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Barbara Wysocki Thank you all for coming today. We're here to kick off 'big. small. all" -- a visioning process for Champaign County that will launch with public meetings this November and culminate in a host of shared goals, ideas and dreams for what we'd like to see here in the place we call home. What we are really going to be answering by going through this visioning process is "What will Champaign County be like 25 years from now?" And, right now, no one can say for sure. But we do know that it will depend, in part, on individual and collective decisions we make NOW. Because here's what we DO know: Things here WILL change. Nothing stays the same. Think of this county 25 years ago compared to today. We have an arts council, we have renewed growth in Urbana and Champaign's downtowns and we have more new markets for our agriculture products than ever before. Since we know that things will continue to change, we know that we can impact HOW they change. And we have to decide that now. The decisions made today will have an enormous impact on how the county will look and feel in the future. Though I know it's hard to think of your attendance at one meeting having such a great influence, it's true -- every idea, every dream, every goal shared during this visioning process will be recorded and used to shape our future. Every idea -- big or small -- matters to this process. It's time we ask ourselves hard questions. It's time we look at issues we might usually feel ambivalent or scared about. As a community, we are split on many issues. We are of two minds with respect to the desirable amount and pace of growth, the virtue of urban lifestyles, the form of community governance and other matters. A central goal of the project is to achieve agreement on such questions. We may not reach consensus, but we will reach a level of agreement that will allow for action. And action is precisely what this visioning project is designed to encourage. Here's how it works: With a "blank slate" -- free of any preconceived set of ideas or agendas -- "big. small. all." will host a series of public dialogues and stakeholder workshops, where residents will provide THEIR ideas and issues concerning the future of Champaign County. Out of those, we will form action items for the future. Why now, you ask? Well, almost 30 years have passed since the people of Champaign County have considered, collectively, what their future should be. While many public and private organizations have adopted strategic plans of their own, the county, as a community, has not. Since many community concerns cross lines of function or legal jurisdiction and many opportunities can only be realized by concerted action, this process will bring us all together to chart a shared course of action. Why now? Because the answer to that question we asked a few minutes ago, "What will Champaign County look like in 30 years?" HAS to be answered now. And we hope that the citizens of Champaign County will help answer it by being a part of "big. small. all." and attending one of our public dialogue meetings this November. From seemingly small ideas come big change -- so we invite Champaign County citizens to be a part of a "big. small. all." and to witness the impact of all of our ideas coming together. Thank you. ### Richard Herman I am thrilled to be here today to celebrate the launch of 'big. small. all.' -- and here's why...I think it will work. I know it can work. It's worked in communities elsewhere in the country. And it will work here, if we all get involved and really start talking about what WE want for our community. There is a growing sense of unity -- a sense of coming together -- in Champaign County right now. Sure, we all have our own projects, our own goals, but underneath it all, we are starting to see that there is more commonality than we thought. We are starting to see that what we're really all working on is creating a better community with more options for us and for our children. And to make that happen, we're starting to collaborate in ways we haven't before. I am fortunate enough to work at one of the great learning institutions in the country, so my goals are clear -- to see that the University of Illinois maintains it's academic prowess. But with those specific goals come a great amount of respect for and responsibility toward maintaining growth in the communities that surround the University. The University is the biggest employer in Champaign County. So we should have a voice in whatever goals the community sets for our future. Still, in THIS process, the University's voice is no more powerful than anyone else's. And that's why it will work. This visioning process is about connecting people who might not be connected; about taking each idea -- big or small -- and making sure that it has a chance at coming to fruition. Jennifer [Armstrong] here heads 40 North - the new Arts Council -- and Barbara Wysocki recently named local artists & citizens to the county's Fine Arts Review Committee -- a group who will review new Art-In-Architecture budgets for new construction in Champaign County. And that's the kind of synergy we want to develop here - the bringing together of local leaders with average citizens to achieve whatever goals we've set for ourselves. True, that is just one tiny example, but we are seeing these small connections -- collaborations, if you will -- pop up all over town. And together, these small 'meetings of the minds' can bring big change. This blending of energies and motivations -- this is the hallmark of a great university town. And it IS driving big changes in Champaign County. As Barbara [Wysocki] alluded to, this visioning process won't make our citizens more committed to their own projects - we already have that - but it will start to focus some our energies and allow us to move -- together -- toward common goals. And the key to having a singular focus is participation. That's it. Just show up, give your idea and participate in making our community better. "big. small. all." is just that -- an initiative to include ALL of us in planning our own future. Thank you very much for coming today. ### |
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