GOAlS FOR DALlAS

--~.o.-· --- - - -

~-

THE POSSIBLE

DREAMS

WHAT IT'S AlL ABom

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK IS TO SERVE AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND AS A GUIDE TO ACTION FOR ANY CITIZEN OR ORGANIZATION INTERESTED IN THE BETTERMENT OF THE DALLAS AREA. IT IS AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE MOST POS)TIVE---AND OFTEN LEAST KNOWN---ACHIEVEMENTS OF LOCAL ORGANiZATIONS, AND PROVIDES A COMMON BODY Of KNOWLEDGE FROM WHICH TO FURTHER DEVELOP THE COMMUNITY IN A MANNER CHARACTERISTIC OF THE DALLAS SPIRIT.

SOAlS ARE THE RAllYING POINT, 205 OF THEM IN 17 SUBJECT AREAS.

REACHED BY A CONSENSUS OF THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS FIVE YEARS AGO IN THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROGRAM. DREAMS FOR THE COMMUNITY---THOSE POSITIVE THOUGH OFTEN VAGUE IMAGES, THOUGHTS. AND EMOTIONS ABOUT WHAT WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO BE---ARE TURNING INTO REALITIES THROUGH THE PROCESS OF SETTING GOALS AND THEN FOLLOWING PLANS TO ACHIEVE THEM. MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN JUST FIVE YEARS, SUCH AS COMPLETION OF REUNION ARENA, OPENING OF THE NEW DOWNTOWN CENTRAL LIBRARY, AND INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR CITIZENS TO PARTICIPATE IN DECIDING WHAT HAPPENS IN THEIR COMMUNITY, MUCH ALSO REMAINS TO BE DONE IN A COMMUNITY WHERE CITIZENS SET HIGH GOALS FOR THEMSELVES.

FOR EACH OF THE 205 GOALS, THIS BOOK GIVES A CURRENT STATUS, REASONS FOR THE STATUS INDICATED. AND EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITIES. IT ALSO INCLUDES A GOALS ACHIEVEMENT MATRIX, WHICH ZEROS IN ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOALS AND KEY ORGANIZATIONS. AND THE PRIORITY AREAS OF CONCERN NOW IN EACH OF THE 17 SUBJECT AREAS. THE REMAINING SECTIONS OF THIS CHAPTER DESCRIBE THESE ITEMS IN MORE DETAIL. THE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS DESCRIBE WAYS TO FURTHE~ ACHIEVE GOALS, AND THE PROCESS OF THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROGRAM.

GOALS

MOST GOALS IN TH I S BOO K .ARE 0 I V I DED I NTO TWO PARTS. THE FIRST PART, COLOR-HiGHLIGHTED, IS A SUMMARY STATEMENT OF THE DESIRED OUTCOME OR DESIRED END RESULT, AT THE TIME A GOAL WAS SET. IT WAS WHAT CITIZENS WANTED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE---AT LEAST TO THE EXTENT THEY DES!RED. THE SECOND PART CONTAINS ELEMENTS OF THE GOAL FURTHER EXPLAINING iTS MEANING OR HAVING TO DO WITH HOW IT WAS TO BE ACHIEVED. BOTH PARTS TOGETHER FORM THE GOALS STATEMENT AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED !N 1977.

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STATUS OF GOALS

EACH GOAL IS EVALUATED BY ITS ASSIGNMENT TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING

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WHAT IT'S AIL ABour

STATUS CLASSIFICATIONS:

A, ACHIEVED OR ESSENTIALLY ACHIEVED, AN EVENT HAS OCCURRED, OR A CONDITION NOW EXISTS, THAT SIGNIFIES ACHIEVEMENT, OR ACHIEVEMENT NFOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES.N OF THE GOAL OR THE INTENT OF THE GOAL, FOR ONGOING GOALS, SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITIES SINCE THE TIME THE GOAL WAS SET THAT ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL PERIODIC RECOMM)TMENT,

B, PARTLY ACHIEVED. L.IKELY TO BECOME ESSENTIALLY ACHIEVED, ACHIEVEMENT OR ESSENTIAL ACHIEVEMENT IS EXPECTED BY 1982. OR ENOUGH MOMENTUM EXISTS TO EXPECT EVENTUAL ACHIEVEMENT WITHOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER COMMITMENT,

C, PARTLY ACHIEVED, UNCERTAIN OF BECOMING ESSENTIALLY ACHIEVED.

THERE HAS BEEN SOME POSITIVE ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITY SINCE THE TIME

THE GOAL WAS SET, ALTHOUGH FULL OR ESSENTIAL ACHIEVEMENT IS UNCERTAIN, REASONS MAY INCLUDE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS AND LACK OF COMMITMENT, AMONG OTHERS. THE NATURE OF THE GOAL ITSELF CAN MAKE ITS FULL ACHIEVEMENT UNCERTAIN AT BEST, SOME GOALS, FOR EXAMPLE. MAY RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS OF CITIZENS AND RESULT IN SOME CONCRETE ACHIEVEMENTS) ALTHOUGH THEY ARE SO BROADLY-DEFINED) AND OF SUCH A CONTINUALLY CHANGING NATURE, THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS BY CITIZENS AND THEREFORE LACK A BASIS FOR MEASURING ACHIEVEMENT.

D, NOT BEING ACHIEVED, MINIMAL OR NO POSITIVE ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITY BEYOND THE LEVEL EXISTING AT THE TIME THE GOAL WAS SET. REASONS ARE SIMILAR TO, ALTHOUGH MORE PRONOUNCED THAN. THOSE IN CLASSIFICATION C.

AT THE START OF 1982, 24 (12%) OF THE 205 GOALS ARE JUDGED WITHIN THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROGRM TO BE ACHIEVED; 94 (46%) ARE PARTLY ACHIEVED AND LIKELY TO BECOME ESSENTIALLY ACHIEVED; 83 (40%) ARE PARTLY ACHIEVED, ALTHOUGH THEIR FULL ACHIEVEMENT IS UNCERTAIN; AND ONLY 4 (2%) GOALS ARE NOT BEING ACHIEVED, ALL THE GOALS WERE NOT EXPECTED TO BE ACHIEVED WITHIN FIVE YEARS AND, AS WAS ILLUSTRATEb) OTHERS BY THEIR VERY NATURE MAY NEVER BE FULLY ACHIEVED, THE PRIMARY VALUE OF HAVING GOALS, THOUGH, IS IN HELPING THE COMMUNITY BECOME BETTER---AND THIS EVALUATION IS A CLEAR MEASURE OF SUCCESS. POSITIVE STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TOWARDS ACHIEVING 98% OF T~E GOALS SET BY CITIZENS FOR THEIR COMMUNITY,

EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITIES

THE ACTIVITIES OF THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE

WHAT IT'S AlL ABOUT

HELPING TO ACH[EVE THE GOALS FOR DALLAS. EXAMPLES ARE PRESENTED WITH EACH GOAL TO JUSTIFY ITS STATUS CLASSIFICATION AND GIVE NL1FE" TO THE GOAL. TO BE SURE, ANY EFFORT SUCH AS THE ONE ATTEMPTED IN THIS BOOK WILL MISS SOME IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES. AND OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS ARE OCCURRING DAILY. THE NEXT CHAPTER DESCRIBES ONE WAY TO FURTHER COMMUNICATE WHAT IS BEING DONE TO ACHIEVE COMMUNITY GOAlS--A WAY THAT ALLOWS ANY CITIZEN TO PARTICIPATE. IN ADDITION, CITIZENS MAY WANT TO CONSULT OPEN DALLAS, A PUBLICATION OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY DESIGNED AS A GUIDE TO COMMUNITY SERVICES AND SPECIAL RESOURCES FOR "DISCOVERING YOUR CITY,"

TH E GOALS ACH I EVEMENiT MAT R I X

THE GOALS ACHIEVEMENT MATRIX ZEROS IN ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOALS AND 12 KEY ORGANIZATIONS WHOSE ACTIVITIES AFFECT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MANY GOALS, FOR ANY GOAL, READING ACROSS THE MATRIX WILL SHOW WHICH OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A SPECIAL INTEREST IN ACHIEVING THE GOAL. FOR ANY ORGANIZATION, READiNG DOWN THE MATRIX WILL SHOW ALL THE GOALS THAT ORGANIZATION 15 PARTICULARLY HELPING TO ACHIEVE,

PRIORITY AREAS OF CONCERN'

AFTER FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS TOWARD ACHIEVING GOALS, WHAT ARE

THE TOP PRIORITY AREAS FOR CONCERN TODAY? THE LAST CH~PTER PRESENTS THE CONCLUSIONS OF GOALS FOR DALLAS ACHIEVEMENT COMMITTEES THAT HAVE CLOSELY FOLLOWED TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN EACH OF THE 17 SUBJECT AREAS. THESE ARE NOT STATEMENTS OF SPECIFIC NEEDS, PROBLEMS, OPPORTUNITIES, OR GOALS, RATHER, THEY ARE STATEMENTS OF T6PICS WITHIN WHICH NEEDS, PROBLEMS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND GOALS NEED TO BE MORE SPECIFICALLY AND EARNESTLY DEALT WITH,

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HOW TO HELP ACHIEVE THE GOAl5 FOR DAllAS

THIS CHAPTER IS A ST'ER;:-BY-STEP GUIDE THAT ANY CITIZEN MAY WANT TO FOLLOW---OR AT LEAST GET IDEAS FROM---TO DEVELOP ACTION PLANS THAT WILL HELP FURTHER ACHIEVE THE GOALS FOR DALLAS AND IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY. SOME STEPS CAN BE TAKEN BY INDIVIDUALS. OTHERS REQUIRE THE PARTICIPATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN ORGANIZATIONS, IF ENOUGH CITIZENS FOLLOW ALL THE STEPS, IT COULD CONTRIBUTE TO A GREATER HARMONY AMONG THE GOALS OF INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE COMMUNITY, WHILE MEETING THE LEGITIMATE ~EEDS OF EACH.

• READ THROUGH ALL 205 GOALS TO GET A FEEL FOR WHAT IT TAKES TO REALLY BUILD A CITY OF EXCELLENCE,

• FOCUS ON ABOUT 10 GOALS THAT INTEREST YOU, AND THAT YOU THINK ARE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT, STUDY THEM. READ THE EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITIES TO FIND OUT WHAT IS BEING DONE TO ACHIEVE THEM AND WHO IS DOING IT, LOOK AT THE STATUS OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENT AND THE REASONS WHY. IN OTHER WORDS, GET TO KNOW THE GOALS THAT INTEREST YOU,

• ZERO IN ON THREE GOALS THAT NOT ONLY INTEREST YOU AND THAT YOU THINK ARE IMPORTANT, BUT ALSO THAT YOU BELIEVE IN, CAN COMMIT TO, AND WILL WORK TO HELP ACHIEVE,

• UNDER "NOTES AND IDEAS" ON THE PAGES OF THE GOALS YOU ARE ZEROING IN ON, WRITE DOWN SUCH INFORMATION AS ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITIES YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT ARE NOT LISTED, RELATED INFORMATION YOU KNOW ABOUT FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT MAY BE HELPFUL HERE, AND IDEAS THAT

COME TO YOU AS YOU DEVOTE YOUR CREATIVE ENERGIES TOWARD ACHIEVING THE GOALS, USE THIS SPACE ALSO TO KEEP TRACK OF ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS RELATING TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS AS THEY HAPPEN, AND ARE REPORTED IN THE NEWSPAPERS AND ON RADIO AND TELEVISION,

• CONTACT, SUPPORT} AND WORK WITH ORGANIZATIONS ALREADY INTERESTED IN THE GOALS YOU ARE COMMITTED TO, ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO GET SOMETHING DONE 1S TO FIND OUT WHO IS ALREADY WORKING ON IT---AND JOIN THEM, TO HELP, THE PHONE NUMBERS OF ORGANIZATIONS REFERRED TO IN THIS BOOK ARE INCLUDED IN THE INDEX,

• MATCH THE GOALS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION TO THE SPECIFIC GOALS FOR DALLAS, THIS IDENTIFIES WHERE YOUR ORGANIZATION MIGHT BE MOST EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL, SINCE THESE GOALS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION ARE ALSO THE GOALS OF CITIZENS,

• USE THIS BOOK AS AN IDEA-GENERATOR IN YOUR ORGANIZATION WHEN IT DECIDES NEW PROJECTS TO UNDERTAKE, YOUR ORGANIZATION COULD THINK OF PROJECTS TO DO ON ITS OWN, OR JOINTLY WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, HERE IS THE CHANCE TO ADD TO THE LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO ACHIEVE COMMON GOALS,

HOW 10 HElP ACHIEVE THE GOALS FOR DAllAS

• CARRY TH[S BOOK WITH YOU, REFER TO IT AND THE GOALS IT CONTAINS---AT MEETINGS, IN YOUR WORK, AT PUBLIC HEARINGS, AND IN uLETTERS TO THE EDITOR," THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS PARTICIPATED IN A THOUGHTFUL AND DEMOCRATIC PROCESS TO ARRIVE AT THESE GOALS, USE THIS FOR "SUPPORTING EVIDENCE" AS YOU WORK FOR THE GOALS YOU BELIEVE (N, IT CAN HELP, ESPECIALLY IF ENOUGH OTHER PEOPLE DO THE SAME THING,

• MANY GOALS CAN BE FURTHER ACHIEVED THROUGH THE ACTIONS OF INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS TO ACHIEVE PERSONAL GOALS. THE EXAMPLES OF ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITIES BY ORGANIZATIONS PRESENTED IN THIS BOOK CAN ESPECIALLY PROVIDE IDEAS FOR NEW GOALS YOU CAN SET TO BENEFIT YOURSELF, AND EASILY ACHIEVE JF YOU MAKE THE COMMITMENT, IF THEY ARE ACHIEVED BY ENOUGH CITIZENS, THERE CAN BE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF COMMUNITY GOALS, EXAMPLES INCLUDE REGISTERING FOR A CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASS, IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF YOUR HOME, UTILIZING PHONE ACCESS TAPE LIBRARIES TO IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF HEALTH-RELATED MATTERS, AND REGISTERING WITH THE VOLUNTEER CENTER TO GIVE SOME OF YOUR TIME IN SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND ITS ORGAN I ZA TJ ONS.

• LET THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROGRAM KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. YOU WILL THEN RECEIVE PERIODIC NEWSLETTERS REPORTING THE ACTIONS TAKEN

,

BY MANY INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP ACHIEVE GOALS. IT

OFTEN REQUIRES THE EFFORTS OF THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS---EACH KNOWING WHAT THE OTHERS ARE DOING---TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. MAKE 1982 A BENCHMARK YEAR FOR COMMUNICATION IN DALLAS BY RETURNING THE COMMUNIQUE CARD AT THE END OF THIS BOOK TO GOALS FOR DALLAS---NOW,

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mE. GOALS FOR DAllAS PROCESS

WHEN NEWLY-ELECTED MAYOR ERIK JONSSON FIRST PROPOSED THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROGRAM IN 196q BEFORE THE DALLAS ROTARY CLUB, HE SAID IT WAS THE BEST WAY HE KNEW "" ,TO ENSURE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE LEVEL AND SCOPE WHICH WE DESIRE AND OF WHICH WE ARE CAPABLE," AT A LUNCHEON MEETING WITH MAYOR JONSSON IN 1965, TWENTY-SIX COMMUNITY LEADERS AGREED TO SPEARHEAD THE PROGRAM, AND A GOAL SETTING AND ACHIEVEMENT PROCESS WAS BEGUN THAT HAS SINCE CONTINUALLY CHANGED TO MEET BOTH THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE LESSONS OF EXPERIENCE,

IN THE PAST SIXTEEN YEARS, THE PROGRAM HAS CHALLENGED EVERY CITIZEN WITH FAR-REACHING RESPONSIBILITIES TO DEVELOP A CITY OF EXCELLENCE, AND HAS DRAWN ON THE ACCUMULATED WISDOM AND COMMON SENSE OF WELL OVER 100,000 PERSONS.

GOALS FOR DALLAS IS AN INDEPENDENT, NONPOLITICAL, NONPROFIT CORPORATION, 'PRIVATELY FINANCED BY OVER 160 INDIVIDUALS, BUSINESSES, AND FOUNDATIONS. GUIDANCE IS PROVIDED BY A 4S-MEMBER BOARD OF TRUSTEES, REPRESENTING A CROSS-SECTION OF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP WITH A MUTUAL RESPECT FOR ALL CITIZENS,

DESIRED RESULTS OF THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROCESS

ANY PROCESS OF ASSISTING CITIZENS IN FORMULATING AND ACHIEVING COMMUNITY GOALS REQUIRES THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THESE FIVE RESULTS:

• UNDERSTANDING BY CITIZENS OF COMMUNITY NEEDS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND RESOURCES---AND HOW THEY ARE RELATED,

• RESOLUTION OF CONTRASTING INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS INTO A COHERENT, MEANINGFUL, AND USEFUL SET OF COMMUNITY GOALS THAT ENJOY A CONSENSUS OF CITIZEN SUPPORT.

• ORGANIZATION OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN THE COMMUNITY DECISIONMAKING SYSTEM ON A LARGE SCALE AND IN A PRODUCTIVE MANNER; PROVIDING CLEAR SIGNALS OF THE GOALS OF CITIZENS TO PRIVATE AND PUBLIC BODIES,

• A CONFIDENT SENSE OF DIRECTION AND MOMENTUM WITHIN THE COMMUNITY; A CLEAR IDEA OF WHERE THE COMMUNITY IS HEADED, HOW IT IS GOING TO GET THERE, AND THAT GOALS ARE BEING ACHIEVED.

• A GREATER SENSE OF COMMUNITY; FEELINGS BY CITIZENS OF BEING AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE COMMUNITY,

IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THESE RESULTS LIES THE GREATEST BENEFIT OF THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROGRAM: CITIZENS KNOWING MORE ABOUT THEIR

.

COMMUNITY AND EACH OTHER, AND INTERESTED IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF

THEIR CITY AS WELL AS THEIR OWN LIVES AS CITIZENS,

mE GOAlS FOR DAllAS PROCESS

CYCLE I

SETTING GOALS, DEVELOPING PLANS TO ACHIEVE THEM, AND MONITORING AND FACILITATING GOAL ACHIEVEMENT ACTIVITIES, COMPRISE THE THREE PHASES OF THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROCESS, THIS BOOK MARKS THE COMPLETION OF THE SECOND FULL CYCLE OF THE PROCESS. ALONG THE WAY, HUNDREDS OF CITIZENS PARTICIPATED ON COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES, AND AT CONFERENCES, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS ATTENDED COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND RETURNED QUESTIONNA[RES. AND MANY MORE CITIZENS WERE REACHED THROUGH GOALS FOR DALLAS PUBLICATIONS. SPEAKERS BUREAUS. AND THE MEDIA,

IN CYCLE I, NINETY-EIGHT GOALS WERE FIRST PROPOSED [N MID-JUNE OF 1966 BY A BROAD-BASED GROUP OF 87 CITIZENS ATTENDING A THREE-DAY CONFERENCE AT SALADO, TEXAS. THE PROPOSED GOALS WERE BASED ON AN EVALUATION OF ESSAYS PREPARED BY LOCAL RESEARCHERS DEALING WITH ALL ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY. THEY) ALONG WITH THE ESSAYS, WERE PUBLISHED IN A BOOK, AND 20,000 COPIES WERE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY,

MORE THAN 6000 CITIZENS ATTENDED NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSED GOALS AND MAKE SUGGESTiONS. AS A RESULT, 62 OF THE ORIGINAL 98 GOALS WERE REVISED IN SOME MANNER. AND 16 NEW GOALS WERE ADDED, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF GOALS IN THE FIRST CYCLE TO 114.

TWELVE TASK FORCES, dNE FOR EACH BROAD AREA OF COMMUNITY CONCERN IDENTIFIED IN THE GOALS PROGRAM. THEN DEVELOPED SCHEDULES FOR ACHIEVING GOALS. THEY WORKED CLOSELY WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CARRYING OUT ACHIEVEMENT PLANS, AND ALSO INCORPORATED THE OPINIONS OF OVER 50,000 CITIZENS AS EXPRESSED AT 456 COMMUNITY MEETINGS.

IN 1970, COMMITTEES WERE ORGAN[ZED TO MONITOR AND EVALUATE ANNUAL PROGRESS MADE TOWARD ACHIEVING GOALS, THE COMMITTEES CONSULTED WITH ORGANIZATIONS MOST LIKELY TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS" AND DECIDED WHETHER PROGRESS WAS SATISFACTORY. SUGGESTIONS WERE OFTEN MADE TO THESE ORGANIZATIONS IN AN EFFORT TO ACCELERATE THEIR WORK,

BY JANUARY 1973, 27% OF THE GOALS HAD BEEN ACHIEVED, 43% HAD

BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY ACHIEVED, 28% HAD BEEN MODERATELY ACHIEVED, AND ONLY 2% WERE NOT BEING ACHIEVED AT ALL, BOTH TANGIBLE RESULTS AND SUBTLE BENEFITS WERE ATTAINED, SOME TANGIBLE EXAMPLES OF EARLY PROGRESS INCLUDE T~E FIRST STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH REGIONAL AIRPORT, INITIATION OF SYSTEM-WIDE KINDERGARTEN IN

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mE GOAlS FOR DAllAS PROCESS

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, EXPANSION OF FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES, ACQUISITION OF MORE OPEN SPACE BY THE CITY OF DALLAS, AND IMPROVEMENTS

IN THE MANAGEMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, IN ADDITION, THE INCREASED ORIENTATION TOWARD THE FWTURE BY THE THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE GOALS PROGRAM CONTRIBUTED TO PASSAGE IN 1972 OF THE LARGEST BOND ISSUE IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITy---$175,000,OOO.

GOALS FOR DALLAS PROVIDED A FOCUS FOR MANY ORGANIZATIONS TO BEGIN WORK ON COMMON GOALS, SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS DETERMINED AND PUBLISHED GOALS FOR THEMSELVES, APART FROM, BUT INFLUENCED BY, GOALS FOR DALLAS, ONE SUCH ORGANIZATION WAS THE LIBRARY SYSTEM,

MANY BENEFITS OF T~E FIRST CYCLE OF THE GOALS PROGRAM THAT CONTINUE TO THIS DAY ARE DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY, SUCH AS THE VALUE RESULING FROM HAVING PEOPLE WHO DID NOT KNOW EACH OTHER BEFORE GETTING TOGETHER TO DISCUSS THEIR COMMUNITY, COMMUNICATION WAS VASTLY INCREASED NOT ONLY AMONG CITIZENS, BUT ALSO BETWEEN CITIZENS AND THE DECISION-MAKERS IN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS,

DALLAS WAS DESIGNATED AN ALL-AMERICA CITY BY THE NATIONAL MUNICIPAL LEAGUE IN 1971 BECAUSE OF ITS ", .• EXTENSIVE EFFORTS TO GIVE THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS A DIRECT VOICE IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR CITY,"

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CYCLE II

THE GOALS SETTING PHASE OF THE SECOND CYCLE OF THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROCESS BEGAN IN EARLY 1976, WHEN TASK FORCES IDENTIFIED

156 COMMUNITY ISSUES. TASK FORCE PAPERS, ALONG WITH CITIZEN OPINIONS ON THE ISSUES AS EXPRESSED IN A SURVEY INVOLVING 8000 INDIVIDUALS, FORMED THE BASIS FROM WHICH 170 NEW GOALS FOR DALLAS WERE PROPOSED BY A BROAD-BASED GROUP OF 100 CITIZENS ATTENDING A CONFERENCE AT TANGLEWOOD LODGE ON LAKE TEXOMA,

THE PROPOSED GOALS WERE INTRODUCED TO THE PUBLIC ON INDEPENDENCE DAY, 1976, IN OLD CITY PARK, THEY WERE SUBSEQUENTLY CONSIDERED BY THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS IN MEETINGS OF ORGANIZATIONS, EMPLOYEES, STUDENTS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THE FINAL RESULT WAS 205 NEW GOALS FOR DALLAS WITHIN 17 AREAS OF CONCERN, THESE ARE THE GOALS REPORTED ON IN THIS BOOK,

APPROXIMATELY 100 ORGANIZATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED TO TAKE THE LEAD IN DEVELOPING PLANS TO ACHIEVE GOALS, AND THEN TO FOLLOW-THROUGH WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLANS, THREE HUNDRED OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WERE LISTED AS POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS TO HELP ACHIEVE THE GOALS,

THE GOALS FOR DAllAS PROCESS

IN 1979 AND 1980, 17 ACHI~VEMENT COMMITTEES RECEIVED FORMAL REPORTS FROM GOALS IMPLEMENTING ORGA IZATIONS TO HELP IN THEIR !VALUATION OF PROGRESS MADE TOWARD ACHIEVING GOALS. AT THE END

OF 1981. THE COMMITTEES MADE A FINAL EVALUATION OF THE STATUS OF EACH GOAL, AND ALSO IDENTIFIED CURRENT PRIORITY AREAS OF CONCERN. THESE FINDINGS WERE BASED ON UPDATES AND OPINIONS RECEIVED FROM ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS ON OTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE COMMITTEES. THE WORK OF THE 17 ACHIEVEMENT COMMITTEES WAS REVIEWED ON MARCH 2, 1982, AT A JOINT MEETING OF GOALS FOR DALLAS TRUSTEES AND SPOKESPERSONS fOR THE COMMITTEES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE MEETING HAS TO DEVELOP THE BROADEST POSSIBLE CONSENSUS OF AGREEMENT BEFORE THE FINDINGS WERE PUBLISHED IN THIS BOOK.

THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROCESS IS WORKING. ONLY 2% OF THE 205 GOALS SET IN 1976 ARE NOT BEING ACHIEVED, AND WHILE GOALS FOR DALLAS CERTAINLY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE PROGRESS IN DALLAS} IT HAS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY AFFECTED PROGRESS TOWARD THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MANY GOALS. ONE EVJDE~GE OF THIS IS THAT OF qS AGENCIES RESPONDING TO A GOALS FOR DALLAS SURVEY IN 1980, 78% INDICATED THE GOALS PROGRAM HAD EITHER A SUBSTANTIAL OR MODERATE IMPACT ON THEIR WORK PROGRAM. PERHAPS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IS THAT EACH CITIZEN WHO HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM USUALLY HAS HIS OWN PSUCCESS STORY" OF HO~I THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROCESS HAS BENEF I TED DALLAS, OR OF HOW HE PERSONALLY HAS BENEFITED FROM PARTICIPATION,

FURTHER ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS CAN ONLY COME FROM THE SUSTAINED COMMITMENT OF CITIZENS AND ORGANIZATIONS. THIS BOOK IS ONE WAY TO CHANNE L THAT COMM I TMENT AND COMr~UN I CATE PROGRESS.

CYCLE r I I

CHANGE IS UPON US AT AN INCREASING RATE. RESOURCES ALWAYS SEEM INADEQUATE TO MEET NEEDS. AND PEOPLE EVERYWHERE WANT A GREATER VOICE IN DECIDING WHAT HAPPENS IN THEIR COMMUNITY. NOWADAYS, ALL CITIES AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS MUST CONTINUALLY ADAPT TO THESE CONDITIONS. THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROCESS IS THEREFORE UNDERGOING A VERY DELIBERATE REVIEW BY A UNIQUE PLANNING COMMITTEE SO THAT [T WILL CONTINUE TO BE OF VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY.

TO DEVELOP A WORTHWHILE, NORKABLE, AND UP-TO-DATE PROCESS FOR THE GOALS PROGRAM. THE PLANNING COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF 150 PERSONS REPRESENTING A WIDE CROSS-SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY: ELECTED OFFICIALS; PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS; BUSINESS PEOPLE; REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE

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THE GOAlS FOR DAllAS PROCESS

MEDIA; LEADERSHIP FROM CIVIC GROUPS AND COMMUNITY. NEIGHBORHOOD, AND PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; EDUCATORS; AN EMPLOYEES GROUP AT FRITO-LAY COMPANY; STUDENTS; RETIRED PERSONS; LONG-TIME PARTICIPANTS IN THE GOALS PROGRAM; NEWCOMERS TO DALLAS; AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS, .MEMBERS REPRESENT THE VIEWPOINTS OF CITIZENS THROUGHOUT DALLAS COUNTY,

IN THE FALL OF 1981. PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS CONSIDERED ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO CONDUCTING THE GOALS PROGRAM, RECOGNIZING THE HNEWH DALLAS THAT EXISTS TODAY---THAT IS, THE CHANGING NATURE OF OUR PEOPLE, POLITICS, ORGAJIZATIONS, AND RESOURCES---AHD OBSERVING THE PRINCIPLES, CHARACTERISTICS, AND IDEAS THAT NEED TO BE INCORPORATED INTO ANY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM, A HCONSENSUS PLAN" FOR CYCLE I I! OF THE GOALS FOR DALLAS PROCESS IS EXPECTED TO BE IN FULL OPERATION BY EARLY 1983,

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