Karen Gerrity, Nederland.

We need you!

In 2010, the Town of Nederland adopted Vision 2020, a planning document that was co-created by and for the community based on citizen priorities and input. The document provided a collective Vision and identified goals to accomplish over a decade (2010 – 2020). Additional information can be found here: https://nederlandco.org/board-of-trustees/envision-nederland-2020/

The Board of Trustees and Town Staff will facilitate a process for the community to collaboratively create Vision 2030 beginning with an assessment phase. Towards this end, July has been deemed “Envision 2030 Community Engagement Kick-off Month” and the focus is to solicit feedback from internal and external stakeholders through open-ended SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) questions. There is an online survey on the town’s website which can be found here: https://nederlandco.org/envision-2030/ Paper surveys are also available at Town Hall. 

The Board of Trustees and all Town advisory boards and commissions have been asked to provide responses to SWOT questions specific to their areas of concern which will then be compiled and brought back to them for a discussion in one of their public meetings. External organizations such as Communities that Care, Nederland Area Historical Center, and the Peak to Peak Health and Human Services Alliance will also be asked to participate in this process in a similar fashion. 

A Community Vision Workshop is projected to take place in September which will be structured according to the most current Public Health Orders to ensure a safe environment. The intention is that attendees will participate in an “open house” session where they can move from station to station to mingle with table facilitators and other attendees and provide feedback. The stations will include functional categories that address subject matters such as Social Services, Economic Development, Government Services, Education, and Arts and Culture. Local facilitator Garry Sanfacon, who participated in the process to create Vision 2020, has offered to assist with the workshop. 

Feedback from the survey, public meeting discussions, and the workshop will be compiled and presented to the public as the first phase of the process wraps up. The second phase will include crafting first drafts of a vision, values, guiding principles, major goals and specific objectives for Envision 2030. Additional public charettes and workshops will occur to help guide this process. 

The final plan will be developed in the last couple months of 2020 and it will include targets and standards of performance, performance measure, and recommended initiatives. 

Please make sure your voice is heard by taking the survey and participating in the charettes and workshops. For the Envisioning 2030 process to be successful, robust participation from a variety of stakeholders is critical.

If you have any questions please call 303.258.3266 or send an email to townclerk@nederlandco.org. 

(Originally published in the July 16, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)