STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Good common sense people with Christian values
• Honest, caring,/supportive, friendly, trustworthy  people (14)
• People loyal to Brownstown/everyone in it
• Everyone knows everyone (2)
• Dedicated people/volunteers
• Town values
• Family focus
• Quiet and peaceful, not crowded (4)
• Safe community/low crime (4)
• Small town convenience (2)
• Many good churches, church influence, religious strength, Christian community (10)
• Clean air
• Cohesive community
• Laissez faire
• Good place to raise a family
• Medical – doctors available
• Financial services
• Centrally located to large cities
• Flexibility
• Good retirement

• Ratio of young people to old
• Need a good grocery store, need good grocery store (3)
• Lack of opportunities for employment
• Lack of/small population (4)
• No clothing stores
• Lack of male leadership
• Growing meth problem
• Gangs
• Family clicks – hard to break in
• Areas of poor quality housing
• No clothing stores
• Lack of childcare
• Closed community
• Isolated
• Lack of curiosity
• Basic needs not being met
• Distance
• Too much low income housing
• Lack of pride in property (upkeep)
• Speedway
• No laundry mat
• No local repair shops

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• County government center/county seat (4)
• Courthouse is center of county

• Rely on government to accomplish instead of ourselves

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Loyalty in customer base
• Healthy financial institutions

• Parking – lack (2)
• Derelict buildings
• Too many empty businesses
• Variety of businesses
• Limited restaurants
• Don’t buy locally
• More entertainment places needed
• Need more restaurants
• More grocery stores needed
• Empty store fronts
• Lack of support for local business
• Deteriorated downtown
• Lack “impulse” business traffic (drop ins)
• Retail variety
• Too close to Wal-Mart - ruined our Mom & Pop stores (2)

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Good/excellent schools (9)
• Community support in school
• Quality of teachers
• Location of high school (spirit)

• Brain drain
• Need better educated employees
• Lack of good teachers
• Not enough opportunity for college students to come back to
• Influence of drugs/gangs
• Low value education
• Lack of income and education

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Few restrictions
• Small community
• Slower paced life
• Access to big cities
• Low cost of living
• Good geographic location (3)
• Things are close
• Low crime rate
• Small and very clean
• Do not experience extreme highs or lows of economic cycles
• Potential for growth
• Businesses meet basic needs
• Small locally owned businesses
• Central in the state
• Access to big city amenities but small town atmosphere

• Limited/not enough/no major/losing manufacturing and industry (5)
• Low wages/low income jobs/part-time-non-living wage (5)
• No planning and zoning
• Jobs are scarce – Good jobs are scarcer
• Have to “drive” out of town to work
• Not enough small industry
• Need help for starting new businesses

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• County fair
• Historical society

• Lack of entertainment and arts
• Few options in shopping and entertainment
• Entertainment Variety
• Lack of entertainment

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Willingness to grow
• Residential community/not industrial

• Broken sidewalks
• Lack of good sidewalks
• Lack of infrastructure
• No zoning
• Inconvenience of flooding roads
• Zoning

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• JCCT
• State forest/lakes
• Natural environment, natural beauty, natural landscape (3)
• County fair
• Speedway
• Sports
• Outdoor recreational activities (2)
• Good park(s) (2)

• No community social activities
• No Community Center/YMCA (2)
• Lack of youth activities/No summer activities for children (2)
• Lack of sidewalks/bike trails
• No public transportation
• Lack of zoning (2)
• Flooding

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Cooperative efforts/community organizations
• Quaint little community base
• New senior housing center
• D.A.R.E. program
• Compile list of people and abilities/talented people (2)
• Small town feel
• Use the gifts we have in town – classes, etc.
• Close to IU, IUPUI, Ivy Tech, Indiana Biz College – close to Louisville and Indianapolis
• Coordinate projects between service organizations
• Housing availability
• Awareness of where money goes when you purchase an item
• Volunteer cleanups, laundry mat
• Elderly care

(Community Development cont.)

• Apathy (2)
• Plan
• Money (2)
• Adequate housing
• Drugs/related crime rate
• Billboards detrimental
• Need for promotion of town
• Resistance to change (“Never did it that way”), status quo (3)
• Lack of promotions/isolation
• Rising energy prices
• Cont. community involvement
• Exodus of population/No reason to stop in town (2)
• Lack of vision with “can do attitude”/Lack of enthusiasm(3)
• Lack of community cohesiveness
• Incorporate B ‘township’
• Age of population
• Small population
• Under-promote our strengths
• Grant writer
• Lack of margins
• General economics
• Lack of risk takers
• Lack of expertise
• Lack of community ownership (lack of time)
• Closed minds
• Misplaced priorities

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Courthouse square

• Too much government regulation/control (2)
• Lack of a city government/leadership/professionalism/management (4)
• Property taxes to state not local
• No unity (government and private entities)
• Unjustified criticism of leaders

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Make full use of Chamber of Commerce
• Low cost of startup/land/opns
• Need to develop main street with small hotel/restaurant
• Encourage Tourism development (2)
• Sporting goods
• Farm markets
• Local/additional grocery (2)
• More entrepreneurs for unique businesses
• Encourage tourism
• Restaurant with parking needs to be developed

• Parking/No parking (2)
• Competition big boxes – internet

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Encourage education
• Use banner to education citizens more
• More educational opportunities

• Brain drain
• Low education
• Children leaving/lack of qualified employees
• Brain drain – no high paying jobs
• Need higher education locally

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Available empty buildings
• Willing workforce
• Vacant/available/ready industrial park
• US 50
• Low cost of startup/land/opns
• Two industrial parks
• Cheap land available for businesses
• Encourage entrepreneurship and retail exp.
• Encourage tourism
• Taxes are low
• More shopping
• Create a little Nashville
• Motel/Bed and breakfast
• Business buildings available
• New car sales

• Low/shrinking tax base (2)
• Skilled workers/Lack of training/Qualified employees (3)
• Lack of businesses
• Not enough high paying jobs in county (2)
• Empty buildings – functionally obsolescent
• Restricted growth opportunities
• Lack of lodging/rentals

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Music interest and venue
• Pewter hall
• Develop and improve historical societies
• Town, culture events
• Historical and cultural center
• Historical society museum
• Genealogy society

• Fun
• Beautiful park
• Fair grounds expansion
• Youth center
• Theater expansion
• Maintain forest
• Community center

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Land access
• Code flexibility
• Capitalize on rail system
• Transportation
• Railroad that could be utilized for freight distribution center

• Vacant derelict properties (no zoning)
• Road/Infrastructure limitations
• Lack of zoning/planning/No zoning with any industrial facilities (3)
• No senior transportation
• No technical capabilities, fiber optics, etc.
• Too far from I-65

OPPORTUNITIES

CHALLENGES

• Tourism/promotion by tourism board/capitalize on heritage (rounds barns/bridges, trails), longest covered bridge in state, history,  National Forest, SE gateway to Monroe Res., State Park recreation in state - camping, fishing, sand hill crane migration (13)
• Race and sports venue/Speedway / Promote race track (4)
• Adult/child/year round community activity center/YMCA/Center for public events (6)
• Park and pool/build on park – year round (2)
• Organics/gardening venue
• Tour de Brownstown
• Use “natural resources”
• Use vacant spaces to meet needs
• Expansion of senior citizen center
• Develop recreation/resort
• Fairgrounds-shows/activities
• Farmer markets
• Skyline drive
• Have some active clubs - Exchange, Lions, etc.
• Community theater expansion

• Supporting fair/golf course
• More public gatherings

Recreation – 53 DOTS

• YMCA
• Fun
• Beautiful Park
• Fair Ground expansion
• Youth Center
• Theater expansion
• Maintain forest
• Community Center

Community Development  – 37 DOTS

• Greener community
• Bike and walking paths
• Grow service member base
• Build upon historical heritage – education citizens in order to preserve more buildings and become more involved
• Full time fire department
• Adequate police force
• Quality and affordable senior housing

Infrastructure – 46 DOTS

• Roads
• Telecommunications
• Planning/zoning
• Municipal transportation system

Downtown – 36 DOTS

• Clean and vibrant
• Nice restaurants
• Historic retail

Center of County Government – 41 DOTS

Economic Development – 22 DOTS

• Tourism/trade
• Entrepreneurship – expand tax base
• Farmer’s market
• BUS – TALK TO ELAINE
• Diversified economy

Education – 38 DOTS

• Workforce development
• Higher education facility
• Advanced degrees – local access
• Church school (s)

Entertainment, Arts, & Culture – 15 DOTS

• Fine arts festival
• Incorporation of churches