Upon entering, guests were given a green circular sticker which they then were instructed to place on the large county map showing where they lived. Staff photo by Rob Burgess
On Wednesday,July 14 in Honeywell Center Plaza dozens of community memers gathered for the Imagine )ne 85 Summitt. Staff photo by Rob Burgess
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Wabash County has been losing population at a steady rate for decades, but a special event months in the making sought to garner ideas to reverse that trend.
On Wednesday, July 14 in Honeywell Center Plaza dozens of community members gathered for the Imagine One 85 Summit.
Upon entering, guests were given a green circular sticker which they then were instructed to place on the large county map showing where they lived.
“Thank you for the turnout and thank you for coming,” said Grow Wabash County president and CEO Keith Gillenwater in his opening remarks. “We’re getting older and the work that we’re doing will far outlive all of us. So, it’s up to you to help us make sure Wabash County’s future is a bright one for all of us.”
Community Foundation of Wabash County executive director Patty Grant said this was “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take big picture actions that will change the course of Wabash County’s future and ultimately make it better for all of us.”
The event itself was set to imagine “a bold, comprehensive plan for the communities of Wabash County.”
“The Community Foundation of Wabash County and Grow Wabash County are calling on the citizens of Wabash County to address the steady and alarming decline in population that threatens school funding, industry and job growth, economic development and competitive wages, the availability of retail and professional services and the value of our homes,” stated the group. “A coalition of leaders from all sectors are joining in an unprecedented county-wide collaboration called Imagine One 85. Together, with input from our residents, we will develop a bold, comprehensive plan for the growth and prosperity of the entire county, and the incorporated communities of La Fontaine, Lagro, North Manchester, Roann and Wabash.”
While northeast Indiana’s 11-county region has consistently grown for four decades, Wabash County has not.
“A bold, comprehensive plan for the future is the best possible way to arrest, and reverse, our population decline. All who care about the future of our communities are encouraged to join us in this important work,” stated the group. “Together, residents and leaders will create a plan that addresses the population challenge, and articulates a long-range vision for quality of live, growth and land use, education, environment, economic development, transportation, recreation and public health, in a sustainable, results-oriented and measurable way.”
This planning process was launched in July 2020 and is anticipated to last 14 months.
“Implementation will be ongoing. Bold ideas, broad community engagement and good technical work will create the foundation for a resilient and fiscally sound future,” stated the group.
The stated goal of Imagine One 85 is to come up with a plan that “will ensure our future is not left to chance.”
“The population decline that spans decades is partly the result of little or no countywide planning. Communities, like businesses, cannot reach their potential without a deliberate and thoughtful blueprint,” stated the group. “Our potential has a much better chance to be realized if we use an intentional and thoughtful planning process and make a commitment to implementation that leverages our assets and leans into the very real challenges of population decline, economic development, poverty and workforce development.”
Imagine One 85 is “an unprecedented opportunity to create a better future for the communities of Wabash County.”
“This is about you and your community,” stated the group. “For the past few decades, there have been fewer and fewer of us in the county.”
After four decades of population decline, there are now around 5,000 fewer residents, a 14 percent decline, one-half of the city of Wabash.
“While planning is good stewardship in general, it must also address a community’s most urgent challenges. In the case of the communities of Wabash County, that challenge is population decline. We are home to many great assets. It’s up to us to take the initiative to develop a plan, and implement it,” stated the group. “No one can build our future for us. This is a unique opportunity. For the first time, we are approaching planning as an entire county. Rarely is planning done on the county level. What’s more, local governments, organizations and individual donors have invested generously to fund the planning process, which they trust, now. We may not have this kind of opportunity again for a long, long time.”
The point of this summit was to gather community insight. Behind the podium on the brick wall people posted their completed thoughts to the “Mighty Ideas Wall.” The group stated many of these will be included in the final report.
“Creating the comprehensive plan requires your ideas, your input and your feedback to ensure it represents the authentic voice of Wabash County and its unique communities,” stated the group. “We believe this is the most important work currently happening in the communities of Wabash County. This plan represents our best opportunity to address the needs and aspirations of anybody and everybody, any business and every business and any institution and every institution. When you see an opportunity to participate in Imagine One 85, we hope will join enthusiastically, and prepare to claim your share of the pride when our population curve bends upward.”
To regain the local population and continue to grow as communities, Wabash County will need to add 85 households each year.
Participants at the summit were asked what actions they can take to make local communities magnets for people and investment.
“Try to think of specific projects, policies or programs. We call those ‘actions’ and our final plan will include dozens of them. But we need your help and your ideas,” stated the group.
Board chair of Parkview Health and COO of Do It Best Hardware Dave Haist is a native of Wabash County who recently returned to the area to live. Three years ago he and his wife moved back to Wabash to a historic home on East Main Street, the same one he grew up in with his siblings and parents, who lived there for about 50 years.
“Our communities support everything. We do not have the turf or the silos that you see in lots of other communities around the state. We have lots of examples where everyone determines there is a need, and then they get behind it and ensure that it happens,” said Haist.
Haist said Wabash County faced a “big challenge.”
“We must grow our population to support the momentum and the amenities that we’re able to enjoy,” said Haist. “The data is alarmingly clear.”
Planning NEXT senior planner Kyle May said this event represented “a pretty special moment.”
“You’re here tonight I assume because you really care about the communities of this county. And there’s a lot to care about,” said May.
May said the authoring of a comprehensive plan for Wabash County as a whole was an “important tool for decision-makers.”
“This is your opportunity to find a path,” said May. “You already do unique things together. That’s not common.”
Hometown History Podcast and Foul Play Podcast host Shane Waters is originally from Muncie, but now lives in Wabash.
“I could literally be anywhere and do a podcast,” said Waters. “I think Wabash is a unique small community with big-city connections and resources.”
Manchester University professor Kelsey-Jo Kessie has been looking for an open house in an incredibly tight market in Wabash County.
“There was a time when we thought we would never leave our historic home in South Whitley,” said Kessie.
Now, though, Kessie said she has been “refreshing Zillow by the hour.”
“I am rather impatiently waiting for the day that my commute goes to zero,” said Kessie. “We’re just one family waiting for a slot in the housing market to open up.”
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