Resilient Grundy Project requests survey input from residents and businesses

The Resilient Grundy Project is asking for local residents and businesses to fill out a survey to provide input on what those who live and work in Grundy County envision and hope for in their community.

The Grundy Economic Development Commission and the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce put out a news release Monday asking local residents and business owners for their input through the Advancing Grundy survey, which is part of the project.

“We have completed the data gathering and now our experts are looking for the story behind our community,” Chamber President & CEO Christina Van Yperen said in a Monday news release. “What makes it tick? Why do its residents choose to live here? What do you think are the most pressing issues for its future and what opportunities are there? This input is crucial for the strategic plan of our future economy,”

This stage of the project is to create a roadmap for Grundy’s economic future. The organizations were given a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in 2022. These grants help nuclear host communities plan for and build more diverse, resilient economies. Grundy’s grant is being matched 20% by Grundy County, and North Central Council of Governments is assisting as the grant administrator.

In the spring, the GEDC and Chamber contracted with TIP Strategies, Inc., an economic development consulting firm to conduct the Economic Diversification and Resiliency Plan to identify, recommend, and justify key initiatives, action items, and market-driven opportunities for economic diversification in Grundy County to enhance the county’s economic prosperity and resilience. Upon completion, this diversification and resiliency plan will be used as a tool to inform and guide comprehensive planning, business attraction, infrastructure investments, and marketing.

“Your voice matters. We want this plan to fully reflect the best version of what Grundy County can be and to do that, we need everyone’s ideas,” said GEDC President & CEO Nancy Norton “We are asking the public to give their input and feedback through this survey.”

The survey takes about 10 minutes and asks participants to rate the county’s economic performance among different categories, and to select descriptive words on a variety of topics about the county. Those that fill out the survey are also given the opportunity to share their specific thoughts.

The survey has a version for both residents and for businesses. The links can be found at resilientgrundy.com, as well as on the Chamber and GEDC’s websites, grundychamber.com and gedc.com, and the organizations’ Facebook pages.

The completed diversification plan is expected by the end of summer. The scope of the overall project is over 24 months and includes future steps of researching the decommissioning process of nuclear plants and an implementation plan for the Resiliency Project.