Kathy Williams

In the way of municipalities, Sherman is grappling with the weighty issues of adolescence. No longer a large town, Sherman must make leaps to become a fully mature city.

The leaps come in many forms: Identity, infrastructure, imagination, values, culture, finance, resources, history and education. The future will not wait. Growth will come in geometric magnitudes, each challenge spawning more complex ones. To attempt to accomplish this on the cheap would be a disaster. And placing the burden on current residents won't work.

City leaders -- elected, appointed, self-appointed and non-traditional -- made a leap of faith two years ago and supported investment of a quarter million dollars to develop a common vision of how the city should reach its adulthood. They hired a crackerjack consultant, Kendig Keast Collaborative, to devise a plan outlining the commonly held values and assumptions on which to base the thousands of decisions the next year or 20 will bring.

The product, with the unromantic title "Comprehensive Plan," stands apart from others similarly named. It is not a technocratic list of specifications and maps developed by experts guided solely by big bucks power brokers. And the council insisted, before handing over that chunk of cash, that the consultant include a strong guide to implementation of the plan. Councilors vowed it would not be one more report designated to a dusty shelf.

City staff developed a highly specific set of qualifications for companies wishing to earn that quarter-million. They didn't just ask for the educational and relevant experience bona fides of the company, they asked for those of the specific individuals who would work on this project. They included the strictest of conflict of interest provisions. They asked for more than competence, they wanted brilliance, imagination, skill and deep experience.

They sought and found companies that understood communities like Sherman that had a healthy self image and an intelligent, caring populace. They found one in Kendig Keast that fit Sherman perfectly. The consultants seemed to grasp the wide variety of opinions and needs: Ecologists and big land developers; older folks wanting open, natural space and quiet neighborhoods; professionals expecting bike trails and symphonies; young families seeking ball fields, water parks and singles hunting good jobs and night life.

Consultants recorded responses at two town hall meetings that demonstrated Sherman wants to preserve its colorful history and grasp the most exciting future possible. They met with stakeholder groups and city staff. The final plan includes 10 chapters.

The first chapter explains the process and defines the vision. The second describes urban design and land use. The third outlines growth management and capacity.

The fourth chapter predicts transportation needs and designs thoroughfare plans and roadway standards. The fifth concerns conservation and care of environmental resources. The sixth conveys the happy story of Sherman parks, recreation facilities and open spaces. The seventh charts new thinking tied to traditional values in neighborhoods and housing.

The ninth, authored by a different firm, TIP Strategies, proposes economic development strategies.

The 10th is the implementation plan. And this is where the council, city staff and residents must make a mutual leap of faith: Trust the plan they have developed to guide Sherman into its future as an independent city with an identity separate from and perhaps unique and superior to the satellite communities surrounding the Metroplex.

In the interests of transparency and disclosure, I was a member of the Citizens Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. City councilors and staff appointed the committee, which devoted a lot of personal time to the year-long process. I am indebted to those who allowed me to have such a close-up view of this process. I watched as Kendig Keast consultants recorded on flip charts the comments of break out groups -- one for each plan chapter -- from town hall meetings.

They took that information, picked the brains of city staffers and interpreted it through their professional and educated filters. The result came back in draft chapters, presented to the citizens committee, which questioned assumptions and conclusions, corrected any misconceptions they saw and added information. The committee came from varied backgrounds, and there didn't appear to be a shy one in the bunch.

Kendig Keast took committee feedback and incorporated it into the draft report. A joint meeting of the Sherman City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and city staff produced a priority list of action items, the implementation plan's skeleton.

"The comprehensive plan should be a 'living document,' that is, a document that is frequently referred to for guidance in community decision-making," Chapter 10 begins. "Implementation is not just about a list of action items. It is a challenging process that will require the commitment of the city's elected and appointed officials, staff, residents, business owners, major institutions, other levels of government, and other organizations and individuals who will serve as champions of the plan and its particular direction and strategies."

Some of the action items can be accomplished quickly, others will take decades. Kendig Keast's experts were excited that Sherman already was a progressive community in terms of parks, cultural activities and transportation planning. They expressed admiration Sherman residents' desire to be neighborly and maintain its unique character.

Every resident of Sherman should read the plan. Call City Hall for a copy. Every person who lives or works in Sherman should be proud of the vision they came together to create. And every one of us should work to justify the faith we demonstrated in one another by pressing for its implementation and renewal over the years.

KATHY WILLIAMS is assistant city editor of the Herald Democrat.