The members of the Cranbrook Connected committee presented their second report to City of Cranbrook council for 2012 August 13, focusing on the work of Dana Osiowy whom the committee hired earlier this year as a sustainability coordinator to help implement goals in our community’s sustainability plan, called “Connecting to our Future.”

According to Cranbrook Connected chair Chris Ayling, the committee requested that as a first step Osiowy touch base with groups and individuals who originally took part in the Plan development.

“Over the past four months, Dana has re-connected with almost all of the 40+ community groups and individuals who assisted us in the development of the Plan,” explained Ayling. “She has re-confirmed their respective mission and goals, how their own goals do and do not overlap with goals in our sustainability Plan, and to what degree community groups have achieved our own goals.”

This outreach effort was presented to council and will be posted to cranbrookconnected.ca later this week. Osiowy divided the work into two separate volumes, one reflecting each group’s own mission and goals and overlaps with the Plan, with the second reflecting what sustainability goals have been achieved in our community. According to Ayling the work has determined that a number of successes have been achieved.

“I’m happy to report that 40 of the 50 goals in ‘Connecting to our Future’ have been achieved or are in process to a greater or lesser degree,” said Ayling. “The City of Cranbrook in particular has really been the superstar in implementing goals in this plan. Whether we are looking at new investments in the downtown, or just making staff available to assist others to achieve goals, the city continues to embrace the need to build a more sustainable community.”

Ayling also advised that a number of changes have been made to the Cranbrook Connected website at cranbrookconnected.ca, including having a section dedicated to each “Big Idea” and the on-going status of goals. He concluded with two requests to council.

“First, we understand that the city plays a role in selecting what community groups receive annual funding from the CBT, and we wonder if the selection criteria could include whether or not the applicant is attempting to achieve a goal in our sustainability plan.” said Ayling. “Also we were hoping the city might increase media promotion of its own completed projects by linking directly to goals in the Plan so that this awareness could spur on community groups and individuals to get involved in goals yet to be addressed.”

Connecting to our Future, including the latest community outreach research, can be viewed at cranbrookconnected.ca .

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