Let’s stop pretending we need permission to fix what’s broken. In a town like Linton—or any place that has watched its storefronts go dark, its kids pack up, and its sidewalks crumble—it’s time to stop waiting on consultant studies and start swinging hammers and making phone calls. This is not about flashy ribbon-cuttings or hiring consultants to tell us what we already know. Afterall, all of those fancy, expensive reports have historically only gathered dust on some shelf somewhere anyway.
For example, about twenty years ago, 881 community surveys were filled out by locals. Along with community leader interviews and input from the Comprehensive Plan Committee, the “Top 15 Issues Facing Linton” were developed from these. They were as follows:
• Lack of employment opportunities,
• Decayed and blighted properties,
• Keeping the “best and brightest” young people in the community,
• Vacant buildings,
• Communications between all parties involved in economic development in Greene County,
• Storm water drainage facilities,
• A shared vision for the future of Linton,
• Sidewalks for the handicapped,
• Encouraging new home building,
• Visual appearance,
• Affordable housing,
• Needs of the aging population,
• Additional recreation facilities,
• Housing for the elderly, and
• Lack of capital and business support systems to foster entrepreneurship/small businesses in Linton.
Sound familiar? Those are locked away in the city’s Comprehensive Plan laying on a shelf somewhere surely collecting dust. As you can see, reports don’t equate to change or forward-movement. Rather, it is all about putting the common sense of small-town folks actually to work. So, if we are serious about revitalizing a town, here’s a simple blueprint—no consultant’s fee required.
Start With Jobs: Knock, Call, Demand
If you want people working, we should start cold-call businesses like we are selling Girl Scout cookies, except with a longer-lasting offer: small-town pride, cheap land, no bureaucratic zoning boards, and a community that shows up to work. If we contacted one out-of-area enterprise each day, and we get “results” from only 1% of those, that is conservatively three new businesses represented by next Spring.
While we are at it, audit every vendor the city pays. If they aren’t local, they have got 90 days to explain why they’re taking Linton’s money somewhere else. When we do get grants, the money always seemingly goes away to Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, or geographically further away to some contractor there. Why?
Tear Down the Blight
You want people to stop ignoring abandoned buildings? Spray paint the window with a giant orange “FIX ME.” Broadcast it. Shame works — at least sometimes. If not, there are other ways and means. In the end, you’ll see just how quickly blight turns into pride.
Don’t Lose the Kids—Use Them
If the teens are loud, well good—give them a title. Start a youth program and hand them the mic. Turn downtown into their space after hours: food trucks, basketball, and music until — shock — midnight. Some recent downtown events have embraced this, and kuddos to those organizers!
Want to really shock the system though? Hand the kids cash to run their own community and money-making projects. Nothing says “we believe in you” like real money — and real responsibility.
Vacant Buildings Aren’t Sacred—Use Them
Empty storefronts suck the life out of a town. Stick “ASK ABOUT ME” posters in every abandoned window, along with the owner’s information and phone number. Seek to offer local artists and entrepreneurs 30-day free pop-ups. Place bold statements like “This could be a cute little shop” right on the front. Make people imagine what could be instead of accepting what’s not — and current is.
Cut Through the Economic Fog
Tired of development meetings that feel like endless therapy sessions? We need to stop wasting time. End those. Walk the talk, don’t just keep talking.
Flooded? Film It.
When stormwater floods a street, don’t file a complaint—film it. Put on boots, grab a GoPro or your iPhone, and tag your state rep, mayor, or city council person. Go viral with the truth. Better yet, if a ditch needs dug, grab a shovel. It’s a call to action. No one may be coming to help, but you are.
Let Folks Dream Out Loud
People want a vision they can see. Give them a huge dry erase board downtown for their hopes and ideas. Sure, you’ll get a few elementary school phallus drawings, no doubt, but you’ll get more community feedback in a week than a consultant will get in six months too. And it’s free. Well, except for the board, the markers, and an eraser — for the phalluses. So, instead of another PDF master plan that only collects dust, perhaps one small project could be completed — one small step forward certainly beats fifteen “strategic goals” that no one ever reads.
Sidewalks Are a Civic Right
Post photos online. “Before-and-afters” for bonus points, if repaired. Watch how fast folks start pointing out the next one that needs repair. They love that stuff.
Build Houses—Not Excuses
Want growth? Sell city lots for $1,000—with one rule: build within a year. Bringing back the frame-raising weekend, a modern version of the Amish barn raising, will be inspirational. Investors, hammers, and some loud music go further than zoning board meetings ever will.
Make It Beautiful—Fast
Tap into local artists and have them paint everything that doesn’t move — well, within legal boundaries, of course. Public art doesn’t need a grant—just guts. Have you seen the infamous “gum wall” in Seattle? Perhaps gross, but pure genius nonetheless! ABC gum is a tourist destination now. Who would have thunk?
Respect Your Elders—Really
The weather is getting better. What about some good old-fashioned porch visits? It’s old-school decency that still works to make a better, happier community. There’s a lot of wisdom under the gray hair, too, so let’s seek it out.
Support Local Businesses With Real Action
Start “Cash Mob Fridays.” Everyone commits to spending just $20 locally. It adds up! And for the dreamers out there, let’s help them launch, no strings attached. Itis as simple as liking and sharing their online promotions and events. It doesn’t cost anything, but it does provide a local small business with free publicity — and a feeling of community support too.
BOTTOM LINE: THIS IS YOUR TOWN. ACT LIKE IT.
Stop waiting for permission, consultant reports, or the perfect time. Start fixing things. When someone tells you it’s not allowed, ask them to show you that rule—and then fix it anyway. Paint it. Plant it. Build it. Clean it. Dare ‘em to stop you! This isn’t politics. It’s stewardship. And around here, stewardship means rolling up your sleeves, calling in favors, and making things happen with what you’ve got, guerrilla-style.