It is exciting and appreciated to witness yet another regeneration of making Alpena all that it can be as our community continues to develop and move forward. You can feel the energy – Alpena and NE Michigan are alive and flourishing. The energy is palpable and the array of people involved is exciting. I cannot help but reflect on the generational relay of enthusiasm and vision with what is happening in Alpena and the region; what I like to call Alpena’s 21st-century renaissance!

In 2009, ACC hosted a lecture series titled, Conversations: The Challenges of an American Community. Topics included small town/rural development, making cool spaces, poverty, housing, democracy and development, property rights, the environment, social justice, resistance to change, personal virtue, and cultural competence with arts, culture, and industry as drivers of community/economic development and sustainability. The series was funded by an endowment from Janet and Lucas Pfeiffenberger with the ACC Foundation. Fourteen speakers from across the nation fostered conversations with locals about what it takes to maintain a healthy and vibrant community over generations. A lot of momentum came from those discussions.

As I look currently at what is happening in Alpena and who is involved, I am heartened that, indeed, ideas have consequences, especially when lots of different people and organizations with all sorts of resources take initiative, and from one generation to the next. To all who continue and to those who are taking on the mantle in a new generation of rejuvenation of community, thank you for pursuing the visions and for being responsible in doing so. Way to go Alpena! Anyone paying attention can see the fruits of your labor every day!

TIM KUEHNLEIN,

Alpena