Economic Development Committee
Initial Meeting Date: Thursday, August 14
Time: 7pm Location: ZB Library
Question 2: What would a healthy, well-connected community look like
- Shop locally – spend your money in your community
- Working together to solve serious problems
- Zion, Winthrop Harbor, & Beach Park’ s park dist. Equal assess to each park facility without paying a fee
- Transportation: seniors, subsidized, metra train
- Effects of Wal-Mart on downtown – all downtown business need to work together
- Website for the ZB community
- Transportation between communities
- Economic challenges for gas
- Trolley is used a lot but need more
- Property taxes are high
- Multi-generational experiences
- Community auditorium for the arts
- `Promote & use local business & services
- Sharing & cooperation
- Lots of networking
- Knowledge of resources & help availability
- Safe & secure neighborhoods & public places
- We need comm. that network – build bonds
- We have trolleys – why won’t they connect to go to grocery store, etc.
- Communication is effectively transferred to community
- Leaders work together between communities
- Events that include everyone
- Economic prosperity
- Mechanisms to share info
- Greater knowledge of our own resources
- Open lines of communication
- Greater pride of residents
- Better appearance of neighborhood
- Jobs for youth
- Working together as one
- Comm. participation
- Look nice
- Safe
- Self promotion
- Control perception
- Keep our money here
- Be proud of what we already have
- More entertainment
- More chain restaurants
- When needs are identified, the whole comm. steps up to help
- No separation of the 3 comm.
- Unique style of each comm. would remain
- Don’t want to be in the headlines for the wrong reasons
- Strong city leadership from all 3 comm.
- A vision that shows us a positive path
- Tri-community shuttle/bus system
- Diverse in culture & age
- Safe feeling
- Well kept
- Neighborly
- Communicating
- Lots of wildlife & nature
- Feeling welcome
- Reduced taxes to make it affordable
- Recycle – refurbish old homes
- Clan parks & rec. areas
- Not only a reason for kids to come back but a reason for people to move here
- Invest in the community
- Keep downtown viable
- Take advantage of proximity to lakefront
- Tourism incentives
- Need to identify needs
- Develop economic opportunities
- Bring safe environment to recreational areas
Question 3: Top priorities from question 2
- Community park district
- Combined public celebrations
- Community auditorium
- Tourism
- Economic development
- Lakefront/parks – “lakefront connection” Zion-Benton Townships: “A Shore Thing”
- Positive economic development of area
- Use the lakefront
- Clean up the communities & make everyone responsible
- Economic Prosperity opportunity for all
- Recognizable identity – community pride, celebrate diversity, celebrate success
- Healthy commerce – bringing in new business/ investors
- Safe activities/environment for children
- Leadership (political officials) of all 3 working together
- Transportation
- Jobs/economic stability
- Better transportation to assist no car families or seniors
- prevent urban blight or sub-standard development
- Appearances make a difference people need to “keep up” their houses
- We need more comm. meetings like this
- Known resources
- Economic development
- Strong citizen leadership from all 3 comm.
- New name for the tri-community
- Use more of the empty buildings downtown instead of building new ones – particularly in Zion
- Come together & promote ourselves as a larger market – use all assets of the 3 comm.
- Engage in relationships – on all levels opportunity to talk to each other
- Talk to each other on basic level – neighbor to neighbor – take over our corners
- Build a sense of community
- Create a space to have people come together
- Create a tri-community tourist destination
- A centralized building or area for comm. events & celebrations
- More reliable transportation system
- Development of lakefront
- Better transportation
- Economic development
- Widespread ownership – buy into what we are doing
- Take one initiative or project and as 3 comm. accomplish a goal – rather B&G Club than multiple goals
- Becoming aware of each others desires – becoming closer as a single community
