Rural communities are certainly not out to destroy themselves but, as it turns out, are often their own worst enemy. It was an interesting gathering of the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday as concepts from “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” were explored. Joe McKea, from Uintah County’s Human Resources Department, made the presentation based on the book by Doug Griffiths. Griffiths was actually the keynote speaker at the Uintah Basin Energy Summit held the end of August where he introduced the ideas for rural communities and the reasons behind his ironic theme and list of warnings to heed. As explored on Tuesday, the “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” are as follows: Don’t Have Quality Water, Don’t Attract Business, Ignore Your Youth, Deceive Yourself About Your Real Needs or Values, Shop Elsewhere, Don’t Paint, Don’t Cooperate, Live in the Past, Ignore your Seniors, Reject Everything New, Ignore Outsiders, Become Complacent, and Don’t Take Responsibility. Local leaders are taking to heart the lessons shared and exploring ways how to accomplish the opposite of the community killing tips.
