Owen Sound To Launch Next Phase of 2050 Strategic Plan
Owen Sound is set to launch into the next phase of crafting its strategic plan, Future Owen Sound: Vision 2050.
Project Consultant Jay Pitter from Jay Pitter Placemaking says they recently finished the first phase of the project which was a community survey on what residents would like to see in the strategic plan.
“What it will do in an intentional manner, set out some clear goals that the city would like to achieve by the time 2050 rolls around,” says Pitter.
She says through the strategic planning process, immediate, mid-term and long-term steps will be laid out for how the city will achieve its goals.
During the recent survey, which closed at the end of July, residents identified several priorities they would like to see featured in the plan, these included safety, prosperity, going green, growth, and culture.
“When I say culture, I mean people’s identities that are tethered to culture, but the other thing that is linked to culture is of course cultural institutions like art galleries and theatres,” says Pitter.
She says they will publish the full survey report at the end of the month.
Starting next month, Pitter says they will hold strategic planning sessions addressing the themes identified in the recent survey as they head into phase two of the project.
“Those sessions will be co-facilitated by individuals who have been appointed to the city’s ad hoc advisory and those individuals are community members and city councillors, and then we have additional community contributors to that group as well,” says Pitter.
Once this phase is completed, the third and final phase will put together all the information gathered into a strategic plan and present it to city council.
She says the current timeline aims to have council approve and adopt the plan in spring 2025.
“Most cities, most municipalities have strategic plans that take them out 20 or 30 years. It’s a way of making sure that needs are being identified by community stakeholders are known to the municipality and it’s a way of making sure that resources are directed towards a shared vision,” says Pitter. “A strategic plan is, in many ways, a conversation between the municipality and people who live in a municipality.”
A community engagement workshop for community stakeholders is being planned for Oct. 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. More details can be found on Eventbrite here.
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