Citizens help shape Findlay's future

Strategic planners for the city are now collecting citizen ideas about the Findlay of the future. The first round of public workshops was held Wednesday at the University of Findlay Alumni Memorial Union, 1001 Frazer St., with about 34 city residents participating in the event. Two more workshops are scheduled for today, while a virtual meeting will be held Tuesday. An online survey will also go live Friday. All are open to the public. Participants on Wednesday played trivia based on Findlay demographics, created headlines about future Findlay and its stories, and completed a brief survey that asked for resident input on city services, improvements, issues and other "big ideas" city government could pursue. Two additional public workshops will be held today. An afternoon workshop will take place at 1 p.m. at 50 North Heminger Center, 339 E. Melrose Ave. A second workshop will take place at 5 p.m. at Alexandria's, 132 E. Crawford St. The virtual workshop will be held at noon on Tuesday. Participants may register online at findlayforwardplan.com Each workshop will last about an hour. The survey goes live on the Findlay Forward website on Friday. Sarah C. Bongiorno, a project manager with Planning NEXT, of Columbus, said "pop up" sessions were also held at the university on Wednesday and will be held again today, to garner student input. She said area restaurants have also agreed to help promote survey participation. Ideas shared will be collected in a database and will serve as a foundation for the city's strategic plan. More opportunities for public participation will be made available this summer. Introductions between city officials and consultants with Planning NEXT got underway in January during the firm's first "official" visit to Findlay. The firm has been hired by Findlay City Council to help develop a strategic plan for the city's government and will be paid $124,315 for the work. The consultants are expected to work with Findlay's various business leaders, community members, economic development team, local school districts and other organizations to develop the plan. The process will also include a method for updating, maintaining and evaluating the strategic plan. More information about Planning NEXT, including the company's extensive list of awards, is available at www.planning-next.com For more information visit Findlay's strategic planning website at findlayforwardplan.com Grant: 419-427-8412