EDH 2025 Plan_Original_Dec 05 Final

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momentum going. Something should be done with those poster-sized maps that were now riddled with colored dots and covered with written comments. No one was sure what to do and how. This begins Downtown Hilo's visioning story. It is a story about everyday people who came together to shape their community's future. They were called upon to suspend their 21 st Century cynicism and to keep personal agendas in check. In return, they were guaranteed a safe place where every voice was heard and every opinion was respected. In the spirit of consensus and compromise, this Community-Based Vision and Living Action Plan for Downtown Hilo grew. This particular story begins on March 22, 2004; it is but the latest chapter in Downtown Hilo's long history of citizen leaders taking responsibility for their children's future. The Living Plan Emerges Susan Gagorik invited workshop participants to join in a debriefing session at the Planning Department. Those who attended the April 14 meeting: MaryJames, Will Schaefer, Susan O'Neill, Jeffrey Mermel, Beth Dykstra, Scott Rogers, Michelle Sheehan, Alice Moon, and Susan Gagorik. This debriefing meeting was the genesis of the steering committee later known as the Friends of Downtown Hilo. True to the organic evolution of EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025, no one involved knew yet what was before them. Members of the fledgling steering committee brainstormed in hopes of answering some very basic questions: What should be done with the community input they gathered, and what would the next steps be? Community members made it known at the workshop that they wanted to see the not-so-great features fixed and they wanted to see their dreams for downtown realized. Some of the group were familiar with the Hilo Redevelopment Plan approved by County Council Resolution No. 59-85 in 1985. This plan included ideas that were suggested at the workshop. Some felt that it would be a shame to waste an excellent existing resource and the energy, time, and money that had been put into that plan. Why reinvent the wheel? Other members however felt that a new, up-to-date plan should be developed. The one opinion on which everyone agreed was that no one wanted to waste time and energy on another plan that would sit on a shelf forgotten and collecting dust. Members of the group were involved in local organizations that were already developing plans in a variety of mission-specific areas, including the DIA, Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, Hilo Bay Watershed Advisory Group, Rural South Hilo Community Association, and Destination Hilo. Were the goals of all these planning efforts compatible or were they at cross- purposes? Were they in synch with the community's wishes? It was obvious to all that there was duplication of efforts in the community and that the local knowledge and networking base could be more efficiently tapped. Everyone agreed that there was a need to continue to meet to grapple with these issues before Downtown Hilo was overwhelmed by changing trends. 10