The Vibrant Communities Initiative hosted the Summit on the Future event on December 4th at the La Porte Civic Auditorium. Over 140 attendees participated in both individual and group activities from trivia about LaPorte County to discussion on the future of the county. This event represented the second phase of public engagement following the Community Conversation workshops held throughout October and November.
At the Summit on the Future, participants learned about the results of the over 14 workshops and small group meetings held throughout the county. These results led to the unveiling of the draft vision statement for the countywide action agenda describing the community’s diverse people, rich quality of life, and supportive citizenry that makes LaPorte County a truly unique place. The draft vision statement is supported by three goals focused around People, Prosperity, and Place; each with a series of strategies that help shape the community and achieve the community vision.
“This was a big moment for this process; we’ve been engaging everyone in the county over the past few months to shape our future. The vision statement, goals and strategies represent what we’ve heard from all those conversations,” said Maggi Spartz, President of the Unity Foundation of LaPorte County. “Like the 1992 ‘Take Charge’ process, this vision will guide our communities and county for decades. We want it to inspire us as we address our communities’ changing needs.”
Participants of the Summit contributed to the vision through group discussion focused around specific prompts. Online polling helped identify priorities along with specific methods for enhancing LaPorte County.
The Vibrant Communities Initiative website, VibrantLPCounty.org, contains an online survey around the vision statement, goal statements, and strategies discussed at the Summit. Everyone who couldn’t attend the Summit or is passionate about the future of their communities is welcomed and encourages to participate, visit:
VibrantLPCounty.org
The online survey will be available to the public until January 1, 2020. This won’t be the last chance to provide thoughts, ideas, or concerns about the process but will help to shape the action agenda. The Vibrant Communities Initiative will take all the public input gathered throughout this process to draft an action agenda for the communities of LaPorte County with specific programs, policies, and projects that will strive to address major challenges and identify opportunities.
“It’s been an exciting few months for our communities, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Jack Arnett, Executive Director of the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We are still engaging people across LaPorte County and want everyone to be excited about the recommendations. If you haven’t participated yet, then I strongly encourage you to complete the online survey or reach out through the website today.”
