T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM “Iowa Valley Community College District Chancellor Kristie Fisher listens to Vision Marshalltown board member Terry Buzbee explain about areas of growth the group is focusing on in the community.

The Iowa Valley Community College District Board of Directors learned more about Vision Marshalltown during the regular Wednesday meeting.

Vision Marshalltown Co-Chair Terry Buzbee and Executive Director Kyley Leger told the IVCCD board about its recently developed strategic plan.

Leger told the board members Vision Marshalltown is not an organization, but rather a network of community members focused on growth.

The four areas of growth and some strategies are:

• Housing — increase capacity and action and continuing strategy recommendations in the housing study.

• Downtown — grow the downtown through the master plan and through the communication of what is in the master plan.

• Education — develop more work-based learning experiences and increase the reputation of education opportunities in Marshalltown.

• Pride and reputation — improve the aesthetics of town, implement a marketing strategy, intentionally recognize Marshalltown’s growth and progress by serving as promoters of the community and distribute material showcasing the strength of the town.

“The reality is we have a great overall strategy around growth,” Buzbee said.

He said the group is focused on promoting what Marshalltown is about. Buzbee said IVCCD Chancellor Kristie Fisher is a member of the Vision Marshalltown board.

“If you were ask me what is the growth bridge, I think housing and getting downtown to where it needs to be,” Buzbee said. “I just want to give you an idea about where we are going and hopefully get a growth mindset across the board and all the boards. We’re going around to try to promote that.”

Buzbee said he believes the community wants Marshalltown Community College to be bigger.

IVCCD Board Vice President Paul Pohlson of Grinnell asked Buzbee and Leger when Vision Marshalltown began. Buzbee told him the group began more than three years ago.”I love this doctrine,” Pohlson said. “I never have understood in my lifetime how people let things go down and not try to improve Marshalltown, improve wherever you are living because that’s our future.”

In other business:

• The board approved a jobs training agreement between the community college and RACOM Corporation in Marshalltown. The agreement calls for 59 employees to be receive OSHA training. This will be the first agreement IVCCD has had with RACOM.

• Heard an update from Chancellor Fisher about bond issues. She said the college district is making progress on hiring an architect to serveas overseer of construction projects, as well as finishing the description of the short-term construction manager position. Fisher said there will be a lot of progress made within the next month.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com