| Owen 20/20
and the Owen County Vision Plan aren’t two new optometrist
offices opening up in town — they are the names of two projects
focusing on what Owen County could look like in the coming years.
Each hopes to act together as a pair of eyes, studying the road
ahead for the community, looking into its future possibilities
and making projections on how a drawn-up plan, mixed with public
input, could best serve the county.
Members of the vision plan, an offspring of the Leadership Owen
County classes of 2004 and 2006 sponsored by the county’s
Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Owen 20/20 Project held
two separate meetings Thursday afternoon at the county extension
service building.
The vision plan’s discussion centered on an upcoming architectural
landscaping project conducted by University of Kentucky students
that will map out what the community could look like in future
years, while members of the 20/20 project discussed the status
of various taskforces and how its plan complements the UK architectural
landscape project.
Members of the 20/20 project expect its taskforces – which
are concentrated on five areas: youth and adult recreation, headed
by Mary Ellen Smith; community beautification, headed by Matt
Toftness; entrepreneurship, headed by Carl Cummins; tourism, headed
by Veronica Gayle; and agricultural development, headed by Karen
Towles — to compile their recommendations and compose a
presentation early next year.
Project members plan to present their conclusions at a public
forum in late January, but a date has not yet been set.
In addition to time, money is also an issue under discussion by
one of the groups.
The vision plan members are raising funds to cover the cost of
the UK study. The group raised $2,850 as of Thursday, about 28
percent of its bottom-tier goal of $10,000-$12,000.
A brochure published by the group states that the funding goes
toward covering the cost of the study and that a similar study
performed by a private group could cost in the low six figures.
Jim Seay, chair of taskforce oversight committee for the 20/20
project, told members of the 20/20 group that its plan would complement
the UK study. He said some of the 20/20 plan’s elements
would fit in with the UK project, while others would complement
it.
Owen County Extension Agent Kim Strohmeier, who is involved with
both committees, noted that the taskforces, assembled in April,
began their work before the UK study was proposed but the two
should work together well.
“It’s not going to fit in with everything,”
he said of the 20/20 taskforce recommendations. “But that’s
fine. It’s not supposed to.”
Each of the five 20/20 taskforces will put together presentations
to show how the studies, built upon community input, could shape
the county’s future plans.
The plan will be illustrated in some of the visual aspect of the
UK study, and the 20/20 presentation will also look into how the
ideas can be funded.
“Otherwise it’s just a pie-in-the-sky idea,”
Strohmeier said.
But it will not be expected of the taskforces to lobby for the
implementation of the recommendations.
That, 20/20 members believe, will fall onto a number of groups
and citizens, including the Chamber of Commerce and government
bodies at all levels, among others.
The 20/20 project members will likely meet at least once more
before holding its public presentation.
Members of the vision plan and the UK students performing the
landscape architecture study will likely watch the 20/20 presentation
closely to implement aspects of it into its plan.
The Leadership Owen County classes will visit UK and meet the
students who will work on the survey Jan. 12. Then the first of
a series of public forums will be held Feb. 15 at the Owen County
High School auditorium to get feedback from the public.
The UK students will make visits throughout the county the following
day.
The leadership classes return to UK on March 2, and another public
meeting will be held March 8.
The study will wrap up and be presented to the public on April
23.
|
