Anticipation builds over New Hope’s town-wide business meeting scheduled for Tuesday night

The New Hope Chamber of Commerce is making good on its promise of hosting a community meeting open to chamber members and non-members alike on Tuesday evening at the Borough Hall community room, and the buzz is building.

Chamber officials say their goal is to “share some of our plans for the coming year, and hear your ideas and visions.” Organizers say they look forward to a “full and open exchange of ideas” at the meeting.

An informal canvassing of local merchants shows a relatively high degree of interest in the event, although actual attendance figures are hard to predict. Most who said they were going to attend seemed forward-focused, with varied and and sometimes quite original suggestions. Said one business owner and former chamber official, “It’s historic. I’ve been waiting for this for years.”

Early in 2014, New Hope Chamber President Roger Green and much of the current board of directors inherited empty coffers, declining membership, and a scandal involving a few committee leaders who granted themselves cash awards. Having committed to increased transparency in governance and a stronger outreach to the greater business community, Tuesday’s business meeting represents a milestone event on the road to a more “vibrant, active chamber.”

“We’re going to announce a couple of things that will get people excited,” said Green. “We need to let the business community know what we’re doing so we can hear whether they think we’ve gotten it right or not.”

A good policy, to be sure, and gatherings of New Hope’s independent and sometimes idiosyncratic business leadership are typically anything but boring.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at New Hope’s community room, located next to Borough Hall at 125 New St.