MERCED, Calif., Aug. 1, 2007 - In August and September, Merced County residents, along with the rest of the San Joaquin Valley, will help develop the first combined vision for all eight SJV counties.
Using TV remote control-like devices, workshop participants will answer questions about why they live in the San Joaquin Valley, where they think people will live/work/shop in 2050, where they would like to see future growth, and what that growth should include.
In August, Lori Flanders from Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) will give over a dozen mini-workshops to community clubs, agencies, and school groups. MCAG serves as the lead agency for the grant issued jointly to the SJV counties.
In September, outreach will continue with three workshops in different areas of Merced County: Sep. 18, Merced historical downtown theater; Sep. 19, Los Banos City Hall; and Sep. 20, Delhi high school. Each workshop will be given twice, at 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.
Using a land use scenario comparison software program, "U-Plan", developed by UC Davis with extensive input from MCAG, participants will create their own maps showing various growth options, then compare choices and recommend the pieces and parts they like best for Merced County's future.
Those choices will be refined further when the top-ranked pieces of a future vision are included in three scenario options and taken back to the public in another round of workshops.
The San Joaquin Valley Blueprint is a 2-year program to develop a vision for addressing shared, common, regional issues over the next 50 years. "We hope that the Blueprint will provide a foundation when local representatives discuss how to balance many issues that the Valley needs to address," according to Marjie Kirn, Deputy Executive Director at MCAG. " The Blueprint focuses on how to accommodate anticipated population growth, especially in regards to critical community infrastructure."
In earlier workshops, thousands of Valley residents chose preserving ag land, clean air, world-class transportation system, and maintaining communities' individual personalities as top priorities.
Kirn explains that, while Merced County residents have expressed their own vision, we need to make sure all eight counties are on the same page so that we can maximize limited resources to make the vision a reality. Following the vision, Blueprint will develop an action plan that contains long-term planning strategies.
The last part of the Blueprint process is to present a united front to legislators. "We need a strong regional voice for the San Joaquin Valley at both the state and federal levels to achieve the Blueprint process," says Kirn. "We need to have both residents and government decision-makers participate in, support, and make the vision a reality."
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About MCAG
MCAG is an association of city and county governments, with members who meet to solve regional problems such as transportation, solid waste, and air quality. More information can be found at www.mcag.cog.ca.us, or by calling (209) 723-3153, ext. 308.