The next phase of a campaign to improve Platteville will be unveiled at the next Good Morning Platteville event Thursday, Nov. 20.
UNITE — Unified Neighbors Improving Their Environment — is a collaborative community effort to improve the Platteville area’s quality of life.
“It’s an ongoing project born from a small group of engaged citizens and community organizers who recognized as great as life in Platteville is for many, there exists important opportunities to improve our community in ways that benefit all of us,” said Jaime Collins of Southwest Health. “Every community can identify issues with poverty, crime, violence, community health, diversity and communication. UNITE is Platteville’s response to helping make real and lasting progress — perhaps in many small ways and with hope in some major ways — to combining efforts and responding to problems to move our community forward.”
UNITE is the next step in an effort begun in 2010, My Community — My Vision, that sought to improve Platteville in six areas — promoting the environment; improving pedestrian access through sidewalks, paths and trails; creating a community center; creating a Main Street retail “idea center”; creating an annual regional festival; and improving communication in Platteville. More information can be found at www.plattevillemcmv.com.
Since then, a steering committee and three subgroups have been formed to focus on three areas — health and wellness; socioeconomic issues; and unity, diversity and communication. UNITE’s three groups are charged with setting a group goal for each area, identifying specific problems and root causes, and prioritizing potential steps forward to make measurable progress on long-term community issues.
“As a collaborative effort, UNITE is neither a private nor a governmental entity,” said Collins. “It’s a community collaboration that relies on the willingness of energized individual citizens to work together to achieve progress.”
Good Morning Platteville will be held at Take 2 Restaurant on East Business 151 Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 a.m.
