FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Springfield community will again have the opportunity to have a hand in creating a long-term vision for Springfield as part of the Forward SGF comprehensive planning process. Building on previous Forward SGF engagement, the City will host three visioning workshops Tuesday and Wednesday:
Tuesday, Jan. 28
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Oasis Convention Center, 2546 N. Glenstone
Wednesday, Jan. 29
2-4 p.m.
University Plaza Hotel, 333 S. Hammons Parkway
and
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Relics Event Center, 2015 W. Battlefield
“The goal for the visioning workshops is to generate a shared vision for the Springfield of the future,” says Planning and Development Director Mary Lilly Smith. “We want anyone who considers themselves stakeholders in our community’s future at the table during these visioning workshops to provide their input.”
The visioning workshops represent a critical phase in the planning process as the City asks residents to move beyond identifying issues and start thinking about the change the community wants to see. The visioning workshops will have a format that is very different from the fall 2019 Forward SGF workshop series.
This new series of workshops will feature interactive, real-time polling as well as a small-group, hands-on mapping exercise, in which guests will put pen to paper and literally illustrate their vision for Springfield for five, 10 and 20 years down the road. All three visioning workshops will use the same format, so participants are encouraged to pick the event that is the most convenient for them and their schedule.
“This phase of the process is one of key community input opportunities. It’s critical that we get great representation from across the city, including area, businesses, employers, the workforce, students, neighborhood leaders, as well as long-time and short-time residents of Springfield,” says Forward SGF Project Coordinator Randall Whitman.
Forward SGF kicked off in August 2019 and continued through the fall, with dozens of public engagement events to gather input on Springfield’s strengths, weaknesses, and topics the community felt the comprehensive planning process should address.
The results of those workshops are part of the Forward SGF Issues and Opportunities Report, which identifies critical issues and opportunities that should be addressed by the Comprehensive Plan over the course of the next 10-20 years. Forward SGF planning consultant Houseal Lavigne Associates will present an overview of the report to City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Forward SGF Advisory Team at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at a joint City Council Lunch meeting at the Forward SGF Planning Studio (351 N. Boonville). A recording of the presentation and a link to the report will be released Tuesday afternoon.
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For more information, contact Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott at 417-380-3352 or [email protected]