Editor
The Clermont Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Agenda for the Future is nearly complete.
The Agenda for the Future is an action plan designed to provide a framework for planning the county’s future. The goal of the initiative is to improve life in Clermont County by addressing the county’s current strengths and weaknesses.
A presentation of the draft goals and action steps was held at a public workshop at Glen Este High School Aug. 28. Feedback from that event will be incorporated in the final Agenda document, which will be released in January.
The process of creating the Agenda began in January of this year with the start of community conversations. In these conversations, nearly 600 community members discussed their concerns and priorities for the county.
“It’s important that we went out and listened to the residents of the county,” Clermont Chamber of Commerce President Matt Van Sant said. “This is a useful tool for individuals in public policy positions, the officials in this county. This is what the residents are saying is important.”
Van Sant said that the level of participation in the conversations was unexpected.
“It exceeded our expectations,” Van Sant said. “To get nearly 600 conversation participants was a pleasant surprise.”
He said that having more participants helps refine the priorities identified.
The feedback from the community conversations was organized into seven themes.
The feedback on those themes – economic opportunity; transportation, parks, nature and recreation; community; lifelong learning; health and wellness; and housing – was discussed by work teams over the summer.
Those goals, action steps, and potential partners identified by the work teams were shared at the Aug. 28 presentation.
Goals listed in the document included such things as promoting bikeways and sidewalks, having a marketing and branding strategy for the county, and making Clermont County a drug-free community.
“We have 23 goals in this draft document,” Van Sant said. “There is a lot of work to be done, but the good news is there are a lot of organizations in the county that are working on reaching these goals.”
More information about the Agenda for the Future, including the draft goals and action steps, is available at www.clermontagenda.org.