Vision West ND announces launch of new community engagement website as part of regional planning process

DICKINSON, N.D., July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Vision West ND, a consortium of 19 North Dakota counties, Three Affiliated Tribes, regional councils, energy associations and education institutions, announces the launch of ideas.visionwestnd.com, a community engagement website, powered by MindMixer, an Omaha-based company. The website gathers feedback from North Dakota citizens across the western portion of the state as a part of a larger planning process.

The ideas.visionwestnd.com engagement tool is being used as part of the larger Vision West ND Regional Sustainability Planning process to address unprecedented growth resulting from the dramatic expansion of the oil production industry. 

The timing and focus of the Sustainability Planning Grant program is perfect because North Dakota is currently experiencing growth beyond the capacity and capability to shape such job creation and investment in a manner that enhances quality of life in the rural communities and long-term economic diversification. 

Dan Brosz, Vision West ND Consortium Chair, states: "By providing an avenue of community input through MindMixer, more members of each western North Dakota community may be better able to contribute their thoughts on what they'd like to see their community become."

The sustainability planning effort will conduct a series of six initiatives, all designed to support a sustainable future for the region and address emerging growth challenges:

• Local Economic Development Strategic Plans
• Regional Sustainability Plan
• Local Infrastructure Needs Plans
• Identifying Best Practices for Local Planning Policy and Codes
• Architectural Renderings For Local Projects
• Studying Other Fast-Growth Regions

Before the regional process begins, local counties will use the engagement website to generate ideas and feedback from citizens both during and after live individualized county planning meetings. Brosz adds: "That way, a more complete perspective will be formed so that planning in those communities can be more thorough, more effective, and better received by our citizens."

The goals of the Vision West ND initiatives are to:

• Address immediate, short-term needs of communities to meet growth challenges
• Capitalize on the strong rural economy for entrepreneurial development
• Set the stage for economic diversification based on the strength of the oil and agricultural industries
• Establish a sustainable, diversified economy when the oil boom inevitably fades

Comprehensive information on the Regional Plan can by found at www.VisionWestND.com.

Contact: Brady Pelton
Deputy Executive Director
ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties
701.751.3597
[email protected]

SOURCE Vision West ND