❖ Management and Planning Programs…
❖ Created in 1991
❖ 130+ communities in 60+ counties
❖ Average MAPPING community population =
~4,000 [ranges from ~300 – 18,000+]
❖ Funded through the State of Illinois’ Ag
Premium Fund and administered through DCEO
since 1996, but funding has been suspended
since March 2015.
Economic
Vitality
Phase II
Development
Phase V
Stability
TIME
Darling (1994)
Revitalization
Phase IGrowth
Decline
Phase
IV
Retrenchment
Phase
III
Stagnation
❖ Increased competition for retail & declining
downtowns
❖ Shift from manufacturing to service jobs at lower pay
❖ Youth outmigration and aging population
❖ Difficulties recruiting and maintaining strong
leadership
❖ Inadequate financing for development efforts
❖ Aging/inadequate infrastructure
❖ Negativity/Apathy
❖ Gather diverse set of community ideas and talents
❖ Explore innovative approaches
❖ Identify local & external resources to implement
solutions
❖ Develop local capacity for decision-making
❖ Build community consensus
❖ Set a course for the future
❖ Make vision a reality and achieve community goals
❖ Volunteers are the HEART of Positive Community
Change
Commitment
Inclusion
Follow-through
Strength in Numbers
Fostering Leadership
❖ Structured Planning is Essential
Continuity of Sessions
Commitment to Entire Process
❖ Building on Assets is Better Than Focusing on Problems
Meet with
Local Steering
Committee
Where are we
now?
Where do we
want to be?
How do we get
there?
Making it
Happen!
Community-Led
Town Meeting
To the Future!
❖ Business Retention, Expansion, and Attraction
❖ Downtown Revitalization
❖ Entrepreneurship
❖ Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvement
❖ Community Marketing
❖ Tourism & Recreation
❖ Housing
❖ Beautification
▪ Developed community theme of “Discover Durand Charm” and received 501c3 status
▪ Created monthly Friday Night Frenzy, to encourage shopping and socialization downtown.
Monthly themes to celebrate the holidays and community events such as movies in the park keep
the event lively and fresh.
▪ Filled empty storefront windows with info about community events
▪ Installed “Durand Business District” signs, welcome signs, and created an “adopt-a-pot” program
▪ Applied for and received USDA RBEG Grant for $85,000 with the Village contributing matching
local funds of $85,800. Funds will be used towards beautification and development of Durand
downtown square.
▪ Hosted Peace Corps Fellow to work on achievement of high priority community and economic
development goals. Submitted Main Street application and hired PCF as director
▪ With the goal of providing a public library, have utilized the school library as a public library as
well, providing staffing two nights per week and Saturday mornings for public use. Created and
held a summer reading program for youth.
▪ Held a Center Park clean-up day to clean-up and beautify their community
▪ Held community classes, including computer safety and reflexology
▪ Held numerous fundraisers and events, including an alumni football game, which raised over
$4,300 for community projects and an annual Rubber Ducky Race, raising over $1800 in 2016
▪ Received $15,895 grant from Community Foundation of N. IL for creation of sound garden
▪ Raised $24,000 for creation of mural completed Summer 2015
▪ Advocated for the creation of a telepharmacy which opened in 2016
StrasburgCompleted MAPPING in 2007
Formation of community organization—Strasburg CAN!
Fundraising
Community Fund: $80,000+ raised thus far
Various fundraisers including Hog Roast, Gnome Fest, and Annual Plant Sale, Quarter Auction and Basket Bingo
Community Branding and Marketing
Website , newsletter, Facebook, Brochure, Gnome banners
Adoption of Garden Gnome as community mascot
Coordination of TIF District
Recruitment of convenience store/Subway
24-hour fitness center, daycare
New community signage and landscape
Worked with IL Dept. of Corrections to create winter decorations
Two-time Governor’s Hometown Award winner!
Hosts a Farmers’ Market
New housing subdivision
Welcome packets for new residents
New Stew-Stras PTA
Variety of community events: Santa Brigade Breakfast and Market, Strawberry Festival, youth movie nights, Tea with a Princess
Collected 1,100 lbs. of plastic caps for recycling into a picnic table for the school
Renovated community building, added new façade, permeable paver parking lot with lighting
Organized a “Seasoned Citizens” group
▪ Worked with the City and the County EDC to bring fiber connectivity direct to homes
in Hillsboro and WiFi throughout downtown
▪ Host annual fall European Style Harvest Market with variety of vendors and
entertainment
▪ Hosted pop-up coffee shop that spurred the development of a bricks and mortar
coffee shop opening in 2018
▪ Established “awww yeah!” campaign to highlight the positive things happening at
Hillsboro Schools in newspaper, on radio and on Facebook page
▪ Created adopt-a-pot program and decorate the flower pots for each season
▪ Developed educational video on Common Core being implemented at area schools
▪ Established program to connect elementary school teachers with regular, in-class,
community volunteers
▪ Hosted a Peace Corps Fellow
▪ Held a very successful pop-up art show
▪ Organizes a cardboard boat regatta each summer
▪ Cleaned and remodeled a local stage and began offering a summer concert series
each summer
▪ Crafted a promotional website at imagine-hillsboro.com
▪ Organized a very popular holiday celebration ‘A Storybook Christmas’ featuring a
new holiday book each year
▪ Organized a chili cook-off with a grand prize of $1,000 for the Harvest Market
▪ Working with area schools to provide training for teachers and students
in computer coding
▪ Hosts an annual back-to-school Luau and pool party
▪ Volunteers planted 22 trees in Challacombe Park
▪ Developed a community garden
▪ Submitted a HUD grant to rehabilitate low value housing
▪ Hillsboro initiated the Hillsboro Community Development
Corporation, a for profit group focused on housing development
“Searching out the small town cool, creative, and inspiring stuff from around this small town and others like it!”
▪ Young “Boomerangs” re-located back to their hometown
▪ Renovated old downtown building for living and working
▪ Pop-up coffee shop, art studio
▪ Refinery (vintage goods store), record store/music
recording studio, coffee shop (Black Rabbit Coffee
Roasting)
▪ Promoting an “entrepreneurial culture” in the community (and region)
https://www.facebook.com/smalltowncool/Opera House Brewing Company To Open In 2018
▪ Expanding broadband across community and
adding WiFi to downtown
▪ Recruiting and supporting technology businesses
(housing, quality of schools, property taxes are
challenges, however)
▪ Providing computer technology
education
▪ Creating a tech center
in library
❖ Recognition of need for action and sense of
responsibility
❖ Willingness to accept change, be entrepreneurial
❖ Strong local leadership and organizational structure
❖ Clearly communicated vision and goals
❖ Widespread support and collaboration within
community
❖ Follow-through with documented results
❖ Commitment to the goals & sustainable progress
❖ Regional approach to community development
Gisele Hamm, Program Manager
MAPPING the Future of Your Community
Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
Western Illinois University
309.298.4019/800.526.9943