FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE At a series of nine “listening” meetings in Springfield’s northwest neighborhoods in May, City and community leaders heard neighbors’ concerns. Now, it’s time for action. About 175 individuals representing nearly 100 organizations gathered at Doling Park’s Northview Center Wednesday, Sept. 23, to discuss ideas and recommendations to address quality of life issues ranging from health status to chronic nuisance properties in northwest Springfield. After collecting the responses from the Community Listen meetings, City Manager Greg Burris again reached out to City of Springfield staff and community partners to form 11 teams to brainstorm ways to improve quality of life for Zone 1 residents around the following topics: • Chronic Nuisance Properties
• Civic Engagement
• Communication
• Digital Divide
• Food Access
• Health Care
• Housing
• Infrastructure & Transportation
• Jobs & Economic Conditions
• Public Safety
• Wellness. The teams’ recommendations, which are online at springfieldmo.gov/zoneblitz will be presented informally to City Council at its Sept. 29 lunch meeting. Some of the recommendations may require more in-depth review by City Council or other legislative bodies, which will come at a later time in the process. The goal is to share an 18-month proposed action plan called “Community Listen: Zone Blitz!” with the community at the Junior League of Springfield’s Community Summit: Focus on Poverty 9:30 a.m.-noon Oct. 8 at the Springfield Art Museum. Zone 1 residents will be asked to provide final input on the proposed plan. The summit will also highlight the release of the 2015 Community Focus Report for Springfield-Greene County and the Impacting Poverty Commission Report. The Community Summit will include the release of the bi-annual Community Focus Report, the Impacting Poverty Commission Report, Healthy Living Alliance update and the announcement of a major grant by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The Zone Blitz “coaches” (each topic team had a pair of coaches to lead discussions and gather recommendations) will then meet the week of Oct. 12 to finalize implementation of the Community Listen: Zone Blitz! plan. ### For more information, contact: Cora Scott, Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement, 417-864-1009 (office) | 417-380-3352 (cell), [email protected] Community Listen: Zone Blitz! Partners • Associated Wholesale Grocers
• Association of Information Technology Professionals
• AT&T
• Bass Pro
• Buckhorn Inc.
• Burrell Behavioral Health
• Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri
• Center City Christian Outreach
• Central Assembly
• City of Springfield Building Development Services
• City of Springfield Environmental Services
• City of Springfield Fire Department
City of Springfield Information Systems
• City of Springfield Law Department
• City of Springfield Municipal Court
• City of Springfield Planning & Development
• City of Springfield Police Department
• City of Springfield Public Works
• City of Springfield Workforce Development
• City Utilities
• Community Foundation of the Ozarks
• Community Partnership of the Ozarks
• Consumer Credit Counseling Services of the Ozarks
• Convoy of Hope
• Council of Churches of the Ozarks
• CoxHealth
• CoxHealth EMS
• Doling Neighborhood Association
• Drew Lewis Foundation @ The Fairbanks
• The Downtown Church
• Drury University Edward Jones Center
• Drury University ENACTUS
• Drury University College of Graduate Studies
• Drury University Graduate Program in Communication
• eFactory
• Evangel University College of Business
• Evangel University Science & Technology
• Evangel University Political Science
• Freshwater Church
• Greene County
• Guaranty Bank
• Habitat for Humanity
• Harmony House
• Healthy Living Alliance
• Housing Plus
• Husch Blackwell, LLP
• Hy-Vee
• Jenkins Diesel, Inc.
• Jordan Valley Community Health Center
• The Kitchen Inc.
• Layer 3 Biz
• League of Women Voters
• Legal Services of Southwest Missouri
• Life 360 Church
• Mediacom
• Mercy
• Mercy SafeKids Springfield
• Merrill Lynch
• Missouri Department of Transportation
• Missouri State University Center for Community Engagement
• Missouri State University College of Business
• Missouri State University Department of Sociology and • Anthropology
• Missouri State University Department of Public Safety
• MSU Cares
• Neighborhood Advisory Council
• The Network
• North Point Church
• Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors
• Olsson & Associates
• O’Reilly Automotive
• Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation
• Ozarks Community Hospital
• Ozarks Community Technical College
• Ozarks Food Harvest
• Ozarks Greenways
• People Centric Consulting Group
• Salvation Army
• Sam’s Club
• Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
• Springfield Art Museum
• Springfield Community Land Trust
• Springfield First Community Bank
• Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association
• Springfield Public Schools
• Springfield-Greene County 911 Emergency Communications
• Springfield-Greene County Health Department
• Springfield-Greene County Library District
• Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management
• Springfield-Greene County Park Board
• SRC, Inc.
• The Summit Preparatory School of Southwest Missouri
• Tuthill Vacuum Blowers
• United Way of the Ozarks
• The Whitlock Company
• YMCA.