Horizon project must hold focus

Opinion

November 14, 2009

Anonymous The Goshen News Sat Nov 14, 2009, 10:01 PM EST

It’s a start — or, rather, a new one.

This week, close to 250 community leaders gathered in Goshen with the goal of making Elkhart County an even better place to live. Dubbed Horizon 2.0, the venture is a continuation of a similar one launched six years ago.

The first Horizon Project outlined economic and governmental goals for the county. And while some of those goals were met, others are still, well, somewhere out on the horizon.

Put simply, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.

THE POSITIVES of the effort are many. Count the very existence of Horizon as one. The numbers are proof: 250 people came together to try to improve Elkhart County. That speaks volumes about the place we call home and bodes well for our future.

Those assembled for Horizon 2.0 are also on the right track. This newspaper agrees with group discussions that education and quality of life issues are prime concerns. We also concur with the many strong points of Elkhart County identified that day.

There’s no arguing with the objectives of Horizon 2.0. Now comes the hard part.

Ideas are easy. Ideas progressing to reality is difficult. To the Horizon group’s credit, creating “action plans” is the next step in the process. That step is crucial.

Over the years, The Goshen News has been witness to projects that begin with a burst of enthusiasm only to die on the vine. We hope — and trust — that doesn’t happen this time.

THREE THINGS have to happen to ensure Horizon’s success. One is that advocates must emerge who refuse to let the matter drop. These are the people who show up at government meetings and make themselves well-known to elected and business officials. They are the ball-carriers.

The second is that Horizon’s scope should be narrowly focused. Expecting progress on too many fronts is a recipe for failure.

Third, the definition of success can’t be vague. We need to know what a goal is, how to measure it and roughly how long it’s going to take us to get there.

In terms of goals, economic diversity in Elkhart County has to top the list. That objective isn’t new, but is never been more relevant.

When times were good — i.e., when the Elkhart County’s recreation vehicle industry was booming — calls for expanding our business base fell on too many deaf ears. The boom turned to bust. In one way or another, the economy touches every aspect of the Horizon project. And if we continue to put all the eggs in the RV basket, every Horizon dream is no better than a pipe dream.

THESE ARE our cautions and concerns. Still, Elkhart County can benefit greatly from Horizon 2.0. We’re blessed with smart people who care. Every positive change is due to committed people who began with an idea. Elkhart County is off to a great beginning, again.

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Horizon project must hold focus

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