The Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce met Sept. 6, with 30 members and guests present. Attendance is growing, and we encourage all businesses in the Eastern Plains area to attend and help us support our local community.The first presenter, Ronnie Wilson, spoke about a new District 49 Charter School, Liberty Tree Academy. Ronnie is a pastor of a local church and moved to the Meridian Ranch area in 2008. Liberty Tree Academy is affiliated with Hillsdale College and will be the 17th K-12 in the United States with this affiliation.Ronnie said they have received approval of their application from D 49 and are moving forward on securing a location for the school. They plan to open the K-8 portion of the school in the fall 2018, with additional grades added each subsequent year. They are working with a great pool of candidates for the principal position and hope to have one on board soon. Visit the website at http://ltaeagles.org.Liberty Tree Academy is currently accepting bids for outfitting the classrooms and other facilities. Visit the website for more information.Matt Barrett with Peak Partners Leadership Academy and a former board member for Banning Lewis Ranch Academy presented information on The Peak Partners Leadership Academy, which connects community and business leaders to D 49 and encourages involvement with the district. The academy also provides an online leadership component, which helps facilitate group discussions during each session.The next session of the Peak Partners Leadership Academy begins in January 2018 and runs through March 2018, with meetings every other week. The sessions meet at various locations for dinner and usually run from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Matt Barrett at matt@businesstruths.com or 719-510-4196.In other business, the chamber has decided to support Shield616 with matching donations ó contact the board for more information. The contact information is on the chamber website at http://easternplainschamber.comUpcoming speakers:Nov. 1 ó Mike Donahue will be the featured speaker, and will discuss his program, Value Up, which is focused on the issue of teen suicide.Dec. 6 -ñ Ben Hummel will be the featured speaker, discussing the proposed development at Woodmen Road and Meridian Road. Mr. Hummel is involved in the development of the complex, and will be sharing the latest information.If you are interested in being the featured speaker for one of the upcoming chamber meetings, contact the board at board@easternplainschamber.com.The Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce meets the first Wednesday of each month, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Grace Community Church, 9475 Grace Church View, Falcon.
