What do you want for Chattanooga’s future?
Community survey seeks responses throughout county
What should Chattanooga’s future look like?
A community survey that has already attracted thousands of responses is seeking to involve as many people as possible in the next week to capture the dreams, concerns and opinions about living, working and learning in Hamilton County in the next 20 years.
The Urban League, La Paz and a consortium of other community and nonprofit groups are working this weekend and early next week to encourage more local residents to take a 10-minute survey about Chattanooga and its future before the survey period ends next week.
Known as Velocity 2040, the survey asks residents their views about Chattanooga and its future to aid in crafting future economic development, educational reforms and social initiatives to guide the region’s future. The survey is available online in both English and Spanish, and several nonprofit groups are distributing paper versions of the survey for those without internet access or are uncomfortable responding via a computer screen.
Angela García, director of marketing and business development for La Paz in Chattanooga, said volunteers are conducting personal interviews and making written surveys available to ensure Spanish speaking and Latino populations are adequately represented. Garcia said more than 250 Spanish surveys have been completed online or in written forms “and we will be working this weekend the gather many more.”
At the Urban League, the survey is being promoted both online and to the hundreds of local volunteers and program participants who come to Urban League programs or facilities for tax preparation training, college aid assistance, job searches and a host of training programs.
“We’re trying to promote the surveys in every way we can to get the participation and voices of as many people as possible,” said Enjelica Reid, coordinator of education and youth initiatives for the Urban League.
The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, which is coordinating more than 100 community groups and employers in gathering the community sentiment about Chattanooga’s future, has set a target of more than 3,500 responses, or over 1 percent of Hamilton County’s population.
“We’re close to 3,500 responses, but some were not completely filled out, and we’re anxious to hear from as many and as diverse of a sample as possible,” said Sybil Topel, vice president of communications for the Chamber. “The surveys are available at all of the local libraries and is being shared by numerous community groups, faithbased organizations, employers and others. We want all of the voices that we can get and we’re eager to get everyone from East Lake to Alton Park, from Brained to Lookout Mountain.”
Those that fill out the survey are eligible to win a $25 grocery card from Food City and so far more than 15 of the cards have been awarded, Topel said.
The deadline for the survey period is Nov. 1 and from the results a report will be prepared before the end of the year sharing the results and the next steps for using the data.
For its part, the Chamber is preparing a new economic vision next year, based, in part, upon the survey results. Other groups will use the results to develop and coordinate their own programs.
“We must engage every Chattanooga resident to understand our collective needs, desires and opportunities,” said Lesley Scearce, president vand CEO of the United Way of Greater Chattanooga. “Velocity2040 is a movement to do that. Together, we’ll plan for our community’s growth and invite all of our neighbors, businesses and leaders to create and own the outcome.”