Ashville beings ACE initiative

Published 11:45 am Thursday, February 24, 2022

City leaders gathered in a community meeting on Feb. 15 to begin improvement plans with the Alabama Communities of Excellence. The day began with the visiting ACE team taking a tour of the city to view resources and understand what leaders are hoping to develop. 

“The ACE program is going to be huge for us, it’s an opportunity for us to network with experts in their fields, and typically we’d have to pay a lot of money to get access to that type of information and collaboration,” said Mayor Derrick Mostella.

Mary Shell, Executive Director of ACE, had everyone break off into groups to discuss differing city priorities. She said by designating certain leaders to be in charge of decided improvements, it helps hold people accountable and ensures the city is continuing to work toward its goals. 

The meeting broke out into four groups based on downtown/historical development, chamber development, economic development and housing/parks and recreation development.

The overall initiative consists of four goals set for a five-year period. Shell also commented on some areas the city could improve, such as more youth leadership opportunities.

While the ACE program doesn’t fund any goals set in place, they do help cities secure grants to make their plans happen. The ACE program offers a systematic approach and tools to growing cities by focusing on what makes each city unique through their assets and resources.