DUBOIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PRESENTATIONS

Three agencies submitted Comprehensive Plan proposals for consideration, hoping to be the guiding force in bringing their vision for Dubois County to life. 

In their first board meeting of the month, the Dubois County Commissioners evaluated presentations from three carefully selected community planning firms. Commissioner Blessinger said that approximately a dozen comprehensive plan proposals were accepted for consideration. They were then reviewed by a scoring committee made up of the Board of Commissioners and a County Council member, Councilperson Meredith Voegerl, and were also viewed by a community member with experience in the area. They all agreed on three firms that were invited to give their Comprehensive Plan presentations at the public meeting. 

Representatives of Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group reviewed their proposal, beginning with their concept. They emphasized that this would “identify and organize local strategies.” Self-described as a “boutique planning practice in Indiana,” the 16-person team sees themselves as “core facilitators, crafting and creating community planning and community design assignments.” They have worked with many local organizations including Dubois Strong and the cities of Jasper, Huntingburg, Ferdinand, and Ireland. For this assignment, while the firm would be the project lead, they might augment their team with consultants from VS Engineering and CWC Latitudes. Prioritizing a personalized, hands-on experience, representatives described a 3-stage plan that would focus on seeking out input from the entire community. 

In the second presentation of the day, Veridus Group identified key components to their approach including land use, economic development, and quality of life. Community engagement is of particular concern so that their ultimate findings align with the goals of county residents. The analysis stage would source data through surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Each major component identified would be represented by a steering committee to determine best steps to engage the public. Veridus stressed that it is important to understand how we grow and develop, saying “If we’re not growing as municipalities and counties, we’re dying.” They described a balanced approach that allows for growth while preserving more rural spaces “that are important to our identity and heritage.” Their goal is to maintain a small-town feel and honor the agricultural heritage of the community while identifying vision principles that reflect county residents’ values. 

American Structurepoint described their company as “a planning group within an engineering company.” Representatives explained the benefits of this corporate design, as they frequently consult in-house engineers regarding technical issues. They said that their process is structured around trying to evaluate the areas covered in the comprehensive plan and identifying which ones are of the greatest concern to the community. Since many of the areas overlap and intersect, they plan “to get as many data points as we can to help guide the discussion, but also try to get out into the community and get input from as many people as we can.” Implementation is also a focus, with the goal of providing a clear method for the county to enact the plans set in place for the community. Blessinger thanked representatives for the “simple, easy to consume format” of their proposal. 

After evaluating all three presentations, the scoring committee favored American Structurepoint, and the Commissioners unanimously consented to move forward with their proposal. The completed comprehensive design will incorporate ways to identify and organize local strategies and policies including land use, transportation, economic development projects, and other community-focused elements. Commissioner Blessinger pointed out that many of the people who agree to be on committees and are otherwise involved in local government planning tend to be the same people involved in multiple projects, which can limit the opportunity to look at multiple viewpoints. He emphasized his desire to make sure that there is equal representation from the smaller towns in the County so that their needs are met as well.  

For more information on these and other updates, visit jasperindiana.gov or JasperGov-Indiana on Facebook. 

 - Drew Hasselbring