I read once that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second best time to plant a tree is now.

Let that sink in.  We, as a community and parish, should have done a lot of things 20 years ago (or longer).  We didn't.  But not having done them then is no excuse for not starting today.  We should have had a coordinated economic development initiative, utilizing talents and resources from NSU, the City, the Parish, the Port, the Chamber and the CVB, among others.  We should have addressed infrastructure and tax structure and how they fit together.  We should have made big plans and executed small pieces, continuously, towards a common goal.  We should have decided we wanted the best public schools in the entire state, to compete with the best anywhere--and then taken the necessary steps to move toward that ambition.  We did not; we did not do any of these things.

So what do we do now?  Well, we don't wring our hands or point fingers.  We fix it!  There is no better time time than today.  With strong leadership from Parish President Rick Nowlin, from Mayor Lee Posey and from the Chamber Board, positive change has occurred over the past two years.  It took effort, and it took time, but true economic development is moving forward now under the Natchitoches Community Alliance Foundation, Inc. (NCA).  It took a little time for the conversations to take root and the movement to begin that lead us to this, today:  a chance to combine resources and utilize the best talent to make things better for everyone--to market this our parish as a great place for business, to focus efforts on internal improvement, to plan to succeed and in short, to bring jobs to Natchitoches.  I'm proud of that and we should all be--it is PROGRESS!

Admittedly, we have a long way to go and it will get harder before it (ever?) gets easier--but we are moving.  We are going in the right direction in some areas and working to do so in other areas.  The change we all seek will not happen overnight; it won't happen in a year, or likely even two.  But those timelines and possibilities did not even start until our currents effort began; we are on our way and our community--each of us--determines how far we go, together.  This is a team sport, and we only win playing as a team.

The Parish Road Advisory Commission has offered some solutions for one of the biggest issues we face, roads.  We have a lot of hard work in front of us all to find the best solution and, more importantly, work the solution to get our roads and other infrastructure where they belong.  We have work to do on public education in Natchitoches Parish.  And in both of these areas, we have great folks working very hard.  We can do this.  We will do this.  Why would we not?  Why would we even conceive of letting things stay the same?  How could we consider not making the tough choices that help us make a difference?  We know where status quo is and where it leads--it is time for the tough choices that pay off, for now and for the future.

I hope you will join Parish leadership, City of Natchitoches leadership, the University and its new President, the NCA and others as we all eagerly work towards a stronger future for Natchitoches parish.  I am excited to work with these groups and so many others.  We have so much to offer; so much more than so many other places.  I am encouraged and I know positive changes are in store--please join us in continuing to build the momentum.  Together, we can make this parish a model of the good life in Louisiana!

Tony