A group that has been asking local residents how to create a better Allen County will offer a “last chance” to share ideas next week.
Atlas Community Studios, a small company based in Des Moines, has been working with Thrive Allen County for much of the past year.
They’ll have a public meeting from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday at the North Community Building. Everyone is welcome to come and share ideas on how to improve economic development, discuss housing needs and consider how to reinvest in existing buildings.
They are working on the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development. The effort, which provided $1 million in cooperative agreements across the country last year, seeks to improve the social, cultural and economic structure of rural communities.
Thrive and Atlas are focused on three key areas: economic development, housing and renovating existing buildings. An example of the last is a former funeral home owned by Thrive.
At various points over the past year, Atlas representatives have met with members of the business community to discuss their needs and sent out a survey for residents about what they would like to see in Allen County.
They’ll return next week to meet with key stakeholders, including government officials.
The public meeting will be the last chance for residents to share their concerns before Atlas prepares a strategic plan.
That plan is expected to be released early next year. Thrive officials plan to use that as a road map for future development efforts.
