We have all felt the effects of this past year: a difficult economy; an increasingly challenging housing market; the threat of Sidney Sugars shutting down; change in the oil market.

These issues affect you, they affect your job, your home, your family and our community. So the question becomes, what do we do now? How do we make Richland County the best it can possibly be? The answer: be a part of the third annual “State of the Community” County-Wide conference.

This conference will address issues that are important to the community and county as a whole, including transportation, natural resources, public safety, housing opportunities, youth development, physical health and more. All community members, from public officials to farmers and teachers, are invited to come together to discuss these issues during the Conference Jan. 21-22, 2010.

Audience members listen during last year’s county-wide conference. The next conference is scheduled for Jan. 21-22, 2010.

In response to the feedback from previous conferences,’ this year’s conference has been split into two half-days instead of one full day. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 21, and sessions will last until approximately 5 p.m. On Jan. 22, the conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at approximately noon. Lunch will be served on Thursday, and a special guest speaker will be present, making this conference a must-attend event.

For those who have missed out on this great opportunity in the past, the annual County-Wide Conference is co-sponsored by the Richland County Health Department and the Richland County Planner Office.

This conference serves as a venue for these organizations and the community as a whole to plan, implement and update the Community Strategic Plan and the 2006 Richland County Growth Policy, both of which affect planning and action steps for issues throughout the county. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard and make an impact on the issues that affect you.

The cost of attending the conference is $35, which covers Thursday’s lunch and snacks for both days, Thursday’s special guest speaker, meeting materials and facility fees. It will be held at St. Matthew’s Parish Center.

This is a conference you do not want to miss; it’s a chance to be involved, have your voice heard and make a difference.

For more information please contact Mary Hamburg at the Richland County Planner Office at 433-6886 or e-mail her at mhamburg@richland.org