Oskaloosa Working On Strategic Direction
Oskaloosa City Hall
Oskaloosa, Iowa, July 2018 – The City of Oskaloosa is pleased to share that it has retained Clive-based McClure Engineering Company (MEC) to support the City’s work in defining its strategic direction for the next three years. The priorities coming out of the MEC-led process will build upon previous City efforts and position Oskaloosa for continued population and economic growth.
The strategic direction will be grounded in Creative Placemaking®, which MEC defines as a people-centered approach to building strong communities. The process will be centered on input from a broad cross-section of the community; this group will guide the MEC team in ascertaining Oskaloosa’s top needs and opportunities. The sessions will be held at 2:30 and 5:30 at the Iowa State University Extension Office on Tuesday, August 7 and at 5:30 at Smokey Row on Thursday, August 9. If unable to attend any of these sessions, the community is encouraged to drop in to Smokey Row on August 9 between 2:30-4:30 to share their ideas. The topics derived from the visioning will be analyzed in combination with a number of data points to identify priority projects for the City.
“Placemaking allows communities to simultaneously build on existing amenities and to identify areas where the community would like to elevate its efforts. By engaging in the placemaking process, Oskaloosa is proactively positioning itself for a thriving future,” said Bethany Wilcoxon, Vice Principal of Community Planning at MEC.
Mike Schrock, Oskaloosa City Manager, stated, “From the City’s perspective, the placemaking process is going to allow us to more effectively prioritize projects. This will help us not only bring the projects the community is passionate about to fruition but also to more effectively budget for these projects.”
The MEC placemaking team currently works to revitalize and reinvigorate communities in ten states, primarily in the Upper Midwest and Mississippi Delta regions. To date, the placemaking team has designed amenities such as cultural centers, breweries, restaurants, area-wide beautification strategies, professional incentive programs, theaters, makerspaces, co-working spaces, residency programs, and aquatic facilities, among others.
For the latest information on the Oskaloosa placemaking initiative, visit the City’s website at http://www.oskaloosaiowa.org/. To learn more about the placemaking project specifically, please contact Andrew Jensen, Development Services Director, at Andrew.Jensen@oskaloosaiowa.org. To learn more about MEC’s Creative Placemaking® work, visit their website at www.mecplacemaking.com.
