'Creating Grand Opportunities' -- a communitywide strategic plan

(Photo by Randy M. Cauthron) Dan Heissel and Tarrel Storey, co-chairs of the Spencer Vision Coordinating Committee unveiled the 10-goal, 36-project plan Thursday, designated "Creating Grand Opportunities -- A Community-wide Strategic Plan." [Order this photo]

Tarrel Storey and Dan Heissel, co-chairs of the Spencer Vision Coordinating Committee, unveiled a 36-project plan designed to make Spencer a better place to "Live Work and Play."

Building on a theme originating with the Iowa Great Lakes Corridor of Opportunity, a team of approximately 40 Spencer area residents worked together under the label, "Spencer Area Strategic Planning Team," dedicating four-plus hours a month for the past 12 months to come up the project bases designed to build on the assets that Spencer already offers.

"We came up with a cross section of people throughout the community -- professional, industrial and other institutions," Heissel said. "The strategic team was formed from these people and we identified these, and went through a process, and then we went ahead and contacted them personally as well as by letter. We got a response from them, got them to agree to be on that team and then we had our first meeting."

The planning team called in Dr. William Wood and program manager Andrew Conrad of the University of Northern Iowa's Institute for Decision Making (IDM) as consultants to make the most of the local strategic planning efforts. Shortly thereafter, the process began in a very simplistic form, throwing everything against the wall -- quite literally -- and seeing what would stick.

"With that help -- and as you know, we put all of the post-it notes on the wall, and we started going through it. Everybody had their own ideas and it really worked. By the time we got done, we came up with a lot of goals and visions that we could all agree on and got them into categories."

Ten goals were established with multiple projects designed to fulfill each. The group used the goals and visions to identify lead organizations that would be able to put the plan into action. Fifty-six lead or support organizations were designated for possible involvement with various projects within the scope of the strategic plan.

After the group put together the list of desired projects, and identified the organizations necessary to make these visions a reality, the entities designated as most likely having lead responsibility on the projects were called upon in an effort to establish a buy-in on the projects.

Storey offered a couple of examples of projects. She said some of the goals may be as simple as establishing a Web site that would encompass all of the activities that would happen in the city of Spencer.

"A lot of organizations already have Web sites, so how do we compile all of those together so that when someone calls up 'Spencer' they can see everything that's going to happen in the month of October. They don't have to go from one Web site to another," Storey explained.

"A more ambitious goal may be a large infrastructure project, like expanding Highway 71 to four lanes between Spencer and Storm Lake. The lead organizations will tackle the objective however they wish."

While some of the projects are ready to be placed in the lead organization's development plan, others will require a bit more time.

"The lead organization that has been established would decide at what point they want to add this to their plan or their organization's plan and they would implement that in whatever year they'd like," Storey said.

"This is a work in progress," Heissel said. "We're not through yet."

Storey stressed that while the results were the work of the committee, there was a great deal of community input along the way.

The Spencer Area Vision logo -- featuring the Grand Avenue Bridge and live, work and play theme -- was on display for the first time Thursday, and is also visible on the full color, tri-fold brochure prepared to inform the public about the various aspects of "Creating Grand Opportunities."

"The goals and objectives are the result of meetings, mailed and computer-submitted survey responses," she explained. "This wasn't a group of 40 of us saying: 'This is what we think we need to happen to make Spencer grow.' We asked for input."

As for follow-up, the Coordinating Committee has that hurdle covered as well.

"The strategic team also formed a monitoring committee to track the process of the communitywide strategic plan...This plan is not going to be put up on a shelf," Heissel said. "This plan is going to get implemented and put to use.

"They're going to make these things happen."

Who paid for this strategic planning effort?

Coordinating Committee Co-Chair Dan Heissel after the meeting said the donations from local businesses and individuals were key in making the strategic planning effort possible.

"The fundraising committee went out and targeted a group of businesses and went out and presented the plan in a brochure and asked for support on this project. We've had about 15 to 20 step forward. We've had some private individuals as well. They thought this was a great project, stepped up and made the donations. Those donations will be available to help us fund this project and work with UNI and the Institute of Decision Making."

SPENCER AREA VISION - CREATING GRAND OPPORTUNITIES

LIVE

Goal: To ensure that Spencer is a welcoming community and fosters active volunteer participation and leadership

* Create/redevelop a community-focused Web site of the Spencer area, specifically designed to increase better awareness of the community, activities and events and position the area for growth

* Establish a visitors center/welcome center in a visible place on Grand Avenue to provide information about the Spencer area and its events.

* Develop attractive and welcoming entrances at the primary Spencer entry points

* Create educational social events and opportunities to raise awareness and appreciation of Spencer's diverse population

* Establish a welcome wagon program to visit new residents and provide them with community information

* Integrate a volunteer and service component into summer youth programs

* Develop an in-school service learning program designed to foster a service spirit at a young age

Goal: To proactively improve the health of our residents

* Provide cost-effective wellness screening options for residents of Clay County, birth to senior age, focusing on identifying preventative health issues/human growth and development, and educating the public on how to address those issues

* Enhance health care access, recognizing financial issues, transportation, specialists and services offered

* Initiate strategies to recruit additional physicians to Spencer

* Create a greater awareness within the community of options of substance abuse prevention initiatives as well as substance abuse treatment opportunities

Goal: To provide quality and diverse educational opportunities for all ages

* Expand sustainable energy and environmental programs

* Create a coalition between business and education that would establish educational training opportunities in the workplace (speakers, job shadowing, internships, etc) to develop a students' life and career skills

Goal: To provide housing options to meet the needs of current and prospective residents

* Develop housing needs assessment plan

* Create affordable housing including apartment complexes, duplexes, condominiums, lofts, etc

WORK

Goal: To create the most entrepreneurial region in the Midwest

* Improve north side of the riverfront on both sides of Grand Avenue by creating a river walk area, providing an area for local artists to host art festivals, etc.

* Secure the location and begin the development of a new business park on the north or west side of Spencer in close proximity to the airport

* Provide people, capital and services to support each entrepreneur's unique needs

Goal: To strengthen the quantity and quality of the community's current and future workforce

* Encourage the business community to actively support continuing education for their workforces

* Identify the demand for post-secondary education in the community

* Expand the offerings of career and technical education at the high school level

* Assess the availability of childcare in the community and develop appropriate strategies based on the assessment

Goal: To provide transportation options which enhance access with the region and access into the region

* Continue to make the Spencer area a walkable community through the Safe Routes to School program and through continuing development and ongoing maintenance of recreation trails in the community and county

* Support the improvements to Iowa Highway 86 to the Minnesota border

* Complete priority improvements to major arterial streets in Spencer

* Investigate and construct a second bridge within Spencer city limits

* Establish intra-county bus routes between areas of Clay County

* Raise awareness of individual assisted transportation opportunities in the Spencer area and identify gaps in service

* Get as a regional priority the extension of U.S. Highway 71 as a four-lane highway from Spencer to Storm Lake and U.S. Highway 20

Goal: To expand and attract diverse business opportunities

* Proactively assist existing business and industry to maximize growth opportunities in the region

* Aggressively promote the region to prospective business and industry through direct contacts and partner organizations

Goal: To enhance the Spencer area's recreational offerings for people of all ages by leveraging the community's existing natural and recreational assets

* Offer new affordable community youth and cultural activities that stimulate people of all ages

* Expand the Spencer area's trail system, enhancing neighborhoods and providing connector trails to outlying communities and counties

Goal: To expand diverse cultural opportunities that enhance the quality of life for all ages and the regional economy

* Showcase the community's rich cultural heritage as part of Mainstreet Market

* Pool promotional resources of community cultural and related organizations

* Create an annual art festival to feature local and regional artists