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Mead's 1999 Nebraska Community Improvement Program SubmissionSection 5. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS ESTABLISHING A STRONG FOUNDATION: COMMUNITY GOAL SETTING 1999 is the sixth year that Mead will participate in the Nebraska Community Improvement Program. Our community is proud of it's many accomplishments and participated in several award programs and have been given other honors. Our formal visioning and strategic planning process has spanned five years. The goals established in each step of the development process has served as a solid foundation for continual improvements and development. Achievements have included:
Our first step - Community Attitude Survey - November 1993 Rick Noyes, Southeast Development District, and volunteers developed the survey. The high response rate, 83.4%, reflected goals that are repeated in later town hall meetings and surveys. Housing was the #1 issue. Joint Meeting Village Board of Trustees and the Mead School Board - February 1994Dave Miller, (DED), was the guest speaker. Together the boards, Dave, and a handful of community members decided the next step - a town hall meeting. Community Town Hall Meetings - March 9, 1994 Notices were posted in local businesses, in the town newsletter, at the school, in the Wahoo Newspaper, and "special invitations" were mailed to many others. Speakers included: Rick Noyes, SENDD, and Dave Miller, DED. Survey results were discussed and citizens offered suggestions to make Mead a better place. Suggestions were noted on large sheets of paper, taped to the walls and each citizen was asked to vote on their goal choices. Votes were cast and tallied; clearly the number one choice for community improvement was single family housing. Attendees volunteered for committee assignments based on identified goals. Rank Topic votes
Second Community Town Hall Meeting - March 22, 1994 Again, Rick Noyes and Dave Miller, guest speakers helped conduct the meeting. Attendees broke into working groups based on their interests and desire to participate. Group continued to meet separately through the spring and summer calling on local talents and resources as required. First Youth Survey - May 1994 Student developed and tabulated a written student survey with included at "wish list" of possible activities and improvement areas. The student council identified a new basketball court as their #1 priority and volunteered to hold volleyball tournament fund raiser to help secure a new court. Today the court is a reality through the combined efforts of several existing adult community organizations and a strong student commitment. 1995 Annual Community Town Hall Meeting - February 27, 1995 Roberta Pinkerton, DED, and Beth
Smith, SEND, facilitated. They explained the value of the housing study
and comprehensive plan. The citizens again conducted a voting session
and established community goals. The goals identified looked similar to
the 1994 visioning session goals.
Housing Survey & Study - March 1994 through April 1995 and update 1999 In March 1994, Terry Meier, Southeast Nebraska Development District, came to the town board suggesting the next step in the community development process was the completion of a housing study. Because the Board had not budgeted the necessary $2000, they could not commit to funding the study. With the assistance of the Omaha Public Power District and People's Natural Gas, the town board and school board combined efforts to fund the study. The study was completed by April 1995 in time to apply for CDBG Funds to complete a new Comprehensive Plan. The $11,000 planning grant was awarded July 1995. The housing study was a SUCCESS - Mead grew by some 20 new places to live over the past six years and an update to the housing study is now in progress. But this update will take an unusual twist. A local community volunteer has taken on the task of updating our Housing Study as her senior project in college. While her professor only requires a 10% sample of the community - she will survey the entire community to ensure not only a quality product for the community but one that will allow Mead to continue to apply for grant funding for the various projects underway today and in the future. Updating the Comprehensive Plan - Planning our Future Spring 1995, Roma Black, Planning Commission Member, spearheaded a focus group to pin point some areas which should be revised in the planning and zoning arena. Several meeting were held and a punch list was developed. On April 11, 1995, a public hearing was held on the CDBG application for a planning grant. The Village Board of Trustees wholeheartedly supported the application and waited for the results. In July 1995, the Board was notified of the award of the grant; a savings of $11,000 to the village taxpayers! July 31, 1995, bidders were interviewed and the contract went to Johnson, Erickson, O'Brien on August 8, 1995. By November 1995 the Plan Review Committee was formed and the real work began! The Comprehensive Plan was completed and adopted in December 1996. Mead School Creating a Vision - 1995 The Mead Schools began a visioning process in 1995 which will carry us into the future. Staff and volunteers held many sessions developing a Mission statement and developing goals. Three target areas resulted from these sessions: Technology; Communication; and Decision Making/Problem Solving/Responsibility. Four broad goals were established and team members volunteered from the school and the community. These goals have a big impact on the community and are not school only goals. 1996 Community Town Hall Meeting - May 21, 1996 Informational flyers were hand delivered to all town residents; school board members, school staff, and many of our country "cousins" received an invitation by mail. Additionally, the Wahoo Newspaper put the notice on their front page. The meeting was conducted by Keith Marvin, Johnson, Erickson, O'Brien - Wahoo. Participants divided into 2 working groups and listed the positive and negative aspects of the community and their vision of Mead in the year 2020. Attendees represented a broad base; board members, plan review committee members, business, school, youth, fire and rescue. .. The positives, negatives, and vision were very characteristic of previous group sessions. Participants continued to want more housing, business growth, youth involvement. Continuous Library Improvement Program - July 1996 Kathy Tooker, Eastern Library System Director and members of the Nebraska Library Commission facilitated the meeting. Attendees envisioned a library with public use computers, a center for local history, improved appearance, and increased services. A written survey was developed and attached to the town newsletter in July and results from that survey and the visioning session were developed into the Continuous Library Improvement Plan. This plan is the working document for a group of "friends" who are working on library improvements. Additionally, each of the six Saunders County Libraries have forged a partnership to increase library services across the county. 1997 Youth Survey Youth have planned an active role in community development efforts from the beginning of our participation in the NCIP process. Adam Petersen, Anneke Gustafson, and Kenny Scheele, Mead Students are 1998 NCIP Committee Members. February 1997 brought Pamela Mulder to the Mead High School to speak to students directly about the role of NCIP in a community. Students planned and carried out a youth interest survey. Results were tabulated and many students volunteered for leadership roles in the community. Students now help teach other computer literacy at the public library, have painted homes for the elderly and have volunteered to develop a arboretum. The 1997 Youth Survey is attached to this report. 1999 Mead Today This year we decided to continue to work our plan. A strong foundation has been laid and we are continuing to support the goals established. As some projects are wrapping up, others are still in the early stages. Plans are underway to see Dr. Ed Nelson guiding our next town hall meeting. We feel that Dr. Ed will help refresh, energize and spark new development projects in the community Mead is an award winning community. Recent community development recognition includes:
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