The Town of Argos has been working with the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) and Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) to update their Comprehensive Plan. The process began in the summer of 2016 by organizing key community leaders, Town staff, and citizens to serve as the Plan’s Steering Committee. The Steering Committee led the planning process that engaged Argos residents to develop a vision, identify the Town’s core values, strengths, challenges, and action strategies.
The Town’s previous Comprehensive Plan was completed over 10 years ago. A comprehensive plan is the guiding policy document that empowers communities to create a long-term vision, address community challenges, and create solutions that offer better choices for where and how people live, work, and play.
The Argos 2030 Comprehensive Plan is built on the foundation of community engagement including conducting interviews, surveys, open houses, and workshops. The first open house was held in October and asked the community to identify what they liked and disliked about Argos, and any opportunities and challenges they saw for the Town. The public was able to complete an online survey to provide feedback on their views of Argos and future development opportunities.
Town Council and Steering Committee member, Suzanne Umbaugh stated, “I envision this comprehensive plan like a business plan for the community of Argos. We have had many discussions with the public and community leaders, and gauged where the community would like to be in the future and how to get there.”
Steering Committee member, Jon VanDerWeele, also stated, “The development of a comprehensive plan is a significant step in the right direction for the Argos Community. The plan was developed by many active Argos residents and business owners, and will provide a blueprint to move the Argos Community forward on many levels. The Plan establishes guiding principles to improve and develop the Argos Community such as attracting industries, developing additional parks & recreation, improving infrastructure, and creating new housing and redevelopment. This Comprehensive Plan will serve as a guide to help grow and enhance the wonderful opportunities Argos has to offer.”
Through the engagement process and analyzing Argos’ current conditions, the Steering Committee was able to identify priority action strategies with the intention to guide improvements for the next five to ten years. A draft of the Plan is now ready for public review.
The Steering Committee will be hosting an open house on Monday, February 13, 2017, at the Argos Jr. – Sr. High School Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. The open house will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the Steering Committee giving a presentation of the draft Plan, followed by an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the proposed action strategies. This is another opportunity to learn about the Plan and provide your comments and ideas.
The Argos 2030 Comprehensive Plan is available on the Town’s website www.townofargos.com for public review and comments. For those who do not have internet access, copies of the Plan will be available at the Town’s Municipal Building, 201 W. Walnut Street, or the Argos Public Library, 142 N. Michigan Street.
About Marshall County Economic Development Corporation
The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is the lead countywide economic development organization servicing Marshall County, the City of Plymouth, and the Towns of Bremen, Bourbon, Argos, Culver, and LaPaz. MCEDC’s mission is to expand and diversify the economy of the county and its communities by fostering investment in new and existing businesses and creating entrepreneurial capacity. Visit MCEDC on the web at www.marshallcountyedc.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. #
