Meeting Highlights

August Meeting Highlights

Community and Economic Impact of Development of Creating an Economic Development Council

Speaker: Mike Heill, Marshall County Economic Development Consortium

Community development must precede economic development.
This was the central lesson presented by representatives of the Marshall County Economic Development Council at the August meeting of the Central Illinois Rural Coalition on Development (RCD). Community leaders, economic development professionals, bankers and engineers gathered in Princeville at the community’s Heritage Museum to hear Mike Hiell and Bruce McVety discuss the grass-roots development of the economic development group.
Hiell, former mayor of Lacon who now serves as a volunteer for the Council through Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), explained that for economic development initiatives to be successful, residents must be willing to improve their communities, creating places that are defined by cooperation and a commitment to continued improvement. As of 2002, the County, home to 13,000 residents, lacked community engagement.
At this time, McVety, director of the Marshall-Putnam Unit of University of Illinois Extension, began meeting with individuals throughout the County in order to increase community engagement. But it was the closing of a production plant in the town of Toluca – and the subsequent loss of hundreds of jobs – that spurred formation of the Economic Development Council.
A meeting was held in late 2007 after the plant closed to discuss general concerns, and representatives of every community in the County attended. The concept of an Economic Development Council for the County evolved and took form at ensuing meetings. Today, the Council is supported by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs and the Marshall-Putnam Extension Unit and includes representation from the Marshall County Farm Bureau, Marshall County Board, and individual towns and villages.
McVety attributes the success of the Council to the manner in which it was formed. The Council was developed out of a grass-roots effort, allowing participating individuals and organizations to have a voice and establish ownership. A shared vision was developed, and this in turn helped build commitment to the cause.

 

May Meeting Highlights

Benefits of farmers markets touted at RCD meeting

Speaker: Lori Hartz- owner of the Zipper Connection and the Pin Cushion

As fresh, locally grown produce becomes more and more popular, so does the method local communities are using to meet this need and stimulate economic development: farmers markets.

The farmers market in Wyoming, a summertime staple for the last 7 years, was spotlighted at the May meeting of the Central Illinois Rural Coalition on Development (RCD). Community leaders, elected officials, bankers and engineers gathered to hear Lori Hartz describe the successful Stark County market.

Hartz stressed the importance of organization when developing a successful farmers market. The first version of Wyoming’s market lacked guidance until the Stark County Farm Bureau stepped in to help grow the market. The Farm Bureau developed procedures for operating the market that remain in place today.

The Wyoming market has had 15 vendors at its peak, but fresh fruits and vegetables are not the only items available. Baked goods and ethnic goods also are sold, and the event has expanded to include live musical acts.

The growth of the market is partially the result of a change in location. The market was first held at the city’s park but now resides on a downtown street near the intersection of State Routes 17 and 91. Hartz cites the change in location for helping raise awareness of the market.

Also raising awareness of the market are alternative promotional techniques. In addition to traditional newspaper advertisements, inserts promoting the market are placed in the bulletins of local churches, and vendors are required to post flyers at area businesses to advertise the market. Hartz also seeks to offer seasonal fruits and vegetables to distinguish the market’s offering from that of grocery stores.

The local health department also plays a role in the market’s operation. When new items are offered for sale, health department officials provide guidance on proper handling and storage.

 

April Meeting Highlights

Assistance programs for local communities spotlighted at RCD meeting

Speaker: Ann Meyer- Tazwood Community Services

309-266-9941

With its role now more pronounced against the backdrop of the current recession, Tazwood Community Services and its assistance programs were the focus of the April meeting of the Central Illinois Rural Coalition on Development (RCD).

Ann Meyer, the agency’s Community Services Manager, provided information on the variety of services available to income-eligible residents of Tazewell and Woodford Counties and discussed additional services to be funded by money received via the economic stimulus package.

Tazwood provides services in three program areas: the Community Services Block Grant Program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program.

The Community Services Block Grant program provides a range of services to meet fundamental short-term needs of income-eligible residents. One month’s rent payment, assistance with purchasing prescription medications, car repairs, and provision of school supplies are among the services offered through this program.

Tazwood’s other programs address household energy use. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides eligible households a one-time benefit to help pay energy bills. Home ownership is not required to be eligible. The Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program provides assistance for completing home repairs to conserve energy and lower heating bills. Sealing cracks, insulating walls, window and door repair, and furnace repair are among the services provided.

An infusion of stimulus funding to the agency’s budget will result in additional services being offered. Beginning June 1, money for foreclosure assistance, childcare and summer camp assistance, and job training assistance will be available. Other proposed programs to be funded by stimulus money include home repair for elderly and disabled individuals and additional automobile repair.

Services funded by stimulus money will not be permanent, and waiting lists are available for some programs. Tazwood Community Services is located at 2005 South Main Street in the Field Shopping Center in Morton. For more information, please contact the agency at 266-9941 or 694-4391.

 

March Meeting Highlights

Communities learn about emergency
preparedness at RCD meeting
Saroj Saha
American Red Cross
657-6665
sarojdtgov@gmail.com. 
 

With the harm caused by recent flooding fresh in everyone’s minds, representatives of local communities gathered in Lacon to learn how to be prepared for emergency situations at the March meeting of the Rural Coalition on Development (RCD). 

Saroj Saha of the American Red Cross outlined steps households can take to be prepared in the event of a disaster, whether it be a flood, a tornado, or a house fire, the most common disaster. 

Saha recommended families keep an emergency preparedness kit for use in the home. A suitable kit should contain water, non-perishable food, a weather radio with batteries, medications, basic tools, and cash. Kits can be organized at home and are available through the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org. 

A household emergency contact list also should be prepared. The phone numbers of local emergency personnel, family doctors, pharmacists, and children’s schools should be included. Hard copies and electronic copies of the list should be kept in case a cell phone cannot be accessed or used. 

Saha also recommended households decide on a meeting place located outside of the home where family members can gather in case they become separated during an emergency such as a house fire. 

Meeting attendees shared advice on what communities can do to prepare for emergencies that could affect municipal operations. Mason City Mayor Dave Knieriem suggested communities establish a data recovery plan in case computer systems or paper files are damaged during a disaster, and Chillicothe Economic Development Coordinator Lisa Burnett suggested communities develop a tree inventory and file the inventory with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in order to qualify for tree replacement after a disaster. 
 

January Meeting Highlights

Proactive visioning, planning touted at RCD meeting
Giselle Hamm
Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs-Western Illinois University
(309) 298-4019
GF-Hamm@wiu.edu

The benefits of an Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs program for improving rural communities were shared January 15 in West Peoria at the monthly meeting of the Central Illinois Rural Coalition on Development (RCD).

Community leaders gathered to hear about the MAPPING program, an initiative that assists communities with a population of less than 25,000 to develop a vision for the future and take action to achieve the vision.

Gisele Hamm, manager of the program, explained rural communities today face many challenges such as increased competition for retail dollars, youth outmigration, and a shift from manufacturing jobs to service jobs at lower pay. Overcoming these challenges requires proactive visioning and planning, and the MAPPING program equips communities to carry out these activities.

Hamm explained that when a MAPPING project is launched in a community, a local steering committee is organized and a kickoff event is held to develop a vision for the community. The vision is broken up into goals that are subsequently broken up into individual projects the community can complete to achieve its vision.

Havana is one of more than 100 Illinois communities that has utilized the MAPPING program since its inception in 1991. A downtown street lighting project, creation of the Eagle Days community festival, and the hiring of a permanent economic development coordinator are some of the improvements in Havana that resulted from its MAPPING project.

November Meeting Highlights:

Mark Roberts
Community Foundation of Central Illinois
309-674-8730 phone
mark@communityfoundationci.org

October Meeting Highlights:

John Mullen
Peoria Park District
309.686.3360
jmullen@peoriaparks.org

If you don’t build it, they will come.

That was the idea put forth by Peoria Park District assistant chief naturalist John Mullen at the October 16 meeting of the Rural Coalition on Development in Toulon.

Elected officials, economic development professionals, engineers, and other community leaders from throughout central Illinois gathered to hear Mullen speak about the positive impacts that parks and open space can have in communities.

Mullen said open space can have social, personal, environmental, and economic benefits for communities of all sizes. Elaborating on the economic benefits, Mullen said parks have stimulated the revitalization of urban neighborhoods and increased the value of nearby properties.

Mullen cited Austin, TX as one community – albeit of a different scale than central Illinois communities – that has benefitted from the protection of open space. As Austin’s population grew from 800,000 to 1.4 million, oak hillsides surrounding the city were paved over for new development. Later, an open space corridor was preserved in the developing area, and subsequent surveys showed residents preferred the denser neighborhoods located near the corridor than the less dense neighborhoods that were initially developed.

Mullen also spoke about the Forest Park Nature Center operated by the Peoria Park District. The facility hosts school and community groups that come to learn about the natural environment and operates a volunteer program where community members work in ecosystem restoration at the site.