On March 21, 2019, Lanesboro community members, including Andrzej Zalasinski, Jr. (LACC Director), Jason Resseman (Mayor), Adam Wiltgen (Lanesboro Arts), Lori Bakke (Granny’s Liquor), and Alison Leathers (Cottage House Inn and SE RSDP Board Member) met with the University of Minnesota Extension Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (Southeast RSDP) to brainstorm and discuss ways Southeast RSDP can be a resource to Lanesboro.
Southeast RSDP Executive Director Okechukwu “Okey” Ukaga and Executive Office and Administrative Specialist Sarah Topness told the group about RSDP’s mission, work, and gave examples of projects that RSDP has supported. According to their website, “the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) work to sustain Minnesota’s natural resources and rural communities by addressing community-identified sustainability issues in partnership with the University of Minnesota.” Southeast RSDP is comprised of University of Minnesota extension educators and staff as well as community members who serve on the board or one of four work groups that consist of natural resources, clean energy, resilient communities, and sustainable agriculture and food systems. This group works together to identify, discuss, and approve project ideas for funding and/or help from University of Minnesota faculty, staff and students. RSDP allows for groups to submit a project idea brief online and RSDP work groups and board members discuss the idea brief and work with the group to get any questions answered. Then the group is invited to complete a full proposal that is then voted on by the board.
The meeting attendees discussed the immediate needs of Lanesboro including ideas to understand tourism trends through survey research, investigate affordable housing, attract year-round businesses and young families, promote agriculture and local foods, and start and complete the City of Lanesboro’s comprehensive plan. The Lanesboro community members decided to focus on how Southeast RSDP can help with implementation of the city’s comprehensive plan once it is complete, hopefully by fall 2019. The City of Lanesboro, Lanesboro Arts, and other community members will be in communication with SE RSDP throughout 2019 to update them on the comprehensive plan progress and eventually submit a project idea brief to be considered for a full project proposal to ultimately help secure funding or help from University of Minnesota faculty, staff or students. The City of Lanesboro, Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce, and community members are excited about the opportunity to work with the University of Minnesota Extension Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and how they may be a vital resource to the sustainability of a new comprehensive plan for the City of Lanesboro.
More information can be found at: https://extension.umn.edu/regional-partnerships/southeast and https://extension.umn.edu/regional-partnerships/how-we-do-our-work.
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