enVISION Manistee County

A core mission of the Manistee County Community Foundation (MCCF) is to have a clear understanding of the needs, issues and priorities of the county so that funds can be developed and grants can be made in a way that responds to quality of life priorities. When the Community Foundation introduced their intent to lead a limited county visioning initiative, there was an overwhelming response from nonprofit organizations, local governments and others that the effort should be expanded to meet their needs as well.

This effort came on the heels of an extremely controversial proposed development in the county. That development heightened awareness of the need for a long – term vision and plan for the county that reflected all interests. As a result, the Manistee County Community Foundation worked with regional and local partners to embark upon a 16-month, community driven process – called enVision Manistee County – which produced visions, strategies, action steps and responsibilities to guide the county’s future.

A County-Wide Stakeholder Group involving hundreds of participants met three times throughout the process, serving to inform the public and gain feedback.  Work Groups were formed for each of six quality of life topic areas: Arts, Culture, and Humanities; Economy and Employment; Government and Infrastructure; Health and Human Services; Natural Environment and Recreation; Youth and Education.  Each work group utilized information from public meetings, interviews, surveys, and web site feedback as it defined needs, values, and finally a vision for the topic area.  Finally, the broader citizen base was engaged in the process in several ways: public meetings, website comments, stakeholder meetings, and perception surveys.  The project made particular efforts to elicit the opinions of youth and Native Americans.

enVision Manistee County used a four-step visioning process created by Steven Ames, known as “the Oregon Model.”  The steps included:

1. Profiling the Community: data on community life was compiled into the “enVision Manistee County Fact Book,” which set a baseline description of the community and a place to start the visioning process.
2. Analyzing the Trends: The Fact Book, along with two surveys (one survey of high school students and one of adult residents), served as baseline data from which working groups could analyze trends, project future changes, and identify the most important areas for work.
3. Creating the Vision: the community was engaged in the creation of “enVision statements” describing hopes for what Manistee County could become.
4. Developing an Action Plan: Each working group created an “Action Matrix” which, all together, presents more than 100 actions that will help Manistee County achieve its vision.

Now that the visioning process is complete, enVision Manistee County is tracking progress on the action steps and anticipating updates to the plan every five years.