(Shenandoah) — Shenandoah residents are asked to provide input in a number of community priorities.
Officials with the newly-formed Vision Shenandoah are sponsoring a public survey designed to help map the community’s future. Shenandoah is among the communities recently receiving funds from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation to assist visioning efforts in southwest Iowa. More than $16.3 million is available to Shenandoah from the Lakin Foundation to help the community grow and improve. Vision Shenandoah Executive Director Margaret Brady tells KMA News one of the foundation’s requirements is for the community to survey residents on needs, and bring back projects to the foundation for potential funding.
“We wanted to reach out in several ways to get responses from the community,” said Brady. “So, one thing we’ve done is posted an online Google form survey. So, if you go to the Vision Shenandoah Facebook page, there’s a link there, and you follow it, and it takes about 5 minutes. It gives you some questions to answer, and some area where you can just put some response in. So, if we didn’t ask the question you wanted to know about, or if you want to get more involved in Vision Shenandoah, there’s a place to do that.”
Brady says the survey covers areas deemed priorities by the Lakin southwest Iowa initiative, including housing.
“What do we think about the housing situation in Shenandoah,” she said. “Do we need more? Is there certain type of housing that people are really looking for, and not able to find. Daycare–we know daycare, for people that are working, that’s a challenge to find a daycare situation that really meets their needs, and allows them to walk comfortably. So, how are we doing on that? Are there areas for improvement. We have Turnbull (Child Development Center), and we have private individuals. Of course, the school does some pre-K programming, as well–so, how’s that going?”
Another area of focus is a possible community recreation center. Vision Shenandoah officials are also soliciting public feedback at two upcoming community meetings: May 6th from 6-7 p.m. at the Mill, and May 8th from 1-2 p.m. at Shenandoah Public Library’s auditorium.
“If you want to just sit and talk with people,” said Brady, “and learn more about what’s going on, and ask some questions one-on-one, that’s a great opportunity to come to those. We’ll have the survey, if you want to fill it out, we’ll have it there in pencil and paper method, or electronically, if you want to fill it out. But, most if you want to learn about how this process is going, and who’s on the board, we’ll be talking about that.”
