Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Lewisburg Vision Plan Community Meeting Aug. 20 - 6 p.m. at Lewisburg Recreation Center

Lewisburg Holds Vision Plan Meetings to Develop 20-Year Plan
The City of Lewisburg and the Lewisburg Community Development Board has been conducting Vision Plan meetings with the planning professionals of Hodgson Douglas in conjunction with The Walker Collaborative and the Kennon Calhoun Workshop to assist in the development of a 20-year plan. 

  
The mission of the Vision Plan project is to develop a strategic smart growth plan of action with immediate goals, mid-term goals and long-term goals that will improve the overall economic health and well-being of the City of Lewisburg. 
Group sessions have been held to receive input from various sectors of the community from industry and small business to education and health care. A community input and report meeting is scheduled for August 20, 2013 - 6:00 p.m. at the Lewisburg Recreation Center
The plan will be developed from these sessions and from information gathered during a community assessment conducted in 2012 with a group from the Wyoming Economic Development Council. 
Key points outlined from sessions so far to be addressed in the plan include: Amenities and Appearance, Workforce and Education, Destination Development, Downtown Revitalization, Corridor Development and Promotion and Utilization of Existing Assets.

Lewisburg Participates in Sustainable Communities Development Program
Lewisburg, TN has applied and been accepted to participate in the Valley Sustainable Communities Program.
This new program is being sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and managed by Boyette Strategic Advisors (BSA).
                    
The Valley Sustainable Communities Program was initiated by TVA Economic Development as part of its community preparedness offerings to provide a framework that assists communities in evaluating existing sustainable programs, cataloging sustainable assets and increasing commitments to sustainability. The goal of the programs is to increase the likelihood that communities will be viewed as progressive and competitive by companies planning to invest in new or expanded business locations. BSA and TVA staff will be administering the program and meeting in person with communities' sustainability teams to help develop and implement sustainable initiatives and increase awareness of existing programs. 
The program recognizes communities at three levels - Silver, Gold and Platinum - based on the sustainability programs currently in place. While a wide variety of sustainable initiatives contribute to a community's level or recognition, those programs directly related to business and industry support and economic development receive greater emphasis.
"Lewisburg has already made a significant commitment to sustainability. This new program provides us with the opportunity to document, further develop and be recognized for our sustainable initiatives, that will help differentiate us in the tough competition for new investment and job creation prospects," said Mayor Jim Bingham. "As the process further develops, we will be updating the status of the program and our community's progress in this important area of corporate sustainability."
Sustainability has become a key issue for economic development organizations and communities, as more corporations have demonstrated an increasing commitment to sustainability. More than 90 percent of corporate real estate executives who responded to a CoreNet Global survey on sustainability said that it is a consideration in their company location decisions. The typical reasons for this corporate commitment are reduced operating costs for increased profitability and greater employee satisfaction.


About the Lewisburg, TN : 
“In the Middle of Everything”  Lewisburg, TN benefits from a prime geographic location nestled between the Great Lakes and the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Ocean and the Midwest, Knoxville, TN to the East, Memphis, TN to the West, Nashville, TN to the North and Huntsville, AL to the South. Lewisburg strives to be a center of Industry and Commerce along the I-65 corridor and implements an economic development program to benefit existing industry and commerce while creating an attractive package for new industry and commerce.