What do we love most about where we live, and what sort of things should be developed more? Those questions — from the kind of parks we have, to programs that encourage art and creativity, to anything else that we can dream of — will be the focus of the Vibrant Communities Initiative in 2016.
The Vibrant Communities initiative of Elkhart County aims to bring together the best ideas from every community in the county to create the first-ever Action Agenda addressing quality of place.
The process kicked off in November with the first meeting of the Steering Committee, a 32-member group committed to leading an inclusive process to develop a final plan which will focus on quality-of-place initiatives to increase the vibrancy of the county’s diverse environments. From urban to rural, the process is designed to engage the public and other stakeholders in a discussion on the most important projects, policies and programs.
The Steering Committee encourages anyone who cares about the future of Elkhart County to get involved. The committee is chaired by Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman and INOVA Federal Credit Union CEO Dallas Bergl and includes representatives from each community and many of the area’s most important organizations. The group is charged with guiding the process and drafting the final recommendations.
Mayor-elect Phil Jenkins of Nappanee sees the Vibrant Communities initiative as an important opportunity for his community and the county as a whole. He said, “As we collectively look at future enhancements to the quality of our hometowns and neighborhoods throughout Elkhart County, we encourage residents in and around Nappanee to participate in the Vibrant Communities process – either in person or on the website. … Through this process, they’ll help ensure a bright future for our families and future generations.”
The Vibrant Communities planning process is taking place independent of the South Bend-Elkhart area’s application for a grant from the state of Indiana’s Regional Cities Initiative. While a number of plans were proposed in our area’s Regional Development Plan, those plans are only a part of what may develop from Vibrant Communities and may evolve or grow as communities discuss the future. The state of Indiana is expected to announce recipients of Regional Cities grants on December 15. Regardless of that outcome, Vibrant Communities plans will continue to look forward.
Elkhart Mayor-elect Tim Neese sees the clear connection between efforts like these and recent physical projects in his community’s downtown: “[The Vibrant Communities] initiative is an exciting opportunity for Elkhart to begin building off the wonderful assets already on the Gateway Mile in downtown – the Lerner Theatre, Ruthmere Museum, Midwest Museum of American Art, RiverWalk, Civic Plaza, Wellfield Botanic Gardens and National New York Central Museum. Through the collective vision of Elkhart’s residents, even greater things will be dreamed and planned for the city and all of Elkhart County.”
In addition to Neese and Jenkins, Elkhart County Commissioners Mike Yoder, Terry Rodino and Frank Lucchese, and Goshen Mayor-elect Jeremy Stutsman also have put their support behind the Vibrant Communities initiative.
The public process for Vibrant Communities will open with the Kickoff Event on January 26 in the Crystal Ballroom of the Lerner Theatre. The meeting will feature a talk from Peter Kageyama, the nationally recognized author of “For the Love of Cities” and “Love Where You Live.”
After the kickoff, Community Conversations will follow with a series of meetings hosted across the county. Tentatively scheduled for late February, these meetings will focus on individual communities that make up Elkhart County as they identify their own unique opportunities.
The ideas and thoughts from all of the meetings will be incorporated into a draft working plan and presented at a wrap-up event to be scheduled in the spring.
The Vibrant Communities initiative is a collaboration of the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Community Foundation of Elkhart County. The two organizations are dedicated to projects which improve Elkhart County communities and economic interests. They are working with planning-NEXT, a consulting firm from Columbus, Ohio, as process facilitators. The firm has more than 20 years of experience helping communities, including nearby Valparaiso, Ind., to craft a common vision and define a clear path forward.
