"I think there are tons of opportunities to promote each other's agendas," said FACC Chair Ross Dangel, including such topics as police protection and Route 26 upgrades. "Both organizations are about making a difference," said Dangel.

"We're more alike than we think," said SCBA President Robert Holt.

Holt said SCBA would be willing to consider working with FACC in the future, but that nothing is specifically decided yet.

Rather than being a political organization, the SCBA exists more for networking, Holt told FACC members. Monthly luncheons bring business representatives together to hear speakers, and in quarterly roundtables they switch around tables to learn about each other and promote the local businesses they encounter.

FACC Vice Chair Mike Naused said that FACC, also, is not political, but is sometimes forced to deal with political issues. Both entities are very similar, he said, with members volunteering their time to help the area.

The "idea is to make this a better community," he said. "What better way than to bring businesses and citizens together?" said Naused.

Although there might be a reputation that a business association and citizens' group would be a cross purposes, Holt said that the two groups want to co-exist, and they "might as well do it amicably."

One issue FACC is looking for is SCBA's support for the upgrading of Liberty Road, one of the county's top priorities, said Dangel.

"I think personally that having a great, beautiful thoroughfare at 26" that assists in store access, prevents traffic jams, promotes safety and visibility would be better for business, said Dangel, even though he said he knows some businesses have been concerned about taking away direct driveways.

Local business needs to have a say where access points come in, "but not derail the entire project," said Dangel.

Naused also asked if SCBA has discussed recent robberies in the region, and concerns over the need for an increased police presence.

If the SCBA backed calls for more police, then maybe it would help to get more a police presence, he said. "We're seeing a lot more crime," said Dangel, between vandalism and robberies.

"We don't usually initiative those kinds of things," said Holt. The best way to deal with them would be if FACC takes a stand, he said, and then SCBA members can confer and "maybe we'll sign on."

If issues "got the backing of FACC and the SCBA, I would think it would have more clout," Holt said.

In addition to current issues, the two groups briefly discussed the discontinued tradition of Freedom Fun Day. Meeting attendee Don Blais said the event every Labor Day weekend included live music, hot air balloon launches and more at the fire department grounds. "It brought a lot of the community together," said Blais.

Dangel and Holt said that could be one possibility to work on together. Although the area is large, Dangel said "we don't have a whole lot that holds us together as a community."