When it comes to Owen County 20 years from now, residents know what they’d like the community to look like — they want it to be just the way it is, but with a few tweaks that will add to the charm they say living in Owen County represents.
They want to see more service industries, but they don’t want the big retail chains that have a tendency to change the atmosphere of the community.
They want to preserve the rural landscape while building on the opportunities it presents for economic growth.
They want to preserve the “strong Christian values” that play a big role in the community.
And they want to have a say in what happens, where growth will occur in the county, rather than just letting it occur randomly.
Owen Countians had the opportunity last spring to offer their thoughts on the future of the community during the Owen 20/20 project. The results of that survey were presented to the public Thursday night in a community meeting.
The project was initiated by the alumni of the Owen County Chamber of Commerce classes of 2002 and 2004 and headed by Kim Strohmeier and Tony Watkins.
At the beginning of the project, more than 50 faciliators were trained and then asked to take the surveys into the different areas of the community. Survey responses were tracked to ensure that all residents in all areas of the community were given the opportunity to participate.
“You should be proud of yourselves as a community,” Strohmeier told those gathered at the Owen County High School auditorium to learn the results of the survey, which asked four questions centered around the themes of heritage, change, action and vision. “I was very pleased with the turnout, and the positive response to the whole process. We've got a great number of folks who have expressed their views on where they want to see the community go.”
“The facts are in... Owen Countians have spoken with a united voice via the Owen 20/20 survey process,” Watkins said. “The folks of Owen County have a definite idea of where they want our county to be in 20 years. Now we have before us the task of developing solid plans as to what must be done at many levels — local government, individual citizens, service groups, churches and other community partners — to insure that we do everything possible to begin to live into the vision that we all aspire to.”
With nearly 100 people in attendance — including local leaders, candidates and other interested community members — Dr. Lori Garkovich, the sociologist from the University of Kentucky who compiled the results from the 2,249 surveys submitted, commended the community on its commitment to Owen County and its willingness to be involved in the process of improving the place they call home.
“I will forever remember 2005 as the year of Owen County,” she said, explaining that she typed each response for the four questions from all of the surveys submitted. “I think it is important to include all of your responses in the report. You can go back to that report and see all the comments from all 2,249 surveys.”
She commended the community for its willingness to participate in the process.
“This is a critically important process for this community,” she said. “We challenged you to think about today and we challenged you to think about tomorrow. If you’re going to start planning for the future, you need a vision of what the people want. There was a real sense that people didn’t want Owen County to become any town anywhere.”
Garkovich presented the results of each of the individual questions and then offered recommendations on five task forces to be put in place to address the areas which drew the most interest from residents.
“It’s important for you to realize these are just Lori’s recommendations,” Garkovich added. “But the question I ask you is, ‘Do you choose to achieve the future you have described?’”
Those recommendations include:
• Appoint a task force to develop recommendations to the fiscal court on adoption of a land-use plan and the most effective methods of implementing the plan. Some discussion centered around utilizing a growth-management committee already in place and appointed by Owen County Judge-Executive Billy O’Banion for this task force. Several residents at the meeting indicated they would also like to serve on the committee.
“I’m not saying you go out and adopt planning and zoning,” Garkovich explained. “I am saying you need to think through how Owen County is going to grow and how you’re going to manage that growth. There are many alternatives besides the ‘z’ (zoning) word.”
• Adopt an economic development plan for Owen County that expands employment opportunities and consumer choices. Garkovich pointed out that the plan needs to go beyond just industrial development and should look at the needs residents expressed in the survey.
Garkovich added that it’s important that this task force look at all areas and aspects of the community.
“You’ve got a great base on which to build,” she said. “You have a gem. All you have to do is polish it.”
• Implement a countywide beautification program that engages community organizations and residents in demonstrating their pride in Owen County by reducing litter and enhancing the landscape. Several survey results pointed out that in many places in the community, homes are surrounded by litter or allowed to fall apart. Littered roadsides were also an issue based on the results.
• Convene a public services summit to build partnerships and establish goals and a time line for expansion and enhancement of community services.
• Appoint a task force of youth and adults to make recommendations on improvements and expansion of parks and recreational programs. One of the keys noted from the surveys is that more programs need to be offered outside Owen County and that the community’s youth need to be included in the process.
“Commitment to excellence must be the expectation for all Owen Countians,” Watkins said. “We must put together teams of committed citizens to do the hard work of forming solid plans for implementing how we can bring jobs and services to our community while protecting the very way of life that sets Owen County apart from every other community. The future of Owen County is at stake and we cannot, must not, think for one moment that this is the work for our elected officials. It is the responsibility of each and every citizen to be involved in making our home a better place for generations to come. Elected officials, too often, will do that which they believe will get them re-elected. Therefore, if there is no unified voice from the folk who elect and pay the officials, we may well not be able to recognize the Sweet Owen County that we all love and cherish today.”
Members of the Leadership alumni group agreed to adopt the recommendations from the report and move forward. Task forces in each of the five areas will be formed. Those who indicated they wanted to be part of the task forces will be sent applications, which should be returned as soon as possible. Anyone in the community interested in serving on one of the task forces should notify Strohmeier at 484-5703 and an application will be forwarded at that time. A selection committee from the Leadership classes will be formed to determine who will serve on the task forces.
Once the task forces are assembled, they will be given general directions on how to proceed as well as a time frame in which the work should be done. Tentative plans are to bring the task forces back together in the fall to report their recommendations to the public.
“This is a big task and it’s going to take a lot of Owen Countians working together,” Watkins said during the meeting. “But where we go from here is up to you. Owen County is at one of the greatest — if not the greatest — transition points in its history. We need some fresh thinking and new energy for these task forces to be truly successful. I know there are many bright and thoughtful people who want to make a real and lasting difference for our community; here is the perfect opportunity to get involved. Our appeal goes out to young people who have the most to gain from the opportunity before us. Now is the time to stand in the gap for the future of Owen County because tomorrow may well be too late to do so. Let’s keep this fire going.”

What we said
Heritage
In their responses Owen County residents recognized the benefits of the small-town atmosphere and want to maintain that character. They acknowledge the rural landscape and its beauty and the farming heritage that has driven the community in the past. They also describe Owen County as “a safe, Christian-based community that is conducive to raising children.”
Change
Even though residents recognize what the past means to the community, they also acknowledge that there are some things that could be done to make it even better. Those changes include generating more economic activity to generate employment, increase local revenue and provide more choices for consumers.
Residents want to continue the agricultural economy of the past through diversification. They also want to find a way to manage the impact of growth and land-use changes by developing and implementing a plan in the community.
Other changes include cleaning up the community to demonstrate the pride we have in our community; developing places to go and things to do for families; improving infrastructure, including water for all homes in the county; improving roads and access to interstates; increasing public safety and addressing the drug issues; and strengthening the commitment to educational excellence.
Vision
Twenty years from now, Owen County residents want to be living in a community much like the one they live in today — with a few changes. These include more employment opportunities, more retail choice and better community services. Some of the ways suggested to do this include developing the tourism potential in the community.
Residents want a “vibrant local economy” and they want growth to be managed and linked with improvements to infrastructure “so that the rural beauty and small-town culture remain intact.”
Those who live here want entertainment and recreational opportunities for all ages and they want their neighbors to take pride in their property.
Action
Owen County residents, based on their responses, appear to believe in the concept of “planning your work and working your plan.”
“We need to convince ourselves that it is possible to make the vision a reality,” one respondent wrote.
“We need to think big — think of the possibilities — rather than worrying about what we can’t do,” another added.
In that plan, residents want to see “economic development that seeks a balance among retention and expansion of existing local businesses, the creation of entrepreneurial businesses and the attraction of new businesses that complement the resources, talents and unique qualities of Owen County and its residents.”

Quotable Quotes from Owen 20/20

Some of the things Owen Countians said about this place we call home:

Heritage
“I think that the small-town feel should be preserved. This could be done by not bringing in too many big businesses.”

“I like the small-town atmosphere, but I’m not opposed to updates or face-lifts that give unique towns more character.”

“I would like to preserve all the charm in town and keep local businesses thriving.”

“I feel our rural, quaint quality should be preserved. Having moved here four years ago, I love the small-town quaintness.”

“We value the family-like nature of this area — that everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other. I moved here (a few years ago) and I’ve never felt like a stranger here.”

“I like the small-town atmosphere. We are originally from Dallas, Texas, and moved here as a better place to raise our family. Our family life is much more peaceful here and you don’t have the hustle and bustle of city life.”

“I admire that Owen County as a whole is a Christian community with good values. It is a good place for kids to grow up.”

“I don’t know if you can preserve all aspects of Owen if you want to see it grow and not become a ghost town. The problem with Owen Countians is that they think they can keep the small community life. That’s fine if you don’t want businesses and money for improvements for the county. We have to go forward. I like the small-town atmosphere, but it is time to change or we are going to be left behind. The family farm is a thing of the past and we need to move forward.”

Change
“I think it is a great place to live. If I did not I would move.”

“We need to attract good businesses to the area that provide real jobs.”

“Try to bring in more jobs or more opportunities for companies outside of Owen County to come here and maybe build their business here so we could have more jobs for people here in our county.”

“Do whatever it takes to get employment in our county. Both for the needed revenue and most certainly for our children’s future. The youth need a choice to stay in the county or leave. Right now they have to leave to find opportunity.”

“Find ways to encourage people to do business locally.”

“Make our downtown area more quaint like Georgetown or Madison. They have older buildings like ours, but they are all painted in the same color scheme. It would make our business area more inviting and attractive. It might encourage more small businesses to open in town.”

“We need to be a clean community.”

Vision

“Owen County in 20 years would, hopefully, retain a lot of the small-town atmosphere it has today.”

“In 20 years, I would love to see Owen County much as it is now, but cleaner, more educated and with Owenton a thriving business community.”

“Twenty years from now, I would still like the community to feel small, but we need to have more places to eat and shop here, which would also create more jobs. I would like to see more people in the county have the opportunity to stay in the county and work.”

“In keeping the small-town atmosphere, and the fact that we have plenty of arts and crafts in our area, perhaps we could promote ourselves as a retirement and crafts town.”

“To prevent over-development and to keep it in control, we need some zoning and regulation before urban sprawl can take over.”

“I know that as city water comes to rural areas, homes on 1- or 5-acre lots will mushroom. This development has to happen. We can’t stop it. What we can do is plan — yet, I’m afraid that includes zoning — clusters of homes surrounded by green space for hiking, hunting, fishing. Yes, I would rather have complete rights to do whatever I want on my property. But I mind very much seeing land chopped up and disfigured by others. And I would loudly object to a factory farm. So again, we need fair and careful regulations.”

Action

“I think there needs to be a plan of action and things need to be done, not just discussed.”

“Think things through and make smarter plans. Look further than just tomorrow at the effects changes will make.”

“Move ahead and quit worrying about which voters we’ll offend. People can and do adopt to change.”

“Support legislation to maintain rural farm land.”

“Planning to attract good paying industry, attractive housing and commercial growth will help create the necessary tax revenue to fund utility construction and other infrastructure and also adquately fund the school system and government.”

“The main thing we need to do to bring this plan about is for us to decide to do it. Indecision gets us no where.”

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