[Vision-l] Our Vision - Our Future - Our Columbia

[Imagine Columbia’s Future]

Our Vision... Our Future... Our Columbia


Dear Vision Partners -

It has been almost a year since the Community Choices vision event.  Following the September 2007 event, the vision committee reviewed the plan and spent October and November drafting a final report and implementation supplement.  The committee ratified the report in December and the sent it on to the original Sponsor's Council in January 2008.  The City Council accepted the plan February 4, 2008, and in April, Sarah Read, a resident, business owner and former citizen topic group facilitator, was contracted to serve as a vision implementation consultant.  Throughout April and May, Sarah met with members of the City Council along with sponsors'  council and visioning committee representatives.  She then made a preliminary report at the June 2008 City Council Retreat.

As Sarah summarized, the vision plan showed a collective desire for Columbia to be a connected, informed, engaged community.  These principals, and many of the vision goals, already influence City policy and decisions, but it is important for the community-at-large to rejoin the process.

On July 30, the first Vision Action and Implementation Open House was held to reconnect with visioning partners.  The event featured overviews of the draft implementation report and plans for the establishment of a vision commission.  There were also opportunities to take online surveys and provide input on important issues including:
How to keep the public informed and engaged
How to celebrate accomplishments as vision moves along
Ways to connect with community partners
How to invest in the process
Ideas to engage people and get more community involvement
Outreach to all segments of the community
Data collection and dissemination

You can catch up on some of the information from the July 30 event by linking on to the vision "watchword" hosted by the Columbia Missourian.
(http://thewatchword.wordpress.com/columbia-visioning/)

I will be contacting you later today concerning the upcoming Vision Showcase which will be held in conjunction with Twilight Festival on Thursday, September 4, 2008 from 4 - 8 p.m. at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts. 

This is event is an important step in:
Connecting people and laying the foundation for important public and private partnerships;
Informing the community of current achievements and planning future actions; and 
Engaging past visioning participants and the greater community in the implementation process.

Your help will be needed to make this event a success.

One of the first things you can do today is to log onto the implementation survey at
www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=qv1jobGhthDD_2fPoyCe6jAQ_3d_3d 

Further details about the event and volunteer opportunities will be sent shortly.

Best regards,
Renee Graham
Vision Outreach Coordinator


PS:  I will be out of town next week, but you can reach Sarah Read at sjread at buildingdialogue.com or calling 573-447-0499.