"The response to the Grand Vision scorecard was like the 2008 election-record high turnout!" said John Fregonese, president of Fregonese Associates - the Oregon-based firm that led public scenario planning workshops for the two-year land use and transportation project. "With over 12,000 scorecard responses, almost one in ten people across the six-county region took the time to share their ideas and priorities for shaping the future of the area.

"The participation on a per capita basis exceeds even some of the most highly successful public involvement planning efforts ever conducted across the country - almost as many returns as the Austin (Texas) region, with a regional population of 1.5 million. It is safe to say that the citizens' scorecard responses will guide the development of a Grand Vision that reflects the hearts and minds of area residents."

"Participation was outstanding and we exceeded our overall goal," said Marsha Smith, chairperson of The Grand Vision Public Involvement Committee. "The response to the scorecard, combined with the previous participation of over 3,000 people in public workshops and values surveys, as well as having over 25,000 unique visitors to the project website, helped us exceed our goal of having 15,000 people participate in The Grand Vision process. We are thankful to all the citizens, governmental units, schools, businesses and communications media that generated such widespread participation."

According to Smith, over 600 scorecard distribution locations were spread throughout the six counties participating in The Grand Vision to reach citizens who might not have easy website access. In addition, the scorecard process was supported by over 33 school systems, over 60 of the largest employers in the region, as well as dozens of non-profit groups, newspapers and broadcast stations that encouraged people to "Fill it out!"

The Grand Vision scorecard described significant characteristics for each of four proposed land use and transportation growth scenarios, asked a dozen multiple-choice questions and provided space for personal comments.

"Instead of receiving 80 percent or more of submissions online as expected, it was more like an even split between online and printed scorecards," said Matt McCauley, Associate Director of Regional Planning for the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. "In addition, we're entering every written comment we received on the scorecards and we received a surprising number of them."

Scorecard findings will be added to the input received from thousands who previously participated in over a dozen public workshops and values surveys over the last year. Together, this information will assist the professional consultant team in developing a draft Grand Vision plan that could be unveiled as early as February, 2009.

We are in the process of picking up paper Scorecards from all over the region, which is probably going to take the rest of the week. During that time we will leave the on-line Scorecard form open to allow latecomers a last chance to fill one out at thegrandvision.org/scorecard.

Thanks so much to all the businesses and organizations who are serving as pick-up locations and to all the volunteers who are gathering them!

We will be entering the input and comments from the paper copies over the next two weeks and will let you know what we learned in the second week of November. We will also announce then when the updated Grand Vision will be released in early 2009. Stay tuned!

Thank you all so much for your participation,
The Grand Vision Team

Photo credit: 4th July fireworks by ETCphoto

The students say they have also been working with the Social Studies Department and talking to parents at parent teacher conferences to get the word out to kids. Schools in all six counties involved in the Grand Vision Project are working in similar ways to get the word out.

Click to watch the video.

• Thursday, October 23 @ 12 Noon
• Thursday, October 23 @ 10 PM
• Friday, October 24 @ 11 AM
• Friday, October 24 @ 5 PM
• Saturday, October 25 @ 6 AM
• Sunday, October 26 @ 6 PM
• Monday, October 27 @ 4 PM

You can also check out this program on The Grand Vision that appeared on Interlochen Public Radio's Pointes North program.

Please check them out and fill out your Scorecard!

Q: I have not attended any of the workshops. Am I still allowed to turn in a scorecard?

A: Yes! There is no prerequisite to filling out a scorecard. It's easy and it only takes about 30 minutes to read the material and let us know your thoughts on regional growth.

Q: Do I have to live in the region in order to turn in a scorecard?

A: No. We are asking anyone who loves northwest Lower Michigan to weigh in on the Grand Vision.

Q: How can I get a scorecard?

A: There are three ways to obtain a scorecard:

1. Use your favorite web browser and go online at thegrandvision.org/scorecard
2. Go to one of many scorecard distribution locations around the region and pick up a paper copy
3. Call toll free 866.441.5214 and ask us to mail you one.

Q: Where are the scorecard distribution locations?

A: You can find the full list right here.

Q: Is the online version of the scorecard the same as the paper version?

A: Yes. The two versions are identical. Just choose the format you are most comfortable with and fill it out. Your opinion counts the same either way.

Q: What will cause individual counties, townships, cities, and villages to follow through with implementing the Grand Vision?

A: The Grand Vision is designed to first find out how the citizens of the region wish to grow, and then design implementation techniques to allow that desire to become reality. By first asking the public their opinions about growth and how to handle it, the Grand Vision will become a widely supported strategy to follow for the local governments within the region. The Grand Vision will rely on this widespread public support to lead local agencies to adapt to the regional vision.

Q: Is it possible that more than one scenario could apply in different parts of the region?

A: Yes. The scenarios are virtual visions of possible futures for the region. Each scenario is plausible by itself, but it is very unlikely that the region will choose to develop exactly along the lines of one specific scenario. The final regional vision will likely be a hybrid, using the more popular aspects of several different land use and transportation options.

Q: 50,000 people coming to the region sounds like so many new people for a region our size. How did you estimate the anticipated population growth coming to the region?

A: The regional population growth numbers were developed based on a population projection prepared for the Michigan Department of Transportation by the Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Michigan in December 2007.

Q: The Grand Vision is a great idea with all of the new transportation infrastructure and dynamic growth patterns. Where will the region get the money for implementation?

A: There is no doubt that government budgets will be very tight locally, in Lansing and in Washington, but that's all the more reason to have a cohesive, prioritized regional implementation plan that gets the most bang for our transportation investment. Nationally, regions that have developed a comprehensive strategy have been more successful in securing funding for infrastructure improvements. In Michigan, the Department of Transportation has pledged to follow through with the roadway and transit recommendations developed as part of the Grand Vision.

Q: Why don't you ask which scenario is best for preserving water quality?

A: We found, not surprisingly, that water quality is a very important value throughout the region. We did not explicitly ask about comparing impacts to water quality in the survey because there are ways to counteract water quality degradation that will be necessary no matter how the region grows. Therefore the importance, cost, and effort of preserving water quality is somewhat equally weighted among all of the scenarios, making a question concerning tradeoffs in water quality unnecessary.