Article originally posted by The (Elizabethtown) News-Enterprise directed to:http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/public-gives-feedback-vision-project

Public gives feedback on Vision Project

By John Friedlein

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 7:00 pm

By JOHN FRIEDLEIN

jfriedlein@thenewsenterprise.com

The public on Thursday had a chance to weigh in on two dozen goals that may help shape Hardin County during the next decade and beyond.

While some of the Hardin County Vision project proposals — such as allowing alcohol sales in urban areas and unifying the county’s school districts — could be contentious, those topics were not brought up by a handful of audience members who offered suggestions and asked questions.

Comments instead tended to focus on development and governance.

The forum was one of several ways the project is compiling information to help leaders decide on how the county should move forward as it grows along with nearby Fort Knox. Other efforts have included surveys and assessments of similar communities.

A community leader organization — Hardin County United — was formed to analyze the goals and figure out if and how they should be implemented.

The forum achieved its goal of garnering community feedback, said Harry Berry, the group’s chairman and county judge-executive.

Dozens of residents attended.

Before the microphones at the Hardin County Schools Performing Arts Center in Radcliff were opened for comments, Berry and project consultant Luke B. Schmidt gave an overview of the findings so far.

The presentation included a slide show about projects in other communities that have led to growth. For instance, Bowling Green’s minor league baseball stadium draws thousands of consumers downtown. And a Mississippi county merged its economic development groups, lured in a large Russian steel company and raises money in the community to further its growth.

The Vision project, which was funded by the Department of Defense, stresses unification — whether it be schools or governments.

It also addresses quality-of-life issues, such as developing a community YMCA and drawing young professionals to downtown Elizabethtown with restaurants and housing.

Radcliff City Councilman Stan Holmes said he has not seen the project mention the revitalization of Radcliff and Vine Grove, specifically.

Schmidt said one of the goals has been reworded to include community business districts in general.

Someone else wanted assurance that all parts of the county — especially around Glendale — would be represented.

And a question was asked about what sort of taxes would cover unified police and fire departments.

Berry said that would have to be considered.

Many specifics still must be hammered out. The formation of Hardin County United was announced a few days ago.

Berry urged others to become involved in the process.

For more information, visit, www.hcky.org.

John Friedlein can be reached at (270) 505-1746

Press Release

                                                                                                                                    Contact:

                                                The Honorable Harry L. Berry

                                                Hardin County Judge/Executive

                                                270.765.2350

                                                Luke B. Schmidt

                                                President, L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC

                                                502.292.2898

For Immediate Release

Hardin County United Launches Steering Committee

New Organization to Develop Platform Which Will Examine Recently Developed Community Strategic Goals

Elizabethtown, Kentucky (April 27, 2010) – A new organization – Hardin County United – has been launched and has established a steering committee to see it through its initial development phase.

The development of Hardin County United (HCU) is the first action taken by community leaders since 24 strategic goals were announced earlier this month as the result of the Hardin County Vision Project.  As of today, 28 community leaders have volunteered to serve on the steering committee (a complete list of steering committee members follows).

The intent of HCU is to develop a platform which will examine each of the 24 strategic goals and to develop recommendations as to how the community should proceed.  It is expected that the steering committee will work to formally charter HCU into a formal, free-standing organization.

Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry L. Berry will serve as the Chairperson of HCU.  Radcliff Mayor Sheila Enyart will serve as Vice Chairperson.  In addition, Brad Richardson, Executive Director of One Knox, will serve as the Chairperson of the Community Development Subcommittee.  Al Rider, President/CEO of the North Central Education Foundation, will serve as the Chairperson of the Education Subcommittee and Ken Howard, Hardin Circuit Court Judge, will serve as the Chairperson of the Governance Subcommittee.

“Hardin County United will serve as the springboard to fully examine each of the 24 community strategic goals and to implement those goals which will provide real dividends to the County,” said Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry L. Berry.  “Each of these goals can make a real difference when it comes to such things as education, community unification, quality of place/quality of life issues, etc.  Hardin County has always been one of Kentucky’s leading counties…HCU will help take us to the next level.”

Each of the 24 goals was established following a methodical visioning process conducted by L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, a Louisville-based consulting firm, beginning in July 2009.  Group interviews were conducted along with an examination of benchmark counties (select counties which align demographically with Hardin County in the Southeast).  In addition, confidential key stakeholder surveys were submitted to 100 community leaders with over 70% responding.  Two community leadership forums were held to review the survey findings and to develop the strategic goals.

“The formation of HCU is an important first step towards the examination and implementation of the strategic goals,” said Luke B. Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC.  “All too often when visioning and strategic planning sessions such as this one are conducted, the goals are tucked away in a nice, neat report and placed on a shelf to gather dust.  The community’s leaders have decided that in this case they would like to gain a complete understanding of the impact of each goal and work towards the implementation of those goals which make the most sense.”

In the end, the intent of the process is to make Hardin County even more competitive for future civilian and military investment Schmidt stated.  The goals can assist in this process.  The next step in the process will be to present the findings of the Vision Project to the first Community Forum, which will be held at the Hardin County Schools Performing Arts Center at John Hardin High School (384 W.A. Jenkins Road, Elizabethtown) on Thursday, April 29^th, beginning at 4:00 PM.  The public is invited to attend.

Hardin County is the sixth largest county (by population) in Kentucky and is governed by the three Commissioners of Hardin County Fiscal Court and Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry Berry (www.hcky.org).

L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC is a Louisville-based consulting firm which specializes in strategic planning, organizational development, public affairs, economic development and marketing/communications projects (www.lbschmidt.com).

Article originally posted by The (Elizabethtown) News-Enterprise directed to:

http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/public-input-sought-vision-forum

Public input sought at Vision forum

Discussion to outline goals of project

By John Friedlein

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

By JOHN FRIEDLEIN jfriedlein@thenewsenterprise.com

The Hardin County Vision Project is becoming more than just a list of potentially helpful ideas.

A steering committee made up of community leaders has been formed, and members of the public are invited to a forum this afternoon so they can learn about the project’s goals — which range from unifying school districts to expanding alcohol sales to revitalizing downtown Elizabethtown.

“All too often when visioning and strategic planning sessions such as this one are conducted, the goals are tucked away in a nice, neat report and placed on a shelf to gather dust,” consultant Luke B. Schmidt said.

Through surveys, brainstorming sessions and examination of similar communities, the Vision project has produced two dozen strategic goals, which fall into categories such as community unification and development, governance, health care and education. The Department of Defense provided money for the initiative.

The new working group, Hardin County United, plans to develop a platform to consider the goals and make recommendations on how to proceed, according to a news release. The group will take into account public feedback from the forum, said Harry Berry, who is the group’s chairman and county judge-executive.

It will be a “springboard to fully examine each of the 24 community strategic goals and to implement those goals which will provide real dividends to the county,” Berry said.

Schmidt said it is too early to say how the group would implement the proposals.

Some ideas could attract investors — including the military — and improve residents’ quality of life, Schmidt said.

Today’s forum is a chance for local residents to express support or concerns for any of the goals — and offer alternatives.

The 4 p.m. meeting is at Hardin County Schools Performing Arts Center at John Hardin High School in Radcliff.

“There will be plenty of time for the public to ask questions and make comments,” Schmidt said.

John Friedlein can be reached at (270) 505-1746

Article originally posted by The (Elizabethtown) News-Enterprise directed to: http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/april-4-2010-editorial-shaping-vision

April 4, 2010, editorial: Shaping the Vision

ISSUE: Hardin County Vision project OUR VIEW: Ideas will benefit from broad input

By Ben Sheroan

Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 7:00 pm

With astounding growth spawned by changes at Fort Knox, including a $322 million increase in the annual economy, Hardin County needs to expect change. Reacting to it, however, is quite different than preparing for it.

Thanks to financing provided by the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment and the work of Luke Schmidt’s consulting firm, a collection of ideas has been compiled that could serve as an outline for the future. The initial findings of this Vision project, released last week, come from surveys and brainstorming sessions among community leaders and other involved individuals considered to be “stakeholders” in Hardin County. Schmidt also examined five “benchmark communities” of similar size and some similar characteristics.

The concepts are broad and challenging but fall into six primary categories: education, community unification, community development, quality of place and quality of life, downtown Elizabethtown and health care. In presenting his findings, Schmidt said participants in the process had a high level of consensus in the suggestions offered for exploration.

The next step is community input.

A forum to review and discuss the findings has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at the Hardin County Schools Performing Arts Center at John Hardin High School. Please mark your calendars and try to be there.

Many concepts in the proposal are based on a sense of unification. The idea is simple: A county speaking with one voice when addressing industrial prospects, elected officials and military leaders can get more accomplished.

But to reach unanimity and a single voice, all voices must be heard in a forthright and honest discussion.

The forum process also could help identify people interested enough to work on task forces or steering committees to propel the 24 suggestions from ideas to implementation or at least to exploration.

To stir community discussion and keep this matter in the forefront of our minds, beginning today The News-Enterprise will use its informal online poll to ask a daily question based on the Vision project. The results, while not scientific, could provide a hint of public support and certainly contribute toward awareness in this community conversation.

A few of the proposals are quite controversial. Simply discussing increased availability of alcohol, a single county governement and merger of public school districts will create tension. But putting aside tradition and terrioritial matters in favor of considering the potential effectiveness of an alternative direction is a noble pursuit.

Which of the 24 strategic goals become reality is harder to predict than this year’s NCAA basketball tournament. But change is coming despite what steps we take. It’s better to embrace it and try to make the most of these opportunities.

— This editorial represents a consensus of The News-Enterprise editorial board.

Article originally posted by The (Elizabethtown) News-Enterprise directed to:http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/work-under-way-some-vision-objectives

Work under way on some vision objectives

By Ben Sheroan

Friday, April 2, 2010 at 7:00 pm

By BEN SHEROAN

bsheroan@thenewsenterprise.com

Some of the 24 strategic goals identified by the Hardin County Vision project already are being discussed or are on the drawing board.

The topic of alcohol availability in retail stores and establishment of smaller neighborhood bars has been stirred in the community. The subject surfaced frequently in conversations with visitors on BRAC-related tours who expect to relocate to the area from St. Louis, Indianapolis or Alexandria, Va., as a result of Fort Knox’s new missions.

“It’s not a game breaker for them,” said Brad Richardson of One Knox. “But it does appear provincial.”

Luke Schmidt, a Hardin County native who coordinated the visioning process as a contract consultant, said the wet-dry issue “has evolved from a moral issue to an economic development issue. That’s the honest truth.”

Individuals and organizations including the Heartland Chambers Alliance prompted discussions of increased availability of alcohol sales and invited a leader of Danville’s recent campaign to move from “moist” to “wet” status to talk to their members.

Radcliff Mayor Sheila Enyart sees the topic as an essential element of growth.

“In order to have a vibrant economy, we’ve got to come out of the 19th century,” Enyart said.

In recent years, portions of Hardin County approved liquor sales at restaurants which seat 100 or more and derive 70 percent of their revenue from food. Any relaxation of alcohol limits would require approval through a special local option election.

A referendum to approve wet status also comes into play with the Vision project’s recommendations regarding downtown Elizabethtown. Proponents think creation of a retail, residential and entertainment district in the historic buildings in the city’s core would be enhanced by the availability of alcohol licenses for small bistros and pubs.

Based on his survey, Schmidt said the revitalization of downtown Elizabethtown received broad support from all sectors of the county — not just participants centered in Elizabethtown.

Steve Barno, planning manager in Radcliff, takes issue with the survey question, which he said directed the conversation at Elizabethtown by saying Radcliff has no traditional downtown.

“When you base your brainstorming session on the results of a survey that prefaced sections with ‘Radcliff does not have a downtown so we will talk about downtown Elizabethtown’ you may have a skewed view of reality,” Barno said.

Charlie Bryant, executive assistant of Elizabethtown city government, said he thinks government will need to take a lead in downtown redevelopment with cooperative private partners. But first, a clear focus for the historic city center must be determined.

“You have to decide on what your vision is and work toward that,” Bryant said.

Another quality of life suggestion already in the works is a community YMCA.

A founders meeting was held in November as organizers, including HCS Superintendent Nannette Johnston, decided to place an emphasis on programs over construction. Development of Y classes will introduce YMCA offerings to the community more immediately.

The only health care topic identified by the visioning research was certification for a trauma center at Hardin Memorial Hospital. That idea is being researched as part of an upcoming strategic planning process in preparation for the next hospital budget cycle, which begins in June.

Through collaborative agreements with Louisville and Lexington hospitals, HMH now stabilizes trauma patients and transfers them by emergency helicopters for the appropriate level of care, said Michelle Murphy, the hospital’s director of marketing.

Speaking on behalf of HMH President David Gray, Murphy said the hospital is researching both capital expenditures and operating costs required for a Level 3 or Level 4 trauma center. Any decision will be influenced by state and federal funding, which Murphy described as “in flux” because of state budget shortfalls and uncertainty about changes coming with the federal health insurance reform.

Ben Sheroan can be reached at (270) 505-1764