Congratulations to the two winners of March/April Photo Contest.  Barb and Jeff Gentrup  received 1st place and $100 in Ravenna Area ChamberBucks for their photo, First Time Fishing.  Bona McFadden received 2nd place and $50 in ChamberBucks for her photo,  Butterfly . All photos from the Photo Contest will soon be posted on Flickr.  

The theme for May/June is Summer Fun, so submit your favorite Summer photo for a chance to win ChamberBucks!  The deadline for submitting photos is June 22 at 5:00 p.m. You can email your photo to development@myravenna.com

Thank you to all who submitted photos and to those who voted!  Photos will be used in various online and print publications used to promote our community.  

The second survey for the 2012  Photo Contest has arrived.  The second contest theme for 2012 was Spring.  To vote for your favorite Spring photo, CLICK HERE. This will redirect you to a simple multiple choice question along with all of the photo's submitted for the current theme.

The first place winner will receive $100 in Ravenna ChamberBucks and the second place winner will receive $50 in ChamberBucks.  Voting will end Friday, April 27 at 5:00 pm.  Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming May/June photo contest and please CONTACT US if you have any questions!  

There continues to be a great deal of activity at Ravenna Economic Development (REDC).  Last month we announced the Business Exterior Enhancement Program (BEEP), which offers businesses a 50% matching grant up to $2,500 for the improvement of their facades.  Business-owners have shown great deal of interest in BEEP and many have begun the application process.  We will only approve applications while funds are available.  Based on the current number of interested applicants, I can say with some certainty that it will continue as funds become available.  If you apply but funds run out, have no fear.  Your application will be first in line during the next go-around of grants.

If you are a regular reader of the Ravenna News, you probably breeze through the City Council meeting minutes each month and you may notice that I reports to Council each month.  For a person of logic, this would indicate that I work for the City. But I don’t.  I am an employee of REDC, a non-profit group whose aim is to ensure Ravenna continues to evolve into a great place to live, work, and play.  Our goals align well with those of the City but we are separate entities. 

Then, you might ask, “Why do I report to Council each month?”  First, recall that voters approved a half-cent sales tax to fund economic development activities in Ravenna.  That tax took effect on April 1st.  The City then contracted with REDC to carry out these economic development activities.  That’s the first connection.  Second, doesn’t it make sense for two groups who share similar goals, those being City Hall and REDC, to collaborate with one another? Consider this scenario.  I, being a young and sometimes overly-optimistic individual, come up with some harebrained idea that looks great on paper but isn’t right for Ravenna.  Suppose I’m oblivious to the reality that is the public will because I’ve only been here for a few months.  It is important that I discuss these ideas with Council-members so they can (politely) say, “Whoa, back up now new blood.  That won’t work here, but this might...”  It’s very important! If City Hall and REDC were to work in complete isolation from one another, both groups would be taking steps backwards or in opposite directions.

At the March Council meeting, I was asked to develop a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new Comprehensive Plan.  In the RFP, I included the minimum requirements for the proposals, such as addressing issues like housing, walkability of our neighborhoods, youth involvement, etc. In the April meeting, proposals from two firms were reviewed. Both were good; they were much better (and cheaper) than the 2009 plan prepared by RDG out of Omaha.  My recommendation was that because both firms would cost about the same in the long run, Council should accept a bid from the firm they felt most comfortable with.  They chose Miller & Associates because of the quality of their proposal and the firm’s deep knowledge and long history with the community.  I think it was a wise choice to allow multiple firms to make proposals and I feel they acted sensibly in choosing a firm that they have worked with in the past.

You might wonder “What in the world is a comprehensive plan and why does Ravenna need one?”  In short, a comprehensive plan is the recorded vision of a community and how to get there; what does Ravenna want its future to hold and what must we do to achieve this end?  More important than the vision, however, is how that vision is developed.  This is why the 2009 Comprehensive Plan developed by RDG is irrelevant.  The process used to develop that plan was done (mostly) behind the closed doors of the consultants in Omaha who wrote it. Had they driven around our community more than once, the plan would look much different.  But, the plan was written in a vacuum with little to no public participation.  The City is righting the ship by doing a new comprehensive plan.  This is not a plan strictly for City Hall.  It is a plan for the public; it is the citizens’ vision for THEIR community. As such, the community as a whole must have a hand in developing the plan, the vision it represents, and the strategies for achieving that vision. 

In the months ahead, the comprehensive planning process will pick up steam.  There will be steering groups, public meetings, workshops, etc.  For a plan to be relevant and of any use to the City, it must have major input from us, the citizens of Ravenna.  So when you see public notices in the newspaper, the website (www.myravenna.com), and our Facebook page, please consider attending.  It is crucial that you attend in order to shape the plan and in essence, the future of Ravenna.  

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and May is Foster Care Awareness Month.  

Boys Town Foster Family Services and Heartland CASA are Sponsoring a Movie Matinee to make others aware of their programs and the need for foster parents and advocates for children in need. Please attend this event  to get more information on how you can become involved!!

Ravenna Economic Development Corporation (REDC) is off to an exciting start in 2012!  Before I dive into what’s new, let me talk about where we’ve been.  Since its founding in 1986, REDC has been relatively inactive.  Then 2010 came along and brought with it an announcement by Duckwall Variety Stores stating that they would be closing the doors to all of their predominantly rural-based general stores. Rural communities around the country were understandably jolted by Duckwall’s announcement.  Residents rely heavily on these kinds of businesses for goods and services they would otherwise have to travel 30+ miles to receive.  REDC recognized this as a major problem and took action, played a leading role in organizing investors and getting Hometown Variety up and running.  It snowballed from there.  REDC led the charge in bringing LB840 to the ballot, allowing for the approval of a community-wide economic development plan and a one-half cent sales tax to fund economic development activities in Ravenna.  Both were milestones to say the least and led to the creation of the REDC/Chamber office on Grand Avenue.  This brings us to 2012 and where I enter the picture.

We have many exciting things in the works at REDC. Last Christmas we launched our new website (www.myravenna.com).  In February alone we had over 25,000 hits on that website.  That is astounding! We’re thrilled to see such a strong user base and continue to add content and organization to the site.  

We are also happy to announce REDC’s Business Exterior Enhancement Program (BEEP). This program offers a 50% matching grant to businesses and building owners for improvements made to their business facades.  Think of it as a low-cost approach to beautifying our commercial community. It will enhance the aesthetic appeal of Ravenna and contribute to our goal of continuously enhancing the quality of life for residents.  For more information about this program, please visit me in my office and pick up an application.  Funds are limited so please act now! 

Also on our agenda at REDC is an update to our bylaws and the beginning stages of an economic and housing study that will guide nearly all of our future endeavors.  We are fortunate to have a sustainable mix of industry, key amenities like the golf course, parks and pool, and local leaders who see the big picture and recognize the importance of planning not only for the present but for the future. Look deeply into all of the rural communities who are beating the national trends, growing and expanding. You will find that leaders of the past took it upon themselves to be catalysts for change. They planned for a community that they would be proud to pass on to their children. Change is inevitable, the trick is to control that change so that you like the end result.  We’re all “changineers” and as such must be catalysts within our own capacity.  I’m proud to see such a strong volunteer base in Ravenna.  Please do not let up.  Keep volunteering; keep attending sporting events and school programs, pancake feeds and the like.  When you do this, you are not just supporting one group or organization.  You are in fact increasing social capital and community capacity, which in turn enhances the quality of life for the present and paves the way for a prosperous Ravenna tomorrow. 

I’d like to close with a brief reflection on our experience since relocating to Ravenna.  From the moment we pulled the moving truck into town to this very instant, we have been welcomed with open arms.  Our neighbors came knocking on our door within a day of our arrival, welcoming us to the neighborhood and community with kind words and Christmas candy.  New people stop by my office every week just to say hello.  It has been wonderful and heart-warming to be so readily welcomed.  Ravenna feels like home and all indicators suggest it is our final destination.  We are excited to grow our family and to do so alongside Ravenna as it grows.  Ravenna truly is a great place to Live, Work, and Play!
                                                                                          

The Ravenna Economic Development Corporation is offering a 50% matching grant up to $2,500 for the enhancement of your business exterior.  Businesses and building owners can apply for this grant by filling out and submitting an application to the REDC Office.  Improvements can include but are not limited to: doors, windows, paint, siding, awnings, signage and lighting.  Applicants must be building owners and the businesses must be located within the city limits of Ravenna.  CLICK HERE to download information packet and application.  

Congratulations to the two winners of the first photo contest of 2012.  Theison Anderson received 1st place and $100 in Ravenna Area ChamberBucks for his photo, New Beginning.  Joy Kyhn received 2nd place and $50 in ChamberBucks for her photo,  Newborn Feet . All photos from the first Photo Contest are posted on Flickr.  

The theme for March/April is Spring, so submit your favorite Spring photos for a chance to win ChamberBucks!  The deadline for submitting photos is April 20th at 5:00 p.m.

Thank you to all who submitted photos and to those who voted!  Photos will be used in various online and print publications used to promote our community. 

The first survey for the 2012  Photo Contest has arrived.  The first contest theme for 2012 was Something New.  To vote for your favorite photo, CLICK HERE. This will redirect you to a simple multiple choice question along with all of the photo's submitted for the current theme.

The first place winner will receive $100 in Ravenna ChamberBucks and the second place winner will receive $50 in ChamberBucks.  Voting will end Saturday, February 25 at 5:00 pm.  Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming March/April photo contest and please CONTACT US if you have any questions!

_ It's hard to read the paper or watch the news these days without seeing national economic report cards: Charts and illustrations ranking states and counties in areas of unemployment, capital investment, dependency on social security, etc.  It's not uncommon to pass over these articles and stories for the very reason that we don't wish to be reminded of how grim things are in the U.S. (and world ).  But I've found it especially encouraging and worthwhile to take the time to pay attention to these publications because Nebraska repeatedly ranks near the top.  A Kearney Hub opinion piece from Dec. 11th (Nebraska high on list of states in good shape) echoes this very fact.  The author explains that thanks to our vibrant agricultural industry and common sense use of home equity, money has continued to circulate through our state and maintain/enhance our resilience while much of the U.S. is suffering. 

Although much Nebraska's population resides in urban Lincoln and Omaha, the quality of life that we advertise to the rest of the country (as do the previously-mentioned cities) is celebrated most by rural Nebraskans.  Most encouraging are the successes had by rural communities across the state who have utilized funds from the Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act (LB840) to fund activities that enhance their economic vitality and encourages population retention.  Consider our neighbor to the (far) north in Ord.  Like Ravenna, Ord passed LB840.  Since the inception of its economic development program, Ord has experienced tremendous success in the form of significant local investment, business retention and expansion, and momentous job creation.   These successes have not gone unnoticed.  Recently the Omaha World Herald celebrated the manner in which Ord is addressing its housing shortage, a result of significant job creation.  They have also received national attention for their efforts.

I argue that Ord is not alone.  I could write a book simply exploring the achievements rural Nebraska communities have enjoyed as a result of their forward-thinking policies and programs.  Cambridge, NE has enjoyed the fruits of a well-administered economic development program: simply drive through the community and enjoy all of the updated storefronts or its new subdivision.  Each and every year, Rural Nebraska communities make top-100 lists of the best places to live in the U.S.  This is no mistake.  We Nebraskans take great pride in the communities we live; we attend public meetings, we help our neighbors without being asked, we volunteer much of our free time and our communities are better for it.  So I encourage you not to change your ways; keep volunteering, engage local leaders and decision-makers, and carry on down the path of progress so we can continue to show the rest of the world why there is no place like Nebraska.