 Vandewalle & Associates developed the plan for the Lincoln & Logan
County Development Partnership's use in improving the county's
economic position while maintaining quality of life. On behalf of Vandewalle & Associates, Scott Harrington presented the findings and
recommendations.
After an assessment of current conditions, Harrington spent time
telling the 50-plus people in the audience what Logan County has to
offer, where its potential lies and offered a brief outline of steps
that need to be taken to rebuild the county economically.
Inside the master plan document is a Strategic Initiatives and
Implementation Work Plan. This work plan is also published
separately on the development partnership's
website along with the
complete master plan document.
There are 29 action items within the document, divided into three
priority levels. Priority 1 items are those that need to have action
taken as quickly as possible, while Priority 3 items will need to
take place in the future.
Harrington said the goal of the plan is fivefold:
-
Build a compelling
place.
-
Invest in
21st-century infrastructure.
-
Leverage higher
education assets.
-
Strengthen
position as Illinois' wind capital.
-
Capitalize on hub location in Illinois'
innovation heartland.
Harrington spoke quite a bit on the fifth goal. He noted that
Logan County is in the heart of an 11-county region and surrounded
with five metropolitan areas.
"What does this mean from an economic standpoint, the fact that
we're close to Peoria, Springfield and Bloomington, other than it
gives us options for commuting?" he asked. "We have to think
regionally. Your competition is not Peoria; it is China or
Indonesia. Logan County on its own cannot compete on that level, but
being part of a region and understanding the regional economy is
really the ticket to a long-term solution."
He went on to say that the real issue is that Peoria doesn't talk
to Decatur and Decatur doesn't talk to Springfield. He referred to
Logan County as the "little sister" in the equation with little
power to do anything on its own.
However, he said one thing that could be done is to start the
conversations, forge individual relationships with these five metro
areas and "put ourselves on the map with them."
In the work plan the development of the hub location is a level 1
priority. The work plan offers steps to accomplishing this and
outlines who should be involved.
The steps listed are:
-
Establish a
committee of businesses, local governments and economic
development professionals.
-
Solicit and select
a consultant.
-
Meet with economic
development representatives in all five regional metro areas.
-
Meet with
businesses in targeted industry clusters in each metro area.
-
Meet with site
selectors.
-
Identify potential
development sites in Logan County and needed infrastructure.
-
Prepare strategy.
-
Implement strategy.
The work plan says the lead organization in the project should be
the Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership with secondary
organizations involved being the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of
Commerce, the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County and
local government officials.
The timeline is set for the work to begin in the third quarter of
2011 and should take one year for completion.
The worksheet also lists possible funding sources that can
provide funds for the expense of the project, including possible
grant funds.
And finally, there are five outcome measures for this project,
which will help the group measure their success in accomplishing the
goal.
Throughout the work plan, all the action items contain these same
outlines of what to do, how to do it, who should do it and how to
know when the task is successful.
Harrington went through several of the goals, speaking only
briefly on each one, but everyone in the audience was encouraged to
read the full document and pose any questions or concerns they might
have to Joel Smiley, the director of the Lincoln & Logan County
Development Partnership.
The master plan also provides information on funding sources and
dates when grant applications may be filed, along with website
addresses for information pertaining to the grant qualifications.
[to top of second column] |
While some of the goals in the work plan are items that community
leaders are already invested in, the master plan serves to validate
that investment, and the work plan may be of assistance to them in
determining who is best qualified to follow through on an idea with
the best result.
After the meeting, county board chair Terry Carlton commented on
the Logan County Master Plan.
"I do see some things that need some potential changes," Carlton
said, but he continued: "I think it is a very good plan overall and
that if given the opportunity, could cause those of like vision
throughout the region to engage together on their passions.
"The end result would be to make Logan County even a better place
to live by improving the quality of life."
Carlton concluded: "I can see us collaborating to provide the
type of infrastructure needed to bring new businesses here. This
would provide opportunities for employment at good-paying jobs for
our children and those who come through here to get their education.
The end result would be opportunities for positive growth and
development for many years ahead."
Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder also weighed in with his opinion and
endorsement of the plan.
"I'm excited to start executing the plan," he said. "Vandewalle
did a good job of defining our present reality and laying out a
framework for economic progress and community improvement.
"Now that we know the outline, we've got to fill in the rest of
the picture."
Snyder concluded with this challenge: "I encourage everyone to
read the report in its entirety, find ways to get plugged in and
work cooperatively to accomplish the priorities and make Lincoln the
kind of place we all want it to be."
[By NILA SMITH]
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