Seaside City Council adopted a vision statement for the next 20 years that it believes reflects the community’s objectives and ideals, which were gleaned from months of meetings, workshops and surveys.
During its meeting Monday night, the council heard a presentation from the project leaders, Seaside Tourism Director Jon Rahl, Seaside Library Director Esther Moberg and Seaside’s AmeriCorps intern Jeremy Goldsmith.
The council then unanimously approved a final vision statement that was crafted at a three-hour work session that took place at the end of September.
The vision statement is: “Seaside is a remarkable, culturally rich community. Our families thrive, our businesses prosper and generations of visitors create memories that last lifetimes — all in a healthy, safe and neighborly coastal environment.”
The “Seaside 2034: Building a Bridge to our Future” project has been an approximately 13-month process that included numerous community surveys, workshops, a youth summit and other meetings.
“It’s been a fun project, but we’re excited to see it sunset as well,” Rahl said.
The Portland-based strategic planning and consulting firm Coraggio Group helped the city facilitate its work session last month and August’s community town hall meeting.
During the City Council meeting, the project leaders discussed aspects from the project that worked well and things that could be improved, such as keeping people engaged, timing of the process, maintaining consistency and expanding mobility by taking more meetings into the community.
One aspect of the process that was successful was the involvement of the city’s youth, and it’s a strategy the city should pursue as it works on implementing the vision, they said.
“In the future, we’d like to see even more involvement of the youth,” Moberg said. “That’s our recommendation.”
Goldsmith told the council, if the city will turn to the community to help coordinate and implement the vision, “you’re getting the most bang from your visioning buck.”
The project team’s next steps are to mail out postcards with the vision statement, update the website and do one final email blast.
The council members will use the vision statement to guide them during their strategic planning and goal-setting in January or February.
A graphic overview of the project created by visual strategist Nitya Wakhlu at the town hall workshop is on display at Seaside City Hall and can be viewed during regular business hours. For more information, visit cityofseaside.us/2034-visioning.
Originally Published in The Daily Astorian
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