Opening Post

The BoldFuture for the Coastal Bend vision initiative, begun more than 24 months ago, has grown to a broad coalition involving thousands of Coastal Bend residents. Initial funding from the City of Corpus Christi, Nueces County and the San Patricio Economic Development Corp. launched an intensive community conversation about the future of our region.

Three questions guided the community conversation: "Where are we now?" "Where do we want to be?" and "How will we get there?" Two Phase I deliverables to key funders were completed by August 2008 - a telephone survey which captured 750 responses and a Community Profile which identified emerging trends and current statistics - and they provided the impetus for Phase II and more than 80 community meetings and special events to determine how residents felt about the Coastal Bend and its future.

More than 1,800 residents - diverse in backgrounds and ages - responded to the vision and values survey, with others completing an on-line survey. The thousands of ideas generated during Phase II became the cornerstone of what would become the six focus areas.

A Vision Summit held in February 2009 enabled 300 community leaders and residents to validate the draft vision statements for the six focus areas - Vibrant Economy; Thriving Education; Arts and Entertainment; Well-Planned Region; Sustainable Environment; Safe Healthy Communities; and Community Identity and Leadership. In Fall 2009, six action teams were formed, and intensive work began with more than 130 volunteers devoting countless hours to crafting the draft Vision Action Plan.

The Vision Action Plan captures the essence of the community's expectations for the future of the Coastal Bend. It's a roadmap that will serve the region well for the next five years. With its more than 250 draft actions and with the commitment from more than 50 public and private entities and organizations, the Vision Action Plan will "bold our future!"