Community Services - Past Projects

Erie, Colorado (2000)

Erie is a fast growing community 20 miles north of Denver. Tired of the high degree of conflict regarding the issue and impacts of growth, the Town of Erie asked NCL to facilitate an intense project that convened 150 stakeholders that represented the diverse views and interests within the community. The project provided safe space for challenging dialogue and produced consensus on a number of challenging areas. The town and its citizens are currently working on the implementation of a number of these areas. See the Erie Stakeholder Assessment Projects website for more details.

Project Link: "Erie Stakeholders Assessment Process: A Community Vision Process"

Greater Lafayette, Indiana (2000)

Completed in early 2001, Our Vision 2020, is a regional visioning and strategic planning effort involving the cities of Lafayette, West Lafayette, and Tippacanoe County. This effort involved 150 dedicated participants that aggressively addressed challenging issues in areas such as Government, Growth, Leadership, and Environment. See their website for more details and watch for updates on their progress through their implementation.

Project Link: "A Plan for the Future of Greater Lafayette"

Fort Wayne, Indiana (1999)

This community visioning and strategic planning project involved 120 enthusiastic stakeholders in this nine-month planning effort. This project put together solid plans for challenging issues such as Economic Development, Improving the Working Relationship Across City and County, Education and Environment. For more information, see Invent Tomorrow's website.

Project Link: "Invent Tomorrow: Our Community's Action Project"

Winter Haven, Florida (1999)

This community visioning and strategic planning effort involved 150 of Winter Haven's citizens in a nine-month project. Citizens tackled such issues as Economic Development, Education, Civic Infrastructure, and Lakes. See the details in Winter Haven's website.

Project Link: "Our Future by Design"

Fargo-Moorhead Region (1998)

In August of 1998 the Fargo-Moorhead region commenced a regional visioning and strategic planning effort, Project Tomorrow: Creating our Community's Future. With the assistance of NCL facilitation, the Fargo-Moorehead community created a plan that addressed issues ranging from business development, youth leadership development, transportation, lifelong learning and creating a more collaborative government. This challenging and successful project was one reason Fargo-Moorhead was recognized as an All-America City in 2000. See Fargo-Moorhead's website.

Blue Springs, Missouri (1998)

Out of the Blue, Into the Future - A suburb of Kansas City, MO, Blue Springs completed their challenging visioning and strategic planning process in 1998. Their planning focused on four areas: Lifelong Learning, Government, Economic Development, and Developing Community. Since that time, this project continues to move ahead with its implementation and broad community partnerships. For more information, view this effort on the City's website.

Project Link: "Out of the Blue - Into the Future"

Lee's Summit, Missouri (1998)

Lee's Summit 21st Century: After accomplishing 40 of the original 47 goals in their strategic plan from 1993 that NCL facilitated, Lee's Summit (population 65,000) revisited their vision and updated their strategic plan on new areas of focus. Due to their remarkable success from their original plan, Lee's Summit has become a model for the state of Missouri and the country on strategic planning and implementation. This community continues to be highly charged and able to accomplish remarkable successes despite diverse interests and perspectives.

El Paso, Texas (1997)

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation committed a total of $2.5 million over a three- year period for the Healthy Paso del Norte Initiative. NCL trainers and facilitators worked for six months with nine border communities to assist them in the development of their healthy communities process and imparted to them the skills and tools necessary to follow through. These communities have each developed regional health councils that have identified priorities, developed action plans and strategies for improving their quality of life. This effort is now in its second generation of projects.

Project Link: Annual Report, 1998

Alexandria, Louisiana (1997)

Rapides Parish School District found itself polarized by the governance structure and practices within the school system. Despite the different perspectives and interests within the district boundaries, all agreed that new approaches must be engaged to achieve the desired results. This comprehensive project, done in partnership with NCL and the Institute for Educational Leadership, is achieving remarkable results in the school governance structure and practices within the school district.

Scranton, Pennsylvania (1997)

Scranton Tomorrow - After a series of newspaper articles focused on the desires of community members, Scranton Tomorrow, a coalition of local leaders, convened the larger community in an ambitious planning process facilitated by NCL. Over 150 community members attended every stakeholder meeting with an additional 250 actively participating in a variety of ways. This dynamic group focused on areas such as revitalizing the downtown, government reform, creating the means for Scranton to become a regional hub, and safety.

Project Link: "Scranton Tomorrow: Changing Tomorrow Today"

Broomfield, Colorado (1997)

This energetic community always emphasized citizen input and participation. However, they also found themselves with many different plans (Community Vision, Transportation Plan, School Plan, Arts and Humanities Plan, Master Plan, Parks Plan, and Comprehensive Plan) many of which overlapped into one another. Through the diligence of the planning committee, one exciting plan was finalized in 1997. Most significantly, this project developed the plans to improve economic conditions and create the City and County of Broomfield. In November 2001, Broomfield became the first city and county in the state of Colorado in nearly 100 years. See the City and County of Broomfield's website.

Project Link: "City of Broomfield Strategic Plan"

Santa Barbara, California (1997)

Downtown/Waterfront Santa Barbara: A Tradition in Progress: The city leadership recognized that future development in the Downtown and Waterfront posed potential conflict among the many interests that existed within the city. With NCL designing and facilitating the process, 110 diverse stakeholders came to consensus on a common vision and the target areas for development in the Downtown and Waterfront. See this plan in the City of Santa Barbara's website.

Grand Forks, North Dakota (1996)

Grand Forks Community Vision - Insightful leaders in this northern community saw an opportunity to bring the diverse perspectives within their community to engage in true spirit of collaboration and inclusiveness. This 12-month project recently completed its planning phase. Areas of focus include Government, Economic Development, Education, and Community.

Independence, Missouri (1996)

Fast Forward Independence - This long term strategic planning project began in January 1996. This challenging, nine-month project will address many of the challenges that Independence faces and build off the numerous assets that exist within the community. Voters at the polls enthusiastically passed many of these initiatives. See the City of Independence's website.

Delaware County, Indiana (1996)

TEAMwork for Quality Living - This countywide effort (major city, Muncie) has convened over 100 community members to identify and address areas to make the county even more healthy and collaborative. Stakeholders from diverse perspectives from throughout the county will focus their attention on areas that include Education, Family Development, Citizenship, Diversity, and Community Services.

Project Link: "TEAMwork for Quality Living"

Linn County, Iowa (1995)

Foresight 2020 - In 1995, leaders in Cedar Rapids foresaw challenges facing their city and the other municipalities within their county. Through patience, a hard work ethic, and expectation to do things right, 65 stakeholders from Linn County worked together to form an impressive action plan over a nine month period. Areas of focus included: Economic Vitality, Healthcare, Crime and Safety, Environment, Families, Government, Learning, and Recreation.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1994)

Sioux Falls Tomorrow -- This strategic planning effort included the counties of Lincoln and Minnehaha in the Sioux Falls region. The dedication displayed by stakeholders was extraordinary -- with more than sixty people participating in each meeting over the course of the nine-month strategic planning process. In 1992, Money magazine named Sioux Falls the number one city in the nation to live. Subsequently, the region took a proactive approach in developing strategies to address issues they foresaw impacting the region's future "to stay #1." The stakeholder group designed specific action plans for the following areas: Health and Social Services, Education, Public Services, Economic Development and Community Beautification.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1993)

Central Oklahoma 2020 - This project was a high profile regional strategic planning effort involving the geographic boundaries of the 30+ cities and 4 counties of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area. Areas of focus included: Family Resource Centers, Quality Education, Juvenile Intake Centers, Telecommunications Network, Central Oklahoma Citizen's League, Regional Leadership Institute, Mayors Roundtable, Environment, Infrastructure and Maintenance, Transportation, Air Quality and a Regional Report Card.

Lee's Summit, Missouri (1993)

Lee's Summit: 21st Century - This project was a twelve month community-based strategic planning project in this suburban community of Kansas City. Lee's Summit is a community that has seen a large increase in population over the past ten years. The impact and strain of the growth began to surface through the suspicion and mistrust across the sectors of the community. Leaders in the community decided to convene the different interests to work together on these and other issues. Stakeholders developed plans for economic development, public services, and for addressing specific quality of life that became the focus of this community-wide effort. The results have been startling even for Lee's Summit's residents. Where bonds were previously battered at the polls, public approval for these initiatives resulted in each passing by 70%-75% and a stunning 12 for 12 at the polls over the last five years. By the time an update of this plan took place six years later, this project had implemented 40 of its original 47 goals.

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