McLean County Forums aimed at engaging residents in building community development plan

McLean County Forums aimed at engaging residents in building community development plan

BY AUSTIN RAMSEY Messenger-Inquirer


The University of Kentucky Extension Office is working in cooperation with the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky to host five forums in McLean County next week that are designed to engage residents in shaping a future improvement plan.

CEDIK, an outreach arm of UK's College of Agriculture Food and Environment, will send Dr. Lori Garkovich, who is an extension specialist for community and economic development with the program. Garkovich will travel to each of McLean County's largest population centers in Calhoun, Livermore, Island, Sacramento and Beech Grove, where she is expected to guide locals through a specially-crafted survey from which answers will form what officials are calling a community development plan.

That plan, says local agriculture extension agent Cary Hicks, could be useful in developing a better future for the county. Hicks said she commonly refers to plans like these as county development initiatives because in rural communities such as McLean County, there is a real sense of cohesiveness between cities. It's partly necessary for each of the county's individual communities — large and small — to work together to toward a common goal.

In this case, Hicks said, that goal will be a singular, county-wide plan that broadly represents many unique family, business, agriculture and quality of life interests.

McLean County's community development plan will join almost 60 others in the state. These plans, Hicks cautioned, are not sponsored by any particular government or civic organizations, so they lack the capacity of compulsory enforcement. Where the plan may lack in formal execution, though, she said, it makes up in broad representation. That's why she said she is encouraging any and all to attend any of the forums listed below.

"In some ways, this is really more of a vision as opposed to a plan," Hicks said. "We come together as a county and identify challenges that we face as a county, opportunities that we have as a county. Then we evaluate our assets, and from that, we kind of draft a vision for the future of the county."

Hicks said everyone should stake a claim in developing McLean County

"It's sort of like voting," she said. "You can't really complain about the elected official if you didn't get out and vote. You have to help shape the future of where you live."

Garkovich is expected to ask residents four broad questions that are key in helping her develop her data into a single, succinct plan. They are organized around the general topics of heritage, change, vision and action. Those questions are as follows:

• What aspects of life in McLean County do you cherish and you feel like should be protected and preserved for the next generation?

• If you could change just one thing to make McLean County a better place to live and and work for you and your family, what would you change?

• Imagine McLean County as you would like it to be in 20 years. What would be different that would make it a better place to live and work than it is now?

• What do we need to start doing now so that we can get your vision of what you want McLean County to be like in 20 years?

Hicks said once Garkovich has released her report in the form of a McLean County plan, she will present it to McLean Fiscal Court, each local city council and various civic organizations who would like to be involved. She said she hopes it will inspire some people to take action. After all, she said, a plan itself can do very little. It takes people who are willing to follow it.  "We can create a future that represents what our county residents believe is best for them and best for their children," she said. "It's something that we can create together and take ownership of."


Community Forum Schedule

• 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 at Island Methodist Church

• 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the McLean County Public Library in Livermore

• 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 at Beech Grove Fire Department

• 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 at McLean Co. Extension Office in Calhoun

• 7 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30 at Blue Jay Café in Sacramento