GOSHEN —
The new Goshen branding initiative illustrates what makes up Goshen — and what makes it “uncommonly great,” according to Goshen Chamber of Commerce President David Daugherty.
“The tagline is ‘Common Good, Uncommonly Great,’” Daugherty said to the City Council and local residents gathered Tuesday evening. “I bet you all can think of many places and people in Goshen that fit that. There are numerous cases where Goshen does things for the common good that produce uncommonly great things.”
Daugherty gave a special presentation to the council Tuesday to elaborate on the new branding initiative the Chamber of Commerce is rolling out. Daugherty showed the council members images of ideas of how to use the new brand logo and slogan, as well as ways for other organizations and businesses to adopt it.
“Everything comes together in Goshen — or, more precisely, everybody,” according to the brand narrative, as read by Daugherty.
Daugherty said the initiative comes out of nearly two years of work with North Star Destinations, a firm that helped build the new brand initiative through interviews, focus groups and online surveys.
“We want people to taking those terms (of the tagline) and using them to highlight Goshen,” Daugherty said of the ideas for other organizations to use the brand. “Our hope is for other businesses to adopt the theme so we’re all telling one story of Goshen. When people ask you, ‘What does that mean?’ it gives you a chance to tell them about the great things that happen in the community, the uncommonly great things here.”
Councilman Everett Thomas acknowledged the fact that Daugherty and the initiative have “taken a lot of heat” for possibly doing away with the popular “The Maple City” nickname. Daugherty agreed, but also showed that the city government will continue to use the nickname under the new logo for Goshen for its stationery.
Community Relations report
Community Relations Commissioner George Smucker also presented to the council on Tuesday. Smucker gave the annual report for the Community Relations Commission, detailing the past events and what to expect for the next year.
Smucker highlighted two specific programs, the Peacemakers project and the Community Forum on Immigration, as the best initiatives out of the CRC in 2011 and early 2012.
“The Peacemakers project addresses bullying,” Smucker said. “It’s a really unique program that’s getting regional, and even national, attention. It combines martial arts and peacemaking skills.”
The program, which was initially funded by a “seed” from the CRC, is very successful and will now continue because of support from the CRC and other local organizations, Smucker said.
The Community Forum also was successful, he said.
“What it showed us is that there are differences apparent to us all, but we also realized there are similarities,” Smucker said.
Plans for the future include increasing awareness about the hotline for discrimination cases, as well as hosting roundtable discussions on immigration and reshaping Diversity Days.
Other business:
• The council approved vacation of two alleys and the unimproved Marion Street right of way, per recommendation from the Plan Commission. These are located at 713 and 715 E. Lincoln Ave.
• The council approved an agreement with Elkhart County for the implementation of the Lead Hazard Control Grant Program, where a federal grant awards the county money to test homes for lead levels. The goal is to test around 140 homes in Elkhart County, some of which are in Goshen. The city’s participation includes in-kind donation of time and distribution of materials.
• The council approved a tax abatement for a vacant building at 3325 Hackberry Drive. The building will be occupied by Lippert Components Manufacturing by June 29, and the company asked the council to grant a tax abatement for the next two years. The company will receive a 100 percent deduction for the first year in the building, and a 50 percent deduction for the following year.
The next City Council meeting will be held July 10 at 7 p.m. in the Police/Courts Building.
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The Goshen City Council heard about the new city branding effort and the status of the Community Relations Commission during its meeting Tuesday night.
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