Monroe County Quality of Place Survey: http://bit.ly/MonroeQoP
Community Foundation and BEDC awarded
The Bloomington Economic Development Corporation and Community Foundation of Bloomington & Monroe County announced today that they jointly received a $50,000 planning grant from Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI). This money will be used to develop a Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plan for Monroe County. The plan will detail how the county can improve quality of life, attract and retain top talent for our workforce and attract new businesses and investment to the region.
The initial planning grant is part of the Ready Communities Initiative from ROI. The initiative will provide each of the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands region with the resources necessary to strategically plan for, develop, and implement projects and programs that build quality of place, grow regional capacity for workforce development and attraction, and improve the attributes and amenities that make the Indiana Uplands a desirable place to live, work and play.
In order to create the comprehensive Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plan, an advisory team has been assembled and includes representatives from Monroe County government, the City of Bloomington, local employers, Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana University, Ellettsville and the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County Community School Corporation, Richland Bean Blossom School Corporation, and more.
After successfully creating a Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plan, eligible organizations and projects within the county will be able to apply for implementation grants to be awarded in phases over the next two years.
Projects that will be considered for Implementation grants must align with the Monroe County Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plan and address one or more of the following goals:
- Aesthetics and Beautification Enhancements (ex: place branding, public art, streetscape beautification, park enhancements, and main street type investments)
- Connectivity Infrastructure Development (ex: bike & pedestrian paths, trail enhancements, walkability improvements, public broadband or wi-fi, and public transit or other transportation needs)
- Community Cohesion & Support (ex: childcare facilities, workforce training centers, public spaces, innovation spaces, and farmers markets)
In order to develop a plan that meets the specific wants and needs of our community, the BEDC and Community Foundation invite citizens of Monroe County to provide input. In addition to targeted focus groups representing key community stakeholders, the organizations have released a survey for public feedback about a variety of quality of life indicators. Results from the survey will help identify areas that should be addressed by the Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plan.
Community members are invited to participate by using the online survey link: http://bit.ly/MonroeQoP