GLASGOW – Community members had three opportunities Tuesday to learn about the city’s proposed strategic plan.

Three public meetings took place throughout the day at the Lera B. Mitchell Clubhouse along South Green Street, during which community members were invited to view the plan and express opinions.

During the last public meeting of the day, some of the topics of discussion were community investment, business and industry recruitment and community identity and branding.

Among those who turned out for the public meeting was Brian McKeever of Glasgow, who weighed in on the discussion of how Glasgow should brand itself.

As a former small business owner, McKeever said he knows how difficult it can be to start a business, and asked why the city couldn’t have a small business incubator that would provide small business owners with assistance.

He asked if anyone knew what city is recognized as being the small business capital in the state. When no one answered, he said: “Why can’t it be us?”

Later, after the public meeting had ended, he said Glasgow could brand itself as the small business capital of Kentucky and promote that brand throughout the state. The city could have a small business incubator that would offer programs beneficial to small business owners and could attract small businesses to the area, he said.

“Kids are graduating school wanting to start a business, well, why not be the first one to think about some kid in Lexington graduating from law school and wanting to come here and start his own firm?” McKeever said.

McKeever suggested community leaders give the recruitment of small businesses a thought rather than “… constantly going after industry.”

An industry may offer the community 500 jobs at $10 per hour.

“But when they leave 10 years from now, it crushes the economy. I would rather have 50 businesses with 10 employees. If one of those fails, it’s not a crusher. That’s kind of the way I look at that,” he said.

David Downing also turned out for the public meeting.

Downing, who is originally from Glasgow but now lives in Bowling Green, likes the plan and said he thinks it contains some great ideas.

“I think a lot of people are looking for answers in that plan. I don’t think it is a plan for answers. I think it is a plan for thought. Hopefully, it will get people around here to start thinking and doing things together again,” he said.

The plan was created by a committee of Glasgow City Council members, community members and officials with the Joint City-County Planning Commission, plus help from the Kentucky League of Cities.

This is the first time Glasgow has had a strategic plan.

“There’s been different organizations in the community that have worked on a strategic plan. Years ago the Glasgow-Barren County Chamber of Commerce did some strategic planning, but that has been a number of years ago,” said Councilman Terry Bunnell, who heads up the city council’s strategic plan committee. “From the city’s perspective, this is the first citywide plan that has been put together.”

He explained there is a need for the city to do strategic planning to prepare for the future.

“I think we have looked at our community and seen the need for it because we’ve got to figure out where we’re going and we’ve got to start that process of where we want to be and look at all of the component parts that go into accomplishing” those goals, he said.

KLC was asked to help create the plan because it has helped develop strategic plans for cities statewide for several years.

“They have insight and can tell us what we are doing right and what we’re doing wrong (and) help us get the process going. We needed an organization that invests in cities, and the Kentucky League of Cities truly invests in the cities of Kentucky,” Bunnell said.

Tad Long with KLC was on hand throughout the day to review the plan and to answer questions.

As for the comments made during the public meetings, Bunnell said he thought they were all good.

“You want the discussion. You want people to be informed and you want them to be informed of what you’re saying what your plans are and have open, very frank but very honest discussions so that when you walk out of the room you know where everybody stands,” he said.