Organizers and supporters of two initiatives to make Seymour a better place to live, work and play are coming together to implement a plan of action for 2016.
Vision 2025 and the Hometown Collaboration Initiative teams are ready to present those plans and get people on board to work on specific areas and projects, officials said.
One of those efforts will focus on establishing a local food system to increase and promote locally grown and produced food to make healthier options available to all Seymour residents.
Members of Vision 2025 and HCI are planning to give a report to the community at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Seymour High School auditorium.
Vision 2025 is a grassroots movement started by young, local professionals with the goal of improving Seymour and engaging the community in making positive, lasting change. HCI is a state-sponsored pilot program to help small communities grow and thrive. It is offered through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and has provided resources from Purdue and Ball State universities to collect data and develop and implement ideas and plans.
After the 20 minute report to the community, residents may sign up to volunteer in whatever areas interest them the most and offer ideas and suggestions on what else may might to be done.
Mayor Craig Luedeman is involved in both groups and said the future of the city depends on getting residents of all ages and backgrounds to work together on changing and moving the city forward.
“Mobilizing more volunteers to get directly involved with the specifics of what they would like to see is extremely important,” he said. “That is how we will build a stronger community.”
Luedeman said a lot of work has gone into picking the right areas on which to focus local efforts and dollars.
“As one of six Indiana sites to start the HCI pilot program it is very exciting,” he said. “So much went into the first two phases of this work to ensure that the HCI team selected the right area to grow. We know the work of HCI will show collaboration and growth that residents have been requesting.”
During the past six months, the Vision 2025 and HCI teams have made more than 20 presentations to local businesses, service groups, schools and others.
Dr. Nate Otte, a local optometrist and chairman of Vision 2025, said there is a clear plan for what the group wants to accomplish next year that includes feedback and participation from the public.
“We look forward to taking big steps toward success,” he said.
In May, residents were invited to participate in a community forum on the Hometown Collaboration Initiative. Nearly 100 people attended that meeting.
“After the success of the HCI Community Forum, we wanted to provide a report back to the community regarding what the weighed as the most important areas to focus on and how we used the public’s opinions to plan for our future.”
Residents may register to attend the Vision 2025/Hometown Collaboration Initiative Report to the Community before Nov. 2 at indianahci.org/Seymour or by calling city hall at 812-522-4020.
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What: Vision 2025 and Hometown Collaboration Initiative Report to Community
Where: Seymour High School auditorium
When: 5:30 p.m., Nov. 5
Register before Nov. 2 at www.indianaHCI.org/Seymour or by calling city hall at 812-522-4020.
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