Getting a “heads-up” is usually a good thing. And, when dealing with community situations, a very good thing.

Identifying a new or growing problem may be some combination of awareness, skill and luck resulting in a resolution if it’s followed by action.

I’ve seen this process at work in two neighborhood situations. One was where I watched people pull together to keep a Target store from moving out of a neighborhood; instead the store expanded. Another is the Parkview Select Committee in its ongoing coordination for medical services to remain on Parkview’s Randallia campus.

These processes were put into play because of early warnings. Once alerted, people took it upon themselves to keep their community strong.

So, is it possible to develop a system where this can happen often? I think so.

Fort Wayne is blessed with one of the best grassroots organizations in America.

They’re the Neighborhood Area Partnerships. For more than 20 years they have been the key activists working with city government and the private sector to make things happen.

Can the partnerships kick into a higher gear? Yes.

I believe they can become a stronger first line of defense in warning neighborhoods of impending changes and trends that may pose a danger to their area. They can act as a kind of crystal ball.

To meet this need, I’m proposing the partnerships form a Neighborhood Early Warning System group, or NEWS for short. The NEWS group would be led by a core composed of partnership chairs and a small number of residents from each quadrant.

The NEWS group’s charge would be to keep vigilant of changes occurring in the broad scope of community issues such as economic development, housing, traffic, zoning and crime.

If they find a significant concern affecting neighborhoods’ quality of life and place, they will sound the “call to action.” Once a warning goes out, those affected would be asked to prepare an action plan. The plan may be self-reliant or involve government, businesses, churches, community groups or all the above.

The goal is to have in place a system that can grow in order that citizens can deal quickly and directly with issues that may emerge. I believe by expanding the proven strength of our partnerships, this new challenge could serve the community well.

I look forward to the idea of NEWS being tested as a means of giving residents greater control to work with one another as we all continue to improve the city.