The Hickman County Judge-Executive and Fiscal Court and community organizations such as Chamber, Rotary, Economic Development, and Master Gardeners have made a concerted effort in recent years to beautify Clinton-Hickman County. Beautification of court square, public parks, and some sidewalk/plantings have all resulted from this effort, but community leaders believed there were still some missing pieces to the progress puzzle.

During a community development meeting, the challenges to further improvement were addressed, subsequently leading to the ANR agent sharing information about "First Impressions," a service offered by the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK). This program enlists anonymous individuals to visit communities and document their experiences and interactions with community members. 

The Judge-Executive was immediately sold on the idea of participating in the program but wanted some time to source the necessary funding. While sharing the news of this potential partnership with the Fiscal Court, the board members were excited about the opportunity and voted to pay for the service. Hickman County Extension served in a facilitator and support role to help the program succeed. 

CEDIK's team members began the visits during the summer and fall of 2019. Throughout the year, six individuals researched the county. At different times, they visited to explore the various small communities, parks, and businesses and provide a snapshot of their first impressions. They were asked to give feedback on community entrances, livability, tourism, infrastructure, government and public services, arts and culture, and lodging, restaurants, and retail. 

The FCS & ANR Agent, along with the County Judge Executive, coordinated with Melissa Bond, CEDIK First Impressions Coordinator, in November (after the initial follow-up meeting was canceled in March due to COVID-19) to present the final report to community members. 12 community members attended the live Zoom presentation. The recording posted on Youtube has received 42 views. The final report was shared with 112 community members.

The report revealed many strengths of the county, and the group was both surprised and pleased to learn that first-time visitors were able to list so many positive aspects of their time in Hickman County. However, they also offered suggestions and resources to address areas of possible improvement. For instance, it was noted by nearly every visitor that the county requires a more substantial online presence, including online reviews of local businesses, and that many areas within city limits needed cleanup.

Upon reviewing the final report, local leaders independently (due to COVID-19) began processing and prioritizing action items to capitalize on the recommendations. Two critical articles were written in the local paper processing the First Impression report, which in turn encouraged local leaders to consider changes. For example, our local newspaper editor and inn caretaker stated, "I suppose it is difficult to find the room rates on the Iron Banks website. After all, people do call asking about rates and I've wondered why they didn't just look on the website. They did bring out a lot of positives that we can probably begin to look at ways to highlight and market those even further" (Gaye Bencini, Hickman County Times, Nov. 2020). Since the report, the FCS Agent and Extension Homemakers have started a business review campaign via social media. The Judge-Executive coordinated with local economic development and businesses to secure $45,000 to clean up vacant, dilapidated houses.