Northern Lakes Economic Alliance • 231-582-6482 • info@northernlakes.net
Kick your new year off right with a goal setting session to use as a blueprint for productivity.
Amanda Baker, Downtown Development Coordinator
With the new year upon us it is time to begin planning 2019. Has your community decided its priorities and chosen where to focus its efforts?
Taking the time to set priorities allows focus to be placed onto the specific project you most want to see done.
- Start by hosting a goal setting session to determine what projects are priorities for your group.
- Choose a few goals of varying size and set your plan to achieve them.
- Take a couple short range goals that will be completely checked off by the end of the year, and mix them in with a longer range project that you can begin working toward.
- While you’re thinking about what your group is doing, talk to other groups in your community. Can you focus your efforts in the same direction to take an even bigger hit at those large projects?
The Village of Elk Rapids Council is discussing managing pedestrian access along Ames Street, a project that was vetted in the DDA’s 2015 Strategic Plan.
How could Elk Rapids prioritize this? With support from the Village, the DDA could begin a design plan for the project including traffic studies and basic engineering. From there, the Village might pursue funding from MDOT or the MEDC or other sources depending on the full scope of work. By the end of 2019, Ames Street could be positioned to receive a full facelift and engineering in 2020 and be prepared for construction in 2021.
By taking the time to talk to each other and set a priority more groups can focus on, a community can move the big projects along in a way that may not be doable on their own.
If you would like to schedule a goal setting workshop facilitated by NLEA, reach out to the office at (231) 582-6482, or email info@northernlakes.net.
