Vibrant Communities Report Details Progress

Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA new report from Elkhart County says the Vibrant Communities initiative is making progress. The report outlines the efforts identified in the an agenda released by the initiative in 2016 and shows 52 of the 77 items aimed at improving quality of life in the county are either complete or in progress. Some of the projects highlighted in the report include the Elkhart Aquatic Center, the Goshen Theater renovation and the Wa-Nee Vision 2020 plan.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Arvis Dawson, co-chair of Vibrant Communities, said the entire effort is about the community.
"We want to make sure that they know that they are what makes us vibrant and the fact that they can set a plan, follow it, stick to it and complete it is what vibrant communities do," said Dawson. "We are a movement and not an organization, and if a movement stops, then it stops becoming a movement so we want to continue to report the successes and engage people in those other 25 items that haven’t hit the radar yet."
The report also details several future goals, including the development of a placemaking academy to provide technical assistance and education for individuals and groups looking to turn their ideas into reality. Vibrant Communities says it plans to support local efforts to engage younger members of the community as well.
Dawson says one of the initiative’s goals is to add more projects on top of the 77 previously outlined.
"At some point in time, I’m sure we’ll have another list," said Dawson. "So as a movement, we want to continue the process of meeting with the people, evaluating our initiatives, making sure they’re where want to be and making sure we’re connecting people with those initiatives to help accomplish that goal."
You can view the full report by clicking here.
Dawson says the entire effort is about the community.