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- Have a voice by taking part in Envision Utah survey
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Envision Utah, under the direction of Governor Herbert, launched the Your Utah, Your Future effort at the beginning of April.
To date, less than 15,000 Utahns have taken the survey (50,000 are needed) and less than 15 of them have been from Juab County.
It is important for Juab County to have a voice.
"It is also important to note that Envision Utah will donate $1 to the school closest to each responder's location upon completion of the survey," said Derek Siddoway, Grassroots Agency. "Schools like Park City and Park Valley in Box Elder have already raised over $500 through this fundraiser, so it can make a difference."
"Juab has not been well represented in the survey effort (less than 15 responses so far)," he said.
County residents have a "once-in-a-generation" chance to help decide what they want the state to be like in the future.
More than 2,900,000 people live in Utah, and an additional 2.5 million people are expected to come to the state by 2050, according to the Utah Governor's Office of Management and Budget.
Residents from Juab County will undoubtedly feel the pressure of that growth and, therefore, should be interested in having input by taking the survey.
Siddoway said that the data from the effort to collect comments from a wide variety of residents will help state leaders build a long-term game plan to prepare for future issues across the entire state like water resources, air quality, agriculture, energy, education and jobs.
County residents already have concerns about water as they see an influx of new residents.
Because this initiative effects every Utahn, it's important that feedback is received from everywhere, not just the Salt Lake Valley.
After receiving input from state residents and experts, Envision Utah, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group, has developed five potential scenarios for what the state will look like in 2050.
Envision Utah identified 11 areas of concern: air quality, agriculture, disaster resilience, education, energy, housing and cost of living, jobs and economy, recreation, public lands, transportation and communities and water.
The group is asking Utahns to cast their votes with "Your Utah, Your future." By visiting envisionutah.org, residents of the state can take an interactive survey to share their input.
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to weigh in and tell us, express your voice on what you'd like Utah to look like for your children and grandchildren," said Robert Grow, president and CEO of Envision Utah. "If we don't make wise choices, if we don't plan ahead, we may have all sorts of things that make this not the great place that we love and that we would want for our children."
In 1999, Envision Utah was at the head of a community-wide strategy to help the Wasatch Front prepare for 1 million new residents, reaching out to 20,000 Utahns at the time. Since then, Envision Utah's planning has grown to include the state and a hoped outreach of 50,000 residents.
Four hundred community, business and political leaders came together in eight committees to help develop potential future scenarios for each area.
Envision Utah solicited feedback from Utahns through online games, in addition to surveys and input from experts.
While Envision Utah will use other methods, including a statistical poll, to understand Utahns' values and goals, they place a high priority on the online survey results.
"If you heard 50,000 voices, what would you feel about that? It will be a great opportunity to share with the governor, with the Legislature, with local leaders, with business leaders, with all of us who help make up this future, how can we align ourselves to make this the best place possible?" Grow said.
The survey will be active for two months.
From the feedback, Envision Utah will identify common interests, attitudes and goals.
Envision Utah will present their findings to policy makers in the state, who can help put many of these decisions into effect.
"We can see that there are pathways forward, but Utahns have to understand and choose those pathways," Grow said.
To take the survey, visit the Envision Utah website. |
