Gisele Hamm, Manager, MAPPING

“The best way to

predict the future

is to create it.”

Peter Drucker

❖ 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!

Projects

VISION

BHAG 1 BHAG 2

Strategy Strategy

❖ 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

GF-Hamm@wiu.edu

309.298.4019/800.526.9943