Team 1: Digital Media

Team 1: Digital Media

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

To create a unified, efficient, and structured branding and engagement plan to better serve our stakeholders through digital media

Expected Outcomes:

  • Improve internal communications
  • Informed & engaged stakeholders
  • Unified identity and brand in the city
  • Establish marketing & branding committee
  • Increased positive image of our city

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Submitted a grant for $100,000 for the development of a Toledo Business Express (TBX) web portal – collaboratively with other teams.
  • Develop, select and implement the new FoT logo.
  • Design and Launched FoT Website Platform.
  • Monthly FoT newsletter highlighting great news & work.
  • Updated and appealing FoT website.
  • Promoted Gun Buy Back, Youth Job Fair, and numerous great projects community organizations are implementing.
Team 2: ASPIRE

Team 2: Develop a Regional Education Master Plan – ASPIRE

Project Leader(s):

Purpose:

To ensure the Toledo region will have a 21st century educated workforce with a skill set to reduce social issues while raising the standard of living for the region; so that anyone who wants to work will be able to work based on education and/or skilled training provided by the educational system.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Goal 1. Support, improve and accelerate student learning.  Objectives:
    • Improve reading and math test scores for all students, regardless of income or race. Within ten years, achieve test score rates that are in the top ten statewide.
    • Improve H.S. graduation rates so that Toledo’s rates are in the top ten statewide
    • Achieve continuous increases in local ratings on State grade cards. Achieve the highest possible grade within ten years.
    • Improve overall educational attainment rate for community. Achieve educational attainment levels that are in the top ten, nationally.
  • Goal 2. Improve student readiness for careers and college without remediation. Objectives:
    • Raise expectations of parents, teachers, employers, etc.
    • Reduce the need for remediation programs (college through career)
  • Goal 3. Significantly raise our community’s appreciation, expectations, and value of educational success and attainment.  Objectives:
    • Engage all community stakeholders in defining outcomes and developing educational strategies.
    • Develop and implement initiatives to increase public awareness of and commitment to improving educational outcomes for all students and adults.
    • Earn the trust and respect of our community so that the voters will support school levies and critical educational initiatives.

 2013 Accomplishments:

  • ASPIRE – Empowering Lucas County children to achieve from cradle to career
  • Education Master Plan will be led by ASPIRE
  • Creating a Digital Dashboard to get the word out
Team 3: Regional Water Cooperation

Team 3: Regional Water Cooperation

Project Leaders:

Project Coordinator/Managers:

Purpose:

To bring the stakeholders together to create a world-class model for regional water cooperation

Expected Outcomes:

  • Understanding that changes in rates, service and structures have potential impact on residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout the service area, the City of Toledo desires to engage available regional expertise to address regional challenges.
  • Water is a precious resource that will continue to increase in value.  The City of Toledo, in concert with its partner organizations and citizenry, hopes to create greater emphasis on water as a regional resource, and optimize its utilization to the benefit of our entire region.

 2013 Accomplishments:

  • Key external regional communities involved – mix of mayors and water administrators.
  • Final Stages of Creating a Regional Water Advisory board to provide input to the administration.
  • Partnering for economies of scale coordination.

Link to news: http://futureoftoledo.com/water-cooperation-progress/

Team 4: Economic Development Corridor

Team 4 – Economic Development Corridor

(formerly Western Lake Erie Development Corridor)

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

The Economic Development Corridor will identify existing strengths, collaborative projects, and sub-corridors, seeking to harness the momentum to create a comprehensive action strategy document to maximize the potential for regional development.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Completion of a Regional CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy) planning document (http://www.ct.gov/ecd/lib/ecd/CEDS_Flyer_Wht_Backround%5B2%5D.pdf) to receive EDA grant money.  The outcomes related to a CEDS are numerous: jobs saved/created; regional investments; economic environment.
  • Turnpike Sub-Corridor through the award of public sector funding for transportation projects in NW Ohio region.
  • Michigan-Ohio Logistics & Development Corridor through the initiation of dialog between NW Ohio and SE Michigan governmental and development agencies; identification of common strategies; development of coordinated action plan /priorities
  • Medical, Science & Education Sub-Corridor to improve the perception of the region

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Streamlining resources with other groups and the community.
  • Working with the project initiative members to help with Business Express, and Sylvania Avenue Mile.
  • Forbes has identified Toledo as the 9th for Job Growth, beating out cities like Boston, Atlanta, & San Diego. And, Toledo is #1 in the State of Ohio.

News: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/09/10/the-best-and-worst-cities-for-jobs-this-fall-2013/

Team 5: Waterfront Development

Team 5 – Waterfront Development

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

To determine the best uses of the Waterfront and to ensure safe access

Expected Outcomes:

  • Draw people of all ages and to grow and sustain downtown development.
  • Have entertainment, recreational activities and events, on the Waterfront.

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Focusing in on what grants will line up with their initiatives – focusing on federal and state level grants.
  • Several substantial projects in the works – collaborating with other groups to move forward.
Team 6: Volunteerism

Team 6 – Promote Citizen Engagement through Volunteerism

Project Leader(s):

Purpose:

To actively engage citizens in participating in solving community problems and meeting community needs.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Involvement, mobilization, pride, and team building.

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Working with United Way to leverage and support their strength in volunteerism, creating a joint link to help any team seeking volunteers.
  • Creating a portal on the website for volunteers to use.
Team 7: Business Attraction & Retention

Team 7 – Business Attraction & Retention

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

To achieve economic  growth and prosperity in Toledo by identifying and implementing strategies to promote, encourage and assist in business attraction, local entrepreneurship and business retention/expansion.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Sustainable Business Growth and Job Creation
  • Population Growth
  • “Hit rate” for business attraction efforts

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Have formed 4 subcommittees – Stakeholders, Strategy, Benchmarking, and Downtown.
  • Their purpose is to move specific projects forward – such as the exploration of providing a Business Concierge service, supporting downtown development, and the possibility of partnering with the Promenade Park redevelopment project.
Team 8: Removal of Blight & Repurposing Land

Team 8 – Removal of Blight and Re-Purposing Land

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

The removal of blight and re-purposing of land is a challenge requiring creative solutions from several approaches coordinated by a strong, experienced leadership team with the conviction to face facts, tackle difficult problems and persevere; leadership which possesses the willingness and ability to collaborate with and unify public and private sector talent and resources.

Expected Outcomes:

Short-Term

  1. Organize and host a 1-day strategic planning conference with local community stakeholder organizations to present the success of Cherry Street Legacy project.  Learn what participants want in their neighborhoods.  Stimulate interest in local residents to assume stewardship over their neighborhood.  Education + Stimulation + Innovation = Results
  2. Encourage small efforts:
    1. Local residents adopt their block and focus on improvement in just that block.
    2. Neighborhood anchor institutions (church, school, hospital, commercial neighbor) adopt a neighborhood.
    3. Community Development Corporations (CDC’s) focus on neighborhoods in their district, one block at a time.
  3. Dept. of Inspection’s (DOI) Spring Sweeps. Identify property maintenance issues on a house-by-house basis in targeted LMI areas.  Distribute information to property owners on assistance programs available through city Dept. of Neighborhoods (DON) and community agencies (Habitat for Humanity, Lucas County Port Authority).  Assist neighborhood groups to organize and execute district clean-up days with CDCs and student organizations.  Offer incentives for home improvement with discounts from home improvement retailers (Spring Sweeps 2012 & 2013).
  4. Department of Neighborhoods (DoN).  Make funding available to existing housing stock with programs such as winterization, rehabilitation and installation of energy efficient equipment and materials.  Present DoN management, administrators of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, has demonstrated its skill at monitoring and implementing these focused programs.
  5. Toledo Police Department’s (TPD).  Increase the camera program to prevent illegal dumping.  Increase police presence in central city neighborhoods.
  6. Department of Public Service’s (DPS) Division of Solid Waste.  Increase accessibility to the City’s landfills to encourage legal dumping.  Offer free tire dumping days or pay haulers to bring tires to the landfills.
  7. Division of Environmental Services.  Work with DoI and DPS to dispose of hazardous and toxic material from citizens, i.e., paint, motor oil, tires, through neighborhood clean-up days.
  8. DoI and DPS.  Continue the aggressive remediation of the “tall grass and weeds” clean-up initiative with timely billings. Actively pursue violators of this and TMC §1767 Vacant Property Registration to fund this effort through the Nuisance Abatement Trust Fund, repository for these violation and registration fees.

Long-Term:  Renewed Toledo Neighborhoods (RTN).

  1. Create a consolidated, re-platted neighborhoods master plan with privately monitored security based on the city’s true population, recognizing historic border, support services and local schools.*  New minimum lot sizes will accommodate housing with attached garages to reduce street congestion and property damage claims.  Separate neighborhoods with green spaces in Parks and Open Space (POS) zoning. The savings to the city from severing public services will maintain new open spaces.
  2. Demolish blighted, vacant and abandoned structures with funding from Lucas County Land Bank.  Promote side lot transfers to responsible adjacent property owners.
  3. Build new housing to complete RTNs with funding from CDBG allocations or other federal and private grant programs.  Relocate dislocated residents to RTNs.  Disperse/monitor LMI households throughout the city to reduce concentration of poverty.
  4. Integrate and renovate existing owner-occupied housing in RTNs where possible to preserve historic character of neighborhoods.
  5. Encourage future commercial and industrial development with new infrastructure and underground utilities.
  6. Sever public services, i.e., water, sewer, street maintenance, and reduced police and fire protection to vacant, unoccupied zones, made ready for parks and open spaces and/or commercial/industrial complexes.
  7. Department of Public Utilities (DPU).  Provide technical (Div. of Eng. Services) and financial assistance to provide infrastructure improvements to new neighborhoods through infrastructure grants and the 2% Water Distribution Infrastructure Fund.
  8. Toledo Plan Commission must review, revise and adapt its zoning codes and 20/20 plan to current realties with more thought to future development and the impact of rigid zoning on the marketability/financing of housing (legal non-conformities).
  9. Department of Economic Development.  Re-instate and administer some kind of façade grant program to small businesses to help business owners improve neighborhood commercial districts, particularly in LMI districts.

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Possible Neighborhood summit for October 2013 – The Neighborhood Strategies and Solutions Summit will function as a catalyst for city neighborhoods to learn about and collaborate in creative ideas to improve the community in which they live.
Team 9:JEEP Trail & Museum

Team 9 – Create the Toledo Off Road Jeep Trail & Museum

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

To bring more revenue to Toledo, more people from other states, something more “to do” in Toledo: to promote the Jeep heritage in Toledo and attract integrated parties to experience this heritage: and to grow awareness of Toledo and promote economic growth with a partnership with Jeep enthusiast

Expected Outcomes:

  • To build Toledo, offer more.  Build Toledo up.
  • To put Toledo on the map as the birthplace/home of the Jeep
  • Attract visitors through Jeep Off-Road Trail/Museum who will then be exposed to our other assets
  • Generate new revenue for Toledo through the use of hotels, restaurants
  • Provide various recreation events to attract event promotions
  • Youth involvement

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Assembled a diverse group of Jeep Enthusiasts who are committed to the trail and museum. They are fired up!
  • Administered National Best Practices Survey with Mayor to collect data – received survey responses from all over the country.
Team 10: Parks & Recreation Master Plan

Team 10 – Parks and Recreation System Master Plan

Project Leader(s):

Purpose:

By providing popular and relevant recreational facilities, amenities, programs, and personnel on public parkland, adjacent private property values will increase.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Pride in the City of Toledo
  • Increased park awareness and usage by citizens and visitors
  • Positive economic benefits to neighborhoods and the greater community
  • Stabilized funding for parks and recreation by retaining revenues, establishing a trust and by establishing a capital development campaign

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Master plan is complete and accepted by city council & accepted.
  • Forming citizens advisory board to talk about all of the parks as a whole – appointing citizen members – diverse group from all areas.
Team 11: Recruitment & Retention of Public Safety Personnel

Team 11 – Police and Fire – Recruitment & Retention of Public Safety Personnel

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

The citizens of the City of Toledo expect and deserve the most talented, dedicated, and prepared police officers and firefighters. The purpose of this group is to develop a comprehensive recruitment plan that will attract the best of the best.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Reduce Police/Firefighter terminations
  • Reduce Police/Firefighter disability claims
  • Reduce Police/Firefighter discipline issues
  • Retain Police/Firefighter positions (reduce turnover)
  • Promote the most qualified Police/Firefighters into leadership positions
  • Increase the pool of qualified individuals

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Have successfully secured and exhausted almost all funding opportunities
  • Now aggressively hiring new officers. By the end of this year will have hired 165 police officers and 169 firefighters.  This is as many as were hired in total over the previous 16 years.
  • Crime is down 24% over 2012.
Team 12: Community Betterment

Team 12 – Community Betterment

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

To improve the quality of life for Toledo City Youth and their Families that in turn increases their chances of success while making Toledo a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

Mission:

To create a common vision among the Board of Community Relations (BCR), Better Community Relations Board (BBCR), Mayor’s Coalition for Hope (MCH), Toledo Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (T-CIRV), Youth Commission/Department, and the Department of Neighborhoods (DON).

Expected Outcomes:

Increase:

  • High School graduation rates;
  • Students enrolling and obtaining their GED;
  • High School Attendance;
  • Employment opportunities and obtainments
  • Job readiness skills
  • Youth entrepreneurs
  • Job & Internships;
  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Apprenticeships

Decrease:

  • Youth homelessness;
  • Violent crimes;
  • Accidental deaths;
  • Youth homicide rates;
  • Youth violence;
  • Suspension Rates;
  • Truancy Rates;
  • Absenteeism;
  • Youth Incarceration Rates.

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Applied for City of Service grant – find out if they get it in November.
  • Collaborated with United Way for grant writing help and a needed volunteerism piece to ensure the success of the City of Service grant.

News:  http://futureoftoledo.com/youth-commissions-busy/

Team 13: 311 Call Center

Team 13 – Design/Integrate 311 Customer Service Call Center

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Team 14: Partner with the Arts Commission

Team 14 – Partner with the Arts Commission to Put on a Great Event

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

To foster and support art and artists in Toledo by treating the Arts as a job market and industry; while supporting its cultural contributions to the quality of life and identity of our community.  To leverage this work to promote job creation/ retention, enhance education and advance local pride.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Economic Development
  • Accessibility to the Arts
  • Enhance esthetics of the city
  • Retain/recruit artists to Toledo
  • Funding for the Arts will be available to The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo for redistribution to individual artists and arts organizations
  • The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo will promote art events throughout the year

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Held Artomatic 419 event.
  • Seeking a steady reliable revenue source for the Arts commission – developing idea to sell Toledo Arts bottled water as a funding source.
  • Partnering with Dept. of Neighborhoods to move Arts forward in new ways at the local level.

News:

Team 15: Sylvania Avenue Mile (SAM) Revitalization

Team 15 – Sylvania Avenue Mile (SAM) Revitalization

Making Sylvania  Avenue a Walkable Community

Project Leader(s):

Project Coordinator/Manager:

Purpose:

To support the growth and continued development of the one-mile stretch of Sylvania Avenue from Secor to Douglas as a hallmark corridor for the City that engages residents and supports commercial growth.

Expected Outcomes:

  • The business corridor will create jobs and strength in the neighborhoods.
  • A strong residential base increases property values to benefit schools.
  • Since the concept is to make the Sylvania Avenue Mile pleasing for residents to walk, it encourages nearby residents to take an active role in their health.

2013 Accomplishments:

  • The City of Toledo has committed seed money for aesthetic improvements along this one-mile stretch of Sylvania Avenue.
  • Meetings were held with several key businesses to leverage additional dollars for this project. The completed project is estimated by our design engineers to run $1.9 million.
  • Additionally, feedback has been gathered from residential neighbors through community meetings and surveys, encouraging them to take an active role by sharing their visions for the walkable, main street-like business corridor.
  • Actively collaborating with other team initiatives around several areas to move toward grant funding.
  • Potential for public and private grants.
  • Close to a financial victory.

News:  http://futureoftoledo.com/team-15-sam-forward/

Team 16: Back to the Future Initiative

Team 16 – Back to the Future Initiative

School Supplies, Books, and Uniforms – All Year

The Back to the Future Initiative unifies community partners, teachers, and local organizations to provide the tools necessary for children to succeed. Children who are prepared for school with supplies are more likely to attend, focus on learning, build positive relationships, and ultimately succeed in school and life. Many students lack adequate supplies, including uniforms for school. There are many local efforts in place. The Back to the Future Initiative is a coordinated effort by more than twenty organizations to attain more resources and reach more children. Greater coordination will help us to:

  • Ensure every student is equipped for success with school supplies, books, and uniforms.
  • Unify the existing efforts of community organizations and schools in order to leverage our expertise and resources.
  • Find additional resources and support from new partners and schools ready to join our initiative.

2013 Accomplishments:

  • Created partnership for summer and year round supplies with 10+ organizations.
  • Set up process for teachers to get supplies for children who need them in their classroom – Teachers email – Salvation Army delivers to their school.

All donations will help support this great project! $60 will equip one child with school supplies, books, and uniforms. All funds go directly to purchasing school supplies, books, or uniforms for kids in need. The Salvation Army, one of the initiative partners, will coordinate the collections of funds. Make your tax deductible contributions to:

By Check to:

  • Salvation Army – BFI
  • (Please write “Back to the Future Initiative” in the memo)
  • Mail to 620 N. Erie Street, Toledo, OH 43604

Online at:

News:  http://futureoftoledo.com/back-to-the-future-initiative/

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