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The future of the Chamber is up in the air as leaders invite new energy, new ideas
HARTINGTON — The Hartington Chamber of Commerce is at a crossroads.
The group of dedicated volunteers charged with promoting the community, planning local events and advocating for local businesses is getting smaller each year.
Hartington Chamber of Commerce President Ray Sukovaty said the Chamber is suering from the
same thing many other volunteer organizations are facing.
Civic apathy. 'Hartington does not have a patent on this. This is a nation-wide problem,' Sukovaty said.
Sukovaty said the Chamber organizes three or four community events each year, and while the events are generally well attended, only a handful of people volunteer to help out.
Chamber of Commerce Secretary Lisa Dendinger said it is disappointing that only a small core group is doing most of the work.
'We use the same volunteers all the time and we’re getting tired,' she said. 'We have to make some changes. The way we’re doing things now — it’s just not working.'
Getting people to attend the monthly meetings is also an issue, she said.
She remembers a day not too long ago when the monthly Chamber meetings were a big event. The Chamber meetings 30 years ago would feature a meal, and a speaker, she said.
These days, only the Chamber ocers
attend the monthly meetings. They never get 100 percent attendance from the ocers, either, she said.
Sukovaty said something has to change or the Chamber could soon become a distant memory.
'We don’t want to be the people that are tearing this down, but something has to change,' Sukovaty said. 'It's time to find out what
people want. Do they want the Chamber to continue. At this point, we're not sure.'
Sukovaty said at the last Chamber meeting, the Board discussed the possibility of disbanding or changing to a dierent type of community organization.
It was then decided to have a community-wide Town Hall meeting to generate some ideas.
In an eort
to better explain what the Chamber does, and how area people can help make the organization strong and viable, the Chamber is hosting the special meeting at the Cobblestone Inn meeting room on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m.
'We need to gauge the community interest to see where we need to go from here,' Sukovaty said. 'Do we shut it down? Does someone have some fresh ideas to reinvigorate it?'
Sukovaty said this meeting is an important way to find out what the community thinks.
'Our goal is to figure out how to
restructure things to get more people involved,' Dendinger said.
Chamber Secretary Bryce Lammers said the organization plays a vital role in the community, but more people simply have to get involved.
'We really want to see that involvement improve and get more input and assistance from more people,' he said.
