reduce blight and improve the appearance of the community "so that we look like the home of a $10 billion industry."

To find out more about Believe Greater Dalton, go to www.believegreaterdalton.com.