Do you have an interest in the economy and future of our county? With the way the economy is right now, do you know what is in store for us next year? Or in five years from now?

Oil and agriculture are considered the county’s number one industries. Do they affect your community? Do they affect your way of life?

Do you care about how your community looks or how other people see your community? Does the downtown area provide an atmosphere for enjoyable shopping? Do you enjoy walking in the downtown area of your community? Would you like to see our young people move back to the area? How can we promote our communities to draw them back?

What about the quality of life we so enjoy here in our communities? Are you comfortable with the way life is here or are there any improvements that need to be considered?

These questions will be discussed during the “Economy and Community Development” Concurrent Session at the second annual “State of the Community” County-wide Conference that will be held on Jan. 23; you are invited to come and share your ideas and concerns on these issues.

This concurrent session will focus on: continuing to build a sustainable and diversified economic base; maintain and improve community character through beautification projects and improvements to structural appearance; develop the area’s agricultural resources; expand the county’s production of high-value crops and potential for value-added business; and prioritize and implement the preservation and restoration of historic structures

During this session every participant will have an opportunity to share his/her ideas, concerns and issues on these topics. Your input and attendance is critical to the success of not only this conference, but also in helping the planning board, planner office and health department in implementing and updating policies and plans.

These topics are identified in the Richland County Growth Policy’s goals and objectives and the Richland County Community Strategic Plan. The goals and objectives were derived from the public meetings which were held by the City/County Planning Board throughout the year of 2006.

The County-wide Conference is Jan 23 at St. Matthew’s Parish Center with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. The conference is sponsored by the Richland County Health Department, Richland County Planner Office, and the City/County Planning Board.

The future of Richland County belongs to its residents, and at the “State of the Community” County-wide Conference everyone will have a chance to make their voice part of the community’s plans and actions. For more information or to register, contact Marcy Hamburg, Richland County Planner Office, at 433-6886 or by e-mail at mhamburg@richland.org. Online registration is also available on the planning Web site at http://www.richland.org/planning. Everyone in the community is also welcome to the action groups, if you would like to attend a meeting or learn more, please contact Becky Hayes at the Richland County Health Department at 433-2207 or rhayes@richland.org.